Custer National Forest Management Plan

Custer National Forest’s Management Plan for the Pryors is seriously out of date.  The “current” plan was completed in 1986.  This quarter century old plan is inadequate to deal with the greatly increased public interest in the Pryors and the correspondingly increasing demand for all types of recreational opportunities.  The 1986 Management Plan provided for cattle grazing allotments, relatively sparse recreational activity, and protection of the natural resources in that time of lighter use.   It was written before the drastic and increasing OHV use of the Pryors and its considerable impact – before there was much conflict between motorized and non-motorized recreation – before there was enough motorized use to significantly impact wildlife and other ecological, natural and cultural resources.

One reason Custer National Forest gave for rejecting many aspects of the Pryors Coalition’s Vision during the recent travel planning process was their claim that those aspects (e.g. non-motorized areas for protection of secure wildlife habitat, and quiet recreation areas) were Management Planning decisions rather than Travel Planning decisions.  They failed to recognize that travel planning IS management planning.  CNF’s unfortunate Travel Planning decision de facto makes the management planning decision that there will NOT be non-motorized areas.  This management decision will be very difficult to reverse in the future.

At the present time there is no schedule for revision of the quarter century old, and inadequate, Forest Management Plan.  This plan is desperately in need of revision to allow something like the Pryors Coalition’s Vision.  But lack of staff and funding, combined with the apparently low priority the Forest Service has for this revision, means there may be no revision in time to preserve the Pryors.  Custer National Forest is probably unable to undertake significant Forest Plan revision without clearly being directed to do so by higher levels in the Forest Service, and without being given sufficient support to do the work.

Further Reading:
Management Issues
The Pryors Coalition’s Vision
Custer National Forest Travel Plan
Coalition Litigates CNF’s Travel Plan
Law Enforcement
Travel Plan Monitoring and Evaluation