Northwest Forest Plan-The First 10 Years (1994-2003)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NORTHWEST FOREST PLAN THE FIRST TEN YEARS (1994–2003) Northwest Forest Plan—The First 10 Years (1994–2003): Socioeconomic Monitoring of the Klamath National Forest and Three Local Communities Susan Charnley, Candace Dillingham, Claudia Stuart, Cassandra Moseley, and Ellen Donoghue General Technical Report United States Forest Pacific Northwest D E PNW-GTR-764 E Department of R P A U T RTMENTOFAGRICUL Service Research Station August 2008 Agriculture The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, wa- ter, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the national forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic infor- mation, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Per- sons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program informa- tion (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 In- dependence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Authors Susan Charnley and Ellen Donoghue are research social scientists, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland Forestry Sciences Laboratory, 620 SW Main St., Suite 400, Portland, OR 97205. Candace Dillingham is a forester and social scientist, and a retired employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Klamath National Forest, 1312 Fairlane Road, Yreka, CA 96097. Claudia Stuart is a community planner and former employee of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Mendocino National Forest, Genetic Resource Center, 2741 Cramer Lane, Chico, CA 95928. Cassandra Moseley is a political scientist and Direc- tor of the Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, 5247 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5247. Abstract Charnley, Susan; Dillingham, Candace; Stuart, Claudia; Moseley, Cassandra; Donoghue, Ellen. 2008. Northwest Forest Plan–the first 10 years (1994–2003): socioeconomic monitoring of the Klamath National Forest and three local com- munities. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-764. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 111 p. This report examines socioeconomic changes that took place between 1990 and 2003 on and around lands managed by the Klamath National Forest in California to assess the effects of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan) on rural economies and communities there. Three case communities were studied: Scott Valley, Butte Valley, and Mid- Klamath. The report characterizes the region and its history, discusses management changes on the forest under the Plan and how they were perceived, describes socioeco- nomic change in the communities and how they were linked to the Plan, and evaluates how well Plan socioeconomic goals were met by the Klamath National Forest. Keywords: Socioeconomic monitoring, Northwest Forest Plan, forest communities, rural development, Klamath National Forest. i Preface In the early 1990s, controversy over harvest of old-growth forests led to sweeping changes in the management of federal forests in western Washington, Oregon, and northwest California. These changes were prompted by a series of lawsuits in the late 1980s and early 1990s that effectively shut down federal timber harvest in the Pacific Northwest. In response, a Presidential summit was held in Portland, Oregon, in 1993. This summit led to issuance by President Clinton of a mandate for federal land manage- ment and regulatory agencies to work together to develop a plan to resolve the conflict. The President’s guiding principles followed shortly after the summit in his Forest Plan for a Sustainable Economy and Sustainable Environment,1 now called the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan). Immediately after the summit, a team of scientists and technical experts were convened to conduct an assessment of options.2 This assessment provided the scientific basis for the Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision (ROD)3 to amend Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management planning documents within the range of the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina). The ROD, to be implemented across 24 million acres of federal forest lands (9.7 million hectares), put in place a whole new approach to federal land management. Key components of the ROD included a new map of land-use allocations–late-successional reserves, matrix, riparian reserves, adaptive management areas, and key watersheds. Plan standards and guidelines provided the specific management direction regarding how these land-use allocations were to be managed. In addition, the Plan put in place a variety of strategies and processes to be implemented. These included adaptive manage- ment, an aquatic conservation strategy, late-successional reserve and watershed assess- ments, survey and manage program, an interagency organization, social and economic mitigation measures, and monitoring. Monitoring provides a means to address the uncertainty of our predictions, and compliance with forest management laws and policy. The ROD clearly states that monitoring is essential and required (see footnote 3): 1 Clinton, W.J.; Gore, A., Jr. 1993. The forest plan for a sustainable economy and a sustainable environment. Washington, DC: The White House. 7 p. plus appendices. 2 Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team [FEMAT]. 1993. Forest ecosystem management: an ecological, economic, and social assessment. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of the interior [and others]. [Irregular pagination] 3 U.S. Department of Agriculture; U.S. Department of the Interior. 1994. Record of decision for amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management planning documents within the range of the northern spotted owl. [Place of publication unknown]: 74 p. (plus attachment A: standards and guidelines). ii Monitoring is an essential component of the selected alternative. It ensures that management actions meet the prescribed standards and guidelines and that they comply with applicable laws and policies. Monitoring will provide information to determine if the standards and guidelines are being followed, verify if they are achieving the desired results, and determine if underlying assumptions are sound. Finally, Judge Dwyer reiterated the importance of monitoring in his 1994 decision declaring the Plan legally acceptable:4 Monitoring is central to the [Northwest Forest Plan’s] validity. If it is not funded, or done for any reason, the plan will have to be reconsidered. The ROD monitoring plan provided a very general framework to begin development of an interagency monitoring program. It identified key areas to monitor, initial sets of questions, types and scope of monitoring, the need for common protocols and quality assurance, and the need to develop a common design framework. In 1995, the effective- ness monitoring program plan5 and initial protocols for implementation monitoring6 were approved by the Regional Interagency Executive Committee. Approval of the effectiveness monitoring plan led to the formation of technical teams to develop the overall program strategy and design,7 and monitoring protocols for late-successional 4 Dwyer, W.L. 1994. Seattle Audubon Society, et al. v. James Lyons, Assistant Secretary of Agriculture, et al. Order on motions for Summary Judgment RE 1994 Forest Plan. Seattle, WA: U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington. 5 Mulder, B.; Alegria, J.; Czaplewski, R. [et al.]. 1995. Effectiveness monitoring: an interagency program for the Northwest Forest Plan. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management [et al.]; report; Monitoring Design Group, Intergovernmental Advisory Committee. 6 Alegria, J.; Hyzer, M.; Mulder, B.; Schnoes, B.; Tolle, T. 1995. Guidance for implementation monitoring for management of habitat for late-successional and old- growth-related species within the range of the northern spotted owl. [Unpublished document]. On file with: Regional Ecosystem Office, 333 SW First Avenue, Portland, OR 97204. 7 Mulder, B.S.; Noon, B.R.; Spies, T.A.; Raphael, M.G.; Palmer, C.J.; Olsen, A.R.; Reeves, G.H.; Welsh, H.H. 1999. The strategy and design of the effectiveness monitoring program for the Northwest Forest Plan. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-437. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 138 p. iii and old-growth forests,8 northern spotted owls,9 marbled murrelets10 (Brachyramphus marmoraturs), tribal relations,11 and watershed condition.12 Socioeconomic monitoring protocols continue to be tested.13 Periodic analysis and