[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53839-53840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21712]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 4, 2012 /
Notices
[[Page 53839]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; East McCloud
Plantations Thinning Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to evaluate and disclose the predicted effects of the
East McCloud Plantations Thinning project, which would treat conifer
plantations on approximately 9,266 acres to improve forest health and
increase resiliency to natural events such as drought, insect and
disease infestations and severe wildfire. Treatments would include
commercial and non-commercial thinning and hazardous fuels reduction
using mechanical and hand methods. Proposed connected actions include
road maintenance and reconstruction of National Forest System, new road
construction and addition of new roads and selected existing
unauthorized routes to the Forest Transportation System to support
future management activities. The project is located in Siskiyou and
Shasta Counties, California, on the northeast corner of the Shasta-
McCloud Management Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The
project's legal description is: Portions of Township (T.) 39 North
(N.), Range (R.) 1-3 East (E.); T. 40 N., R. 2, 3 E.; T. 41 N., R. 2-4
E.; T. 42 N., R. 3, 4 E., MBM. The project area is approximately 18
miles northeast of the town of McCloud, California, and 70 miles
northeast of Redding, California.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by October 3, 2012. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected in July 2013 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected November 2013.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Nisha van Hees, USDA Forest
Service, Shasta McCloud Management Unit, 204 West Alma Street, Mount
Shasta, California 96067. Comments may also be sent via email to
[email protected] or via
facsimile to (530) 926-9678. Verbal comments must be received in person
at the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station, 204 West Alma Street in Mt. Shasta,
California, or by telephone at (503) 926-9664 during normal business
hours (8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nisha van Hees, TSI Program Manager/
District Culturist, at 530-926-9664.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
Past reforestation activities in the project area have resulted in
hundreds of dense conifer plantations which will soon reach or already
exceed site capability to sustain healthy and vigorous trees.
Competition for limited water, sunlight, and nutrients as well as high
tree density have resulted in decreasing growth rates and increasing
susceptibility to major insect attacks and other factors such as
drought, root disease, storm damage, mistletoe infestations and severe
wildfire. Recent drought conditions in the western United States have
put additional environmental stress on plantations that are growing at
high stand densities such as those in the project area.
Current conditions cannot sustain plantation capacity to meet the
future stand growth, production, and development potential needed to
meet the goals and future desired conditions directed in the Shasta-
Trinity National Forest's Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan). The Forest Service proposes to reduce competition in selected
plantations at this time to promote the development of mature forests
and reduce the probability of density- and drought-related mortality in
the plantations.
Approximately one hundred years of fire suppression have contibuted
to the current conditions of overcrowding and trending towards slow
tree growth, low stand health, and density-related mortality. The
project area is susceptible to uncharacteristically severe, stand-
destroying wildfire due to the increasing surface fuel accumulation,
tree density and number of dead trees in the canopy. The exclusion of
fire has also resulted in understory vegetation extending into the
forest canopy creating fuel ladders into the overstory vegetation. In
the case of a wildfire during the summer season, fire behavior modeling
predicts rates of spread, flame lengths, and resistance to control that
would contribute to significant mortality and post-fire damage in
plantations. The project is needed at this time to restore and sustain
healthy, disturbance-resilient ecosystems by reducing woody fuels,
forest densities and landscape homogeneity.
Proposed Action
The proposed action would treat conifer plantations ranging from 4-
55 years of age; ranging in size from approximately one-third to 300
acres, using the following silvicultural prescriptions: (1) Thin from
below on 5,173 acres using mechanical and hand methods; (2) Thin from
below combined with mastication to remove 55-90 percent of the brush on
2,333 acres; (3) Mastication only on 1,760 acres in areas with small
diameter trees and dense or large brush (all acres are approximate).
About 93 percent of the proposed treatment acres are outside the
designated Late Successional Reserves (LSR). Thinning outside of the
LSR would include retention of tall healthy trees with large crowns.
Minimum spacing would leave 45-100 trees per acre depending on age,
species, site quality, and average tree size. Within the LSR, thinning
would vary to further enhance valuable habitat components such as
species and structural diversity. Variable spacing that includes tree
retention based on habitat value would leave 45-120 trees per acre
across 90 percent of unit areas. About 10 percent of each unit would
remain untreated.
