[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28883-28884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11609]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Mendocino National Forest; Upper Lake Ranger District;
California; Pine Mountain Late-Successional Reserve Habitat Protection
and Enhancement Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Mendocino National Forest, Upper Lake Ranger District,
proposes to conduct fuels reduction and habitat enhancement treatments
on approximately 7,830 acres southwest of Lake Pillsbury in the Pine
Mountain vicinity. The Planning Area is 10,200 acres in size and
comprises both Late Successional Reserve (LSR) and Matrix land
designations. Of the approximately 7,830 acres to be treated, ~5690
acres are within the Pine Mountain LSR and ~2,140 acres are in Matrix
lands. The project emphasizes fuel reduction activities and habitat
management for the protection and enhancement of late-successional
species. The project area was chosen for treatment based on past fire
history and the existing conditions that pose a threat to late-
successional habitat.
The Pine Mountain LSR is one of the smaller LSRs within the Forest
and provides a link between the Blue Slides LSR seven miles to the
southeast and the Sanhedrin LSR, 1.25 miles to the north. This LSR also
provides a critical link to State and other Federal lands to the south
and west. This area is currently part of Northern Spotted Owl Critical
Habitat (Unit 11, Subunit ICC 5), a designated land allocation by U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, and also includes 1.6 miles of critical
habitat for anadromous fish. These habitats are located within both the
LSR and matrix lands. The Project Area is located approximately 15
miles north of the town of Upper Lake, primarily in T18N, R10W, and
portions of T18N, R11W; T17N, R10W; and T17N, R11W, Mount Diablo Base
Meridian.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by June 19, 2014. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
in August 2014 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
in December 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Forest Supervisor, 825 N. Humboldt
Avenue, Willows, CA 95988. Comments may also be sent via email to
[email protected], or via facsimile to
(530) 934-7384.
A public meeting will be held on May 30, 2014 to enable those with
interest in the project to obtain more information, ask questions, and
make comments for the development of the EIS and the alternatives. A
field trip the following day may be held if enough interest is shown.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Aebly, at the Upper Lake Ranger
District, 10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485, (707) 275-
2361, or [email protected].
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information
[[Page 28884]]
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
Treatments in the Pine Mountain area are being proposed for several
reasons: To reduce the risk to late-successional habitat loss from
wildfire through vegetative treatments designed to modify and restore
characteristic fire regimes and forest structure; improve forest
health, vigor, and resilience to fire, insects and disease as well as
enhance the diversity of plant and animal habitat found within the
project area while restoring and enhancing late successional habitat;
and to manage National Forest lands (including roads and trails) to
meet the Aquatic Conservation Strategy Objectives and direction set
forth in the Mendocino National Forest Land and Resource Management
Plan (LRMP).
Proposed Action
The Proposed Action includes the following treatments to achieve
the desired conditions:
Fuel treatments may be applied as prescribed fire only or
as a combination of prescribed fire with mechanical treatments, piling
and pile burning.
Mechanical treatments will include mastication or thinning
of trees. Thinning of trees less than 10 inches in diameter at breast
height (dbh) will be implemented by Forest Service personnel or through
service contracts. Thinning of trees greater than 10 inches dbh will be
implemented through a commercial contract. These treatments are
intended to achieve ecological objectives such as restoring a fire-
resilient stand structure, managing for open habitat (that includes
shrubs and hardwoods), hastening the development of desired late
successional stand characteristics in plantations as well as
accelerating the development and vigor of larger trees outside
plantations. Treatments would reduce competition between trees for
onsite resources such as moisture, light, nutrients and growing space;
and would reduce overly dense stand conditions which have led to
declining stand health and uncharacteristic fire regimes.
Prescribed fire treatments will be applied in chaparral
areas, following direction provided by the LRMP, to create a mosaic of
age classes which provides for the development of heterogeneous
chaparral habitat and interruption of fuel continuity.
Prescribed fire treatment will be applied in forested
areas with excessive accumulations of natural fuels, following
direction provided by the LRMP.
Shaded fuel breaks will be constructed following direction
provided by LSR Assessment to provide a buffer against fires
originating from the west and moving eastward with the prevailing
winds. The fuel breaks will also assist in prescribed fire activities.
Other proposed activities include road management such as road
maintenance, drainage improvement, road decommissioning, temporary road
construction and rehabilitation, and non-system trail closures. The
Interdisciplinary Team is developing design features and Best
Management Practices to protect water, wildlife, aquatic,
archaeological, cultural, and botanical resources.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official for this project is Sherry Tune, Forest
Supervisor, 825 N. Humboldt Avenue, Willows, CA 95988.
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.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. A public meeting
will be held on May 30, 2014, to enable those with interest in the
project to obtain more information, ask questions, and make comments
for the development of the EIS and the alternatives. A field trip the
following day may be held if enough interest is shown.
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.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record
for this project. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and
considered, however.
Dated: May 7, 2014.
Sherry A. Tune,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2014-11609 Filed 5-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P