Medhini Kumar, medhini.kumar@sierraclub.org
SEATTLE, WA - Today, the US Forest Service (USFS) announced they will be accepting applications for a 20-member Federal Advisory Committee that will provide formal recommendations to guide the USFS in revising the Northwest Forest Plan. The Northwest Forest Plan area consists of 19 million acres of federal forest lands in western Washington, western Oregon, and northwest California, and the Advisory Committee will provide advice on how to manage this landscape to promote sustainability, climate adaptations, and wildfire resilience. Sierra Club looks forward to supporting this effort and ensuring the Plan’s benefits from the last three decades can continue into the future.
In response, Alex Craven, Senior Campaign Representative with the Our Wild America Campaign, released the following statement:
“For nearly 30 years the Northwest Forest Plan has been guiding Forest Service management decisions, and the results speak for themselves: significant habitat has been preserved for iconic species; clean water from key watersheds continues to support communities; and some of the country’s oldest and largest trees grow older, while removing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.
“The Plan that guides us through the next few decades must continue this legacy by prioritizing mature and old growth forest conservation for climate, biodiversity, and wildfire-resilience, along with ensuring robust public participation and Tribal consultation.”
Background: The Northwest Forest Plan was an administrative effort to turn the page on years of litigation over unsustainable timber harvest in federal forests. Finalized in 1994, the Northwest Forest Plan was the first science-based, ecosystem-level land management plan of its kind in the Nation. It covers portions of 19 National Forests stretching from Washington State into Northern California. The Plan substantially curtailed the clearcutting of major swaths of ancient forests across the region, and instead emphasized the value of intact watersheds and ecosystems for communities and species.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.