WASHINGTON, July 7, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has established and appointed members to a new Federal Advisory Committee to provide advice and recommendations on modernizing landscape management across national forests within the Northwest Forest Plan area in Washington, Oregon and Northern California.
The committee will make recommendations focused on a climate-informed amendment of the Northwest Forest Plan to update management direction so that national forests are managed sustainably, adapted to climate change, and resilient to wildfire, insects, disease, and other disturbances, while meeting the needs of local communities.
“Establishing this committee is another way for us to embrace climate-smart science, ensure we hear from diverse voices and get a range of perspectives on how to best confront the wildfire crisis and climate change,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This committee will also be asked to help reshape ways we engage with communities and deepen our connections with tribes as we go through the Northwest Forest Plan amendment process.”
The committee’s recommendations will incorporate traditional ecological knowledge, the latest science, and climate resilience into its recommendations for the 17 national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan area. The committee will also advise how these planning efforts can complement the Wildfire Crisis Strategy and help the Forest Service take more proactive measures to reduce wildfire risk, restore fire resilience, and enable long-term ecological integrity for people, communities and natural resources.
Establishing this committee is in line with President Biden’s Executive Order 14072 and Secretary’s Vilsack’s Memorandum on Climate Resilience. The national forests in the Northwest Forest Plan area have significant ecologic values, including for water, wildlife, and carbon, and contain important old and mature forests. They are embedded in the people and communities of the area and are important for the social and economic sustainability of those communities. These lands are also culturally significant and the ancestral homelands for tribal nations. According to a recent inventory conducted by federal researchers as required by the Executive Order, the 17 national forests represented in the Northwest Forest Plan contain one quarter of the remaining old-growth forest on national forests and grasslands in the lower 48 states.
The committee represents a diverse group from Tribes, local communities, environmental groups, industry, and academia across Northern California, Oregon and Washington.
Members appointed to the committee are:
Name
Title
Location
Committee Category
Jerry Franklin, PhD
Professor Emeritus, School of Environmental and Forest Science, University of Washington
Oregon
Science
James Johnston, PhD
Assistant Professor (Senior Research), College of Forestry, Oregon State University
Oregon
Science
Meg Krawchuk, PhD
Associate Professor of Landscape Fire, Ecology, and Conservation Science, College of Forestry, Oregon State University
Oregon
Science
Angela Sondenaa, PhD
Certified Senior Ecologist, Nez Perce Tribe
Idaho
Science
Elaine Harvey, PhD
Environmental Coordinator, Yakima Nation
Washington
Science
Ryan Haugo, PhD
Director of Conservation Science, The Nature Conservancy
Oregon
Science
Heidi Huber-Stearns, PhD
Associate Research Professor and Director, Ecosystem Workforce Program, Institute for a Sustainable Environment, University of Oregon
Oregon
Science
Daniel Reid Sarna-Wojcicki, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher, UC Berkeley
California
Science
Robert “Bobby” Brunoe
Secretary Treasurer/CEO, Confederate Tribes of Warm Springs
Oregon
Science
Jarred Patton
Deputy Director, California Conservation Corps
California
Organization
Lindsay Warness
Western Regional Manager, Forest Resource Association
Oregon
Organization
Travis Joseph
President/CEO, American Forest Resource Council
Oregon
Organization
Elizabeth Robblee
Conservation and Advocacy Director, The Mountaineers
Washington
Organization
Jose Linares
District Manager (Retired), Bureau of Land Management, Northwest Oregon District and Board Member, Straub Outdoors
Oregon
Organization
Susan Jane Brown, JD
Principal, Silvix Resources
Oregon
Organization
Mike Anderson
Senior Policy Analyst, The Wilderness Society
Washington
Organization
Nicholas Goulette
Executive Director, Watershed Research and Training Center
California
Organization
Ryan Reed
Co-founder and Executive Director, Fire Generation Collaborative and Wildland Firefighter
California
Public
Karen Hans
Good Neighbor Authority Program Coordinator, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Oregon
Government
Lauren Osiadacz
Kittitas County Commissioner
Washington
Government
Ann House, JD
Staff Attorney, Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Environmental and Natural Resources Department
Washington
Government
The Forest Service will be working with committee members to plan and conduct its first meeting later this year.
The Northwest Forest Plan was first implemented in 1994 and is a comprehensive plan for administering parts of federally managed lands in Oregon, Washington and California. The plan was designed to protect old-growth forests and critical habitat for the northern spotted owl, while also providing for forest products, water quality, recreation and other uses.
For more information on the Northwest Forest Plan visit: Northwest Forest Plan
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