Forest Plan Revision has begun for the Lake Tahoe Basin
The U.S. Forest Service has begun the process of revising the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Plan. This process will result in a guiding document for management of all of the resources within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) for the next two decades.
Due to the efforts of the Bush Administration in dismantling the 1982 forest planning regulations and replacing them with a watered down 2005 planning rule revision the Tahoe Basin in under serious threat of losing the many protections that it previously enjoyed. The Forest Service is advancing this plan revision under a categorical exclusion which significantly erodes the potential involvement and oversight that the public has over the management of our public lands, and greatly erodes the long-stranding NEPA process of environmental review. This along with the administration's decimation of the conservation focused 2001 Sierra Nevada Framework with its 2004 Framework revision has left the Tahoe Basin at risk of having all of the amazing attributes that make it such unique global watershed, recreation destination, and significantly important ecosystem diminished significantly.
Recently however, a court decision regarding the 2005 planning rule (which serves as the basis for the entire plan revision process adopted by the Forest Service) has put the future of this plan revision process in doubt. While we wait for an end result to the legal battles taking place over the 2005 planning rule it is important to let the Forest Service know that you support the a rigorous planning process the ensures the long-term protection of all of the important resources within the Basin.
The first document created and released by the Forest Service during this plan revision process was the Comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER) which is an attempt to evaluate ecological, economic, and social conditions and trends of the basin. One specific piece of this document that we believe shows great potential for the Forest Service to actually advance a responsible and scientifically valid approach to addressing the ecologically unhealthy fuel loads within the basin is from page 31 of the CER. It states "Tree density is currently 184% of historic conditions, most of which is comprised of trees less than 16" in diameter".
If the Forest Service were to follow the science as it relates to the fuel load problem they will find a receptive ear from the conservation community. Removal of large trees does not reduce the fuel load problem, it exacerbates it. Addressing the real problem when it comes to the ecological health of our forests and the wildfire threat will go a long way toward showing the public that the Forest Service is serious about solving this problem.
Sierra Forest Legacy will continue to fight for long-term protection of all the important and significant resources within the basin and encourage you to do what you can to help save the basin from a potentially disastrous forest plan that will shape management within the basin for decades to come. If we fail to secure a responsible, scientifically based management plan the impacts to water quality, forest health, wildlife habitats, and recreational opportunities could be so deleterious that the basin could feel the effects for centuries.
SFL comments on the Comprehensive Evaluation Report can be found here. (252KB PDF).Information on the planning process and planning documents can be found on the Forest Service LTBMU website.