Governor Mark Gordon has expressed his concerns to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack regarding the proposed National Old-growth Amendment, which would change forest guidance across all National Forest and Grassland Management Plans without adhering to the standard plan revision process.
In his letter, Governor Gordon emphasized that the Forest Service should conduct this effort at a forest unit level rather than implementing a national-scale approach. He also urged the Forest Service to follow the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to ensure appropriate state and local input.
Governor Gordon highlighted the unique characteristics of each National Forest in Wyoming and criticized the Forest Service for its broad proposal that does not consider local knowledge. He pointed out a significant lack of communication from the Forest Service to state, local governments, and conservation districts, which undermines the historical practice of cooperative forest planning in Wyoming.
The Governor called for the Forest Service to engage in meaningful cooperative involvement in the NEPA process, emphasizing that local voices must be considered and that the process should not be rushed to meet arbitrary deadlines.
The Governor’s complete letter can be found here.
