Remarks by Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman Forest Planning Reform
Washington, DC   September 30, 1999
                                                               
                                                               
                                           Release No. st004.99

Remarks
                               by
             Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman
                     Forest Planning Reform
              Washington, DC   September 30, 1999

     "This Administration, from day one, has been aggressive about taking on
the most controversial forest policy issues -- everything from ending the
spotted owl gridlock in the northwest to the question of what to do with our
forest road system.  

     "The U.S. Forest Service, of course, has been in the forefront as we've
navigated these issues.  Under the leadership of Under Secretary Jim Lyons and
Chief Mike Dombeck, the Forest Service has worked to move beyond the conflicts
of the past, to return the agency to its conservation roots, and to conserve
the nation's forest treasures for our children and grandchildren.

     "We're here today to talk about a new policy that continues that
important work.  

     "In December 1997, I appointed a Committee of Scientists and gave them a
mandate to spend a year listening and fact-finding, seeking out the most
innovative forest management practices and approaches.  The Committee's
comprehensive work has guided us at USDA in our work to craft the new forest
management policy that we are announcing today.

     "This new rule represents a new way of doing business at the Forest
Service -- a move toward greater inclusion, accountability and transparency. 
It pulls the lid off the "black box" that has too often characterized
government decision-making in the past.  We are giving a greater voice to
those who own the forests -- the American people.  We manage the forests for
them, so they deserve a seat at the table.

     "Teamwork and cooperation will be part of the process as never before. 
The Forest Service will now be required to engage people early in the planning
process, as we try to avoid conflicts  before they arise.

     "The new policy has five major themes as its underpinning:

     1).  It builds on the Forest Service legacy.  It is consistent with the legal
     basis under which the agency was founded.  Philosophically, it is in
     harmony with the vision of conservation's founding fathers, men like
     Aldo Leopold and Gifford Pinchot.

     2).  The new rule is grounded in the principle of sustainability, the idea
     that, even as we appreciate our natural resources today and use them to
     meet our current needs, we must also preserve them for generations to
     come.  And when we speak of sustainability, we mean ecological, economic
     and social sustainability.
     
     3).  Successful forest management requires collaborative problem-solving. 
     Collaboration among all the different stakeholders -- the Forest
     Service; state, local and tribal governments; scientists; private
     citizens; and community leaders -- will lead to more sound and thorough
     solutions.

     4).  Scientific research presents us with a new tool or discovery seemingly
     every week.  So, effectively integrating science into forest planning is
     a key component of this new course we are charting.  The scientific
     community will have an expanded role, involved in everything from
     information-gathering to reviews of the way we monitor and evaluate our
     management strategies.

     5).  Finally, forest plans will from now on be living, dynamic documents. 
     Rather than burying them in the archives to collect dust, we will treat
     the plans as works-in-progress.  The rule sets out a process for
     changing plans as circumstances and new innovations dictate.  Think of
     the plans not as bound books, but as flexible three-ring binders, which
     can accept new information and discard the obsolete or ineffective.

     "In the spirit of the policy change, we will now be taking comments and
suggestions from the public over the next 90 days.  I'm confident that opening
the floor in this manner will improve an already sound, forward-looking
proposal.

     "Thank you.  I'm pleased now to turn it over to Under Secretary Lyons
and Chief Dombeck..."

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