USDA's U.S. Forest Service is in the middle of a multi year process of revising the Forest Plan for the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest. A timeline from 2014 to 2018 has been established to allow public comment and all the necessary legal studies that are involved in revising a Forest Plan.
Comments are needed to help ensure that the revision is beneficial for all Montanan's including farmers and ranchers. Many agricultural producers fear this revision could lead to parts of the forests to be designated as an official U.S.F.S. Wilderness if a proposed wilderness inventory is put in place.
On Friday, March, 11th 2016 public comments regarding Timber Suitability and Wilderness Inventory for different parts of the forest will close. The public is encouraged to make comments on the following Comment Form – PDF
· You may email your comments to hlcplanrevision@fs.fed.us.
· You may send your comments via postal mail to:
Liz Van Genderen
Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest
2880 Skyway Dr.
Helena, MT 59602
· You may leave comments through the Talking Points Collaborative Mapping Tool
The new forest plan must be developed by using the U.S.F.S 2012 forest planning rule which states that, “the Agency’s goal is to ensure an adaptive land management planning process that is inclusive, efficient, collaborative and science-based to promote healthy, resilient, diverse and productive National Forests and Grasslands. The final directives will support consistent approaches to achieving the broad goals of the 2012 planning rule.”
Northern Ag Network 2016
