February 24, 2021 - The USDA Forest Service provides an update on the Sequoia & Sierra Forest Plan Revision.
It’s been a while since our last message about the Sequoia & Sierra Forest Plan Revision effort, but our work hasn’t stopped. It's time for an update on our progress.
This past year introduced overwhelming challenges to communities in and around the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests. Our communities continue to fight the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on families, businesses, and local facilities every day. In late 2020, the southern Sierra Nevada faced two uncharacteristically large and destructive wildfires, resulting in long-lasting effects to homes, forest facilities, roads, vegetation, and ecosystems. We understand how important time outdoors is for bringing solace to many people during these trying times, and yet areas are closed due to ongoing hazards and overcrowding remains an issue in other parts of the forests.
These are not easy challenges to overcome, and there will be no easy solutions. However, the forest plan revision process offers us an opportunity to set a collective vision for the future of this landscape and continues to serve as a useful tool to meaningfully address these challenges in a holistic manner. Many of you have played key roles in getting us to this point of the plan revision process and we are very close to moving into the final stretch. Let’s take a moment to reflect on where we started, where we are now, and where we are headed.
Figure 1. Forest Plan Revision Process Cycle.
The Sequoia & Sierra Forest Plan Revision began with the forest assessment phase in 2013. The proposed action was released in 2014. The Draft Forest Plans and Draft Environmental Impact Statement were released in 2016 and Revised Draft Forest Plans and Revised Draft Environmental Impact Statement in 2019. We are in the process of developing the Final Forest Plans and Final Environmental Impact Statement (bottom left of cycle graphic). Click the photo to view this full size on the Plan Revision website.
Infographic description
- People raising hands icon:
Pre-Assessment*
Public Involvement Plan, Science Synthesis, Bio-regional Assessment - Check-box document icon:
Forest Assessment*
Define Forest roles and contributions; identify wild and scenic rivers candidates; construct wilderness inventory, determine potential species of conservation concern - Edit document & bringing skills icon:
Proposed Plan Development*
Need to Change, wild and scenic rivers analysis, wilderness inventory and evaluation, proposed species of conservation concern lists, desired conditions - Notice of Intent document icon:
Notice of Intent, Proposed Actions, Draft Forest Plan* - Draft EIS publication icon:
Develop Draft Environmental Impact Statement*
wild and scenic rivers analysis, wilderness analysis, monitoring program development, suitability of lands determination - Completed Draft EIS and Draft Forest Plan icon:
Complete Draft Environmental Impact Statement & Draft Forest Plan*
Public comment review, rewriting and analyzing EIS - Draft Final EIS and completed Forest Plan icon:
Develop Final Environmental Impact Statement & Final Forest Plan - Stop hand sign and Draft FEIS icon:
Objections Phase*
Objection/Resolution - Record of Decision document icon:
Record of Decision & Forest Plan implementation - Two-gear icon:
Forest Plan implementation and monitoring
* (Asterisk disclaimer) Indicates stages in which public input is gathered.
Where We Started
Forest land management plans guide forest and other land management actions in these areas over the long term, ideally between 10 and 15 years; forest plans ensure essential resources and benefits remain available for generations to come. The process to develop a land management plan takes years. Land managers, scientists, technicians, and policy experts study forest conditions, climate models, economic trends, and other factors to develop the plan, incorporating input from communities, partners, and other stakeholders. Click here for additional background on the forest plan revision process or check out A Citizen’s Guide to National Forest Planning.
Figure 1 shows the forest plan revision process cycle. We launched forest plan revision in the southern Sierra Nevada in 2013 as a multi-forest effort, with the Inyo, Sequoia, and Sierra National Forests working together due to their similar landscapes, communities, and management concerns. The three forests worked with local communities throughout the assessment and plan development phases and released a draft environmental impact statement and draft plans in 2016. At the time of release, a period of prolonged drought contributed to tree mortality in the Sequoia and Sierra forests, changing conditions on the forests. The Inyo National Forest did not experience the same changed conditions and, as a result, decided to move forward with the planning process. The Sequoia & Sierra paused to update their analysis, then released a revised draft environmental impact statement and draft plans in late 2019 (posted here), which initiated the second round of public feedback on the drafts.
During the comment period, we hosted five virtual webinars to provide more information about key parts of the plans and analysis, held two public meetings in Bakersfield and Clovis, and met individually with stakeholders during and after the comment period to better understand tribal, public, and local government community concerns with the revised plans. At the beginning of 2020, we diligently read, coded, cataloged and began the process to respond to the 7,340 public comments received during the comment period, 634 of which were considered unique submissions. Thank you for reviewing the draft plans and analysis and providing thoughtful input that helped us develop meaningful changes within the draft forest plans to meet community needs better.
Where We Are Now
The 2020 Creek and Sequoia Complex fires were unusually large, had higher proportions of high severity patches, and had extraordinary rates of spread. By any of these measures, these fires dramatically affected communities, as well as altered landscapes and vegetation/habitat in the Sierra National Forest and the Giant Sequoia National Monument within the Sequoia National Forest. The existing Monument Management Plan is effectively guiding management of post-fire activities within the Monument. Our team is currently integrating the best available information about how these fires changed conditions on the ground, assessing the sufficiency of our forest plans considering these changes, and updating the final plans and analysis accordingly. We are taking another look at the comments you submitted during the 2019 comment period to ensure our responses adequately addressed the issues you raised, in light of ongoing changed conditions. We continue to work closely with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to set the stage for formal Endangered Species Act consultation on the plans, paying particular attention to conservation strategies and recommendations for the federally endangered Southern Sierra Nevada fisher and Yosemite toad
Where We Are Headed
Over the next few months, you can anticipate web updates and additional newsletters that preview how we are addressing the issues you raised during the comment period and any new issues or emphasis based on changed conditions. Our work moving forward is focused on updating the forest health, wildlife habitat and timber objectives of the plans and analysis. Minimal changes are expected to update our aquatics, watershed, and recreation management approaches.
As our team concludes their updates and we move further along in the formal consultation process with US Fish and Wildlife Service, we will conduct internal briefings with the Chief of the Forest Service to gain approval to publish the Final Plans, Final Environmental Impact Analysis, and Draft Record of Decision (anticipated later this spring). With the publication of these final documents, we will enter the objection phase, which allows stakeholders one more opportunity to work with us to resolve outstanding issues with the plan prior to a final decision.
We are committed to ensuring you have ample notice of these next steps and invite you to reach out with any questions about what comes next in this planning process. For more information about the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests revision effort and to download project documents, please visit us online: https://go.usa.gov/xsKuW.
Thank you for being a part of this journey,
Teresa Benson, Sequoia National Forest Supervisor
Dean Gould, Sierra National Forest Supervisor
Bobbie Miller, Plan Revision Team Leader (bobbie.miller@usda.gov)
Source: USDA Forest Service
