Some excerpts:
Research and adaptive management are essential in allowing fire?hazard?reduction projects to move forward where proposed projects are met with uncertainty and mistrust. While legislative reform may be desirable, a strategy that is not entirely dependent on new legislation is needed. Building on existing programs that are consistent with a science?based strategy will enable land?management agencies to better utilize information in pursuit of the overall objective of reducing uncharacteristically severe wildfires.
Fortifying the forest: thinning and burning increase resistance to a bark beetle outbreak and promote forest resilience.
Remember the Lake Arrowhead fire, i believe it was determined that the extensive destruction was a result of their local mandate not to cut or trim the existing forest and the fact that there was no thinning created competition for water resulting in weakened trees making them more susceptible to Bark Beetle infestation and the increase in the number of dead or dying trees resulted in exacerbation of the fire damage.
https://www.fs.fed.us/appeals/Forest Service Environmental Appeal Responses
This site contains information about the Forest Service's Environmental Appeals. An appeal is a request to an agency higher authority for review of an environmental decision.
General Information: For general information about the environmental appeals process, please refer to the Related Information links.
Appeal Decisions: Recent and historical appeal decisions are available on this site and are organized by the unit managing the project.
Please use the map or drop-down lists to view the Forest Service's appeal responses issued from projects taking place in the Washington Office (at the national level), in region-level units, or in forest-level units.
You may navigate directly to a Regional Appeal Response page using the following drop-down list, or by clicking on any of the Forest Service Regions on the map:e.g. R5 Pacific SW Region
Forest Service Appeal Responses for R5 - Pacific Southwest Region
An Environmental Appeal is a formal request to an agency higher authority for review of an environmental planning (NEPA) decision. The public's rights to file an appeal are defined in specific appeal regulations. Usually, all administrative processes must be exhausted before a person can bring a court action (litigation) against with a NEPA decision. This usually includes the filing of a formal appeal.
215 Appeals: These appeal NEPA decisions related to specific projects.
217 Appeals: These appeal NEPA decisions related to the development and amendment of Regional Guides and Land and Resource Management Plans (LRMPs).
251 Appeals: These appeal NEPA decisions associated with the occupancy and use of National Forest System land under permit, including special-use permits, municipal watersheds, mining locations, mineral rights, water rights, grazing and livestock permits, as well as others.
This appeal response list contains the best available information at the time of publication. It is not an exhaustive list, as some responses may have been issued before the next nightly report is published.
