Federal Register: November 13, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 218)
DOCID: FR Doc E6-19060
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Reports and guidance documents; availability, etc.:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Request for public input.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
U.S. Forest Service Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan
DATES: The Forest Service will review public input received no later than December 13, 2006.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
The Forest Service is inviting all interested members of the public to provide input into the development of the USDA Forest Service Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan, which will help shape the agency's strategic role in a national effort to conserve open space. The Forest Service is interested in addressing the effects of the loss of open space on private forests; on the National Forests and Grasslands and surrounding landscape; and on forests in cities, suburbs, and towns. Input for the Strategy and Implementation Plan should focus on programs, research, partnerships, and/or policy recommendations that could be developed to conserve open space. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for more background on the loss of open space and the Strategy and Implementation Plan.
SUMMARY:
Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
I. Background
In 2003, Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth identified the loss of
open space as one of four great threats facing our nation's forests and
grasslands. Loss of open space is an issue that affects the
sustainability of both the National Forests and Grasslands and private
forests. Open spaceincluding public and private land, wilderness and
working landprovides a multitude of public benefits and ecosystem
services we all need and enjoy. Three interrelated trends of
conversion, fragmentation, and parcelization are jeopardizing the long
term health and function of forests, limiting management options, and
reducing opportunities for public enjoyment and use. To address the
loss of open space threat, the Forest Service is building a national
strategy to identify how the agency plans to focus its efforts on the
issue. This strategy will provide actions and policy recommendations to
conserve open space, with an emphasis on partnerships and collaborative approaches.
II. Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan
The Forest Service recognizes that it is not the only contributor to open space conservation; it is only one among many. The Forest Service also acknowledges that the agency's role in open space conservation is not to regulate development or land use, but is to provide expertise, resources, information, and programs. To help prioritize and focus the agency's efforts, the Forest Service plans to develop and refine an Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan to address the loss of open space.
Input for the Strategy and Implementation Plan should focus on
programs, research, partnerships and/or policy recommendations that could be
[[Page 66163]]
developed to conserve open space. Specifically, input regarding the following three questions is most useful:
1. How can the Forest Service protect land from conversion to other uses;
2. How can the Forest Service assist private landowners and communities in maintaining and managing their land as sustainable forests and grasslands; and
3. How can the Forest Service mitigate the impacts of existing and new developments.
By receiving input from people with diverse interests and
perspectives, the agency hopes to attain an array of viewpoints and
ideas regarding the Open Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation
Plan. Feedback from a range of interested individuals will assist the
agency in developing a wellinformed, focused, and effective strategy to address the loss of open space threat.
Dated: November 2, 2006.
Dale N. Bosworth,
Chief, Forest Service.
[FR Doc. E619060 Filed 11906; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 341011P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
For general information about the Open
Space Conservation Strategy and Implementation Plan and the loss of
open space, contact Claire Harper, USDA Forest Service, Cooperative
Forestry, by telephone at (202) 2051389 or by electronic mail at
openspace@fs.fed.us. For a summary of the Forest Service's current
research, programs, and resources available to facilitate open space
conservation, please review the Forest Service's publication entitled
``Cooperating Across Boundaries: Partnerships to Conserve Open Space in
Rural America.'' Electronic copies of this publication are available at
http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/fourthreats/documents/cooperatingacrossboundaries.pdf.
, and hardcopies are available by contacting Claire Harper at openspace@fs.fed.us.