7 SUGGESTIONS FOR REVISING ICBEMP

Ecosystem management is a still-developing concept. The version develo ped for federal lands in the interior Columbia River basin region incl udes unreasonable assumptions and outcomes, according to SAF foresters in the region. One of ICBEMP's goals, maintaining ecosystem health an d integrity, defies clear definition and quantification, and yet this overrides the goal of achieving sustainable and predictable outputs. T he management alternative recommended by ICBEMP portends negative soci oeconomic impacts for many communities. A less divisive approach is cl oser federal cooperation with states in using existing processes and s tandards to protect aquatic habitats.