| Planning procedures dating from 1982 have guided the development of nearly all existing United States Forest Service (USFS) land management plans (forest plans). However, the body of science that informs forest planning in areas such as conservation biology and ecology has advanced considerably, along with a greater understanding of the challenges and stressors, including climate change, that may impact national forests. In 2012, the USFS adopted a new National Forest System land management planning rule, which guides the development, amendment, and revision of forest plans for all 176 units of the National Forest System. The planning rule established procedural and content requirements for forest plans to maintain and restore ecologically resilient national forest landscapes and sustain at-risk wildlife populations, while providing for ecosystem services and multiple uses. The planning rule adopts a science-based, complementary ecosystem and species-specific approach to meet the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) requirement to provide for a "diversity of plant and animal communities" in national forests. To inform development of the planning rule, the USFS convened a science forum, and the rule requires the use of best available scientific information to inform planning and plan decisions and provides an adaptive management framework for planning. It also supports working with land managers across jurisdictional boundaries to address resource issues, including for habitat connectivity. Since 2012, forests have begun to use the 2012 Planning Rule to revise land management plans. Effective and improved implementation of the planning rule requires continued public engagement and adaptive management.
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