Bend, OR – The U.S. Forest Service has postponed its planned public meetings on the Blue Mountains forest management plan revision, rescheduling them for February and March 2024. These meetings will mark the beginning of a lengthy revision process for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman national forests in eastern Oregon. The agency will also publish additional information about the plan in the Federal Register during this time.
The Blue Mountains revision is a crucial step in updating management plans that guide land use decisions, including grazing, logging, wilderness protections, and wildfire restoration. The Forest Service is required to revisit these plans every 10 to 15 years to incorporate new scientific data and address changing environmental conditions.
The revision process covers vast areas of northeastern Oregon, with parts of the three national forests extending into Idaho and Washington. The current management plans for these forests have been in place since 1990, making the upcoming revisions a significant update after more than three decades of change.
This marks the third attempt to revise the Blue Mountains plans. The Forest Service initially proposed the revision in 2014, but after receiving substantial public backlash, the agency spent several years conducting further outreach. A second draft was published in 2018, but it was withdrawn a year later in response to ongoing public criticism. Concerns ranged from the potential impact on grazing rights to the effects of logging on wildlife habitats and water quality.
Now, with a new approach, the Forest Service plans to host both virtual and in-person meetings throughout Eastern Oregon to gather feedback from the public. These sessions will focus on identifying vulnerable species and wildlands that could receive additional protection under the revised plans.
Forestry officials have indicated that they plan to release a draft of the revised plan by 2025, with the goal of finalizing the revision by 2027. This revision process also runs in parallel with updates to forest management plans for western Oregon, including amendments to the Northwest Forest Plan aimed at protecting habitats for endangered species like the northern spotted owl.
The Blue Mountains revision is expected to be a highly debated issue, as the region’s forest lands are home to diverse ecosystems and support a range of economic activities, from timber harvesting to recreational tourism. The Forest Service’s approach, shaped by years of public input, will be crucial in balancing ecological conservation with the needs of local communities and industries.
