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Chugach National Forest Completes Phase I of Forest Plan Revision Phase I, Assessment, of the Chugach National Forest Plan Revision is now complete and available to the public. The Chugach launched the revision process in January 2013 to revise the 2002 Forest plan. During this phase, the forest and our
partners hosted three-rounds of workshops in 10 communities and an online interface to solicit comments, opinions, data and ideas from members of the public as well as representatives of other governmental and non-governmental organizations. In addition to
the workshops a series of targeted outreach efforts to Alaska native tribes and corporations, youth, new audiences, permittees, and neighboring landowners captured input for the assessment. Public comments focused on a vision for the Forest, emerging issues
and trends, and engaging the public in the planning process. The Forest Plan provides the direction the Forest will follow in the future management of the lands and resources within its boundary. The Assessment identifies and evaluates existing data about ecological, economic, and social conditions
and trends as they relate to the Chugach and southcentral Alaska. The most accurate and relevant information on 15 preselected areas was gathered to inform the evaluation of conditions, trends, and risks to sustainability. The Assessment is not a decision
document, but contributes to the planning process in the following ways:
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Identifies potential topics to change in the current forest plan
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Identifies and evaluates existing information
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Builds common understanding with the public and interested parties
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Develops relationships with interested groups
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Develops an understanding of the complex topics that are relevant to the plan As the Forest moves into the next phase, Revision, the Assessment will be used to guide the scope of our plan revision, environmental impact statement. and a monitoring strategy. “We will use the relevant information from the assessment
to distill a priority list of need to change topics for the Forest Plan,” stated Forest Planner Mary Rasmussen. The Assessment consists of three parts, an overview, ecological conditions and trends - which describes the range of ecosystems within the Forest; and cultural and socio-economic conditions and trends. The assessment and a reader’s guide can be found on our website at
www.fs.usda.gov/chugach. Print and CD copies will be available in early December. To request a copy email chugachplanrevision@xxxxxxxxx or call (907) 743-9500. This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately. |
Attachment:
assessmentNEWSRlse.docx
Description: assessmentNEWSRlse.docx
