Governors concerned about forest plan

Governors Mark Gordon (WY) and Kristi Noem (SD) have penned a joint letter to Black Hills National Forest Supervisor Jeff Tomac requesting a rethink of the revision assessments being used to draft an updated version of the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) Land Management Plan.

The two governors also expressed concern over the potential impact of the plan on the timber industry within the Black Hills

The plan has already caused concern at the county level, with Crook County penning a letter of comment that also expressed “significant concerns” with the science used to create the drafts, as well as with the level of public input solicited.

The Black Hills Pioneer also reported earlier this year that Lawrence County had asked for a second draft of the assessments after passing a resolution stating that all seven counties within the Black Hills feel there are deficiencies that need to be addressed.

The letter sent by Gordon and Noem last week claims that the assessments contain “countless statements that are not backed by scientific material”, and expresses concern that making such assertions without scientific authority “hinders our ability to meaningfully engage in the revision process”.

The assessments, say the two governors, should contain citations to supporting authority and discuss why one scientific view has been adopted over others.

“The assessments also fail to include critical and readily available information that accurately portrays the current conditions of the Forest,” states the letter.

Specifically, the letter claims that there are errors in the data analysis and assumptions from the Black Hills Timber Sustainability General Technical Report (GTR), including a failure to properly account for merchantable tree species, tree growth, reduction in timber resources and inaccurate mortality rates.

“The [Forest Service] has claimed that the GTR is not a policy or a decisional document – and yet it was referenced and relied upon more than a dozen times in the…assessments,” states the letter.

The governors also question why the assessments do not reference other documents or formal recommendations, including the recommendation from the National Forest Advisory Board.

The two governors ask for a meeting to discuss their concerns as part of the review of the GTR that’s already underway. They also ask for new assessments to avoid relying on the GTR until concerns with its methodology have been addressed.

“In addition, we are concerned about the apparent desire of the [Forest Service] to drastically reduce the timber program in the BHNF. The mills in our region are critical infrastructure, and our states have already experienced several mill closures,” states the letter.

“They allow for the proper management of the forest, and they supply the region, and beyond, with products that are critical to society. They also help landowners recover from devastating fires, as we are currently seeing on land burned by the Fish Fire.”