Forest plan revision discussed

The U.S. Forest Service will host a meeting Wednesday in Libby to discuss several issues raised in objections to the Kootenai National Forest’s revised forest plan and final environmental impact statement. 

The meeting will be 9 a.m. at the Memorial Center. The meeting was called by the objection reviewing officer, Associate Deputy Chief Jim Peña, for the revised plan and associated documents.

The meeting is intended to provide an opportunity for the agency, the objectors and designated interested persons to discuss objection issues and seek resolution prior to finalizing and implementing the revised plan. Participation in the meeting is limited to agency personnel, objectors and designated interested persons; however, the meeting is open to observation by the public.

The forest is currently operating under a forest plan that was completed in 1987 and has developed the revised forest plan to reflect changes in land use, science and public demands for the national forest. The objection resolution period is the final step in the process of revising the forest plan before a decision is made to implement the new plan. 

A full meeting agenda and background on the revised forest plan are available on the forest’s website  at http://www.fs.usda.gov/kootenai.