Forest Service starts public comment period for Blue Mountain forest plan revision process

Published 10:18 am Tuesday, August 5, 2025

The U.S. Forest Service has started a 60-day public comment period as part of its effort, which dates back more than 15 years, to revise the long-term management plans for the three national forests in the Blue Mountains.

The agency published a notice of intent on Tuesday, Aug. 5, in the Federal Register related to management plans for the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla and Malheur national forests.

The Forest Service also released a preliminary draft plan, draft evaluation of land with wilderness characteristics, and a draft list of plant and animal species that could be candidates for conservation.

The agency is not recommending that Congress designate any new wilderness areas in the region.

“This early draft gives people something real to respond to — because we want their voices to help shape durable, locally relevant forest plans,” said Eric Watrud, supervisor for the Umatilla National Forest.

The three forests are updating the management plans that date to 1990. The effort involves about 4.9 million acres of public land — an area bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.

The current timeline calls for the plans to be finished around the end of 2027.

The plan doesn’t cover the 652,000-acre Hells Canyon National Recreation Area on the Wallowa-Whitman.

Management plans list the general goals for each forest but do not involve specific projects, such as timber sales or recreation improvements. Site-specific projects are analyzed separately in a public process through the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Forest Service put on a series of public meetings during July related to the forest plan revision process.

To learn more about the planning process and submit comments, visit the project page at www.fs.usda.gov/r06/umatilla/projects/64157.