In all management prescriptions, the proposed action would radial
thin around rust-resistant sugar pine and some hardwoods, including
black oak; remove most competing conifers in and near aspen clones; and
prune residual trees at variable heights. Most of the
[[Page 53840]]
plantations include islands of residual trees that pre-date the
plantations which would be left untreated to provide diverse structure
and habitat within the plantations.
About 80% of the treatment acres would have wood products removed
using whole-tree-yarding to designated landings.
One or more of these secondary treatments, depending on site
conditions, would follow the primary silvicultural treatments: (1)
Masticate competing brush; (2) pile and burn activity fuels; (3) lop
and scatter activity fuels; and (4) pull slash back or chip within 50
feet of National Forest System roads. Secondary treatments address
predicted wildfire behavior by reducing hazardous fuels conditions.
The project would be accomplished under several Service and Timber
Sale Contracts over a period of several years, dependent upon funding.
Plantations to be treated are generally put together in contracts of
300 to 600 acres in size and located close to one another to be
operationally and economically feasible. Additional vegetation and road
treatments would be completed with Forest Service employees and agency
owned machinery (i.e., force account), Youth Conservation Corp Crews,
California Conservation Corp Crews and/or volunteers as funding allows.
Treatment activities and road actions would occur between approximately
May 1 and October 15 each year. Plantations with poor stand health and
vigor and/or high fuel hazards would be treated first. Commercial
removal units would be scheduled as soon as possible. Upon award, the
average Service Contract vegetation treatment and related road closures
would generally be completed within 18 months. Timber Sale Contracts
can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years from award to completion.
Associated road closures would occur upon completion of an activity in
each contract/sale area boundary.
Road management activities necessary to implement the proposed
action and also needed for future management activities include: 126
miles of road maintenance and 36 miles of reconstruction on National
Forest System (NFS) roads. Existing unauthorized routes totaling 33
miles are proposed to be added to the NFS (these routes are currently
open roads that are not part of the National Forest system under the
Shasta-Trinity National Forests Motorized Travel Management, Final
Environmental Impact Statement, 2010); and construction of 24 segments
totaling 5.5 miles of new roads that would be added to the system.
Eighteen miles of existing unauthorized routes and 3.5 miles of new
temporary roads would be decommissioned within 1-3 years of project
conclusion.
Approximately 462 landings up to one-half acre in size (or up to
one-quarter acre in the LSR) would be located within or near plantation
boundaries where wood products would be removed.
Landings and skid trails would be rehabilitated when no longer
needed for this project. Maintenance Level 1 (intermittent use) roads
would be closed within 1-3 years of each contracts completion, until
needed for future management activities.
The Proposed Action implements the Forest Plan standards and
guides, management recommendations in the Forestwide Late Successional
Reserve Assessment, the Forest's Fire Management Plan, and Regional
Ecosystem Office guidance. Additional site-specific project design
features and best management practices would be used to further protect
resources. Coordination and consultation with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service will continue and consultation with the State Historic
Preservation Office and Tribes is planned.
Responsible Official
J. Sharon Heywood, Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National
Forest.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed
action, take an alternative action that meets the purpose and need, or
take no action.
Permits or Licenses Required
A permit would be required from the State of California prior to
burning piles. Storm Water Permits: The appropriate regulatory agencies
will be consulted regarding national or state required permits
associated with roads used in project implementation. Required permits
will be obtained prior to implementation.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement.
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
Include the following information with your comments: your name,
address, email (optional), and telephone number; the project name: East
McCloud Plantations Thinning Project; and site-specific comments about
the proposed action, along with supporting information you believe will
help identify issues, develop alternatives, or predict environmental
effects of this proposal. The most useful comments provide new
information or describe unwanted environmental effects potentially
caused by the proposed action. If you reference scientific literature
in your comments, you must provide a copy of the entire reference you
have cited and include rationale as to how you feel it is pertinent to
the East McCloud Plantations Thinning Project.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be
accepted and considered; however.
Dated: August 21, 2012.
J. Sharon Heywood,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-21712 Filed 8-31-12; 8:45 am]
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