Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee
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Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee meeting in Portland in 2023.
(USDA Forest Service.)The Federal Advisory Committee was established by the Secretary of Agriculture as part of ongoing efforts to amend the Northwest Forest Plan to bring together a variety of perspectives to inform ways that forest management can effectively conserve key resources while considering social, ecological, and economic conditions and needs.
The Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee worked collaboratively over a 10-month period to develop a set of recommendations for an amendment to the Northwest Forest Plan. These recommendations laid the groundwork for the agency’s development of a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed amendment.
The Northwest Forest Plan Amendment proposed new strategies to balance ecological, economic, and social needs while addressing the most pressing challenges facing our forests today.
The Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee concluded it's work and was formally disbanded in May 2025, as announced in the Federal Register Notice (FRN).
Federal Advisory Committee Overview & Background
The Advisory Committee Charter for the Committee was approved in December 2022 and provides an overall framework for the committee's functions, authorizing its work over 2-years. The Forest Service is particularly interested in obtaining Committee feedback on how to protect and promote late and old structure forest conditions while ensuring national forests are resilient to high-severity wildfire, insects and disease, and other types of disturbances that are being exacerbated by changes in climate. The Committee has discretion to consider other issues and resource uses as well.
The Committee is expected to produce a clear set of recommendations for how land management plans within the Northwest Forest Plan area can provide for a consistent approach to conserving key resources across the entire planning area while allowing for deviations where appropriate given local social, ecological, and economic conditions and needs. These recommendations may include programmatic changes to the Northwest Forest Plan amendment as whole and/or strategies for individual land management plan revisions on each affected national forest.
The Federal Advisory Committee does not replace the public involvement process or the public’s opportunity to engage directly with the Forest Service regarding Northwest Forest Plan amendment efforts during the planning process, opportunities such as the Environmental Impact Statement scoping process is one such opportunity for engagement and comment.
The Northwest Forest Plan covers 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in northwestern California, western Oregon, and Washington. It was established in 1994 to address threats to threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region. After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions.
The Committee is comprised of members approved by the Secretary of Agriculture and announced on July 7, 2023 with each member serving a two-year term. The Committee includes representation from experts in the following interest areas:
- Science: Members representing the scientific community with expertise in a specific discipline related to the NWFP including forest ecology, vegetation management, fire ecology, terrestrial wildlife ecology, aquatic and riparian ecosystems and species, climate change, social science, adaptive management and natural resource planning, or indigenous traditional ecological knowledge.
- Interests: Members representing organizations that share a collective interest in the health and sustainability of the National Forest System lands within the NWFP area, including conservation organizations, the forest products industry, wildlife advocates, outdoor recreation groups, entities involved in outreach to affected and underserved communities, forest collaborative groups, and watershed management organizations.
- Government agencies and the general public: Members representing state, county, and Tribal governments as well as the public at large.
The Forest Service developed a Membership Balance Plan to ensure that the Committee represents, to the extent possible, a balance across the three states covered by the NWFP (Oregon, Washington, California) and reflects the demographic diversity of the Northwest Forest Plan area. Members of the Committee will serve without compensation but will be reimbursed for travel expenses, and a call for nominations to the committee was published in the Federal Register on November 18, 2022. The Forest Service appreciates the service of the selected Committee members.
| Name | Title; Location; Category; Seat |
|---|---|
| Mike Anderson, JD |
|
| Susan Jane Brown, JD |
|
| Robert 'Bobby' Brunoe |
|
| Jerry Franklin, PhD |
|
| Nicholas Goulette |
|
| Karen Hans |
|
| Laurel Harkness |
|
| Elaine Harvey, PhDc |
|
| Ryan Haugo, PhD |
|
| Ann House, JD |
|
| Heidi Huber-Stearns, PhD |
|
| Travis Joseph |
|
| Meg Krawchuk, PhD |
|
| Jose Linares |
|
| Laura Osiadacz |
|
| Ryan Miller |
|
| Ryan Reed |
|
| Daniel Reid Sarna-Wojcicki, PhD |
|
| Elizabeth Robblee |
|
| Angela Sondenaa, PhD |
|
| Lindsay Warness |
|
Past Meeting Archive
Where: Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom, 1224 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225;
- Join virtually by going to the livestream link-- Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee Meeting Livestream Link
Purpose: This will be the Federal Advisory Committee’s seventh meeting for members to provide advice and pragmatic recommendations to the Forest Service regarding Northwest Forest Plan updates and recommendations. The Committee will review the Draft Environmental Impact Statement and provide insights for the Final Environmental Impact Statement. They will also dedicate time to discussing leadership commitments and recommendations for implementation.
