	Background

The Chugach National Forest was established in 1907 and is the second largest forest in the National Forest System. Agency Regulations Prescribed the Process Used to Revise the Chugach Forest Plan

The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976 requires the Forest Service to, among other things, (1) develop a plan to manage the lands and resources of each national forest in coordination with the land management planning processes of other federal agencies, states, and localities and (2) revise each plan at least every 15 years. In September 2000, the Supervisor of the Chugach National Forest issued for public comment the agency’s draft preferred alternative together with the detailed comparative analysis of all these alternatives. The Forest Service Took Extensive Actions to Solicit and Respond to Public Concerns

The Forest Service undertook sustained actions to solicit and respond to key public concerns about the revision to the Chugach forest plan. These actions included (1) distributing frequent newsletters on the planning process and its progress, (2) maintaining a Web site on the Internet with links to key planning documents and making available compact discs containing these documents, and (3) holding over 100 meetings in which the public was invited to define key issues and formulate alternatives. Some Decisions Contained in the Agency’s Draft Plan Were Based on Limited Data, but These Limitations Were Addressed in the Final Plan

In developing the draft revised plan, the Forest Service obtained and analyzed a vast amount of data on timber harvesting, mineral mining, commercial fishing, recreation and tourism, forest vegetation, and fish and wildlife habitats. These data and analyses were used to make various decisions on difficult and sometimes controversial trade-offs among competing forest uses. In three areas, we found that the data and analyses used for making some decisions had limitations that were not disclosed in the draft revised plan.
What GAO Found

The Chugach National Forest in Alaska is the second largest of the 155 forests in the National Forest System and stretches across an immensely varied and scenic area. The Forest Service revised the Chugach National Forest Plan in accordance with planning regulations that require the Forest Service to solicit and respond to public concerns in (1) identifying issues to be considered in revising the plans, (2) developing alternative plans for evaluation, (3) selecting a draft preferred alternative plan, and (4) adopting a final revised plan. Forest Service officials actively solicited key public concerns about revising the Chugach forest plan by distributing frequent newsletters; maintaining a Web site to allow the public access to key documents; and holding over 100 public meetings on the plan, including ones to solicit potential alternatives, and later, to discuss its draft preferred alternative plan. In developing its draft revised plan, issued in September 2000, the Forest Service obtained and analyzed a vast amount of data on various potential uses of the lands and resources within the Chugach. These data and analysis provided information for decisions on difficult and sometimes controversial trade-offs among competing forest uses, such as timber harvesting, mineral mining, commercial fishing, recreation and tourism, forest vegetation, and fish and wildlife habitats. GAO's review showed that the data and analysis that the Forest Service used to make some decisions had limitations that were not disclosed in the draft revised plan.