Blue Mountains Forest Plans - Archive
This page is for archive purposes only. Current information can be found on the Umatilla National Forest website.
Current Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision Information
Blue Mountains Forest Plans - Archive
The Blues Intergovernmental Council (BIC) is developing broad recommendations for the Forest Plan Revision effort. The National Policy Consensus Center at Portland State University manages and facilitates the BIC process. The purpose of the BIC is to “serve as an overarching entity for planning and guidance around Blue Mountains land management issues related to the National Forests, including the Forest Plan Revisions."
In March of 2019, the USDA Forest Service released final objection instructions for the Umatilla, Malheur, and Wallowa-Whitman Forest Plan Revisions. The Regional Forester was instructed to withdraw the draft Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and the three Revised Forest Plans. See additional information and documents below.
Overview
On June 29, 2018, the Forest Service published the revised Land Management Plans (Forest Plans) for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests (Blue Mountains). The revised Forest Plans are supported by a Final Environmental Impact Statement, a draft Record of Decision, and other supporting documents that are available on this website.
Before final decisions are made on the three revised Forest Plans, the Forest Service follows the requirements of 36 CFR 219.5 for a pre-decisional administrative review, which provides an opportunity for the resolution of objections. Please see below for the current status of this process.
The purpose of the revised Forest Plans is to provide an updated framework to guide the management of approximately 5.5 million acres of National Forest System lands in eastern Oregon and southeastern Washington. The revised Forest Plans replace the existing 1990 Plans, addressing changes in local economic, social, and environmental conditions over the past 28 years.
Objection Reading Room: (This link has been temporarily disconnected to protect objectors’ personally identifiable information. The objection letters will be available once all personally identifiable information has been redacted). to read eligible objection letters. These letters were received or postmarked by the deadline (August 28, 2018) and met the majority of the objection filing requirements. The Reviewing Officer sent a notification letter to each eligible objector to confirm acceptance of their objection for further review. Eligible objectors have an opportunity to participate in objection-resolution meetings, and they will also receive a final written response from the Reviewing Officer after the review is complete.
Legal Notice of Objections Filed and Opportunity to Submit a Request for Interested Person Status (September 7, 2018): This initial opportunity to request interested person status closed on September 17, 2018.
Legal Notice of Additional Opportunity to Submit a Request for Interested Person Status (October 26, 2018): Due to the large volume of objections that the Forest Service had to process, as well as delays that occurred in mail services, there were objections that were not made available for review during the full initial 10-day filing period. (View the list of newly-posted objections.) Therefore, the Forest Service made these objections available for review and announced an additional 10-day interested person filing period. The additional opportunity to become an interested person closed on November 5, 2018.
The Reviewing Officer sent a notification letter to each eligible interested person to confirm acceptance of their request. During the objection-resolution meeting(s), interested persons who have been granted recognition by the Reviewing Officer will be able to participate in discussions with objectors and the Reviewing Officer related to issues on the meeting agenda that interested persons have listed in their requests.
Forest Supervisors' Open Letter
Objection Process Brochure: Frequently asked questions and answers about the objection process: Who can object? Who am I filing my objection with? When and how do I file an objection? What must my objection contain? Is there a chance my objection will be rejected? What happens to my objection once I send it in?
Federal Register Notice of Objection: View detailed instructions on how to file an objection, including Washington, D.C. mail and email addresses. It is the responsibility of objectors or interested persons to demonstrate their standing on specific issues based on previously submitted substantive formal comments provided during the 2010 formal scoping period (March 29 - May 25, 2010) and/or the 2014 formal comment period (March 14 - August 15, 2014). The 2014 comment letters are available here.
Newsletter: Overview of the objection process.
Why are we providing online documents instead of individual paper copies?
- Paper copies are available for on-site reference at local libraries and other locations (listed below).
- Online / electronic documents conserve your taxpayer dollars. In contrast, printing large documents is very expensive. It would cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide paper copies to everyone on our current mailing list. As a natural resource agency, we use online / electronic documents to reduce the resource impacts of printing: including paper, ink, and energy.
- The plan revision team notified the public in a March 2017 newsletter, along with emails and postcards, that paper copies would be provided to individuals or entities who made a special request by the deadline set in 2017. The plan revision team received very few responses. Therefore, to conserve taxpayer dollars and natural resources, we printed a limited number of paper copies in June 2018. Those limited copies were sent to individuals who responded to our 2017 notifications; other paper copies have been provided to Counties, Tribes, local libraries, and other locations for public review.
- Online / electronic documents offer several benefits: Readers can…
- Search for key words to focus on information that is most important to them.
- Zoom in or out to improve their perspective of a map or chart.
- Copy and paste information from one document to another.
- The principal planning documents posted on this website are formatted to comply with section 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, as amended, to provide a more accessible format for individuals using assistive technology.
List of Local Libraries and Other Locations (for physical copies)
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Draft Record of Decision
Letter from the Regional Forester - June 26, 2018 (PDF)
Revised Forest Plans / Revised Land Management Plans
Malheur National Forest - Land Management Plan (PDF)
Umatilla National Forest - Land Management Plan (PDF)
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest - Land Management Plan (PDF)
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Volume 1: Chapters 1, 2, and 3-part 1 (PDF)
Volume 2: Chapter 3-part 2 (PDF)
Volume 3: Chapter 4-Glossary & References (PDF)
Volume 4: Appendix G-Maps Malheur National Forest (PDF)
Volume 4: Appendix G-Maps Umatilla National Forest (PDF)
Volume 4: Appendix G-Maps Wallowa-Whitman National Forest (PDF)
Additional supporting documents and information
Biological Opinion - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (PDF)
Biological Opinion - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (PDF)
Biological Assessment for Endangered Species Act Consultation (ZIP)
Current Management Situation (2004) (PDF)
View previous planning documents and information on archived web pages here
USDA Forest Service Releases Final Instructions on Objections for Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revisions News Release (Release Date: Mar 14, 2019)
Letter of Instruction from Acting Deputy Chief to Regional Forester
- Honor the many years that diverse interests have invested in this process since 2004 – reflecting vital input from the public, local governments, states, tribes, federal agencies, and other stakeholders.
- Represent a Forest Service commitment to promote rural prosperity and well-being, treat fire-prone areas, provide forest access, and promote healthier watersheds.
- Support the Forest Service mission "to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations."