SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR part 219), which implements the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976, provides that the Forest Service develop, maintain, and revise Land Management Plans for all National Forests and Grasslands. Land Management Plans provide the programmatic framework for management of forest resources and are amendable as conditions change over time. The current Bridger-Teton Land Management Plan was adopted in 1990.

The 2012 Planning Rule requires the assessment to include information regarding the status and trends of ecological, social, and economic conditions within the planning area and across the broader landscape. In particular, the agency must identify and evaluate information relevant to the plan area for the following: (1) Terrestrial ecosystems, aquatic ecosystems, and watersheds; (2) Air, soil, and water resources and quality; (3) System drivers, including dominant ecological processes, disturbance regimes, and stressors, such as natural succession, wildland fire, invasive species, and climate change, and the ability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in the plan area to adapt to change; (4) Baseline assessment of carbon stocks; (5) Threatened, endangered, proposed, and candidate species, and potential species of conservation concern present in the plan area; (6) Social, cultural, and economic conditions; (7) Benefits people obtain from the national forest system planning area (ecosystem services); (8) Multiple uses and their contributions to local, regional, and national economies; (9) Recreation settings, opportunities and access, and scenic character; (10) Renewable and nonrenewable energy and mineral resources; (11) Infrastructure, such as recreational facilities and transportation and utility corridors; (12) Areas of tribal importance; (13) Cultural and historic resources and uses; (14) Land status and ownership and access patterns; and (15) Existing designated areas located in the plan area including wilderness and wild and scenic rivers and potential need and opportunity for additional designated areas. (36 CFR 219.6)

During this assessment phase, the Forest Service invites other government agencies, Tribes, non-governmental parties, and the public to share information about social, economic, and environmental conditions of the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the broader landscape. Existing information about conditions on the Bridger-Teton, including information gathered through public engagement, from cooperating agencies, and Tribal consultation, will be integrated into the assessment. The Forest Service will host public outreach forums to share progress and gather additional information.

Topics of interest will be discussed in the assessment and subsequent plan development phases include: areas of tribal importance; at-risk species; livestock grazing; management within ( printed page 46359) inventoried roadless areas; watersheds and intact ecosystems; habitat connectivity; sustainable recreation; human population pressures; mature and old growth forest conditions; fire management within the wildland urban interface; and timber management and production trends. Wilderness evaluation and the identification of eligible wild and scenic rivers will be separate from the assessment but included in plan development.

Responsible Official: The responsible official for the revision of the Land Management Plan is Chad Hudson, Forest Supervisor, Bridger-Teton National Forest.

89 FR 46358