[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13618-13621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-04642]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Elk Late-Successional
Reserve Enhancement 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
Elk Late-Successional Reserve Enhancement project, which would treat
natural
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stands and plantations on approximately 2,930 acres to reduce the
current and future risk of large-scale disturbance events within early,
mid and late-successional habitat within the Elk Flat Late-Successional
Reserve and nearby stands. Additional benefits from risk reduction
treatments include increasing the resilience and promoting continued
development and connectivity of late-successional forest habitat within
the Elk Flat Late-Successional Reserve. Objectives include improving
forest health; increasing resiliency to natural events such as drought,
insect and disease infestations and high severity wildfire; and
restoring unique habitats. Forest stand treatments would be completed
using commercial and non-commercial thinning and regeneration
prescriptions. Fuels reduction would be completed using mechanical and
hand methods and prescribed fire. Proposed road actions include
maintenance and reconstruction of National Forest System roads,
construction of temporary roads to complete project activities, and
closure and decommissioning of National Forest System roads and
existing routes. The project is located in Siskiyou County, California
on the McCloud Ranger District of the Shasta McCloud Management Unit,
Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The project's legal location is:
Township 40 North, Range 1 West, Sections 4 and 5; and Township 41
North, Range 1 West, Sections 27 to 34, Mt. Diablo Meridian. The
project area is approximately nine miles northeast of the town of
McCloud, California, and 70 miles northeast of Redding, California.
DATES: Submit comments concerning the proposed action on or before
April 1, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Christine Jordan, USDA Forest
Service, Shasta McCloud Management Unit, P.O. Box 1620, McCloud,
California 96057. Electronic comments and other data may be submitted
via email to [email protected] or via facsimile to (530) 964-2938.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christine Jordan, Natural Resources
Planner, at (530) 964-3771.
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
The primary purpose of the Elk Late-Successional Reserve
Enhancement project is to reduce the current and future risk of large-
scale disturbance events within early, mid and late-successional
habitat within the Elk Flat Late-Successional Reserve (LSR) and nearby
stands. This is consistent with Objectives I and III that guide the
development and application of treatments within the Forest's Late-
Successional Reserves (Forest-wide Late-Successional Reserve
Assessment, LSRA). We recognize that natural disturbance is an
important process within late-successional forest ecosystems, but both
human and natural processes have altered the disturbance regime within
the Elk Flat LSR such that without action, further stand and structural
composition loss would result from the combination of continued
overstocking and density-related mortality, root disease, insect
attacks and predicted lethal fire effects. Approximately 15 percent of
the Elk Flat LSR is currently comprised of large pockets (10 to 80
acres) of standing dead trees that are a current and future threat to
both the surrounding habitat, due to increasing fuel loads, and members
of the public visiting and recreating in the project area. Smaller
mortality pockets range from groups of 5 to 10 trees up to \1/2\ acre,
primarily in the ponderosa pine component, with additional root
disease-related mortality occurring in white fir stands. Additional
benefits from risk reduction treatments include increasing the
resilience and promoting continued development and connectivity of
late-successional forest habitat within the Elk Flat LSR (LSRA
Objectives II and IV). The Elk Flat LSR, designated as RC-360 in the
LSRA, comprises approximately 90 percent of the project area, with the
remaining 10 percent in matrix allocation.
Within the dry forested landscape of the California Cascades
Province where the project area is located, fire suppression has
resulted in significant increases in accumulated ground and understory
fuels, while also making forested stands much more vulnerable to
insects and disease impacts due to resultant overstocking. Because of
the fire suppression history and lack of a natural fire regime in the
project area, approximately 80 percent of the forested stands in the
Elk Flat LSR are highly to extremely dense, particularly in relation to
the survivability of pine. Current stand conditions reflect an increase
in a shade-tolerant understory and midstory, composed primarily of
white fir and incense cedar. Without low intensity fire or other
disturbance, stand densities have increased as trees have continued to
grow larger, with slowed tree growth as stands approach and reach a
maximum carrying capacity. For most species, density-related tree
mortality increases as stands reach and exceed 60 percent of a maximum
stand density index, or SDI. An exception to this 60 percent standard
is ponderosa pine. Research has repeatedly observed widespread
mortality in ponderosa pine stands resulting from pine beetle outbreaks
at densities below what had been considered 60 percent of maximum SDI.
Stand exams completed in 2007 within the natural stands proposed for
treatment measured densities above an SDI of 230, with many exceeding
an SDI of 365. Additionally, older plantations (> 40 years) are near or
above an SDI of 365. Based on the relationship with bark beetles, as
ponderosa pine stands reach and exceed an SDI of 230 (or 60 percent of
the SDI of 365), pine mortality from beetle outbreaks is increasingly
likely.
