Forest Policy FOR 561
Winter 2005
Revision of the Northwest Forest Plan:
Policies and Politics
Department of Forest Resources
The
Northwest Forest Plan of 1994 marked an unprecedented step toward large-scale
ecosystem management on federal lands of Oregon, Washington, and northern
California, and an unprecedented involvement of scientists and the courts in
federal forest management. Developed under President Clinton, the Plan is
now being implemented under President Bush.
The Plan has been highly controversial since its beginning for many reasons including continued dependence on the harvest of old growth forests, lack of a stable timber supply, and difficulty in implementing fuel treatments. The Bush Administration has begun a set of rule changes that could reshape management of the federal forests (see attached Nov. 17 front-page article from the Oregonian).
Graduate forest policy (FOR 561) in Winter Quarter 2005 will be devoted to examining the policies and politics of the upcoming changes in the Northwest Forest Plan. It will examine the foundational elements of the plan and how they could change under the new set of regulations and policies being developed by the Bush Administration. Topics include the future of old growth forests, management of the Late Successional Reserves, provision of a stable timber supply, post-fire salvage, cumulative effects, and the role of adaptive management.
In this effort, the instructor will be aided by guest lectures from a number of scientists, policy makers, managers, advocates, and reporters who have been deeply involved in the Plan, including a number of scientists who helped develop it.
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
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