The Manti-La Sal National Forest developed its last forest plan more than 30 years ago, and the revision process that began in 2016 is long overdue.
Since the last plan took effect in 1986, recreational uses of the forest have mushroomed, along with our collective knowledge about global warming, livestock grazing impacts, invasive species, and pollinator decline. Now that revision of the Manti-La Sal plan is underway, the Trust and partner organizations, scientists, and citizens are assembling data and policies to develop a conservation-based proposal for the new forest plan.
We need to rethink how we manage the Manti-La Sal National Forest — for our nation, for future generations, and for the amazing, native species who can’t speak for themselves.
Water, coal, oil, gas, uranium, wood, food plants, livestock forage, big game forage. The Manti-La Sal National Forest contains much that different people want to take for different reasons. The plan revision is an opportunity to consider the big picture of how much we should be taking from the forest versus what we need to leave for the forest, particularly in light of global warming.
With increasing numbers of hikers, birdwatchers, anglers, bikers, off-road vehicle users, RV campers, hunters, climbers, and private landowners, there is the potential that the forest won’t have much left for itself. The forest plan revision process gives us the opportunity to think big about wilderness, balance, ecosystems, solitude, cultural resources, and the species that make the forest treasured by all of us.
Currently, 100 percent of the Manti-La Sal is open for grazing. These are active cattle and domestic sheep allotments, with the one, rare alpine area being grazed by exotic mountain goats.
In 2014, the Forest Service published a candid assessment of grazing problems on the Manti-La Sal, Fishlake, and Dixie national forests. The report noted trampled stream banks, excessive browsing, and depleted native plant diversity among the top problems. It also identified where changes are needed in the 1986 forest plans. We will propose better grazing management, and a better balance between grazed and non-grazed lands.
Over the past 13 years, our staff and volunteers have gathered on-ground data that can help inform the forest plan revision process. The Trust and partners will be providing the Forest Service with our collective scientific information and photos, along with relevant science published elsewhere. Later in the process, we will assess the scientific accuracy of the Forest Service comparison of our proposal with others in the Draft and Final Environmental Impact Statements.
Size of the Manti-La Sal National Forest
The amount of land grazed in Manti-La Sal National Forest
The year the last forest plan was created
Years worth of data Trust staff and volunteers have collected
Revising the Manti-La Sal National Forest plan will take at least four years, and the Forest Service wants to involve you in the process. We encourage you to speak at public meetings; submit your observations and comments; and advocate for use, restoration, and protection of the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
We'll be following the revision process every step of the way, offering you our best ideas of how you can make sure the new forest plan is a good one—ecologically, socially, and economically.
With our partners, we’ll be developing a proposal for the Manti-La Sal National Forest to be analyzed—alongside several other alternatives—for its comparative ecological, social, and economic consequences.
Throughout the revision, the Forest Service is obligated to use the best, most relevant science. We're providing scientific information and photos we’ve gathered over the past 13 years (with the help of many of you). See some of our science ›
Our partner, the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, has created a repository for documents that are being submitted to the Manti-La Sal National Forest planning team for use in revising the plan. At this site, you will find over 100 documents, including on-site monitoring and research that the Grand Canyon Trust and others have undertaken on the forest, summaries of Manti-La Sal National Forest data that reveal issues of concern, and scientific research that is relevant to rethinking how the Manti-La Sal National Forest should be managed. Use this site to gain important perspective on how much is at stake in this forest plan revision.