Planning

The Lolo National Forest Plan is the principal document that guides the decision making of Forest Service managers. These plans provide long-range management direction for the resources and uses within a national forest or grassland under an adaptive management framework. This includes assessing landscape conditions, developing, and implementing a land management plan, and ongoing monitoring. It sets out desired conditions, long-term goals and other large-scale guidance used in developing projects. Projects are planned and implemented to move from existing resource conditions to desired conditions.

The current Lolo Forest Plan was developed under the authority of the 1982 Planning Rule and the Record of Decision was signed in 1986.

In 2012, the Forest Service adopted a new planning rule, sometimes called the 2012 Planning Rule, these regulations interpret the National Forest management Act and guide the amendment and revision of all land management plans. The regulations describe the required process steps and plan content to maintain or restore Forest Service land and water ecosystems while providing for multiple uses. These regulations can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations 36 CFR 219. 

In 2022, the Lolo National Forest began the process of revising its Forest Plan under the 2012 Planning Rule and expects to complete the process in 2026. 

Contact Allen Byrd at lawrence.byrd@usda.gov for questions about the current forest plan, including amendments.

Find information on proposed, current, recent and archived projects (environmental assessments, decision notices, and other NEPA documents) for water restoration, habitat improvement, recreation sites, timber sales, roads and more on the Projects page.

The Lolo Forest Plan was developed under the authority of the 1982 Planning Rule. In 2012, the US Forest Service adopted a new planning rule that will direct future forest plan revisions. The 2012 Planning Rule (26 CFR 219) required us to modify our forest monitoring program by May 9, 2016, to meet the Planning Rule's monitoring requirements. We have reviewed our monitoring program to meet the new requirements and based on public input made the necessary changes. 

The 2012 Planning Rule requires the Forest to produce a Biennial Monitoring and Evaluation Report.

The travel analysis report is a summary of the science-based transportation analysis the Lolo National Forest completed to ensure that additions to the National Forest System network of roads are those deemed essential for resource management and use; that construction, reconstruction and maintenance of roads minimize adverse environmental impacts; and that unneeded roads are decommissioned, and restoration of ecological processes is initiated.