Forest Service decision memo examples by category
Each row is a signed decision memo from a national forest's project page, the newest in our sample for each common category. Copy the structure, not the facts, and check current limits in 7 CFR 1b.4[6].
| Category | Example | Forest | Scoping to signed (days) | Category median (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special uses under 20 acres: (e)(3), now USDA-28d-USFS | Verizon Communication Site, Datil: propane tank and generator pads[7] | Cibola, New Mexico | 60 | 95 |
| Timber stand or wildlife habitat improvement: (e)(6), now USDA-30d-USFS, set aside | Bee Canyon: 18,720 feet of fence keeping cattle out of riparian habitat[8] | Apache-Sitgreaves, Arizona | 329 | 135 |
| Trails: (e)(1), now USDA-26d-USFS | Enoree Palmetto Trail: 6.3 miles moved off forest roads[9] | Francis Marion and Sumter, South Carolina | 195 | 120 |
| Short-term mineral investigations: (e)(8), now USDA-32d-USFS | Cuddy Mountain: exploratory drilling at 17 sites from existing roads[10] | Payette, Idaho | 103 | 194 |
| Restoring streams and wetlands: (e)(18), now USDA-40d-USFS | Big Wood River tributaries: three culverts blocking fish passage replaced[11] | Sawtooth, Idaho | 186 | 159 |
| Utility lines in a corridor: (e)(2), now USDA-27d-USFS | Merit Fiber Optic Amendment 5: broadband to three Michigan counties[12] | Hiawatha, Michigan | 49 | 59 |
| Aquatic habitat structures: (e)(7), now USDA-31d-USFS | Middle Upper Grande Ronde Phase II: large wood added for fish habitat[13] | Wallowa-Whitman, Oregon | 29 | 202 |
| Recreation sites: (e)(22), now USDA-44d-USFS | Puskus Lake: old toilets, shed and a decommissioned well removed[14] | National Forests in Mississippi | 242 | 119 |
| Allotment management practices: (e)(9), now USDA-33d-USFS | Goose Fire Fences: 1.83 miles of burned range fence rebuilt[15] | Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Montana | 229 | 155 |
| Sanitation harvest up to 250 acres: (e)(14), now USDA-37d-USFS | Fourth of July Creek: tree removal against insects and disease[16] | Salmon-Challis, Idaho | 302 | 109 |
| Salvage up to 250 acres: (e)(13), now USDA-36d-USFS | McBride Fire: hazard trees removed on about 10 acres[17] | Lincoln, New Mexico | 213 | 116 |
| Road and trail stabilization: (e)(20), now USDA-42d-USFS | Flatlands Road: 1.4 miles closed to motor vehicles[18] | Chattahoochee-Oconee, Georgia | 113 | 100 |
Which categorical exclusions does the Forest Service use most?
We read a random sample of 800 of the Forest Service's roughly 29,000 project pages; 794 loaded. Of those, 601 were decision memos, 144 EAs and 25 EISs. One category dominates: minor special uses, 36 CFR 220.6(e)(3), in 27% of the decision memos. Next came timber stand and wildlife habitat improvement (14%), trails (9%) and reissued special use permits (9%).
Reissued permits, once 220.6(e)(15), sit on the list that needs no decision memo as (d)(11) in the 2025 text[2].
Reading an old decision memo under 7 CFR 1b
USDA moved the Forest Service's categories into 7 CFR 1b.4 in 2025 and finalized it on April 3, 2026: 220.6(d) became USDA-19c to 29c-USFS, less the ski-area CE (27c) removed in 2026, and 220.6(e) became USDA-26d to 47d-USFS, with documentation still required for the same categories[3]. See the full crosswalk.
In Oregon Wild v. U.S. Forest Service, a federal court set aside USDA-30d-USFS, the old (e)(6), on January 13, 2026; decisions signed by then could proceed[4][3]. The Forest Service appealed, then dropped the appeal in September 2026[19]. The record is now a finding of applicability and no extraordinary circumstance, or FANEC[1].
Decision memo template (2026)
The Forest Service's 2009 decision memo template[20] covers the FANEC minimum elements in 7 CFR 1b.3(g)[1]; renumber its category and drop one heading.
| 2009 heading | In a FANEC |
|---|---|
| Decision | Keep: the action, its category and fit, resources considered, no extraordinary circumstances[1] |
| Findings required by other laws | Keep, as records incorporated by reference[1] |
| Administrative review (appeal) | Drop: CEs are outside 36 CFR 218 objections[21] |
| Background, public involvement, implementation date, contact | Not minimum elements; work may start once signed[1] |
| Signature | Keep, with the date[1] |