Dense stocking also stresses trees as they compete for limited
nutrients and moisture, especially during dry conditions, and it is
often the larger, older trees that are most susceptible to this stress.
It is important to note that the density-related mortality is not
limited to the understory trees in the project area; the large dominant
and pre-dominant ponderosa pine trees have also died, or are dying.
This is reflected in the existing conditions of large mortality pockets
described above, which are located in both the natural stands and
plantations within the project area. Reducing tree densities in the
lower and mid-level canopy layers with thinning can reduce fire
behavior, improving both direct suppression efforts and reducing the
potential for large-scale habitat loss from a running crown fire.
Underburning after thinning can reduce surface and maintain ladder
fuels at levels that do not allow for ground fire to transition into
the upper canopy.
Without action, the density-related mortality, further exacerbated
by drought, disease and future insect attacks will continue to spread
throughout the project area, contributing to more standing and dead
fuels and increasing the risk of a stand-replacing fire. Current ground
fuel loadings in the Elk Flat LSR range from 5 to 10 tons per acre and
are expected to increase to 20 plus tons per acre in the mixed conifer
stands. Ground fuel loading is approximately 10 to 15 tons per acre in
the ponderosa pine-dominated stands, where there are high levels of
existing and ongoing mortality, and is expected
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to increase to 35 to 100 plus tons per acre when these dead and dying
trees fall. Forest Health specialists have also assessed the LSR for
the presence of black stain and Heterobasidion root disease, locating
it in several proposed treatment units.
Additional project benefits and objectives include increasing the
resilience and promoting continued development and connectivity of
late-successional forest habitat within the Elk Flat LSR and restoring
forest stand and meadow conditions on adjacent matrix lands to allow
for a natural fire regime. Through risk reduction and habitat
restoration treatments, the potential for high severity fire effects on
adjacent private lands and within Wildland Urban Interface associated
with the Mt. Shasta Forest subdivision would be reduced, stream channel
and Riparian Reserve function along Ash and Swamp Creeks would be
improved and hardwood species diversity would be increased.
Proposed Action
The following acreages and distances are approximate. The proposed
action would thin natural stands ranging from 60 to 120 years of age on
1,520 acres and 10 to 40 year old plantations on 680 acres. These
treatment areas will also include radial thinning around legacy pine to
protect this stand component and regeneration and group selection in
existing mortality and root disease pockets. Removal of encroaching
conifers, predominantly ponderosa pine, to restore meadow conditions in
Elk Flat is proposed on 730 acres with follow-up underburning.
Hardwoods, including aspen and California black oak, would be released
to increase hardwood species diversity across the project area.
Within all treatment units, surface and activity generated fuels
would be treated with a combination of machine piling and burning in
areas with heavier mortality, hand piling in sensitive areas as needed,
lop and scatter, mastication and/or underburning (or any combination
thereof) to meet the desired condition for fuel objectives. The entire
project area is proposed for underburning after initial thinning
treatments are completed. Underburning the entire project area would
reduce the need to construct control lines, with the exception of
private property boundaries and where control lines are needed to
protect resources. While existing roads would be used as control lines
as needed, fire would be allowed to cross unit boundaries and creep
into adjacent treated and untreated stands within the project area.
Where resource protection is required, such as to retain large down
logs, within sensitive Riparian Reserve areas, or near cultural sites
or plant populations, line may be constructed in accordance with the
developed resource protection measures.
The proposal includes road reconstruction on four miles of National
Forest System roads to improve drainage and reduce erosion impacts.
Closure and decommissioning of 13.5 miles of System roads and
unauthorized routes is proposed to reduce impacts to wildlife
connectivity, stream channels and floodplain function. Approximately
two miles of temporary roads, which would be decommissioned after use,
may be required to complete project activities. No new National Forest
System roads would be constructed.
Approximately 120 landings up to 0.75-acre in size (some landing
areas in heavy mortality zones may be one acre or more in size) would
be located within or near unit boundaries. Landings and skid trails
would be rehabilitated when no longer needed for the project.
Project implementation is currently proposed for completion under a
stewardship contract. Proposed underburning activities and the site
preparation of group selection areas, planting and monitoring is
expected to be completed by Forest Service staff and/or service
contracts. Contracts may take anywhere from one to five years from
award to completion. Proposed road closures and decommissioning would
occur upon completion of project activities. While the entire project
area is a priority for treatment to slow the progression of existing
mortality and loss of late-successional habitat, priority treatment
areas have been identified. They include those areas of large standing
dead material, the older plantations that are densely stocked, units
with known black stain and heterobasidion root disease pockets and
natural stands that contain larger pockets of mortality.
