[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 249 (Friday, December 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76449-76451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31274]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Los Padres National Forest, California; Strategic Community
Fuelbreak Improvement 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
proposed Strategic Community Fuelbreak Improvement Project, designed to
enhance community protection from wildfire within the wildland urban
interface threat zone. Historically used strategic firelines \1\ would
be improved and maintained as fuelbreaks.\2\ The project treatments
would cover approximately 24 miles of fuelbreaks and a 64-acre treated
unit for a total of 544 acres. Treatments would include the use of
machine and/or hand thinning, machine and/or hand piling and pile
burning or chipping; and mastication. The project is located in
Monterey County, California, on the northern portion of the Monterey
Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest. The project's legal
description is: portions of Township (T) 18South (S), Range (R) 2East
(E), 3E, 4E; T.19S, R.2E, 4E; T.20S, R.2E, 3E; Mount Diablo Meridian.
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\1\ Fireline is a loose term for any cleared strip used in
control of a fire; the portion of a control line from which
flammable materials have been removed by scraping or digging down to
the mineral soil.
\2\ Fuelbreaks are strategically located wide blocks, or strips,
on which a heavy fuel loading has been changed to one of lower fuel
loading.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis will be received
for 45 days from date of publication in the Federal Register. The draft
environmental impact statement is expected in November 2013 and the
final environmental impact statement is expected in April 2014.
[[Page 76450]]
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Los Padres National Forest,
Monterey Ranger District, 406 South Mildred, King City, CA. 93930,
attention: Jeff Kwasny. Comments may also be sent via facsimile to 831-
385-0628, or via email to: comments-pacificsouthwest-los-padres-monterey@fs.fed.us.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Kwasny, Project Team Leader, at
831-667-1126.
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:
Collaboration
The Monterey Ranger District initiated an informal collaborative
group called Firescape Monterey to exchange information and work
together towards agreement on conservation goals. Firescape Monterey is
comprised of community and stakeholder partners who promote a multi-
jurisdictional approach for protecting property affected by wildfire
and promoting a healthy resilient ecosystems through collaborative
stewardship. While facilitated and guided by the Fire Learning Network,
and a focus on ecological restoration, participants in Firescape
Monterey have identified five key landscape values: Fire Adapted Human
Communities, Natural and Wilderness Qualities, Biodiversity, Cultural
Resources, and Watersheds.
Firescape Monterey will continue to work towards collaborative and
financially supported efforts among all land managers to accelerate the
pace of landscape restoration, and the Los Padres National Forest will
focus its current efforts on this strategic commmunity fuelbreak
project.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for this project is to: increase wildland fire
suppression efficiency when in proximity to communities and related
infrastructure, reduce wildfire risk to life and property, reduce
suppression costs, and reduce adverse fire suppression impacts on the
landscape.
The number of homes built within the wildland-urban interface (WUI)
on the periphery of the Monterey Ranger District (MRD) has grown
significantly, increasing the extent and complexity of WUIs. In 2008,
27 homes were lost to wildfire within the WUI of the MRD. Conditions
for extreme fire behavior can exist during any season on the Los Padres
National Forest. The complex interaction between weather, topography,
and fuels drive fire behavior. Rapid rates of spread and fireline
intensities may exceed the capability of ground and aerial fire
resources in any fuel type when the elements of slope, wind and solar
radiation align on a fire. Historically, when a wildfire begins on the
MRD within or outside of wilderness, fire suppression efforts focus on
a series of geographic ridges that lie strategically between National
Forest and communities at risk. The size, location, and direction of a
wildfire dictates the miles of bulldozer constructed firelines needed
on strategic ridges.
Currently, conditions of the soil biota and plant communities on
these historic firelines are in varying stages of succession due to
repeated bulldozer activity during fire suppression activities. By
proactively designing and establishing Strategic Community Fuelbreaks,
we can reduce the need for mechanized equipment during subsequent
wildfires and allow for ecological restoration. Native vegetation, such
as perennial grasses and forbs released as a result of treatments, with
low fuel volume or reduced flammability will be retained. Due to their
strategic location and alignment, it is likely that when the next
wildfire threatens the adjacent at-risk communities mechanical
equipment would be used to re-open these lines for fire suppression
activities.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to re-establish and maintain 24.1 miles of
historically used fuelbreaks--all of which originated as firelines--
within the wildland urban interface threat zones on National Forest
System lands; approximately 7.5 miles within wilderness and 16.6 miles
outside of wilderness. Fuelbreak treatments would be as follows:
Non-Wilderness
Fuelbreaks would be constructed and maintained every 3-5 years with
a combination of hand thinning with chainsaws, hand and machine piling,
pile burning and mastication.
