USDA Five Year Plan

[Grumpy]

USDA releases 5 year strategic plan
By Bethanie Walder


June 22, 2010

Printer friendly version On June 11, 2010, the US Department of Agriculture released it’s 2010-2015 strategic plan, including it’s overarching plans for the Forest Service.

Forest Service management was basically addressed in the second of the plans four goals:

Ensure our national forest and private working lands are conserved, restored, and made more resilient to climate change, while enhancing our water resources.

Objective 2.1 Restore and Conserve the Nation’s Forests, Farms, Ranches and Grasslands
Objective 2.2 Lead Efforts to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change
Objective 2.3 Protect and Enhance America’s Water Resources
Objective 2.4 Reduce Risk from Catastrophic Wildfire and Restore Fire to its Appropriate Place on the Landscape

The Forest Service goal is consistent with previous speeches and addresses Secretary Vilsack has made emphasizing the importance of water resources, and their connection with the national forests. For example, in the introduction to objective 2.3, the plan states:  

Protecting America’s supply of clean and abundant water is among the most crucial environmental challenges of the 21st century. Water is essential for life. This precious resource is the foundation for healthy ecosystems, sustainable agricultural and forest production, livable communities, and viable industry.

In addition, the strategic plan specifically mentions the importance of decommissioning roads (albeit in a laundry list of things that the agency will be addressing).

USDA will use the restoration of watershed and forest health as a core management objective of the National Forests and Grasslands. In many of the Nation’s forests, restoration will include efforts to improve the health of fire-adapted or fire-impaired ecosystems, address the spread of insects and diseases that increase tree mortality, restore degraded wildlife habitat, improve or decommission roads, replace and improve culverts, and rehabilitate streams and wetlands.

The plan includes performance measures and specific “strategies and meansâ€