New rules, LESS PROTECTION?
The
Forest Service says its revamped regulations under the National
Forest Management Act will streamline planning for recreation,
logging, grazing and other activities and better integrate
ecosystem management. Critics say the new rules, published April 13
in the Federal Register, strike a blow at environmental protection.
One requirement, to maintain “viable” population of all vertebrates
found on the forests, is all but abandoned, says Andy Stahl,
executive director of the Association of Forest Service Employees
for Environmental Ethics. The new rule calls for the protection of
“sensitive species’ identified by the agency, and gauges protection
by the acreage of habitat type protected – not by the number of
animals present. “It’s all a reaction to the spotted owl
litigation,” Stahl says. Another change would weaken a requirement
that the Forest Service determine the suitability of land for
timber before deciding if it should be cut. Comment period for the
new regulations ends July 12. For more information, contact
Director, Ecosystem Management, Forest Service, USDA, P.O. Box
96090, Washington, DC
20090-6090.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline New rules, less protection?.
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