[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 36, Volume 2]
[Revised as of July 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 36CFR219.2]

[Page 37-38]
 
              TITLE 36--PARKS, FORESTS, AND PUBLIC PROPERTY
 
          CHAPTER II--FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 219--PLANNING--Table of Contents
 
 Subpart A--National Forest System Land and Resource Management Planning
 
Sec. 219.2  Principles.

    The planning regulations in this subpart are based on the following 
principles:
    (a) The first priority for planning to guide management of the 
National Forest System is to maintain or restore ecological 
sustainability of national forests and grasslands to provide for a wide 
variety of uses, values, products, and services. The benefits sought 
from these lands depend upon long-term ecological sustainability. 
Considering increased human uses, it is essential that uses of today do 
not impair the functioning of ecological processes and the ability of 
these natural resources to contribute to sustainability in the future.
    (1) Planning provides the guidance for maintaining or restoring the 
diversity of plant and animal communities and the productive capacity of 
ecological systems, the core elements of ecological sustainability.
    (2) Planning is based on science and other knowledge, including the 
use of scientifically based strategies for sustainability and benefits 
from independent scientific peer review.
    (3) Planning is based on the temporal and spatial scales necessary 
for sustainability.
    (4) Planning includes the monitoring and evaluation of the 
achievement of goals.
    (b) Planning contributes to social and economic sustainability by 
providing for a wide variety of uses, values, products, and services 
without compromising the basic composition, structure, and function of 
ecological systems.
    (1) Planning recognizes and fosters a broad-based understanding of 
the interdependence of national forests and grasslands with economies 
and communities.
    (2) Planning fosters strategies and actions that provide for human 
use in ways that contribute to long-term sustainability.
    (c) Planning is efficiently integrated into the broader geographic, 
legal, and social landscape within which national forests and grasslands 
exist. Other agencies, governments, corporations, and citizens manage 
land in and around the national forests and grasslands.

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Planning, therefore, is outward looking with the goal of understanding 
the broader landscape in which the national forests and grasslands lie.
    (1) Planning fosters coordination among all affected federal 
agencies.
    (2) Planning proceeds in close cooperation with state, tribal, and 
local governments.
    (3) Planning recognizes the rights of American Indian tribes and 
Alaska Natives.
    (4) Planning is interdisciplinary, providing analyses and options 
that are responsive to a broad range of ecological, social, and 
economic.
    (5) Planning acknowledges the limits and variability of likely 
budgets.
    (d) Planning meaningfully engages the American people in the 
stewardship of their national forests and grasslands. Just as the Forest 
Service can help the American people learn about the limits and 
capabilities of the national forests and grasslands, managers also 
should be guided by the knowledge and values of the American people.
    (1) Planning encourages extensive collaborative citizen 
participation and builds upon the human resources in local communities 
and throughout the nation.
    (2) Planning actively seeks and addresses key issues and promotes a 
shared vision of desired conditions.
    (3) Planning and plans are understandable.
    (4) Planning restores and maintains the trust of the American people 
in the management of the national forests and grasslands.
    (e) Planning is an ongoing process, where decisions are adapted, as 
necessary, to address new issues, new information, and unforeseen 
events.
    (1) Planning is innovative and practical.
    (2) Planning is expeditious and efficient in achieving goals.
    (f) Planning seeks to manage National Forest System resources in a 
combination that best serves the public interest without impairment of 
the productivity of the land consistent with the Multiple-Use Sustained-
Yield Act of 1960.

                       The Framework for Planning