July 13, 2020 10:15 a.m.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service released a Bioregional Assessment on Friday: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fseprd677501

A Forest Service release said the document evaluates the social, economic and ecological conditions and trends covering 19 units across Oregon, Washington and northern California.

The release said the assessment uses the best available science and focuses on capturing current conditions and changes on the national forests and grasslands. It provides recommendations on how the Forest Service could address the challenges facing forests, grasslands and communities in the plans that govern how land management decisions are made, according to the release.

The Forest Service and other federal land management agencies are required by law to develop plans that guide the long-term management of public lands.

Glenn Casamassa, regional forester for the Pacific Northwest Region in Oregon and Washington, said “this assessment will make it more efficient to modernize our land management plans and reflects the new science, and changes to social, economic and ecological conditions across this region”. He said it will also preserve “the tenets of the Northwest Forest Plan that are working well, so that work can continue effectively and efficiently”.

The Northwest Forest Plan covers nearly 25 million acres of federally managed land in Oregon, Washington, and northern California. The release said it focuses on managing the entire landscape for long-term social and economic stability.