By Brandt Mannchen
[Originally published, July 7 on Houston Sierra Club's blog]
The U.S. Forest Service (FS) has halted all work on the National Forests and Grasslands in Texas (NFGT) Forest Plan revision. The revision process, which takes three to four years, will “pause” for an unknown time period. It is thought that the “halt” could be as long as two to four years.
The Chief’s Office in Washington, D.C. and the Southern Region (Region 8) of the FS in Atlanta, Georgia made the decision. The decision was communicated to the NFGT Forest Supervisor’s Office in May 2018. No official notification has been made to the public by the FS.
The reasons given by the FS for halting the NFGT Forest Plan revision include: lack of money, lack of personnel, no allowance for hiring personnel to prepare the forest plan revision, and prioritization of forest plan revisions for other national forests rather than for the NFGT.
Forest Plans are supposed to be revised every 10 to 15 years. The existing NFGT Forest Plan was approved in 1996. At over 22 years, the current NFGT Forest Plan is seven years overdue for a revision.
A lot has occurred over the past 22 years that affects the NFGT. Some of the changes include:
- increased recreational use
- improved endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) populations
- greater human population growth
- development and urbanization around the NFGT, particularly around Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF)
- further fragmentation of the landscape surrounding and next to the NFGT
- emphasis on restoration of Longleaf and Shortleaf pine ecosystems
- more pressure to exploit oil/gas resources
- increased prescribed burning
- budget cuts
- reduced staffing
These and other issues should be addressed in an updated Forest Plan with citizen input now!
For the Lone Star Chapter and Houston Sierra Club, this decision is a particular disappointment. As the Sierra Club recently told the Forest Supervisor of the NFGT, “The NFGT are as important as other national forests in the United States.”
Since 2010, the Sierra Club has been told each year that the NFGT Forest Plan revision process may begin. In late 2015, we provided the FS with a list of people and organizations that should be notified when the NFGT Forest Plan revision begins. The revision process was set to begin in 2016, when the FS “paused” it. In 2017, the FS held several public meetings and then “paused” the process again.
In late 2017 and in 2018, the Sierra Club provided comments on draft natural resource reports that the FS prepared. These reports included:
- Air Quality Assessment
- Cultural and Historical Resources Assessment
- Social, Cultural, and Economic Assessment
- Geologic Resources and Hazards Assessment
- Energy and Mineral Resources Assessment
- Land Status, Ownership, Access, and Use Assessment
- Timber Resources Assessment
- Recreation Assessment
- Wilderness and Designated Area Assessment
- Ecosystem and Species Concerns
- System Drivers and Stressors Concerns
- Wilderness Study
- Wild and Scenic Rivers Study
The effort by the Sierra Club to provide the FS with input early has been wasted apparently.
If you are concerned about this situation contact Mr. Eddie Taylor, Forest Supervisor, NFGT, 2221 North Raguet, Lufkin, Texas 75904. Contact U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and your U.S. Representative too, and tell them you want the NFGT Forest Plan revision process to “unpause” now!
The Sierra Club will keep its members and the public updated about the status of the NFGT Forest Plan revision process “pause.” Please visit the Lone Star Chapter and Houston Sierra Club websites periodically for additional news. For more information contact Brandt Mannchen at 832-907-3615 or brandtshnfbt@juno.com.
Image: USDA Flickr