A vegetation treatment plan of 1,631 acres to improve forest resiliency and animal habitat in Colorado is being delayed due to lawsuits claiming the Forest Service failed to follow proper NEPA regulations.
Agency: Forest Service
Project Delay: 3+ years
Status: Project halted; NEPA litigation ongoing
“This project will provide forest products to local and regional industry while also improving forest resilience and habitat for snowshoe hare, a species that is a key food source for Canadian lynx,” District Ranger Karen Schroyer said. “It is part of the mission of the Forest Service to responsibly manage National Forests for multiple uses. Through the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process and productive dialogue, I believe we have struck a balance to achieve the purpose of this project.”
The Forest Service said the project is being done in the interest of the Upper Fryingpan Valley’s health, and that it “does not authorize any deforestation, which is the conversion of land from a forest to a non-forest use … but instead authorizes treatment that will accomplish an improved forested condition in harvest units.” [Additionally,] improved health conditions will make the forest more resistant “to disturbances, such as future bark beetle outbreaks, fires, and other climate-related mortality events.”