Amador County – The U.S. Forest Service last week announced opening of a nomination period for a newly-forming advisory committee to guide management of national forests and grasslands.

Sacramento Regional Representative Mike Chapel last week announced the nomination period and asked recent forest dialogue participants to “please let us know if you, or others from your organization, apply for the advisory committee.”

Jessica Call, Forest Planning Specialist said: “We want to get a broad and diverse applicant pool” and said “it would be great to have some California representation on this.” Members selected to serve on the “National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule” will “advise and give recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service on matters related to the implementation of the new planning rule.”

Call said the committee will be comprised of up to 21 members with diverse backgrounds, who represent the full range of public interests in management of National Forest System land and who “represent geographically diverse locations and communities,” within each of three categories of interests. Up to seven members will represent one or more categories including the affected public at-large, or will hold state-, county, or locally elected office, or represent American Indian Tribes or youth.

Up to seven members will be selected from one or more groups, including national, regional, or local environmental organizations; conservation organizations or watershed associations; dispersed recreation interests; archaeological or historical interests; or the scientific community.

Up to seven representatives will be selected from industry groups, including timber; grazing or other land use permit holders or other private forest landowners; energy and mineral development; commercial or recreational hunting and fishing interests; or developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or commercial recreation interests.

The committee will provide advice and recommendations on issues such as planning rule directives for implementation, best practices, effective monitoring practices and ongoing collaboration efforts. Call said the announcement of this committee builds on the Agency’s efforts to develop a new Land Management Planning Rule for the National Forest System.

The 45-day nomination period closes Feb. 21. Additional details on the committee and application form are available at the Forest Service planning rule website, or by calling (202)205-0830 or (202)205-1056.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.