Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman is establishing a panel of 13 scientists that will take a "fresh look" at future management of the US Forest Service.
Glickman said he expects the move will ensure "biodiversity, long-term sustainability and public collaboration" while streamling management policies. The panel will evaluate the process for creatomg 10-year management plans for individual forests which outline uses in various parts of the forests and establish maximum logging levels.
Environmentalists contend the current planning process inflates logging estimates, while timber industry officials complain that legal appeals prevent planned harvests from occurring.
Chris West of the Portland, Ore.-based Northwest Forestry Association said the Agriculture Department has been reevaluating the USFS's planning process for nearly 10 years without success and questioned whether another study was necessary. Timber industry officials charged that Glickman's proposal was an attempt to further delay important management decisions (Scott Sonner, AP/mult., 8/19).
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