36 C.F.R. § 219.2 Levels of planning and planning authority.
Title 36 - Parks, Forests, and Public Property
Planning occurs at multiple organizational levels and geographic areas. (a) National. The Chief of the Forest Service is responsible for national planning, such as preparation of the Forest Service Strategic Plan required under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (5 U.S.C. 306; 31 U.S.C. 1115–1119; 31 U.S.C. 9703–9704), which is integrated with the requirements of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended by the NFMA. The Strategic Plan establishes goals, objectives, performance measures, and strategies for management of the National Forest System, as well as the other Forest Service mission areas. (b) Forest, grassland, prairie, or other comparable administrative unit. (1) Land management plans provide broad guidance and information for project and activity decisionmaking in a national forest, grassland, prairie, or other comparable administrative unit. The Supervisor of the National Forest, Grassland, Prairie, or other comparable administrative unit is the Responsible Official for development and approval of a plan, plan amendment, or plan revision for lands under the responsibility of the Supervisor, unless a Regional Forester, the Chief, or the Secretary chooses to act as the Responsible Official. (2) When plans, plan amendments, or plan revisions are prepared for more than one administrative unit, a unit Supervisor identified by the Regional Forester, or the Regional Forester, the Chief, or the Secretary may be the Responsible Official. Two or more Responsible Officials may undertake joint planning over lands under their respective jurisdictions. (3) The appropriate Station Director must concur with that part of a plan applicable to any experimental forest within the plan area. (c) Projects and activities. The Supervisor or District Ranger is the Responsible Official for project and activity decisions, unless a higher-level official chooses to act as the Responsible Official. Requirements for project or activity planning are established in the Forest Service Directive System. Except as specifically provided, none of the requirements of this subpart applies to projects or activities. (d) Developing, amending, and revising plans—(1) Plan development. If a new national forest, grassland, prairie, or other administrative unit of the National Forest System is established, the Regional Forester, or a forest, grassland, prairie, or other comparable unit Supervisor identified by the Regional Forester must either develop a plan for the unit or amend or revise an existing plan to apply to the lands within the new unit. (2) Plan amendment. The Responsible Official may amend a plan at any time. (3) Plan revision. The Responsible Official must revise the plan if the Responsible Official concludes that conditions within the plan area have significantly changed. Unless otherwise provided by law, a plan must be revised at least every 15 years.
Title 36: Parks, Forests, and Public Property
PART 219—PLANNING
Subpart A—National Forest System Land and Resource Management Planning
§ 219.2 Levels of planning and planning authority.
