1920.73a--1
1900 PLANNING
1920 - Land and Resource Management Planning
1920.73a - Internal Coordination - The purpose of this supplement is to
clarify the process of developing supplemental direction to the Stikine Area
portion of the Tongass Land Management Plan, (TLMP), through Management Area
Analysis, (IIAA).
Definition:
Management Area Analysis, (MAA), is the process of assessing resource
information, primarily from existing inventories, and developing management
direction in the form of standards and guidelines to be amended to the Forest
Plan, (TLMP).
IIAA nay he conducted on a single Management Area, a comhination of Management
Areas, or, depending on the context of the analysis being made, it nay include
the entire Stikine Area.
Management Objectives:
1. Prescribe tentative management direction which would refine and
localize Southeast Area Guide and TLMP direction for the life of the plan
based on the present issues, concerns, opportunities, and special
circumstances involved in each Management Area.
2. Evaluate
planning assumptions, such as CFL acres needed for
wildlife habitat retention and extended rotations needed for visual quality in
order to meet Area Guide and TLIIP policies.
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Process:
The MAA will normally proceed in the following manner:
1. The Forest Supervisor provides the IDT with the issues and concerns to
be addressed.
2. The Forest IDT considers alternative solutions and recommends
appropriate management standards and guidelines. A standard will be
identified for each issue and concern, provided sufficient data is available.
Additional guidelines nay be provided as necessary to clarify procedure or
indicate considerations to be made during project development.
3. The 'DT's recommendations are reviewed by SO Staff and Rangers and
their comments and proposed changes are returned to the IDT for further
consideration.
4. Differences between the IDT and Staff, or differences in Staff
positions which cannot be resolved by the IDT leader, are resolved by the
Forest Supervisor.
5. After the Forest Supervisor signs off on the direction, it is
distributed to all Staff and Rangers for inclusion in their Forest Plan binder.
6. When additional direction or modification of existing direction is
needed, the District Ranger or Staff Officer proposing the change will submit
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a memo to the Forest Supervisor citing the direction needing revision, the
reason for the proposed change, and the proposed wording for the new
direction. This proposal will then be handled as outlined in 1-5 above.
Periodically, refinements of Management Area Direction nay be made through
additional analysis; such as more detailed transportation analysis, Integrated
Resource Planning Model (IRPM) analysis, refinement of the Wildlife Habitat
Retention Model, etc. This analysis should follow the basic outline of 1-5
above, and when finalized and adapted will be incorporated into the Forest
Plan.
MAA direction nay be displayed in two forms:
1. Written standards/guidelines, indicating what is to be done and how.
This will be displayed in a loose leaf binder along with previously existing
TLMP and Area Guide direction.
2. Mapped information, such as Wildlife Habitat Management Units and
VQO's, indicating where certain standards and guidelines apply. This
direction will be displayed on standard Management Information System (MIS)
overlays at 2"/mile and filed in the MIS permanent file currently being
assembled in the SO. Small scale reference maps will also be included in the
loose leaf binder.
Together, the standards and guidelines in the binder and mapped information in
the MIS file will constitute the Tongass Land Management Plan for the Stikine
Area. One copy of the Forest Plan binder will be provided to the Forest
Supervisor, and each Staff Officer and District Ranger. Additional copies
will be provided to the Districts as needed. A copy of the MIS file will be
provided to Wrangell Ranger District and a copy will be kept in SO Planning
for use by the SO and Petersburg Ranger District.
Validation:
Feasibility of direction developed through Management Area Analysis must be
tested during project planning and should not be automatically taken as "must"
criteria. The project ID Team should view each direction item in light of its
effect on the project and on project objectives assigned by the line officer.
The environmental assessment for each project must evaluate at least one
alternative which meets Management Area Direction. The EA document will
reference the appropriate MA Direction in such a way that it is obvious what
the direction is, and exhibit the effects of compliance. The relationship of
the project to the MA Direction should he clearly displayed. For example,
rather than stating simply that the project conforms to Forest Plan direction,
it should concisely summarize the direction i.e., "The Forest Plan direction
for Management Area S19 is to retain 5,000 acres of the best deer winter
range. While this project would harvest 300 acres of inventoried winter
range, it is of low quality and at least 5,000 acres of better deer winter
range remains."
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If the team finds a MA Direction item is inconsistent with their informed view
of good management practices for the project area or prohibits achievement of
the objectives assigned by the line officer, they are obligated to recommend
substitute MA Direction and develop one or more project alternatives
displaying the effects of their proposal.
If an alternative is selected which does not meet current MA Direction, it
must be approved by the Forest Supervisor.
The results of this testing and public exposure will be used to improve the
MA Direction as may be necessary.
FSM SA SUPP 3 (8V82)