The process of developing and amending the 1997 Tongass Forest Plan has been active since the late 1980’s.
During that period, many events have taken place that are important to understanding the history and background
of Tongass Forest Plan adjustment efforts. These events include the publication of NEPA documents, decisions,
appeals, litigation, and legislation. This section of the Website, provides a chronological description of the
major events leading to the development and adjustment of the 1997 Forest Plan.
| 1976 |
National Forest Management Act
(NFMA) was passed by Congress. This Act
required Forest Land and Resource Management Plans to be developed by each Forest. |
| 1979 |
The Tongass became the first Forest to complete a Forest Plan under NFMA. This original
Plan was approved in 1979, and amended twice (in 1986 and 1991). |
| 1990 |
Analysis of the Management Situation (AMS) was developed in preparation for revision of
the Forest Plan. |
| 1990 |
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) documenting the environmental analysis for
revision of the original Forest Plan was released for public review. |
| 1990 |
Tongass Timber Reform Act (TTRA) was passed by Congress. This Act posed several new
requirements for management of the Tongass. |
| 1991 |
Supplement to the DEIS was prepared in response to TTRA. It incorporated the permanent
changes to Forest Plan land use allocations (LUDs) and standards and guidelines that were required by TTRA. |
| 1996 |
Revised Supplement to the DEIS (RSDEIS) was prepared. The RSDEIS was necessitated by new
information and analysis relevant to several important issues. |
| 1997 |
The 1997 Forest Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and the 1997 Record of
Decision (ROD) were published. |
| 1997 |
33 separate appeals were filed on the 1997 Forest Plan. |
| 1999 |
Under Secretary of Agriculture Lyons affirmed the Regional Forester’s decisions in the
ROD for the 1997 Forest Plan, regarding all 33 appeals. |
| 1999 |
Under Secretary of Agriculture Lyons issued a new ROD (referred to as the 1999 ROD) for
the 1997 Tongass Forest Plan. |
| 2000 |
Two lawsuits challenging the 1997 and 1999 RODs were filed in the U.S. District Court of
Alaska. The Alaska Forest Association and some Southeast Alaska communities challenged many aspects of the
1997 Tongass Forest Plan and the process by which the 1999 ROD was issued. The Sierra Club and other
environmental groups challenged the lack of consideration of wilderness recommendations in the 1997 FEIS and
ROD. |
| 2001 |
On 3/30/01, the U.S. District Court of Alaska issued one ruling
for both lawsuits. It upheld the 1997 ROD against all challenges and held that
the 1999 ROD was not properly adopted and ordered it to be vacated.
The Court also found that the 1997 FEIS should have considered making wilderness
recommendations for the Forest Plan and ordered the Forest Service to prepare a
Supplemental EIS to evaluate wilderness recommendations and to update the AMS
relative to roadless areas and their relative contribution to the National Wilderness
Preservation System. |
| 2002 |
Draft Supplemental EIS: Roadless Area Evaluation for Wilderness Recommendations was published. |
| 2003 |
Final Supplemental EIS: Roadless Area Evaluation for Wilderness Recommendations and the ROD were published. |
| 2003 |
On 12/09/03, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed a lawsuit (referred to as NRDC I)
in the U.S. District Court of Alaska, challenging the Forest Plan and six timber sale EISs (Finger Mountain,
Cholmondeley, Sea Level, Canal Hoya, Crane and Rowan Mountain, and Chasina). |
| 2004 |
On 01/08/04, the NRDC filed a second lawsuit (referred to as NRDC II) that challenged the Forest
Plan and included a seventh timber sale EIS (Madan). This complaint raised the same claims as the NRDC I case and was
joined in that litigation. |
| 2004 |
On 03/23/04, the NRDC filed another lawsuit (referred to as NRDC III) in the U.S. District
Court of Alaska, challenging the Forest Plan and another timber sale EIS (Woodpecker), on grounds similar to
NRDC I and II, as well as one additional point (this case currently resides in the District Court). |
| 2004 |
On 09/24/04, the U.S. District Court of Alaska issued a ruling upholding the Forest Plan
and related NEPA documents on all claims. |
| 2004 |
On 09/27/04, NRDC appealed the U.S. District Court decisions to the Ninth Circuit Court
of Appeals. |
| 2005 |
5 Year Review of the Forest Plan was completed in January of 2005. It identified a
number of potential work items that could lead to adjustments to the Plan. |
| 2005 |
Forest Plan Maintenance Program was created to track the work items identified in the 5
Year Review, as well as facilitate the ongoing identification of potential new items. |
| 2005 |
On 08/05/05, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its NRDC I and II appeal decision.
The Court found inadequacies, primarily related to the NEPA process for the 1997 Forest Plan.
These inadequacies dealt with timber demand, the EIS range of alternatives relative to timber
demand, and cumulative effects relative to activities on non-National Forest System lands. |
| 2005 |
The Forest Plan Adjustment process was developed to respond to the Ninth Circuit
Court of Appeals decision, as well as the work items identified in the 5 Year Review and the
Forest Plan Maintenance Program. See the Approach page for a description of the process. |
