Black Hills National Forest to initiate Forest Plan revision process

Black Hills National Forest officials have initiated the process to revise the current Land and Resource Management plan, otherwise referred to as the Forest Plan. Forest Plans guide all resource management actions on the Forest.

The Forest Service is initiating the Forest Plan revision process pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR 219), and as directed by the National Forest Management Act. This process generally takes several years to complete and will result in a revised Land and Resource Management Plan that will be effective for approximately the next 15 years.

A Notice of Intent to begin the process will be published in the Federal Register on Oct. 15. The assessment phase, the first step in the process, will help to identify trends and conditions on the landscape and will help describe the need for change and will also help inform decisions on the next steps in the process.

“Assessments will identify and consider relevant and readily accessible information about ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends on the Forest, including best available scientific information,” said Jeff Tomac, Black Hills National Forest Supervisor. “An open and transparent process with robust public involvement is critical to our success.”

The current Forest Plan was first released in 1983, revised in 1997, and amended in 2006. The 2006 version serves as the current Forest Plan for the Black Hills National Forest.

For more information on the Black Hills National Forest, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills/