Public comment period for Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Draft Comprehensive Plan and Environmental Assessment

Release Date: Mar 16, 2023

Contact(s): Jon McMillan, PNT Director, Joe David, Environmental Coordinator

Note: In the Northern Region the PNT traverses the Flathead, Kootenai, and Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

USDA Forest Service launches public comment period for Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Draft Comprehensive Plan and Environmental Assessment

Portland, Ore. (March 16, 2023) –  The USDA Forest Service has announced the launch of the public review and comment period for the draft comprehensive plan (CP) for the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNT) and its associated environmental assessment (EA). The 30-day comment period will begin today.

The PNT is a congressionally designated national scenic trail that stretches approximately 1,200 miles from Glacier National Park in Montana to Olympic National Park in Washington. The Forest Service is the lead federal agency responsible for its administration, as directed by the National Trails System Act.

The comprehensive plan is a statutorily required document that will guide the administration and management of the PNT. The Forest Service is also required to prepare an associated environmental analysis to assess the impacts of administering and managing the trail on federal lands. The environmental assessment considers issues that were identified during public and interdisciplinary team scoping.

Once completed, the comprehensive plan will be signed by the Pacific Northwest Regional Forester and submitted to Congress. The Chief of the Forest Service is responsible for approving the plan, and a court order has set a deadline of December 31, 2023, for its completion.

To submit comments online, please visit the project page  and select the "Comment on Project" link in the "Get Connected" group at the right-hand side of the page.

To submit comments by mail, please send them to: 

Pacific Northwest Regional Forester's Office
Attention: Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail Comprehensive Plan Comments 
1220 SW 3rd Avenue, Suite 1700
Portland, Oregon 97204.

For additional information, please contact Joe David, Environmental Coordinator.

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. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.  The Forest Service’s Northern Region includes nine National Forests and 1.2 million acres of National Grasslands in North and South Dakota.  These public lands provide timber for people, forage for cattle and wildlife, habitat for fish, plants, and animals, and some of the best recreational opportunities in the country.