By Mary Alice Murphy

Gail Talfierro, Silver City District ranger, opened a meeting, Wednesday, March 11, to begin the process of revising its comprehensive plan of management.

She introduced those who would provide help to the Gila National Forest. The first [whose name the Beat did not write down] is a member of the faculty at Utah State University and is an extension specialist. "I am here to help the Forest Service break some of it formalistic habits."

He invited those present to write their comments on large sheets on the wall about the uses of the forest they wanted to provide or protect.

GNF planner Matt Schultz asked in a PowerPoint presentation the question: "Why should I care about forest planning?" Reasons include clean water and fresh air, food, economic opportunities, wood products, cultural and religious practices and recreation.

He described a forest plan, as a comprehensive document guiding management for all resources on the national forest for the next 15 years or more.

The present plan, under which GNF is working, was created in 1986 and has been updated over the years, but the suggested revision after 15 years is needed because of significant changes to the forest and surrounding areas since the last plan was created.

Changes on the forest include science and technology, social and cultural influences, uses and demands, conditions and threats, which consist of non-native, invasive species, climate change and uncharacteristic fire behavior.

"The wildland-urban interface will be a focus in the new plan," Schultz said. "Laws and regulations have increased, so we don't have a lot of flexibility in the planning. We are following the 2012 Planning Rule, which has as its goal public participation. We will use Grant County's Master Plan and try to incorporate elements of it.

"This is meeting zero," he said. "We are just beginning the assessment phase, which will take about year. We will confirm what is working from the 1986 plan and identify where it needs to be changed."

Schultz said site-specific decisions are not made in the plan, but are shaped by it. After the plan is approved, all subsequent proposals, projects and activities must be consistent with the forest plan.

The process provides an opportunity for the community members to have their knowledge and suggestions be heard to shape the Gila's future management, and to build on the community's relationships with other users and with Gila staff in a shared vision. Plan components provide desired conditions, objectives, standards, guidelines and suitability.

Schultz emphasized that forest plans are consistent with and do not override existing law, policy or regulation.

The plan revision process encompasses three phases-the one-year assessment phase; the plan revision and NEPA analysis, which will take multiple years, likely until 2019; and the implementation and monitoring, which will last for 15+ years until the plan is revised again.

The assessment phase, which began with this "meeting zero," includes 15 ecological, social and economic resource topics, such as "What is out there? What is the trend? What is the potential for the future? and What is at risk?"

This phase will use the best available science, local information, national perspectives and native knowledge.

Important ecological resources include ecosystems; air, soil and water resources, natural process, carbon stocks, and at-risk species.

Important social and economic influences include social, cultural and economic conditions; benefits people obtain from ecosystem services; multiple uses and their economic contributions; recreation; energy and minerals; infrastructure; areas of tribal importance; cultural and historical resources; land ownership and use; and existing and potential designated areas.

The plan revision phase will include developing a draft forest plan, based on the need for change, evaluation of areas that may be suitable for special designation, and developing the draft plan and alternatives using the NEPA process.

The final forest plan phase will incorporate review and analysis, respond to comments and make revisions, consult with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, include an objection period, and end with a record of decision and final forest plan.

The special designation process will identify areas that may be suitable for special designations, such as research natural areas, wild and scenic rivers and wilderness. The forest decision-maker can only recommend to Congress designations for wilderness and wild and scenic rivers.

After approval of the final forest plan, the forest will enter the implementation and monitoring phase to determine if the forest is meeting desired conditions and objectives or whether it needs to make changes.

"We want you to be an active participant," Schultz said. He gave the link to the page where the 2012 Planning Rule, final directives and Region 3 planning are also linked: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/gila/home/?cid=STELPRD3828671

Participants can also email gilaplan@fs.fed.us

[At this point, this author had to attend another meeting, but received notes from a remaining participant]

Susan Hansen, rancher and commissioner in Crawford, Colo., gave an overview of the process her community had used in revising its forest management plan.

Delta County, during the assessment phase, divided into interest groups, which determined what they expected of the Forest Service and what the Forest Service expected of the community. The groups met every two weeks and covered the citizen interests, rather than Forest Service presentations.

The groups came together to share learning. "If you have distrust, then you never get anywhere," Hansen noted. "The groups must take a positive approach to shared common interests. Our community held the Forest Service's feet to the fire. It developed an expectation exercise worksheet to develop data to give to the Forest Service."

She also said it was necessary to focus on common interest levels.

Much of the remainder of the meeting involved those sitting at tables discussing their points of view and then choosing a spokesperson to provide an overview of their discussion.