Forests : our growing legacy : the seeds of change

32 Pages·1993·5.9 MB·English

by  United States. Bureau of Land Management

BLM LIBRARY
88031707
FORESTS:
OUR GROWING LEGACY
THE SEEDS OF CHANGE
[
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S.
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

N
IV$&Z\7oT
N^
BLM LIBRARY
^-^
SC-653, BLDG. 50
DENVER FEDERAL CENTER ff\3
P. 0. BOX 25047
DtNVER, CO 80225-0047
UR GROWING LEGACY:
THE SEEDS OF, CHANGE

T
fone word sums up the last few years in the Bureau ofLand Management, the word
wouldbe change.
JL
No doubt about it, this isa time ofchange in BLM. The "new" version ofBLM is
betterequipped to meet the challenges ofresource management in the 1990s andbeyond.
Many ofour programs that tooka backseat to others have been elevated in the last fewyears.
Recreation, cultural resources, fishand wildlife, riparian management and others are receiving
more emphasis than everbefore.
Forest and woodland management in BLM is changing, too. InJune of 1992, a new
initiative called Total Forest Management wasannounced. It represents a majorchange in our
timberharvestingphilosophy and practices. The Total ForestManagement initiative is sup-
portedby the efforts ofthe Forests: OurGrowingLegacy team that was assembled in 1990
and given the charge to improve BLMs forestry capability and effectiveness. The team tookan
innovative approach to complete its task. Before the first issue statement or recommendation
was everwritten, the team membersinterviewed hundreds ofemployeesand interest group
representatives to gam the insight needed to formulate objectives that will improve forest and
woodland management. In effect, the people who were interviewed bec—ame ourpartnersin
chartingthe directi—on ofBLM forestry. The product ofthe team's efforts this report and its
recommendations reflects the direction that our own employees and people familiarwith
BLM forestry thinkwe should be taking. The Forests: OurGrowingLegacy effort is the nuts
and bolts ofhow to begin accomplishingthe wide-ranginggoals ofTotal Forest Management.
Our top management endorses the recommendations contained in Forests: OurGrowing
Legacy. The recommendations represent a change forthe better in forest and woodland
'management and willbe implemented rapidly. We need tobe aware of, and a—ble to
adapt, to the changes'takingplace around Us that affect resource management emerging
public needs, declining forest health, global environmental issues, new technology, budget
capabilitiesand demands forwood products. Forests^ OurGrowingLegacy will help BLM to
dojust that.
Finally, more than everbefore, we need to manageour forest and woodlandecological
systems to enhance biological diversityand supplya sustainable level ofproducts to the
public.
Oursuccessasan agency,will be measuredbyhowwell we react to new and changing
demands, particularly in the next fewyears. Forests: OurGrowingLegacy provides uswith the
chance to show ourcapability to manage a dynamic natural resource and prove again our
commitment to better serve the needs ofourdiverse publics.
Qffl»jJt
Mike Penfold
Assistant DirectorforLandsandRenewableResources

.
T
AB LE OF CONTENTS
BLM's ForestandWoodland Resources
The BeginningsofForests: OurGrowingLegacy 3
Forests/Woodlands Issues and Challenges
The Goal ofBLM Forest andWoodland Management .' 7
Objective 1 ^ > 8
Objective 2.... • 10
Objective 3...; 12
Objective4....' 14
Objective 5 * , 15
Summary 17
: :
Membersofthe Forests: OurGrowingLegacy Team 19
;