At the University of Montana 32nd annual Land Law Conference [1] of 2008 in Missoula, Martin Nie, Associate Professor of Natural Resource Policy at the UM, presented “National Forest Policy Assessment”, a report requested by Senator Jon Tester in January 2008 as a third-party evaluation and analysis on policy issues and a set recommendations on the USDA Forest Service.
“There remain core differences of opinion on how [the US Forest Service] operates,” said Nie. “The agency is being whipsawed into how it should proceed, which can have a debilitating affect on what should be prioritized. These abrupt changes in policy are making it difficult for personnel on how to move forward.”
The following summarizes the highlights points in the reports. Click here for a copy of the report [2].
1. Lawmakers should reinvest in the protection and management of National Forests and fund the USFS at levels commensurate with its responsibilities.
2. There is broad-based national and state-level support for administratively protecting inventoried roadless areas and the lands should be protected accordingly.
3. The 208 forest planning regulations fail to find an appropriate balance between adaptability and enforceable standards and should be rewritten.
4. Private land development adjacent to National Forests is an increasing problem that must be systematically confronted via an assortment of policy approaches and tools, from fully-funded land acquisition programs to landscape-level planning initiatives.
5. Forest restoration begins with comprehensive transportation planning that identifies and funds upgrading, maintenance, or decommissioning forest roads.
6. Legal standards must play an essential role in National Forest management. Increasing conflict and uncertainty has led to alternative methods of conflict resolution, including place-based forest-specific legislative proposals.
7. A comprehensive assessment of National Forest policy and management by an inclusive set of interests and perspectives should be initiated in 2009.