Obama admin says new forest rules stress science

Associated Press ^ | Thursday, January 26, 2012 2:20 PM EST | MATTHEW DALY

[Hunton Peck]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration says new rules to manage nearly 200 million acres of national forests will protect watersheds and wildlife while promoting uses ranging from recreation to logging.

The new rules, to replace guidelines thrown out by a federal court in 2009, are set to take effect in early March. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the rule change on Thursday.

Vilsack said in an interview that the rules reflect more than 300,000 comments received since a draft plan was released last year. The new rules strengthen a requirement that decisions be based on the best available science and recognize that forests are used for a variety of purposes, Vilsack said.

"I think it's a solid rule and done in a collaborative, open and transparent way," he said.

***

Tom Partin, president of the American Forest Resource Council, a timber industry group, said his members will review the final rule to see if it follows a federal rule to manage forests for a diversity of plants and animals — not in a manner that places a single use or species above all else.

Jane Danowitz, U.S. public lands director for the Pew Environment Group, said national forests are the source of drinking water for one in three Americans, are home to fish and other wildlife and are an economic engine for local communities across the West.

"Faced with unprecedented threats from industrial development, these national forests need strong national protections," she said, adding that the new framework for forest management appears to reflect comments from scientists, the business community and conservation advocates.

"The plan now has stronger safeguards than what was originally proposed. That said, the true test of this plan will be how it's implemented on the ground," Danowitz said.

[Hunton Peck]

Being an environmentalist means that you get to make stuff up and never have to prove any of it.

Your query made me curious about this Jane Danowitz, Science Expert. Her Pew “Expert Profile” is here: http://www.pewtrusts.org/experts_profile.aspx?id=56702

Not surprisingly, she’s a lawyer with a BA in history, not a scientist. Also not surprisingly, she is, as they say around here, “guilty”. View at your own risk.

[lacrew]

Wow, she’s a looker.

I’m sure an activist with her background (especially her advocacy for Roadless Forests!) gave reasonable and level headed advice to the administration.

Good Grief.

[familyop]

Pine beetle. LOL!

[FlingWingFlyer]

Thanks to the treehuggers, our forests up here in northeastern Arizona have pretty much all been destroyed. Even the newly introduced MEXICAN wolves can’t find a place to lift a leg. Maybe the Forest Service can get out there and place some fake, plastic fire hydrants around the wasteland where beautiful forests once stood.