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USDA seeks public input on national forest and grassland policy

Brent Duerre
/
SDPB
Badlands, SD.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking public comment on a proposed policy focused on national forest and grassland monitoring techniques.

The agency said the new policy is meant to increase transparency, communication, and integration with Tribal governments on forest and grassland monitoring.

"The proposed monitoring policy is a framework that supports strategic thinking about what questions to ask and how to most efficiently use the answer to conduct adaptive management," said U.S. Forest Service Forest Chief Randy Moore.

Moore said the policy will focus on climate-informed land management through science-based monitoring and Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge.

Public commented is accepted through Dec. 27. Information on how to take part is on the USDA's website.

Evan Walton is an SDPB reporter based in Sioux Falls. Evan holds a Master’s in English Literature from Southern New Hampshire University and was honorably discharged from the United States Army in 2015, where he served for five years as an infantryman.