WildEarth Guardians

Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Forest Planning Principles

We've drafted a set of principles that we collectively requested the Forest Service follow during its revision of the six National Forests in Arizona.
Contact: WildEarth Guardians

The Bush Administration has given the Forest Service a new planning rule that provides the framework for individual forests plan revisions and allows them to use a Categorical Exclusion to authorize any revision. The Categorical Exclusion dangerously weakens the role of science and public participation during the revision process. But until the court system decides the legality of this new process, the forests in the Southwestern Region will use it.The Southwestern Region consists of six national forests in Arizona, five national forests in New Mexico and comprises approximately 22 million acres of some of the most spectacularly beautiful and diverse public lands in the United States. The national forests in Arizona have started the revision process and its time for the public to engage and make its opinion heard. The five New Mexico national forests will initiate their revision process in 2007/2008.WildEarth Guardians is participating in a broad coalition of conservation interests to ensure that wildlife and wild lands are given full consideration in the process and the lasting protection they deserve in the final revision.

View our Forest Planning Principles (PDF)