Planning
Land and Resource Management Plan
A forest plan provides the framework to guide the ongoing land and resource management operations of a national forest. Additional guidance is summarized in appendices. The goal of the plan is to provide a management program reflecting a mix of activities for the use and protection of the forest. It fulfills legislative requirements while addressing local, regional, and national issues. To accomplish this, the forest plan:
- establishes the management direction and associated long-range goals and objectives for the forest;
- specifies the standards, approximate timing, and vicinity of the practices necessary to implement that direction; and
- establishes the monitoring and evaluation requirements needed to ensure that the direction is being carried out, and to determine if outputs and effects have been reasonably estimated.
The forest plan is a strategic document that provides guidance for but does not make project level decisions. Those decisions are made after more detailed, site-specific environmental analysis and further public comment. The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) requires that resource plans and permits, contracts, and other instruments issued for the use and occupancy of National Forest System lands be consistent with the forest plan. The following are some examples of project decisions that require more detailed environmental analysis:
- Timber harvesting and related activities, such as slash disposal and road construction
- Range allotment management plans
- Fish or wildlife habitat improvement projects
- Watershed improvement projects
- Developed recreation sites or trail construction
Public involvement is a key part of implementing the forest plan. Monitoring and evaluation reports are available for public review.
Mendocino Land & Resource Management Plan
A digital copy of the 1995 Mendocino National Forest Plan is available.
Modernizing Forest Plans in the Northwest
The Northwest Forest Plan covers 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in California, 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.
Schedule of Proposed Actions
As part of carrying 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.
Roads and Travel Analysis
The National Forest system Road Management Rule (Road Policy), issued in 2001, shifted emphasis from developing forest roads to improving their management. The rule was developed in response to public demand and the need to better utilize funds available for road management. The rule requires each National Forest to conduct science-based roads analysis process (RAP) at appropriate scales as needed to support road management decisions.
The forest-scale RAP is documented in a report that includes: (1) locations and management objectives of all classified roads, (2) identification of key routes for accessing NFS lands, (3) guidelines for addressing road management issues and priorities, (4) identification of significant environmental and social issues to be addressed in project level decisions, (5) documentation of coordination with other government agencies and jurisdictions.
The Forest will conduct roads analysis at watershed and project scales as needed to inform future road management decisions. Also, road management proposals will be listed in our Schedule of Proposed Actions. We welcome continued involvement in roads analysis by interested members of the public, other government entities, and tribal governments.
Approximate transportation system described in miles of roadway that currently exist on the forest
| Maintenance Level | Description | Miles |
| 1 | Service roads, usually closed all year | 1039 |
| 2 | For high clearance vehicles | 1164 |
| 3 | Dirt or paved surface; for standard passenger car | 340 |
| 4 | Provide higher degree of user comfort and maintenance | 39 |
| 5 | Normally double-lane and paved | 3 |
| Total | 2585 |
There is more than a century of history associated with National Forest System roads management – from projects necessitating their construction, to building networks for multiple uses and recreation, to the challenges of maintenance and potential impacts to fragile ecosystems. In the past 20 years, the agency has been making shifts towards an integrated perspective, using science-based analysis for travel management and applying consistent policy across all National Forests.
Travel analysis is required to inform decisions related to identification of the minimum road system needed for safe and efficient travel and for the administration, utilization and protection of National Forest System lands (36 CFR 212.5); and to inform decisions related to the designation of roads, trails and areas for motor vehicle use. The travel analysis process (TAP) is a science-based analysis. It does not produce decisions or allocate National Forest System lands for specific purposes.
The Mendocino National Forest TAP was conducted as a Forest-level analysis and includes Maintenance Level 1 through 5 system roads. The TAP follows the six-step process recommended in the Pacific Southwest Region TAP guidebook.
This report contains information concerning the transportation system as it stands in the years 2014-2015. It does not make road management decisions. Conditions on motorized roads and trails can be affected over time by a number of factors, including – but not limited to – wildfire, flood, erosion and increased visitor use. This report provides a foundation for discussion about the transportation system in the initial phases of project planning and development. Additional evaluation and environmental analysis will need to be conducted at a more site-specific level to make road management decisions.