A plan in process for adaptive management

The Finney Adapative Management Area in the North Cascades is located in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest within the Stillaguamish and Skagit watersheds nearby the communities of Concrete, Rockport, and Darrington, Washington. This important landscape is termed an "adapative management area" by the Northwest Forest Plan.  Across the Northwest there are ten total AMAs with the stated purpose to “to encourage the development and testing of technical and social approaches to achieving desired ecological, economic and other social objectives.” The Finney AMA is the last one to complete its AMA plan that sets out how the specific AMA will meet its outlined objectives.

Finney Adaptive Management Area includes 98,400 contiguous acres of mountainous area about 35 miles south of Canada on the Mt. Baker National Forest, in the North Cascades Physiographic Province, Washington. Past management practices including clear-cutting and roading have resulted in damage to fisheries resources and water quality. The Finney AMA emphasizes restoration of old-growth forests and riparian habitat. 

In 2008, the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest proposes to complete the AMA Plan for the Finney.  The agency's goal is to do this "in collaboration with stakeholders". The propose to develop a plan that will allow for improved knowledge of forest management for two to five major learning topics (themes) that will be implemented in the Finney AMA. The plan will identify treatment and control areas for each experiment, essential response variable(s) to be measured, and measurement intervals. Therefore, for the plan to succeed, interested parties need to be involved.

Public Involvement

The first public meeting was held on April 23, 2008.  It was organized by Conservation Northwest, Goodyear Nelson, and the American Forest Resources Council with strong input from North Cascades Conservation Council and in close coordination with the Forest Service. The meeting had over 40 attendees from agencies, tribes, industry, and the conservation community to learn more about the AMA planning process, and provide feedback through workgroups on the research questions and additional issues. 

• Click here to download the agenda for the day in Word format
• Click here to download a PDF of the background information presentation from Shirley Lorentz of the Mount Baker Snoqualmie NF on the forestry related topics in the Finney. And, click here to download a PDF of Gary Ketchison of the Mount Baker Snoqualmie presentation on the fisheries and aquatics issues in the Finney.

A future public meeting is due to be scheduled for early summer that will be open to the public.  To stay engaged in this process contact the Finney AMA Plan Team Leader Don Gay.