My Page: Jeff Juel

Unfiltered Commentary

This is about appeals, a controversial process that is often misrepresented as nothing but a delay tactic used by "environmental extremists." But really, this is more about how everyone gains when the public is allowed to participate in, and stays involved with, the management of our national forests.

Administrative appeals are part of the dialogue between national forest managers and the public, adopted by Congress as a last opportunity to reach consensus about how an area ought to be managed, before a government agency implements a project.

I can't think of a more instructive case about appeals than the Frenchtown Face project, just west of Missoula. It was proposed by the Lolo National Forest and highly promoted as restoration. And for good reasons-the forested watersheds near Frenchtown were mightily abused, partly from intense logging many years ago when the land was owned by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. [more]

Forest Management

Editors Note: The following is an excerpt of a presentation Jeff gave on Healthy Forest Policy, at the Nature Forum, October 25th, in Missoula

I'd like to provide a historical perspective—a much abbreviated summary— on the Healthy Forest debate. Some politics, and some science from the unusual perspective of how little we really know. [more]