GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Hoping to break a legal logjam that has stymied logging as well as ecosystem restoration, the U.S. Forest Service said Thursday it was revising its planning rules to find common ground between industry and conservation groups to avoid lawsuits that stall projects.
The
old rules sought to mitigate environmental damage after it was caused by logging, grazing, mining and other natural resource development.
But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said from Washington, D.C., that it’s in everyone’s best interest to have forests that stay healthy amid climate change and economic demands.
“Rather than responding to the political pressure of the time, it would be much better to say to the scientists, ‘What is the best way to make this forest the most resilient it can be,’” Vilsack told The Associated Press.
He said the agency is interested in maintaining as much old growth in forests as possible.
“When we talk about resilience, when we talk about water conservation and preservation, we are really talking about old growth maintained more effectively,” Vilsack said during a teleconference.
The 155 national forests and grasslands managed by the agency cover 193 million acres in 42 states and Puerto Rico. Balance between industry and conservation in those areas has been tough to find since the existing rules went into effect in 1982.
One revision of the rules by the Clinton administration and two by the Bush administration were thrown out by federal courts.
Lawsuits to protect habitat for threatened and endangered species have cut national forest logging levels to a quarter of their peak. Meanwhile, the timber industry continues to clamor for more logs, and conservation groups keep challenging timber sales, drilling and mining projects.
The new rules being developed may seem “wonky” but are important because the national forests provide drinking water for 124 million people in more than 900 cities nationwide and habitat for more rare species than national parks, said Jane Danowitz, public lands director for the Pew Environment Group.
The proposed rules give more authority to local supervisors working with the public to determine the best use of an individual forest, whether it’s for mining, hunting and fishing, or preservation of a diverse mix of species, Vilsack said.
“We have to get away from focusing on our own narrow niche of what we want the world to be and recognize that we have to share the world with other folks who have interests that need to be recognized.” Vilsack said.
Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said the proposed rules would eliminate the old system of using indicator species, such as the northern spotted owl, to determine the health of an individual ecosystem, and instead carefully track a broad range of species.
Conservation groups said the rules were a good start, but a lot of work remained to ensure the changes promised are delivered.
Andy Stahl of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics said getting rid of the indicator species system would make it harder to sue the Forest Service to protect species struggling to survive, because the new rules shift the burden of proof about whether a species is thriving or in trouble from the Forest Service to the public.
“Where you place the burden of proof is really what determines public policy,” he said.
Kristen Boyles, an attorney for Earthjustice, said the watershed protections rated only a C grade. While the changes showed the Forest Service grasped the need to protect trees and brush along streams — a frequent issue in lawsuits over logging and grazing — the revisions did not include specific standards, Boyles said.
Kathleen Sgamma of the Western Energy Alliance said the industry is always working to reduce environmental impacts but is skeptical that anything can be done to reduce litigation by environmentalists over drilling and mining in national forests
The proposed rules incorporate public comments from more than 40 roundtables drawing more than 3,000 participants, and an Internet blog.
After a 90-day public comment period, the rules could become final by the end of the year.
On the Net
Forest Rule website: http://bit.ly/hkcLly
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