WSP04908 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

"'!"J,;,e:"s Jj ~,J__ A Brief History of the Revision Topics Six major areas were identified as the main topics to include in the revision of the Forest Plan, These topics were based on what was found while monitoring the current Plan, on comments from our employees, on new Forest Service direction, and on concerns from individuals and public groups, These six areas are biological diversity, recreation, travel management, roadless area management, special areas and timber harvest. The DEIS also examines the social and economic aspects of the counties and communities linked to the White River National Forest. Although important, this social and economic profile does not vary significantly by alternative, thus it is not considered to be a revision topic upon which the themes of the alternatives are based, The six revision topics, described below, are the focus of the forest plan revision process. They address the central issues to which future management of the Forest must respond. Each of the six alternatives described later in this document represents a different set of answers to questions raised by the revision topics. Biodiversity Biological diversity (biodiversity) refers to "the full variety of life in an area, including the ecosystems, plant and animal communities, species and genes, and the processes through which individual organisms interact with one another and their environments" (1992 Rocky Mountain Regional Guide). Maintaining biodiversity is a key part of ecosystem management. Major land-use decisions can change the biodiversity of the Forest. Conserving biodiversity while managing the land for multiple uses is a balancing act. Goals for each action must be carefully assessed, and trade-offs between resource needs and human needs must be made. Recent policy and precedent have provided guidance to maintain biodiversity. Sensitive species have been identified, and Forest managers have been directed to help ensure viable populations of species. In 1992, the Chief of the Forest Service committed the agency to ecosystem management to produce diverse, healthy, productive and sustainable ecosystems under an operating philosophy based on environmental sensitivity, social responsibility, economic feasibility and scientific principles. Most concepts of biodiversity are relatively new and were not addressed in the 1984 Forest Plan. That plan did not consider ecosystems as a whole -it focused mainly on species that were economically important. Nor did it have available the current base of information about Forest vegetation, wildlife and physical features. Although various goals, objectives, general direction, and standards and guidelines in the existing Plan considered some elements of biodiversity, this revised plan attempts to consider many more of its key elements. The 1984 Forest Plan made every effort to comply with laws and regulations of its time, but some standards and guidelines were too broad or general to ensure compliance. In contrast, the specific methods for maintaining biodiversity and monitoring management activities contained in this revised plan represent both a scientific and practical advance over the 1984 Forest Plan. -- 8-