Advice on National Forest policy from an independent scientific panel was released in March. The report, "Sustaining the People's Lands", suggests that sustainabilityecological and socialshould be the first priority in managing Forest Service natural resources. Other general recommendations included conservation of critical species and habitats, greater use of science, more flexibility in forest plans, and consideration of greater geographic scope than individual forests when updating forest plans. The report provided several recommendations regarding watershed management: develop a strategy for conserving and restoring watersheds; maintain and restore the natural composition, structure, and processes of watersheds, including their flow regimes; provide conditions for the viability and native riparian and aquatic species; recognize watersheds in assessment and planning; develop an overall strategy for setting priorities for restoration and use; energize the people of the watershed to help provide stewardship; and monitor watershed conditions over time as part of adaptive management.
The team was appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture in December 1997. The group of 13 scientists held forums in each region of the country, gathering information from Forest Service employees, tribal representatives, members of state and local governments, other federal agencies and the public.
Although many of the recommendations are already Forest Service policy, the report will serve as the basis for new planning guidelines under the National Forest Management Act.
The Committee of Scientists will meet on June 12, 1999 in Denver, Colorado to be briefed by the Forest Service on the first draft of these new regulations. The full report is available at: www.fs.fed.us/news/science
Additional background information is available at: www.cof.orst.edu/org/scicomm
The May 1999 issue of the Journal of Forestry (volume 97, number 5) was devoted to articles about the Committee of Scientists report.