OPINION - NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN HIGHLIGHT KEY ROLE OF COLLABORATIVES

Post Fire Hazard Sign - 2015 Route Complex Fire - Six Rivers National Forest

 

OPINION

By Don Amador

January 27, 2025

  

 

NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN HIGHLIGHTS ROLE OF COLLABORATIVES

  

On, January 23, 2025, I attended a public meeting at Shasta College in Redding where the Northwest Forest Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Statement (DEIS) planning team gave an update on the planning effort.  Approximately, 50 stakeholders from across the North State attended the meeting to learn more about the DEIS and to share their views and concerns about current and proposed management of their National Forests.

NWFP Amendment DEIS Public Meeting - January 23, 2025

Shasta College, Redding, CA 

 

Several of the key concerns expressed by public statements or in discussions were about the truncated plan timeline, missing significant issues such as Recreation/Transportation Road and Trail System due to self-imposed narrow sideboards, and questioning the practical value of this multi-state regional planning document given the critical staff shortages and other factors at the Forest level which severely limit the agency from implementing current on-the-ground forest health and fuel projects.

Dan Yasuda,  FS Planning Lead 

 I think Don Yasuda, one of the Amendment’s planning leads, did a good job explaining how the agency developed their “Dry” and “Moist” forest management strategies that do reflect a lot of careful consideration of science, lessons learned from the 1994 Forest Plan, and public input.  Don noted the important role that tribes and local stakeholder collaboratives have, and will continue to have, in forest management.

 

While appreciating the work put into the plan so far, I asked the question about why the plan did not appear to analyze post fire restoration and forest management on the millions of acres of National Forest lands that were nuked by massive wildfires during 2018 – 2021 fire seasons?

 

It seemed the answer to that question about why that issue was not analyzed in detail and a subsequent strategy developed was due in part to the compressed timeline and overwhelming size of the 3-state planning area.  

 

Several people in attendance expressed doubt about the future of the process given the Trump Administration’s “pause or hold” on NEPA plans until after appointees have time to review them.

 

The FS Planning Team leads and representatives from the Mendocino, Six Rivers, and Shasta Trinity National Forests should be commended for fielding a lot of questions from the audience and sticking around to engage in meaningful dialogue with the public.

Allen Schrage - Mendo 4x4 Club Conservation Lead

  

 

It was great to be joined by the Mendo 4x4 Club conservation lead Allen Schrage and his family where he continued his strong advocacy efforts in support of agency partnerships and managed OHV recreation on public lands.

 

I encourage the recreation community to remained engaged in the planning process and to submit substantive comments on the DEIS.   The future of our forests and recreation opportunities in the Pacific Northwest depends on your participation. 

 

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Don Amador has been in the trail advocacy and recreation management profession for over 33 years.   Don is President of Quiet Warrior Racing LLC. Don serves as the Western States Representative for the Motorcycle Industry Council. Don is Past President/CEO and current board member of the Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance. Don is a Co-Founder and Current Core-Team member on FireScape Mendocino.  Don served as a North Zone Fire Cache AD Driver for the 2022 to 2024 fire seasons. Don writes from his home in Cottonwood, CA.  Don can be reached via email at: damador@cwo.com