RUSSELLVILLE, Ark.—The Ozark-St. Francis National Forests are proposing an amendment to sections of the 2005 Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) which are related to bat conservation.
A draft Environmental Assessment has been prepared to assess the proposed amendment to the Forest Plan. Proposed changes include: updating, adding and deleting forest wide standards; updating the silvicultural prescription for the Indiana Bat conservation zone; and adding a bat monitoring requirement to the forest plan monitoring strategy. The project was first listed in the Schedule of Proposed Actions in April 2019.
Forest Wildlife and Fisheries Biologist Matt Anderson explains that since the 2005 Forest Plan was signed, new information has been collected related to the distribution and habitat use patterns of bats on the forests, and research has been published that addresses the relationship between forest management and bat conservation. White-nose syndrome has been found in caves across north Arkansas which substantially affected populations of some bat species on the Forests. “We are really fortunate that research on bats has provided forest managers with better information related to managing habitat and conserving bat populations within the Forests,” Anderson said.
In the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, there are three endangered species of bats, one threatened species, and four species that are on the Regional Forester’s Sensitive Species list. The health and recovery of bat populations is a key indicator in the success of the Forest Plan.
For more information about proposed changes to the Forest Plan, please find the draft Environmental Assessment and related documents at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=55628.
The Forest Service is requesting the public’s input on the proposed plan amendment and draft Environmental Assessment. Comments will be taken through the comment form on the project web page listed above; via email to comments-southern-ozark-stfrancis@usda.gov; via postal mail to: Supervisor’s Office, Attn: Bat Plan Amendment, 605 W. Main St. Russellville, Arkansas 72801; or in-person at the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests’ Supervisor’s Office.
