Stakeholders weigh in on Blue Mountains Forest Plan revision

The Blue Mountains — nearly 5 million acres that span the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman national forests — is long overdue for a new management plan. The current plan was developed in 1990, but efforts to revise it have proved so contentious that they have failed twice. The management plan was supposed to be revised every 15 years to respond to changes in forest conditions.The latest proposal was published in early July, and the period for public comment will wrap up at the end of September. The issue has remained controversial, as public lands stakeholders have conflicting priorities for the area. We’ll hear from four different stakeholders: Jamie Dawson, the conservation director with the Greater Hell’s Canyon Council; Don George, president of Forest Access For All; Andy Geissler; the Director of Forest Policy for the American Forest Resource Council; and Tyler Dunnagon, the conservation director for the Oregon Hunters Association.