Northwest Forest Plan Amendment Library

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Amendment Library

Engagement & Inclusion

Northwest Forest Plan Background

Under the 2012 Planning Rule, the planning process consists of three major phases – assessment, plan development, and monitoring. As documents are completed for each phase, they will be available on this page.

Notice of Intent-December 18, 2023 

Plan development, the middle phase of the 2012 Planning Rule process, officially begins with a Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register. The Notice of Intent initiates a scoping period on a preliminary proposed action and advises the public that the Forest Service is preparing an environmental impact statement to evaluate the effects of amending the Northwest Forest Plan.

• NOI Public Comment Report
• Federal Register Notice of Intent 
• Scoping Letter 
• Project Page 
• Public Reading Room 
• Press Releases
  • Jan. 16, 2024: Forest Service Announces Correction to Comment Period for Northwest Forest Plan Notice of Intent 
  • Dec. 15, 2023: USDA Forest Service Publishes Notice of Intent to Develop a Northwest Forest Plan Amendment 

Bioregional Assessment of Northwest Forests 2020 

Under the 2012 Planning Rule, the planning process consists of three major phases – assessment, plan development, and monitoring. During the assessment, we identified and evaluated existing economic, social, and ecological conditions, while considering emerging issues and information from the Synthesis of Science. This effort produced the Bioregional Assessment, which is used to develop a strategic path forward in amending the Northwest Forest Plan.

• Bioregional Assessment - Full Document (.pdf, 25.1 MB) Updated 7/16/20 to correct a data error in Table 4-2 
• Supplemental Report to the Bioregional Assessment of Northwest Forests (31.1 MB .pdf) 

Science Synthesis 2018 

The 2012 Planning Rule requires the use of the best available scientific information to inform planning and plan decisions. Stakeholders and the public also identified the importance of best available scientific information in 2015 to inform plan updates. In response, the Forest Service produced the 2018 Synthesis of Science, a three-volume report that builds on the 10-, 15-, and 20-year Northwest Forest Plan monitoring reports and synthesizes the vast body of relevant scientific literature that has accumulated in the 24 years since the plan was initiated.

• Executive Summary (.pdf)
• Synthesis of Science, Full Document (.pdf)