Sequoia and Sierra Forest Plan Revisions

The Sequoia and Sierra National Forests recently completed revision of their land management plans (forest plans) using the 2012 National Forest System Planning Rule. The 2012 Planning Rule provides a framework for U.S. Forest Service forest plans across the nation.

Latest Information

July 2023: The Forest Service published ArcGIS Online (AGOL) interactive web maps to provide a dynamic viewing experience for geospatial information pertaining to the final revised forest plans for the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests.

Sequoia National Forest Land Management Plan 2023 Data Viewer

Sierra National Forest Land Management Plan 2023 Data Viewer

May 2023: The Forest Service recently finalized the revised forest plans for the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests. The revised forest plans go into effect 30-days after the notice of plan approval is published in the Federal Register; the notice of plan approval published on May 26, 2023. The final revised forest plans, final environmental impact statement, signed records of decision and federal register notice are available on the Forest Plan Revision Documents page. Additionally, the Regional Forester’s lists of species of conservation concern for the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests have been updated. The updated lists are provided on the Species of Conservation Concern page.

December 2022: The Forest Service completed the administrative review (objections) process for the draft Records of Decision and revised forest plans. The Objection Reviewing Officer, Deputy Regional Forester Jody Holzworth, issued the objection response letter, plus key findings document, on December 16, 2022. Here is the link where you can access those documents.

Final Environmental Impact Statement and Final Plans

Land and resource management plans (Forest Plans) provide direction for managing the lands and resources within a national forest. These plans are periodically updated with public involvement. Below are the documents associated with revising the land management plans for the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests.

The Sequoia and Sierra National Forests began revising their forest plans along with the Inyo National forest. Changed conditions from tree mortality on the Sequoia and Sierra forests warranted an update to their draft analysis, while the Inyo moved forward in the revision process without the Sequoia and Sierra forests and released a revised plan, final environmental impact statement and draft record of decision in August 2018. Please visit the Inyo National Forest’s Planning Page for more information on the Inyo’s final documents.

The Sequoia and Sierra National Forests released their revised draft environmental impact statement and held a public comment period in 2019. The pre-objection final environmental impact statement, draft record of decision and revised forest plans for the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests were released on June 14, 2022.

The Forest Service conducted administrative review (objections process) which concluded in December 2023 with instructions for the Forest Supervisors to implement prior to signing final decisions for the revised forest plans. The forests released the final environmental impact statement, final forest plans, and final records of decision in May 2023, concluding the forest plan revision process. The forest plans, final environmental impact statement, sign records of decision and related documents are available on the Forest Plan Revision Documents page

In 2013, the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests began revising their forest plans with the Inyo National Forest. The three forests worked with local communities throughout the assessment and plan development phases and released a draft environmental impact statement and draft plans in 2016. At the time of release, a period of prolonged drought contributed to tree mortality on the Sequoia and Sierra forests, changing conditions on the forests. The Inyo National Forest did not experience the same changed conditions and as a result, made the decision to move forward with the planning process.

You can visit the Inyo National Forest planning page for information on their final environmental impact statement, final plans, and draft record of decision released in August 2018.

The Sequoia and Sierra National Forests chose to update their analysis, which resulted in the revised draft environmental impact statement and draft plans, and then pre-objection final environmental impact statement and final plans. After the Responsible Officials have implemented the objection instructions and signed final decisions, the final forest plans will be released. You can find those documents by clicking the Forest Plan Revision Documents link under the Quick Links section on the right.

Public Involvement and Outreach

We are committed to working with the Tribes, the public, communities, and cooperating agencies to plan how public lands and resources will be managed for the next 15 years on the Sequoia and Sierra National Forests.

On July 12 and 13, 2022 the Forest Service held virtual public meetings to provide information about the release of revised forest plan documents and draft records of decision, and the administrative review (objection) process. The presentations from these meetings, as well as a Questions and Answers document that shares the public questions received as part of these meetings, and responses to those questions is available.

We heard from the public who had been involved in the planning process again during the objections process in late 2022, and integrated changes to the final plans and environmental impact statement prior to signing final decisions which were released in May 2023. Going forward, forest plan monitoring reports will be shared publicly as they become available.

Please visit the Public Involvement and Outreach page for more information.

Today’s actions affect tomorrow’s national forests and local communities

The Sierra and Sequoia National Forests cover nearly 2.5 million acres and almost half of the state’s population lives within a four-hour drive of these forests. Even if you don’t visit one of these forests, chances are very good that you benefit from them directly or indirectly. Read more about how planning affects tomorrow’s national forests and local communities.

More detailed information about the 2012 Planning Rule is available. You may also refer to two handouts Forest Plan Revision Process Cycle and How do Forest Plan Revision documents fit together?

Contacts

Please visit the Contacts page for a list of primary contact information for this forest plan revision effort.