
Comments closed September 8 · decided
Mark Twain National Forest trails logging rule weakened
U.S. Forest Service · Mark Twain National Forest, MO
- What
- The Forest Service is finalizing a plan change that would weaken protections against logging near National Recreation Trails.
- Where
- Mark Twain National Forest, MO
- How much
- Only people or organizations who submitted written comments during an earlier public participation window are eligible to file an objection now.
- Decided
- Comments closed September 8, 2026. The decision is on file: 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN. Open it ↗Date from Forest Service legal notice in Phelps County Focus ↗, read August 15, 2026.
Where these four lines come from
- WhatOur plain-English read of the Forest Service project page ↗. Check it against the agency’s own words under Case.
- WhereThe places and states the project page names, as PLAN read them.
- How muchThe first sentence of our What’s at risk read of the notice; the whole read is under Case.
- DecidedSeptember 8, 2026, from Forest Service legal notice in Phelps County Focus, published July 23, 2026, plus 45 days under 36 CFR 218.6 ↗. Read August 15, 2026. The decision document is the one on file in PLAN’s record.
- Read from PLAN’s record November 9, 2026.
What the proposal said, and what the decision did
No-harvest buffer on each side of the trails
Recreation ↗ and Proposed Action: What are we proposing to do? ↗
Proposed
100-footDecided
100 feet
Unreviewed · Source: Decision notice, 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN ↗
Did the agency answer?
PLAN found 5 issues in the agency’s notice.
Each issue against the decision, unreviewed
PLAN’s match, not yet checked by a personThe project summary lists only Phelps County under 'Counties' but describes the action as a 'Programmatic amendment for the entire Mark Twain National Forest,' which spans multiple counties across Missouri.
The project summary lists only Phelps County under 'Counties' but describes the action as a 'Programmatic amendment for the entire Mark Twain National Forest,' which spans multiple counties across Missouri.
This geographic mismatch means the public notice does not accurately disclose the full spatial scope of a forest-wide plan amendment, potentially preventing affected residents, tribes, and users in other counties from knowing they should comment. The agency should correct the geographic scope listing to identify every county within the Mark Twain National Forest that would be subject to the amended standards, or explain in writing why only Phelps County is affected by a forest-wide programmatic amendment.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice
“General Location of Proposal: This is a programmatic amendment proposed for the Mark Twain National Forest 2005 Land and Resource Management Plan.”
The agency’s own words, 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN ↗, General Information · PLAN’s match, unchecked, an answer in part
PLAN found no answer, not yet checked by a personThe Project Purpose field lists four purposes: 'Land management planning; Recreation management; Regulations, directives, orders; Vegetation management (other than forest products).' However, the project title explicitly includes 'Timber Management' and the description references 'timber management near National Recreation Trails.' Timber harvest is a forest product, yet 'Forest products' is conspicuously absent from the stated purposes.
The Project Purpose field lists four purposes: 'Land management planning; Recreation management; Regulations, directives, orders; Vegetation management (other than forest products).' However, the project title explicitly includes 'Timber Management' and the description references 'timber management near National Recreation Trails.' Timber harvest is a forest product, yet 'Forest products' is conspicuously absent from the stated purposes.
This omission may artificially narrow the scope of the NEPA analysis and exclude consideration of timber sale economics, haul roads, and logging impacts on trail corridors. The agency should either add forest products to the stated project purpose or explain in the EA why timber management here does not constitute vegetation management for forest products.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice
PLAN’s match, not yet checked by a personThe notice identifies the lead contact as a single individual at the Mark Twain National Forest Supervisor's Office but does not identify any cooperating agencies, tribes consulted, or other federal or state entities involved in the programmatic amendment process.
The notice identifies the lead contact as a single individual at the Mark Twain National Forest Supervisor's Office but does not identify any cooperating agencies, tribes consulted, or other federal or state entities involved in the programmatic amendment process.
For a forest-wide plan amendment that could affect tribal treaty rights, state wildlife management, and National Recreation Trail designations administered in coordination with other agencies, the absence of any cooperating agency disclosure is a gap. The agency should disclose which tribes have been consulted, which cooperating agencies have been invited, and what the status of government-to-government consultation is before the EA is completed.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice
“All Native American Tribes that are part of the MTNF Section 106 Programmatic Agreement (Section 106 PA) were informed of this proposal during a quarterly PA call for the purposes of early engagement and collaboration.”
The agency’s own words, 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN ↗, Agencies and Persons Consulted · PLAN’s match, unchecked
PLAN’s match, not yet checked by a personThe project summary describes the proposal as updating 'standards relating to timber management near National Recreation Trails' but does not define what 'near' means -- no buffer distance, no list of affected National Recreation Trails, and no map or spatial data is referenced in the notice.
The project summary describes the proposal as updating 'standards relating to timber management near National Recreation Trails' but does not define what 'near' means -- no buffer distance, no list of affected National Recreation Trails, and no map or spatial data is referenced in the notice.
