The USDA Forest Service is releasing its Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, or PCT, Foundation Document — that will guide the future preservation and protection of the PCT — right as the season opens for northbound trail users starting their journey.

Since the Trail’s designation in 1968, the USFS has been the administrating agency for the iconic PCT and has collaboratively managed the trail with other natural resource agencies and partners.

“Until this point, the PCT Comprehensive Management Plan has directed the management of this unique recreation resource,” said Jennifer Eberlien, regional forester for the Pacific Southwest Region of the USFS. “Today, we are honored to release the PCT Foundation Document, a companion document, which will ground us in a shared understanding of the trail’s nature and purposes, and will be used as a cornerstone in future management discussions.”

This foundation document combines legislative history, legal and policy requirements, special mandates, and administrative commitments, and illustrates the nature and purposes of the PCT in one comprehensive communication and management tool.

Partners, stakeholders and the general public helped identify the interpretive themes and fundamental resources and values threaded throughout the document.

“The development of the PCT Foundation Document allows us to explore and root ourselves in the intrinsic values of the PCT that led to its designation as a national scenic trail,” said Lindsey Steinwachs, Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail Administrator with the Pacific Southwest Region of the USFS.

By fostering a deeper understanding of the Trail, the PCT Foundation Document will help the USFS and partner land managers protect the fundamental resources and values of the PCT for this and future generations.

To read the document, please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/pct/land-resources-management.