The Forest Service recently issued proposed regulations to clarify the procedure for implementing Forest Plan amendments. While any amendments to Forest Plans must now be approved under the most recent 2012 Forest Plan rule, some existing Plans were implemented under the prior Forest Plan rule issued in 1982. Because the 2012 Forest Plan rule contains different and more detailed requirements, the Forest Service recognized that it can be “a challenge” to determine what portions of the 2012 Forest Plan rule should be followed for amendments to Forest Plans created under the 1982 rule.
The Forest Service stated that an amendment “to a 1982 rule Plan does not have to bring the entire Plan into compliance with the 2012 rule.” The proposed regulation requires that amendments adhere to only those parts of the 2012 rule which directly related to the scope and scale of the amendment.