SALEM - After two months of review, Governor Ted Kulongoski asked the Bureau of Land Management not to adopt its proposed forest management plan, commonly known as the Western Oregon Plan Revision, calling the proposal incomplete.

Kulongoski cited the agency's decision to move forward with the plan despite a decision to halt review of how the proposal might impact endangered species as a prime reason for denouncing it.

"I had every reason to believe that the plan would fully address BLM's obligations under the Endangered Species Act. I believe that delaying this work is the wrong approach and is legally inconsistent with the requirements of the [Endangered Species Act]," he said in a statement. "Furthermore, this approach could set a bad precedent that opens the door for other federal agencies to do the same."

The BLM plan was developed to settle a lawsuit brought by the timber industry and timber-dependent counties qho want more production from the federal forests.

Conservationists argue that the plan effectively removes the land from many protections of the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, would resume clear-cutting, harm streams and cut dwindling stands of old-growth forest.

Most of the land in question is under the 1937 Oregon & California Lands Act, which bans cutting more timber than the forests can replace.

Kulongoski set conditions for any revisions to BLM policy in January, which included BLM compliance with the Endangered Species Act and aid in recovery of listed species, use of best management practices to restore freshwater fish habitat and the provision of a sustainable mix of outdoor recreational opportunities and aggressive plans to control or eradicate new invasive species on BLM lands.

Congress will have to approve funding for the plan, but final approval rests with the Department of the Interior.

Read the complete text of Kulongoski's letter.