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.' l' ION ROUNDUP Here we are in the spring of 1999, getting ready to issue our third amendment to the Revised Rio Grande National Forest Plan. This newsletter has been combined with the Rio Grande National Forest Project Up- date to advise everyone as to whats happening on the Rio Grande National Forest. On the back page of this package is a mailing list update, that we would like for you to respond to if you wish to continue re- ceiving Rio Grande National Forest Project Updates and the Rio Grande National Forest Plan Newsletter. TIMBER SUITABll..ITY AND RELATED AMENDMENTS ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS A V All..ABLE The San Juan and Rio Grande National Forest is inviting public comment on a new pre-decisional draft environmental analysis regarding the Timber Suitability Amendment to the Revised Forest Plan. The new pre-decisional draft is being re-opened for public comment because some new information has become available that affects the initial analysis that was contained in the January 1999 Draft Environmental As- sessment. During the course of amending the Revised Forest Plan through the suitability amendment, new informa- tion became available. A US Forest Service, Region 2 proposal has been submitted to amend the Timber Resources Planning Handbook and to drop the "scheduled" portion of the timber suitability determination. Regional direction suggests that the FORPLAN model not be used to predict scheduled lands. In the suit- ability amendment, FORPLAN modeling and determination of suitable-scheduled lands would not be done on amended suitable acres. As in the January 1999 draft EA, the Rio Grande Forest would still make nec- essary adjustments to suitable lands acreage figures to correct discrepancies. A standard contained in the Revised Forest Plan woUld be eliminated from the Plan in .order to be consis- tent with Regional direction. A desired condition statement would be added to the 5.11 Forest and Range Management Prescription. ~-"