PORTLAND, Ore. June 8, 2015. A set of draft reports analyzing 20 years of monitoring data under the Northwest Forest Plan has been formally released by the Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC) today. The reports, which summarize the latest periodic monitoring data gathered since 1994, with a focus on the last 5 years, are available at http://www.reo.gov/monitoring/reports/20yr-report/.

“The 20-year monitoring reports are an important data set for all of those impacted by the Northwest Forest Plan,” said Jim Peña, Regional Forester for the Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Region and Chair of RIEC, the interagency group that oversees the NWFP. “Twenty years of monitoring demonstrates our commitment to adaptive management and fulfilling our commitment to the principles of the plan itself.”

ARCATA, Calif. —The USDA Forest Service has released the Northwest Forest Plan science synthesis, a report that will serve as the scientific foundation for land management planning in northern California, western Oregon and western Washington.

One of the most significant findings of the Northwest Forest Plan science synthesis is that the plan has protected old-growth forests as habitat for important species. At the same time, the report found that restoration of fire and other active forest management activities at the landscape scales can promote ecological integrity and rebuild forest resilience to disturbance and stressors.

State forestry agencies and their federal partners including the USDA Forest Service are dedicated to working together to achieve national-level conservation and economic goals that are outlined in the Forest Action Plans.

The 2016 State & Private Forestry Report summarizes the review of the most recent information prepared by state forestry agencies to address these goals, including recent accomplishments as well as plans for the future. This analysis and summary report helps demonstrate the value of investment in state and private forestry programs as well as articulate future challenges and priorities based on 2015 Forest Action Plan progress reports provided by the state and territorial forestry agencies of the United States.