Pacific Southwest Region (Google map)
1323 Club Drive
Vallejo, CA 94592
Voice: 707.562.8737
TTY: 707.562.9240
Fax: 707.562.9130
Office hours: 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
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Our mission 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 National Forests belong to all of us. Every 15-20 years each National Forest develops a forest plan which considers how to best manage the forest while providing for multiple uses. This video encourages the public to participate in this important process.
Inyo National Forest releases its final environmental impact statement for a 30-day review period. The final forest plan can be signed at the end of the review period.
Northwest Forest Plan: Modernization effort begins with the release of the Science Synthesis, a report that provides scientific information for land management planning in western Washington, western Oregon and northern California. - June 2018
Purpose of the Land Management Plan
The Land Management Plan or "Forest Plan" is the principal document that guides the decision making of Forest Service managers. Forest Plans provide long-term management direction for the resources and uses within a national forest.
The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) is the primary statute governing the administration of national forests. It guides the development, amendment, and revision of land management plans to provide for the multiple use and sustained yield of the products and services on National Forest System lands, including outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, wildlife and fish, and wilderness (16 U.S.C. 1604(e)). The 2012 planning rule guides this planning using a collaborative and science-based approach to promote the economic, social, and ecological sustainability of national forests and grasslands and other administrative units of the National Forest System. Select this link for more detailed information about the 2012 planning rule.
The existing forest plans for the Sequoia and Sierra forests are more than 30 years old, dramatically exceeding the 10-15 year duration of plans directed by the National Forest Management Act. Since the forest plans were completed in the late 80s and early 90s, there have been changes in ecological, social, and economic conditions in the area, as well as changes in resource demands, and availability of new scientific information and new policy. These changes necessitate a plan revision to ensure that management direction is responsive to current issues and conditions.
Plan revision addresses the following topics:
increasing demand for recreation opportunities and their importance in supporting local economies;
fire and fuels management direction that emphasizes active vegetation management near communities;
new analyses for timber production opportunities;
conservation of wildlife and aquatic habitat; and
new policy and public interest in identifying areas for recommended wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.
You can learn more about local planning activities by viewing the "Planning" section on the website for each Pacific Southwest National Forest.(located on left-side bar under “Land & Resource Management”).
The Sequoia and Sierra are two of eight "early adopter" forests across the country, meaning they are the first to revise their land management plans using the 2012 Planning Rule. The forests recently released their revised draft environmental impact statement and draft plans, which are available for public review and comment.
The Pacific Southwest Region broader-scale monitoring strategy will cover the whole Region and complement the plan monitoring programs on each forest unit.
The Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest Regions of the U.S. Forest Service are working on the process for revising forest land management plans in the Northwest Forest Plan amendment area.
