The second change drops a mandate, adopted during the Reagan administration in 1982, that fish and wildlife habitat in national forests be managed to maintain "viable populations of existing native and desired nonnative vertebrate species." Instead, managers will be directed to provide "ecological conditions to support diversity of native plant and animal species."
The viability clause is widely considered the Forest Service's most important wildlife protection -- and has been a key point of contention with logging interests. It was cited in environmental lawsuits that forced drastic reductions in timber harvests to protect the northern spotted owl in the Pacific Northwest.
"I'm very fearful that we've just lost the foundation for the protection of old-growth forests and wildlife that has protected the national forests for the last 20 years," said Mike Anderson, senior resources analyst for the Wilderness Society.
Forest Service officials denied that the new approach would weaken wildlife protections.
"We tried to bring the best, newest scientific thinking as to how to protect species, and we think we've got that in the rule," Collins said. "We're going to be able to protect species better with this approach. The accountability that people have been clamoring for so long has never been stronger."
The new rules also mandate that all forests adopt an "environmental management system" -- used more commonly to manage private-sector land -- and conduct periodic independent audits of whether they are meeting their management goals.
By eliminating the requirement for environmental impact statements -- bulky documents that outline the environmental consequences of proposed actions and call for extensive public comment -- Forest Service officials said they will shave years off the preparation of new forest plans.
"The problem with [the current system is that] it's a lot of wasted motion that takes a lot of time," said Fred Norbury, associate deputy chief of the national forest system.
"The [environmental impact statement] model is based on a 1950s model of how you relate to the public. It creates documents that don't get used or don't get read and are rapidly obsolete," he said.
Environmental impact statements would still be required for individual projects, such as large logging operations or oil and gas drilling.
But environmentalists pointed out that previous rule changes and legislation under the Bush administration have exempted more and more projects from environmental review.
