Abstract

The 2012 Planning Rule provides the process and structure to create local land and resource management plans for all national forests and grasslands. Land and resource management plans establish requirements and constraints for on-the-ground management decisions within a national forest or grassland. The rule establishes an ongoing, three phase process: (1) assessment, (2) plan development or revision, and (3) monitoring. The 2012 Planning Rule is intended to create understanding around landscape-scale management. It takes an integrated and holistic approach that recognizes the inter-dependence of ecological processes with social and economic systems. The approach uses best available science to inform decision along the way. Collaboration with stakeholders and transparency of process are key ways the 2012 Planning Rule guides creation of forest plans for the future. This document represents the assessment stage for the revision of the El Yunque National Forest’s land and resource management plan and is designed to rapidly evaluate readily available information about relevant ecological, economic, and social conditions, trends, and sustainability and their relationship to the current land and resource management plan within the context of the broader landscape. Assessments are not decision making documents, but provide current information on planning topics.

The draft report can be found at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/elyunque/landmanagement/planning/?cid=stelprdb5411336 

Citation

USDA Forest Service (2014): Forest Assessment Plan El Yunque National Forest. USDA Forest Service .