Conservation Toolkit

U.S. Forest Service | Environment and Natural Resources

Public Agency Participation in Local Land Use Planning

USFS 2007 Open Space Conservation Strategy

Federal agencies in Wyoming have a wealth of information that can be helpful to local governments as they review and decide on local land use actions. Local land use decisions can affect the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests, grasslands, parks, and wildlife refuges. In its 2007 Open Space Conservation Strategy (www.fs.fed.us/openspace), the USFS identifies a priority to participate in community growth planning to reduce ecological impacts and wildfire risks. The Open Space Conservation Strategy specifies four action items:

1. Develop new science-based tools to help communities consider and use landscape-level natural resource information in their planning, as well as visualize and evaluate future options for landscape change.
2. Train employees on how to engage in local, regional, and transportation planning in a constructive manner that respects local authority and decision making.
3. In communities adjacent to national forests and grasslands, participate in planning discussions as a stakeholder and provide information on how growth decisions will affect public land resources and public access.
4. Continue to include local communities in national forest system planning to help coordinate local land use and national forest plans.