Trout Unlimited Supports Forest Service Call for Collaboration

Coming changes in land management planning should benefit fish and wildlife

Washington, D.C. — Trout Unlimited joined with other conservation organizations nationwide on Friday to support the announcement by the U.S. Forest Service that it was beginning a process to develop a new land management rule that will guide forest management plans over the next generation.

“National Forests and Grasslands are a vital part of the solution to a number of environmental and social challenges facing the nation,” said Joel D. Holtrop, Deputy Chief of the National Forest System, in a letter seeking public input on the process. “The time is ripe for us to come together in a collaborative effort to develop a planning rule that will address the future needs of the National Forest System.”

The request for public participation in this process, which begins today with the publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement to analyze the effects of a new management planning rule, was a significant and welcome development.

“We look forward to working with the U.S. Forest Service to develop planning regulations that incorporate public comments at the beginning of the process,” said Brad Powell, Energy Director for Trout Unlimited. “Previous planning regulations have been approved and then litigated, and then approved only to be litigated again. By involving the public at the beginning, we’re hopeful the result will be a planning rule that provides significant protection for fish and wildlife, and the habitats they depend on.”

Public land is vitally important for America’s hunters and anglers, and for fish and wildlife. Half of the nation’s blue ribbon trout streams are located on national forest land, and 80 percent the country’s elk habitat is found on public land.

An initial 60-day comment period on the proposal opens upon publication of the NOI in the Federal Register. More information on the planning rule process is available on the Web at http://fs.usda.gov/planningrule.