Number: 2000-04
WHEREAS, at its meeting in Washington, D.C., in 1973, the National Wildlife Federation passed Resolution 16 stating “a sincere and deep interest in the proper management of the Nation’s woodlands and wildlife”; and
WHEREAS, much of the remaining high-quality forest habitat is on federal lands; and
WHEREAS, unlike private forest lands that may be managed solely for timber output, public lands are mandated to provide habitat for fish and wildlife, to offer outdoor recreational opportunities, and to provide other amenities to the American public as well as timber; and
WHEREAS, adequate inventorying of forest and wildlife resources before conducting logging practices and other management actions, and adequate monitoring before, during and after these actions is necessary to assess impacts of specific practices on forest resources; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Forest Service has repeatedly been shown to omit inventorying and monitoring that is required by both the National Forest Management Act and Forest Service regulations – such as in a court ruling in Texas upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, a citation by the Eleventh Circuit Court in the Appalachian Mountains, and findings by the Inspector General of the U.S. when spot-checking timber sales in the Northeast;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation in its Annual Meeting assembled March 16-18, 2000, in Seattle, Washington, urges that agencies managing federal timberlands
- have qualified forest ecologists and/or wildlife biologists conduct an inventory of forest and wildlife resources according to the monitoring and evaluation requirement set forth in the National Forest Management Act before conducting specific timber sales and other management actions,
- conduct required on-going monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of forest management practices, and
- eliminate or alter those management actions where studies show actual or likely long-term impacts harmful to forest ecosystems and wildlife habitats.