Information and Documents:
- Meeting Agenda
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee to meet December 10-12 in Bellingham, Washington
- Meeting Summary
- Federal Register Notice of Meeting
- The Draft Huckleberry Recommendation
- Presentation
Video Meeting Recordings:
Where: Riverview Pavilion at Skamania Lodge (1131 SW Skamania Lodge Way, Stevenson, WA 98648) on September 25 (8:30am – 4:30pm), September 26 (8:30am – 4:30pm), & September 27 (8:30am – 12:00pm). All times are Pacific Time.
Purpose: The committee will provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service regarding Northwest Forest Plan updates and recommendations.
Information and Documents:
- Meeting Agenda (Northwest Forest Plan Amendment Federal Advisory Committee Meeting Livestream)
- Federal Advisory Committee Supplementary Ideas
- Meeting Summary (PDF, 851 KB)
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee to Meet September 25-27 in Stevenson, Washington
- Federal Resister Notice
Video Meeting Recordings:
Where: Courtyard Marriott, 2301 Henderson Park Lane SE, Olympia, Washington, 98501
Purpose: Provide recommendations on the Northwest Forest Plan amendment proposed action. Discuss process and following the June meeting, including implementation and Leadership Commitment recommendations.
Information/Documents:
- Meeting Agenda
- 2024 June Federal Advisory Committee Draft Recommendations
- Meeting Summary
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee to meet June 25-27 in Olympia WA
- Federal Register Notice
- Federal Register Notice: Northwest Forest Plan Area Advisory Committee; Correction
Video Meeting Recordings:
- Recordings are available via the live link - Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee Meeting (hd1live.com)
- Day 1 morning - June 25, 2024 Meeting Recording
- Day 1 afternoon - June 25, 2024 Meeting Recording
- Day 2 morning - June 26, 2024 Meeting Recording
- Day 2 afternoon - June 26, 2024 Meeting Recording
- Day 3 morning - June 27, 2024 Meeting Recording
- Day 3 afternoon - June 27, 2024 Meeting Recording
Where: Redding Rancheria Trinity Health Center, 81 Arbuckle Ct, Weaverville, CA 96093. Virtual option was provided.
Purpose: 1) Provide the Forest Service with recommended updates for the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment. 2) Schedule next meeting.
Information/Documents:
- Meeting Agenda
- Review the April Draft Federal Advisory Committee Recommendations to the US Forest Service
- Meeting Summary
- Meeting PowerPoint Presentation
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee's Next Meeting April 16-18 in Weaverville, California
- Federal Register Notice
Video Meeting Recordings:
Where: Crater Lake Room inside the Erb Memorial Union Building on the University of Oregon Campus,1395 University St., Eugene, Oregon and virtually by YouTube live.
Purpose: Review subcommittee perspectives on recommendations for Northwest Forest Plan updates, work to refine recommendations, and identify next steps to develop components of the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment.
Information/Documents:
- Meeting Agenda
- Subcommittee Ideas Document
- Meeting Summary
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee to Meet Jan. 30- Feb. 1 in Eugene, Oregon
- Federal Register Notice
Video Meeting Recordings:
- Jan. 30: https://usda-fs.wistia.com/medias/fmqifvfbhd
- Jan. 31: https://usda-fs.wistia.com/medias/lu140atgya
- Feb. 1 part 1: https://usda-fs.wistia.com/medias/v7atzxu19v
- Feb. I part 2: https://usda-fs.wistia.com/medias/n09xpubjn6
Where: Edgewater Hotel, 2411 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98121; and virtually by Zoom.
Purpose: Discuss how experience with forest management can inform the agency in considering updates to the Northwest Forest Plan; Expand on the committee’s previously agreed upon priorities.
Information/Documents:
- Meeting Agenda
- Meeting Summary
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee to Meet November 14-16 in Seattle, Washington
- Federal Register Notice
Meeting Video Recordings:
Where: Edith Green-Wendell Williams Federal Building, 1220 Southwest 3rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97204
Purpose:
- Select Co-Chairs;
- Initiate work as specified in the Committee Charter; and
- Schedule the next meeting.
Information/Documents:
- Meeting Agenda
- Meeting Summary
- News Release; Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee Sets Optimistic Path Forward at First Meeting
- Federal Register Notice
The Federal Advisory Committee was established by the Secretary of Agriculture as part of ongoing efforts to amend the Northwest Forest Plan. The purpose of the Federal Advisory Committee is to bring together diverse perspectives representing the experiences of communities, experts, Tribes, and other interested parties across the Northwest Forest Plan landscape to inform ways that forest management can effectively conserve key resources while considering social, ecological, and economic conditions and needs.