USDA official discusses uses of national forests

James R. Lyons, undersecretary for natural resources and environment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, discusses national forest policy in Rice Hall Oct. 25. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

By Mark Siegal

President Clinton's recent proposal to prevent road building in over 40 million acres of national forests is part of a changing attitude toward forest planning and environmental policy, James R. Lyons, undersecretary for natural resources and environment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said in a talk on campus Oct. 25.

Lyons was a key figure in formulating the White House Oct. 13 proposal which is to be formally issued in February, followed by at least 90 days of public comment.

In his Rice Hall discussion of the state of environmental policy, Lyons noted, "This is the beginning, in my mind, of a large debate over the use of the national forests and asking the critical questions: 'Have we built enough roads? Are the values of these areas in their natural state greater than the values associated with building roads in them?' I think there is going to be renewed interest in conservation."

Lyons said the proposal is part of a new attitude toward forest planning and contains four major goals:

• To refocus on ecological sustainability of all the goods and services of national forests as a foundation for maintaining social and economic prosperity.
• To better use information that has been developed from regional programs.
• To better use scientific information, such as adopting "science consistency checks" that insure forest managers study appropriate and current information when making policy decisions.
• To strengthen collaboration of public involvement, including to establish a dialogue on any proposal before it is formally proposed.

Lyons also mentioned his concern that recreational use of the national forests must be managed because of damage to trails, diminished water quality and other changes to the recreation experience. Recreation is a large and diverse aspect of the national forests, accounting for 75 percent of the annual $131 billion in revenue, he said. He also noted that a future challenge is managing private land stewardship, which comprises 70 percent of U.S. land ownership outside Alaska, and engaging land owners in a dialogue regarding conservation.

"The roots of conservation are here in the Northeast, which was instrumental in the creation of the national forest. It was the coming together of philosophy and art and a whole host of things that sparked the public's interest and imagination," the USDA official said.

Lyons, who holds a degree in forest and wildlife management from Rutgers University and a master's of forestry degree from Yale University, has held his current position since October 1994. He previously was a staff assistant with the House Committee on Agriculture and has also worked for the Society of American Foresters.