Vegetation Management Plan

The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a park-wide vegetation management plan. The EA is needed in order to evaluate potential impacts to the natural and cultural environment from proposed project activities, including the management of exotic/invasive plant species in the park. The NPS is soliciting comments from the public to help identify issues associated with a vegetation management plan and develop alternative resource protection approaches that will be evaluated in the EA.

The purpose of this planning effort is to develop a park-wide vegetation management plan to direct efforts to preserve and restore native plant communities. National Park service's Management Policies (2006) require the Service to maintain as part of the natural ecosystems of the parks all plants and animals native to park ecosystems.

The proposed plan is needed to achieve the following:
• Preserve, protect, and restore the natural abundance, diversity, and distribution of native plant populations
• Minimize/mitigate the effects of human activities on native plant populations and the communities and ecosystems in which they occur.
• Establish decision-making tools and protocols that will guide treatment plan development for vegetation management activities.

The NPS has identified preliminary issues related to the development of a vegetation management plan that will be analyzed through the EA process. Issues and/or alternatives identified through public scoping will also be addressed in the EA.

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