Forest Plan Revision: Objections and Resolution Process
Latest information
Release of the final Environmental Impact Statement
In response to the Reviewing Officer’s instructions, the final Environmental Impact Statement for the Revised Colville Land Management Plan has been updated and finalized, and a Notice of Availability has been published in the Federal Register.
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) Documents:
Next Steps
After 30 days from release of the final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the final Record of Decision may be approved by the Deciding Official, signaling the completion of the Colville National Forest’s land management plan’s revision process. Upon approval and signature, the final Record of Decision and revised land management plan will be posted to this website. The Colville National Forest’s final land management plan will become effective 30 days after the final Record of Decision is approved.
Objection Resolution
Reviewing Official Allen Rowley issued the final objection response letter on July 3, 2019: Objection Response Letter (.pdf)
Reviewing Official Allen Rowley and Regional Forester Glenn Casamassa held a call with Objectors and Interested Persons on June 28, 2019. Listen to a recording of that call. (note the recording starts a few minutes before the meeting begins).
The Objection resolution meeting was held April 24-26, in Colville, Washington.
Final Issue Papers:
Objection meeting Agenda April 2019 (.pdf)
Issue Papers:
Issues not addressed during resolution meeting:
View submitted objections.
Contact: Lisa Larsen at [email protected]
Background
The Forest Service has published the revised Land Management Plan (revised Forest Plan) for the Colville National Forest. The revised Forest Plan is supported by a Final Environmental Impact Statement. The draft Record of Decision and other supporting documents are available on this website.
The purpose of the revised Forest Plan is to provide an updated framework to guide the management of approximately 1.1 million acres of National Forest System lands in northeastern Washington. The revised Forest Plan replaces the existing 1988 Plan, addressing changes in local economic, social, and environmental conditions over the past 30 years.
The revised Forest Plan honors the time and energy invested by diverse interests since 2004. For example, the Forest Service received 926 letters containing over 2,000 comments regarding the draft EIS in 2016. In response to substantive formal comments, and following further public engagement in 2016-17, the Forest Service modified the preferred alternative (alternative P) to better reflect public input on recommended wilderness, livestock grazing, and recreation.
Objections filed and interested person requests
The 60-day objection-filing period began on September 8, 2018, the day after the Forest Service published its legal notice in The Seattle Times, which is the newspaper of record for Regional Forester decisions in the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service in the state of Washington. The objections-filing period closed on November 6, 2018.
Before the final decision is made on the revised Forest Plan, the Forest Service follows the requirements of 36 CFR 219.5 for a pre-decisional administrative review, which provides an opportunity for the resolution of objections. Please see below for the current status of this process.
Visit the Objection Reading Room to view eligible objection letters. These letters were received or postmarked by the deadline (November 6, 2018) and met the objection filing requirements. The Reviewing Officer sent a notification letter to each eligible objector to confirm acceptance of their objection for further review. Eligible objectors have an opportunity to participate in objection-resolution meetings, and they will also receive a final written response from the Reviewing Officer after the review is complete.
- Written requests for recognition as an interested person (36 CFR 219.57) must meet the requirements and be submitted by 11:59 pm EST on November 26, 2018. Please see the legal notice in The Seattle Times for more information.
- Eligible interested persons will be notified in advance of objection-resolution meetings.
- During the objection-resolution meeting(s), interested persons who have been granted recognition by the Reviewing Officer will be able to participate in discussions with Objectors and the Reviewing Officer related to issues on the meeting agenda that interested persons have listed in their requests. These meetings also will be open to observation by the public. The date(s), location(s), and agenda(s) of the objection-resolution meetings will be posted to this website.
Documents
Draft Record of Decision
Revised Land Management Plan
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Maps
Selected Alternative (Alternative P) (.pdf)
No Action Alternative (.pdf)
Proposed Action Alternative (.pdf)
Alternative B (.pdf)
Alternative O (.pdf)
Alternative R (.pdf)
2018 Map Packet (.pdf)
Vew the Colville Forest Plan Revision Interactive GIS Map (.html)
Download specific geospatial files here (.zip)
Additional supporting documents and information
*Go to archived planning documents and information
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