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USDA Forest Service Forms Northwest Forest Plan Federal Advisory Committee

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, Confederated 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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