U.S. Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth upheld a Clinton-era plan on Friday that would increase protection for much of California’s Sierra Nevada, although he also called for a review of how the plan would affect fire control in the area and whether it would conflict with a congressionally approved management scheme. The plan, which was the result of a $12 million, multi-year study of ecological decline in the Sierra Nevada, would protect old-growth trees and other animal habitat, as well as significantly limit logging. Bosworth’s decision pleased environmentalists, but angered some rural residents and timber and recreational leaders, who had filed more than 200 appeals of the plan. Agriculture Department higher-ups have 15 days to approve or reverse the ruling, but either way, the plan will probably go to court, as both sides have said they will keep up the fight.
