Planning
The land management plan, also known as a forest or grassland 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.
Land management plans (plans) are required by the National Forest Management Act for each national forest or grassland and should be updated every 10 to 15 years. Plans identify desired conditions, objectives, standards, and guidelines for management, protection, and use of the forest or grassland.
The planning regulations, sometimes called the 2012 Planning Rule, 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. Information about how they were developed can be found in the Planning Rule Archives.
Northern Region Forests' Land Management Planning
National forests and grasslands provide resources that we all use, including timber, fish, forage, wildlife, minerals, recreation, water, and many specialty products. Learn more about the Northern Region's plan and project activities by viewing the "Planning" section on each unit's website. Whether revising, amending, or implementing their plans, forest and grassland staff need your input to help manage these important resources – get involved!
- Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (2009 plan)
- Bitterroot National Forest (1987 plan)
- Custer Gallatin National Forest (2022 plan)
- Dakota Prairie Grasslands (2001 plan)
- Flathead National Forest (2018 plan)
- Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest (2021 plan)
- Idaho Panhandle National Forests (2015 plan)
- Kootenai National Forest (2015 plan)
- Lolo National Forest (revision underway)
- Nez Perce Clearwater National Forests (revision underway)
Get involved!
Engaging with Plan Revision
The national forests are owned by all Americans, and we all have a role to play in how they are managed. The planning regulations emphasize the importance of providing opportunities for public involvement through every step of the planning process. Although this approach creates a great responsibility for both the Forest Service and the public, it also presents the public with an important opportunity to help create land management plans that serve a public interest.
The planning regulations also emphasizes working with local, state, and tribal governments to better serve all citizens. Thus, in addition to working directly with the Forest Service, citizens can also participate in the planning process through their government representatives.
Why Engage?
While the Forest Service cannot delegate its decision-making authority, a goal of public engagement is to identify opportunities to contribute to mutual objectives, resolve or reduce conflicts, and achieve mutually agreeable outcomes on the land and in our communities. Check your local forest or grassland website for opportunities to participate in ongoing or upcoming planning efforts.
Guides for Participation
The Federal Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule developed a helpful citizen's guide [PDF, 3 MB] about how interested public can engage in the land management planning process.
Additionally, if you are a government representative and are curious about participation in the planning process, check out the companion Guide for State, Local, and Tribal Governments [PDF, 1 MB].
These guides were developed in collaboration between the U.S. Forest Service and the Federal Advisory Committee to make it easier for anyone to understand their role before, during, and after the planning process.
In addition, the National Association of Counties and Forest Service developed a guide for local elected officials and Forest Service employees: County Governments and the USDA Forest Service: A Guidebook for Working Together [PDF, 15.3 MB]
Other Resources
Species of Conservation Concern
The 2012 planning rule requires the Regional Forester to develop a list of species of conservation concern (also known as SCC) as part of the land management planning process. Terrestrial wildlife, aquatic and plant species may meet this criterion if the species is native to, and known to occur in, the plan area, and the best available scientific information indicates substantial concern about a particular species’ capability to persist over the long-term in the plan area. Management direction in land management plans will address habitat conditions to provide ecological conditions to support persistence of the SCCs on the forest.