Sustaining the people's lands - Recommendations for stewardship of the national forests and grasslands into the next century

in December 1997, Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman convened an interdi sciplinary committee of 13 scientists to provide scientific and technical a dvice on the Forest Service's land and resource management planning process . The committee was asked to recommend how best to accomplish resource plan ning within the existing:environmental laws and statutory mission of the Fo rest Service; to provide technical advice on planning and provide material for the agency to consider in revising planning regulations;to recommend im provements in coordination with other federal agencies, state and local gov ernment agencies. and tribal governments; and to suggest a new planning fra mework that could last a generation. The committee rook field trips and met in cities and towns around the country to hear from Forest Service employe es, representatives of tribes, state and local governments, related federal natural resource agencies, and members of the public. Drawing on many of t he approaches and improvements to planning it observed, the committee has m ade its recommendations.