Planning
The mission of the Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.
To carry out the mission of the Forest Service, agency resource specialists develop proposals that will enhance or maintain resource values on public lands, as well as generate products. In addition, the public may submit proposals for various uses such as rights-of-way, land exchanges, and recreational events. A necessary part of the planning for these is the environmental analysis and documentation, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act and agency direction.
Each national forest and grassland are governed by a management plan in accordance with the National Forest Management Act. These plans set management, protection and use goals and guidelines. The Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) guides all natural resource management activities and establishes management guidance for each national forest in the Southern Region.
Forest Planning and Assessments
Forest Plans are developed according to the requirements of the National Forest Management Act of 1976. Broad scale and landscape scale assessments are conducted for the purposes of examining ecosystem conditions and evaluating ecosystem needs to support forest planning and on the ground management.
Environmental Analysis & Management Decisions
All forest plans and projects affecting the environment are the subject of both public and agency analysis. The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 governs how we administer that process. The Planning Unit in the Regional Office oversees that process. You can find lists of proposed projects for any national forest by visiting their internet web site and finding their Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) or through the national index of SOPAs.
Monitoring
A Broad-scale Monitoring Strategy is an overarching strategy to help national forests plan monitoring programs and answer questions at a geographic scale broader than one plan area. Together, the results of this Forest Service strategy, coupled with a national forest’s plan monitoring program, meet the requirements of the 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR 219.12).
Legal and Regulatory Requirements
The planning unit oversees Region 8 compliance with:
- National Forest Management Act (NFMA) and NFMA implementation regulations (36 CFR 219)
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the NEPA implementation regulations (Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations)
- Forest Service Appeal Regulations