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CURRENT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NEWS RELEASES
SOURCE:  Angeles Volunteer News, March 2003 (forthcoming)


Revised Management Plan for Southern California Forests
Richard Marvin, vol. 6-4

Background. The four national forests in southern California – the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino – are guided by management plans called "Forest Plans." The Forest Plans for the national forests in southern California were developed in the late 1980s. National Forests must revise their plans every fifteen years, and the process has been underway here for several years. Public meetings were held in 2001 and 2002 in order to provide information to the public and to obtain public comment.

Forest Plan Newsletter. The Forest Plan Revision staff published a newsletter in December with current information. The date for publishing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (previously fall 2002) has now been set for fall 2003.

According to the Forest Plan Revisions staff, it has been possible--based on information from the public and forest managers--to identify five "issue categories" that will be used in developing management alternatives.

Issue 1, Public Values and Public Uses. Here many questions will need to be answered concerning the competition among an increasing number of people for resources that are not expanding. Issue 2, Ecosystem. The plan will need to consider that rapid urbanization near the forests is impacting ecological resources. Issue 3, Commodity Uses. Here it will be necessary to consider demand for products and uses such as water, oil and gas, and livestock grazing. Issues 4, Urban Development. Under this topic, staff identified questions such as whether the Forest Service should acquire lands within the forest boundaries and whether forests will be contributing to transportation and utility corridors. Issue 5, Special Areas. Here questions are considered related to wilderness areas, research areas and designated scenic rivers.

More Meetings: For the Angeles National Forest, meetings have been scheduled between March 1 and March 15 in Glendora, Lancaster, Santa Clarita, Wrightwood, Pasadena and Lakeview Terrace. The Glendora open house is Saturday, March 1, 11 am to 4 pm at the Glendora Public Library, 140 S. Glendora Ave. For Pasadena, the open house is Wednesday, March 12, 3 pm to 8 pm at the Pasadena Conference Center, 300 E. Green St., Room 101-102.
Additional meetings during the period February 22 to March 20 will occur for the San Bernardino, Cleveland and Los Padres forests. 

Additional Infromation: Forest Plan Revision Website:
current site:  www.r5.fs.fed.us/sccs/
new site effective spring 2003:  www.fs.fed.us/r5/scfpf

 


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