Wilderness
In accordance with the Wilderness Act, enabling legislation, and
Forest Service Policy, fuelbreaks would be constructed manually using
chainsaws, hand piling and pile burning and then maintained every 3-5
years with traditional tools through a combination of hand thinning,
hand piling and pile burning. A monitoring and adaptive management
program will be developed to evaluate the rate of vegetative regrowth
on the treated fuelbreaks to determine if available workforce is
sufficient to maintain fuelbreak integrity with traditional tools or
whether additional administrative actions, such as use of chainsaws,
will be needed to assist in maintenance.
Strategic Community Fuelbreak locations and dimensions \3\ are as
follows:
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\3\ Fuelbreak widths are maximum values. The actual widths may
be limited by factors such as width of the ridge and/or proximity to
the wilderness boundary.
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(1a) Palo Colorado Vicinity--Non-Wilderness
Establish a maximum 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic
fireline adjacent to the Skinner Ridge Trail (FDT 1E04) between
Bottchers Gap and Skinner Ridge, a distance of 1.3 miles.
Establish a maximum 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic
fireline along Skinner Ridge between the wilderness boundary in Section
18 (near Turner Creek) and Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp, a distance of
2.8 miles.
Establish a fuelbreak that overlaps the existing Mescal Ridge Road,
covering 25 feet north of the road edge to 75 feet south of the
adjacent ridge center. The fuelbreak would be a maximum of
approximately 300 feet wide by 0.6 miles long.
(1b) Palo Colorado Vicinity--Wilderness
Establish a maximum 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic
fireline between the wilderness boundary in Section 18 (just south of
the Turner Creek trailhead) and Devils Peak, a distance of one mile.
(2a) Palo Colorado to Big Sur Vicinity--Non-Wilderness
Establish a maximum 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic
fireline between the National Forest boundary at Post Summit, across
Cabezo Prieto ridge, and where the Mt.Manuel Trail (FDT 2E06) crosses
the wilderness boundary in Section 20, a distance of 2.8 miles.
(2b) Palo Colorado to Big Sur Vicinity--Wilderness
Establish a maximum 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic
fireline between Post Summit and the Little Sur River, a distance of
1.8 miles.
Establish a maximum 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic
fireline from where the Mt. Manuel Trail (FDT 2E06) crosses the
wilderness boundary in Section 20 to the Big Sur Wild River boundary, a
distance of 0.8 miles.
[[Page 76451]]
(3) Big Sur Vicinity--Non-Wilderness
Establish a fuelbreak along the historic fireline adjacent to and/
or encompassing the North Coast Ridge Road (FDR 20S05) between the
Terrace Creek Trailhead (FDT 3E220) and Anderson Peak on National
Forest System lands, a distance of 6.8 miles. The maximum width between
the Terrace Creek Trailhead and Cold Springs will be 150 feet; maximum
width between Cold Springs and the Tanbark Trail will be 300 feet;
maximum width between the Tanbark Trail and Anderson Peak will be 150
feet.
Establish a 150 foot wide fuelbreak on Partington Ridge adjacent to
and/or encompassing the Deangula Trail (FDT 2E07) between the North
Coast Ridge Road (FDR 20S05) and the National Forest boundary, a
distance of 0.8 miles.
Establish a fuelbreak encompassing the Tan Bark Trail between the
North Coast Ridge Road (FDR 20S05) and the Forest Boundary, a distance
of 0.8 miles. Commencing at the North Coast Ridge Road and traveling
west towards the National Forest boundary, the first approximate 600
feet in length will be a maximum of 300 feet wide. The remaining length
to the Forest boundary will be a maximum of 150 feet wide.
(4a) Cachagua and Jamesburg Vicinity--Non-Wilderness
Establish an anchor point through the use of prescribed fire and/or
hand thinning with chainsaws, hand and machine piling, pile burning,
and mastication around the Chews Ridge Lookout Tower and the Monterey
Institute for Research and Astronomy Observing Station. Acreage is
approximately 64 acres.
Establish a 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic fireline along
Chews Ridge between the Chews Ridge Lookout Tower and north 0.7 miles
to the wilderness boundary.
(4b) Cachagua and Jamesburg Vicinity--Wilderness
Establish a 150 foot wide fuelbreak on the historic fireline along
Hennicksons/Chews Ridge on National Forest System lands between the
National Forest boundary above Los Padres Dam and the wilderness
boundary near Tassajara Road, a distance of 3.9 miles.
Responsible Official
Peggy Hernandez, Forest Supervisor, Los Padres 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.
Preliminary Issues
At issue is the effects on wilderness character for the proposed
7.5 miles of maintained fuelbreak within the Ventana wilderness.
Wilderness character is not intended to be all-inclusive nor a
predetermined set of potential impacts. Additional issues may occur as
a result of the scoping process.
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 support, concerns and contentions.
Include the following information with your comments: your name,
mailing address, email (optional), and telephone number; the project
name: Strategic Community Fuelbreak Improvement 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 Strategic Community Fuelbreak
Improvement 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, however, will
be accepted and considered.
Dated: December 18, 2012.
Peggy Hernandez,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-31274 Filed 12-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P