This vagueness makes it impossible for trail users, adjacent landowners, or the public to assess what ground-level changes to expect. The agency should define the geographic buffer or adjacency standard being proposed, list the specific National Recreation Trails affected, and provide maps before or at the opening of the comment period.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice
“No timber harvesting will be permitted within 100 feet from midline on either side of National Recreation Trails unless needed for restoration or enhancement of natural communities, salvage, insect and disease, or human health and safety situations.”
The agency’s own words, 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN ↗, Proposed Action: What are we proposing to do? · PLAN’s match, unchecked
PLAN found no answer, not yet checked by a personThe notice lists no documents in the project documents section -- the widget references an external commercial platform (Box) and a third-party site (Pinyon Public) as the only means to access project materials, yet states 'Cookies must be enabled' and requires specific mobile tracking settings, creating access barriers.
The notice lists no documents in the project documents section -- the widget references an external commercial platform (Box) and a third-party site (Pinyon Public) as the only means to access project materials, yet states 'Cookies must be enabled' and requires specific mobile tracking settings, creating access barriers.
If no substantive documents are yet available, the public has no basis for informed comment. The agency should make all scoping and background documents directly accessible on the Forest Service's own website, and should not open a comment period until foundational documents describing the proposed standards are publicly available.
A hole PLAN found in the agency’s own notice
Decision notice: 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN ↗
PLAN's read: high threat
The Forest Service is finalizing a plan change that would weaken protections against logging near National Recreation Trails.
What’s at risk
If this goes through
Our plain-English read of the official notice ↗. Check it against the agency’s own words below.
The agency’s own analysis
What the notice says, and what it leaves out
The window has closed; the record of what was missing stays.
The agency says
“Location Summary: Programmatic amendment for the entire Mark Twain National Forest”
The project summary lists only Phelps County under 'Counties' but describes the action as a 'Programmatic amendment for the entire Mark Twain National Forest,' which spans multiple counties across Missouri.
The agency says
“Project Purpose: Land management planning; Recreation management; Regulations, directives, orders; Vegetation management (other than forest products)”
The Project Purpose field lists four purposes: 'Land management planning; Recreation management; Regulations, directives, orders; Vegetation management (other than forest products).' However, the project title explicitly includes 'Timber Management' and the description references 'timber management near National Recreation Trails.' Timber harvest is a forest product, yet 'Forest products' is conspicuously absent from the stated purposes.
The agency says
“Proposal to amend the 2005 Mark Twain National Forest Plan to include updated standards relating to timber management near National Recreation Trails.”
The project summary describes the proposal as updating 'standards relating to timber management near National Recreation Trails' but does not define what 'near' means -- no buffer distance, no list of affected National Recreation Trails, and no map or spatial data is referenced in the notice.
The agency says
“Use the widget below to browse documents associated with this project. Cookies must be enabled to use this tool.”
The notice lists no documents in the project documents section -- the widget references an external commercial platform (Box) and a third-party site (Pinyon Public) as the only means to access project materials, yet states 'Cookies must be enabled' and requires specific mobile tracking settings, creating access barriers.
In the agency’s own words
Proposal to amend the 2005 Mark Twain National Forest Plan to include updated standards relating to timber management near National Recreation Trails.
The groups on this fight
3 groups work this ground: Mark Twain National Forest
Works this ground means the editors' sourced record puts the group on this land, not that it has taken a side on this decision. Give straight to them; nothing routes through us.
- Sierra Club
Works this ground · not linked to this decision
Works this ground at Mark Twain National Forest: Its Missouri Chapter joined Heartwood and the Missouri Forest Alliance in an October 2024 formal objection to the revised forest plan over removed roadless areas, lead mining, and subsidized commercial logging.
Source ↗ - Southern Environmental Law Center
Works this ground · not linked to this decision
Works this ground at Mark Twain National Forest: Its February 2024 timber targets lawsuit charges the Forest Service with ignoring the cumulative climate impacts of logging projects including one on the Mark Twain National Forest.
Source ↗ - The Conservation Fund
Works this ground · not linked to this decision
Works this ground at Mark Twain National Forest: Has conveyed more than 2,000 acres into the forest, including Current River frontage in 2016 and 229 acres at Piney Creek Wilderness in 2018.
Source ↗
Every group above is on STAND for Public Lands, with its court record, its filings and who backs it.
Who signs it
PLAN hasn’t read a signer into its record for this fight. The decision on file carries the signature: 20260916_NRTs and Timber Management Final EA_DN ↗.
The ground
The window has closed, so there’s no watch to set on it here.
The photograph on this page: Wild turkey in hardwood forest. It’s the country this decision sits in, not the site itself. More Than Just Parks.
In court on this ground
No court case we track is over Mark Twain National Forest.
Who holds the vote
PLAN’s record doesn’t tie a member of Congress to this fight yet. The scorecard grades the votes and bills that decide public lands; nothing joins a vote or a bill to this decision, so there’s no member to name here without guessing.
See how your members vote ↗Forest ServiceWe track this on the agency’s own system of record, where most on-the-ground decisions live.
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