BLM Updates Land Use Planning Handbook
Incorporates policy and guidance developed over past four years
Land use planning ‘by the book’ will be easier for Bureau
of Land Management planners now that four years of policy and guidance
memos have been consolidated into the agency’s revised Land Use
Planning Handbook. The revised Handbook reflects comments submitted during
two earlier reviews of draft documents over the last year from BLM employees;
state, local and federal agencies; and the general public.
The updated Handbook (1.7MB PDF) is available to the public today on
the BLM Web site.
The revised H-1601-1, Land Use Planning Handbook, reflects supplemental
planning guidance developed by the BLM over the past four years. The Handbook
was released in 2000 as part of the BLM’s effort to streamline planning
guidance. However, the document lacked necessary details on “how
to” prepare a land use plan amendment or revision.
Since the original Handbook was released, the Bureau has issued supplemental
planning guidance in the form of 22 formal Instruction Memorandums and
eight Information Bulletins. Some of these responded to deficiencies in
the Handbook and others addressed new policy issues that arose after it
was published. This recent guidance is incorporated into the Handbook,
making it a one-stop source of guidance for land use planners.
The most significant changes in the handbook are in Chapters I through
V, covering the Introduction; Land Use Plan Decisions; Land Use Planning
Process and Products; Implementation; and Monitoring, Evaluation and Adaptive
Management.
BLM staff will find all planning guidance in one document as they complete
plans already in progress and initiate new plans. The Handbook also includes
“how to” instructions that will guide local interdisciplinary
planning teams through specific steps in the planning process.
For more information on the BLM Land Use Planning Handbook, contact Scott
Florence, Senior Planner, at 202-452-5151.
The BLM manages more land – 261 million surface acres – than
any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western
States, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1.8 billion,
also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout
the nation. The BLM’s multiple-use mission is to sustain the health
and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present
and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such
activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development,
and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, and cultural
resources on the public lands.
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