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FOREST SERVICE HANDBOOK
DENVER, CO
FSH 1909.12 - LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANNING
R2 Supplement No. 1909.12-94-1
Effective March 31, 1994
POSTING NOTICE. Supplements to this title are numbered consecutively. Post by
document name. Remove entire document and replace with this supplement.
Retain this transmittal as the first page of this document. The last supplement to
this Handbook was Supplement No. 1 to Chapter 5.
Page Code
5.1 through 5.32
Superseded Sheets
2
Supplements Covered
R2 Supplement 01, 08/88
Document Name
1909.12_5
Digest:
Updates to Electronic Format.
ELIZABETH ESTILL
Regional Forester
Superseded New
(Number of Pages)
4
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FSH 1909.12 - LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANNING
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CHAPTER 5 - FOREST PLAN IMPLEMENTATION AND AMENDMENT
PROCESS
5.1 - PURPOSE OF FOREST PLAN IMPLEMENTATION. Consistency with the
Forest Plan shall be achieved as soon as practicable after approval of the Forest
Plan (36 CFR 219.10(e)).
Responsible officials shall ensure that:
1. All permits, contracts, agreements, land use authorizations and other
instruments of use issued or transferred following approval of the Forest Plan are
consistent with the Plan.
2. Project files contain documentation that the project is consistent with the
Forest Plan. As a minimum,
a. All disclosure documents must tier to the forest plan environmental
impact statement (40 CFR 1502.20) and identify, or incorporate by
reference (40 CFR 1502.21), all other documents used in the analysis.
b. Decision documents associated with proposals, projects, or activities to
implement the forest plan shall contain a statement that the proposed
action was evaluated and found to be consistent with the forest plan. The
statement should consider consistency with the plan in terms of goals,
objectives, long-term resource relationships, Forest and management
area direction, and implementation schedules.
c. Forest Supervisors shall develop a schedule for reviewing all permittee
and other operating plans that predate the forest plan for consistency
with the plan. This review must be completed some time during the 10
year life of the forest plan and appropriate actions scheduled to bring any
inconsistencies into compliance with the plan.
3. Program budget proposals shall be based on the goals, objectives, long-term
resource relationships, and Forest and management area direction in the forest
plan (FSM 1930.45)
4. Copies of the forest plan, final environmental impact statement, and Record
of Decision, along with all amendments, supporting analyses and documentation,
shall be maintained in the Forest Supervisor's and District Ranger's offices for use
by individuals who are involved with or interested in implementing the forest plan.
5.2 - PROPOSED ACTIONS. When deciding among projects and activities
necessary to implement the forest plan, the responsible official should seek out and
favor opportunities which will narrow the gap between costs and revenues while
meeting the goals and objectives in the plan. In some instances, appropriate choices
may increase the gap between costs and revenues. In such cases, the responsible
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official will document the reasons why the choice makes sense, and why it is in the
public interest.
Issues, disagreements, and conflicts shall be addressed. Appropriate measures will
be taken to resolve them at the earliest possible time in the planning and analysis
processes. Attempts to resolve disagreements or conflicts are appropriate and
desirable any time during the process, but preferably early in the process. The
appeal process (FSM 1570, 36 CFR 211) should not be used as a substitute for a
public involvement process.
In addition to the public notification requirements in FSM 1950 and FSH 1909.12,
the public shall be notified of site-specific analyses related to the forest plan
implementation in the following manner:
1. Each administrative unit will prepare a quarterly Schedule of Proposed
Projects which will undergo analysis. The schedule will be readily available and
distributed to interested individuals and groups. As a minimum, the schedule will
contain the following information:
a. The name of the administrative unit and time period covered by the
schedule.
b. A description of the upcoming projects and activities which are
expected to undergo environmental analysis in the time period specified.
c. The location of the proposed action, including the State, county, and
where appropriate, the Ranger District, and a legal description of the
land parcels involved.
d. The estimated date that scoping may begin.
e. The estimated date of the decision.
f. A name, address, and telephone number for the the person to contact
for more information or who can place someone on the mailing list for the
project or activity.
g. The status of the environmental analysis, including dates of and
Federal Register or other legal notices, the dates of any decision
documents previously published or issued, and the estimated
implementation date.
2. Commensurate with the type and scope of the project, the public shall be
notified of the results of the analysis, the method of disclosure of the environmental
effects, and the decision. If the results of the analysis are disclosed in
environmental documents, the procedures in FSM 1950 and FSH 1909.12 shall be
followed.
Contact lists for notification purposes specific to each project or activity analysis
shall be developed and maintained as part of the project file. Personal contacts and
the nature of those contacts should be documented and included in the project file.
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Copies of newspaper articles may be sent to persons who have expressed interest in
the project or activity, especially if there is no guarantee that the media sources will
use material that is submitted to them for publication. In some cases, such as land
ownership adjustments, a paid notice is appropriate. For small projects or activities
where there are only a small number of persons known to be interested, telephone
calls to interested parties may be appropriate.
5.32 - Process to Amend the Forest Plan. Changes to goals, objectives, Forest or
management area direction, or other forest plan contents require an amendment to
the forest plan. Final budget allocations are not considered amendments to the
forest plan.
Forest Supervisors shall ensure that all forest plan amendments are completed on a
timely basis, and that a significance determination (36 CFR 219.10(f)) is a part of
the amendment. No project requiring an amendment shall be implemented prior to
actually amending the plan.
Forest Supervisors are authorized to amend forest plans and approve nonsignificant changes. Non-significant changes to the management requirements
should be coordinated with the appropriate Regional Office Staff Director prior to
actually amending the plan. Significant changes require approval of an amendment
by the Regional Forester (36 CFR 219.10(e) and (f)).
Forest Supervisors shall promptly notify everyone on the forest plan mailing list of
each amendment. Complete copies of all amendments shall be promptly sent to all
holders of "official" copies of the forest plan (36 CFR 219.6 (i)(3)).