Approximately 90 percent of the project area is within Late-
Successional Reserve allocation where a minimum of 10 percent of each
thinned unit would remain unthinned to retain processes and conditions
such as thermal and visual cover, natural suppression and mortality,
small trees, natural size differentiation and undisturbed debris. In
addition to the ten percent un-thinned areas, approximately 380 acres
of natural stands within the Elk Flat LSR have been excluded from
thinning treatments as field review either identified that they are not
currently at risk or to maintain current late-successional habitat
conditions for the northern spotted owl and northern goshawk. The
latter stans will remain at high stocking densities where fire hazard
and density-related mortality will remain high while continuing to
function as habitat for these species. This is one element of an
overall spatial and temporal strategy to provide habitat and address
forest change over time in the advent of disturbance events and is
consistent with Recovery Action 10 of the Revised Recovery Plan for the
Northern Spotted Owl. The remaining 10 percent of project area is
within matrix allocation with a commercial wood products emphasis,
including the majority of Elk Flat meadow. There are approximately 280
acres of Riparian Reserves associated with intermittent and ephemeral
streams within the project area; overlapping both LSR and matrix lands.
Thinning prescriptions were specifically developed to reduce the
risk of losing late-successional habitat, increase conifer species
composition and diversity in plantation areas and natural stands to
increase resilience to disease and stocking pressure, treat black stain
and/or heterobasidion root diseases and reduce the risk of future
mortality areas. Within natural stand units, existing mortality pockets
of pine and fir may be removed to create openings or be retained to
reserve snag habitat and future coarse woody debris for wildlife.
Retention/removal areas will be dependent on the objectives for the
specific treatment unit, safety considerations of the public and
operations and meeting fuel load objectives.
The proposed action is the result of field reviews, data
acquisition and analysis including reviews and use of best available
science by resource specialists on the project Interdisciplinary Team.
Coordination and consultation with Tribes, the United States Fish and
Wildlife Service, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and
collaboration with local watershed and restoration groups and adjacent
landowners has been ongoing and will continue. The proposed action was
guided by direction and objectives embodied in the Northwest Forest
Plan, the Forest Plan, the Forest-wide Late-Successional Reserve
Assessment and recommendations in the McCloud Flats Ecosystem Analysis.
It is designed to be consistent with the Aquatic Conservation Strategy
objectives and the Revised Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl.
It incorporates guidance from the National Fire Plan, the Forest's Fire
Management Plan and the Forest's Record of Decision for Motorized
Travel Management. A project consistency
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review with the Regional Ecosystem Office for the specific proposed
thinning treatments and resultant stand conditions may be required.
The project Interdisciplinary Team developed Resource Protection
Measures common to all action alternatives to minimize or eliminate
potential environmental effects while achieving the desired condition.
Development was guided by Forest Plan direction as well as other
applicable law, regulation and policy, project-specific objectives and
resource concerns identified by resource specialists. These measures
complement the project design criteria developed as part of the
proposed action, including species and age class retention preferences,
microsite thinning and fuels treatment modifications in suitable
habitat for late-successional species and within Riparian Reserves and
cultural resource protections. Best management practices for
maintaining, protecting and monitoring water quality and soils will
also be utilized.
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. The appropriate regulatory agencies will be consulted
regarding national or state required permits associated with roads used
during project implementation. All required permits will be obtained
prior to implementation.
Scoping Process
The project is included in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest's
quarterly schedule of proposed actions (SOPA). Detailed information on
the proposed action, including maps, that will aid in the informing
comments will be available on the Forest Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=31312. Scoping notice
will be published in the Redding Record Searchlight and the Mount
Shasta Herald.
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of issues (cause-effect relationships that highlight
effects or unintended consequences), alternatives and analysis for the
environmental impact statement. It is important that reviewers provide
their comments at such times and in such a manner that they are useful
to identifying issues, developing alternatives, conducting resource
analysis and preparing the environmental impact statement. Therefore,
comments should be provided prior to the close of the 30-day comment
period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's concerns.
Please include the following information with your comments: Your
name, address and telephone number, the project name: Elk Late-
Successional Reserve Enhancement 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 the 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 cited reference
and include rationale as to how you feel it is pertinent to the Elk
Late-Successional Reserve Enhancement project.
A public information meeting will be held on March 5, 2013 from
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the McCloud Ranger Station conference room,
located at 2019 Forest Road in McCloud, California. At this meeting,
members of the project Interdisciplinary Team will present information
on the purpose and need, existing conditions and the developed proposed
action to meet the desired conditions in the project area. Written
comments may be submitted at this meeting in addition to submitting
them via mail and electronically as described in the ADDRESSES section
above. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including
names and addresses of those who comment, will become part of the
public record for this proposed action.
Dated: February 14, 2013.
J. Sharon Heywood,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2013-04642 Filed 2-27-13; 8:45 am]
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