[Federal Register: December 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 237)]
[Notices]
[Page 73430-73431]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12de05-29]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Gemmill Thin
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The Shasta-Trinity National Forest proposes to thin trees and
reduce existing fuels on approximately 1,700 acres of National Forest
System lands in the Gemmill Thin project. The project is in T.29 and 30
N., R.10 and 11 W., Mt. Diablo Meridian, immediately north and east of
the community of Wildwood, California and south of Chanchelulla
Wilderness and Roadless areas. Treatments will consist of thinning
harvest to remove competing understory trees, road restroation, and
removal of small trees and shrubs to protect and enhance an area
designated by the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) as
Late Successional Reserve (LSR). The project falls within a 4,800 acre
analysis area which includes all or portions of Hall City Creek, Wilson
Creek and Chanchelulla Creek. These creeks and many of their
tributaries are also identified within the LRMP as Riparian Reserves
(RR).
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
no later than 30 days after the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
in January 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected in April 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Gemmill Thin Comments, South Fork
Management Unit, P.O. Box 159, Hayfork, CA 96041.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Carrothers, Gemmill Thin IDT
Lead, South Fork Management Unit, P.O. Box 159, Hayfork at (530) 628-
5227 or visit the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/projects
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The Gemmill Thin project responds to two problems within the Upper
Hayfork Creek fifth field watershed and Chanchelulla late successional
reserve (LSR). 1) There is less late successional old growth (LSOG)
habitat than desired; 2) The risk of losing existing and developing
LSOG habitat to wildfire is increasing. Thinning the forest will
improve the growing conditions for the remaining trees by making more
sunlight, water and other nutrients available for use. Tree health and
growth in the treated sounds would improve; LSOG habitat would
development at a faster rate. Ladder fuels, the small conifers, shrubs
and hardwoods in the understory, provide a
[[Page 73431]]
conduit for fire to travel from the ground surface into the tree canopy
and put the later, older trees at greater risk of loss to fire.
Removing these ladder fuels greatly reduces the likelihood that
wildfire will get into the canopy. The harvest and sale of cut trees
provides wood products to society and offsets the cost of the proposed
treatments.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is to thin trees and shrubs and reduce existing
fuels. Thinning prescriptions would be based on the following
guidelines:
On approximately 600 acres in 15 stands of mixed conifer
and hardwood forest, aged 100 to 150 years, implement a low thinning.
Enough trees would be removed to reduce the number of stems per acre to
a stocking level that maintains a greater competitive advantage for the
larger older trees and to remove fuel ladders. The largest and oldest
trees would be retained, with the resulting stand averaging 60% tree
canopy cover.
On approximately 1,000 acres in 23 stands of mixed conifer
and hardwood forest, aged 80 to 100 years old, implement a low
thinning. Enough trees would be removed to reduce the number of stems
per acre to a stocking level that maintains or increases growth rates
and to remove fuel ladders. The largest and healthiest trees would be
retained with the resulting stand averaging 50% tree canopy cover.
A service contract would thin trees and grind up shrubs in planted
stands. Thinning and release treatments would be accomplished through
hand failing and mastication on approximately 100 acres in four planted
conifer stands aged 20-40 years. Enough trees and shrubs would be
removed to reduce the number of stems per acre to a stocking level that
maintains stand growth rate and removes shrubs that act as a fuel
ladder. The resulting stand would have an average of 100 trees per
acre.
Responsible Official
J. Sharon Heywood, Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National
Forest, 3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002. (530) 226-2500.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed
action, implement an alternative action that meets the purpose and need
or take no action. The decision may include a non-significant forest
plan amendment that permits treatment of stands older than 80 years.
Scoping Process
Notice of the proposed action will be published in the newspaper of
record, the Redding Record Searchlight. It will also be published in
the Trinity Journal. Scoping letters will be mailed to interested and
affected publics coincident with publication of the NOI in the Federal
Register and information on the proposed action will be posted on the
Forest Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/projects. In
addition, this proposal will be presented to and reviewed by the
Trinity County Firesake council. This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental
impact statement.
Comments submitted during this scoping process should be in writing
and should be specific to the proposed action. The comments should
describe as clearly and completely as possible any issues the commenter
has with the proposal. The results of scoping will include:
(a) Identifying potential issues.
(b) Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
(c) Eliminating non-significant issues or those previously covered
by a relevant previous environmental analysis.
(d) Exploring additional alternatives.
(e) Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed
action and alternatives.
Preliminary Issues
No preliminary issues have been identified. Issues will be
identified through scoping. Early Notice of Importance of Public
Participation in Subsequent Environmental Review: A draft environmental
impact statement will be prepared for comment. The comment period on
the draft environment impact statement will be 45 days from the date
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice of
availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers
notice of several court rulings related to public participation in the
environmental review process.
(1) Reviewers of draft environmental impact statements must
structure their participation in the environmental review of the
proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to the
reviewer's position and contentions. [Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power
Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978)].
(2) Environmental objections that could be raised by the draft
environmental impact statement stage but are not raised until after
completion of the final environmental impact statement may be waived or
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022
(9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.
1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980)].
Because of these court rulings, it is very important that those
interested in this proposed action participate by the close of the 45
day comment period so that substantive comments and objections and
received in time for meaningful consideration and response in the final
environmental impact statement.
Comments on the draft environmental impact statement should be as
specific as possible, for example, refer to specific pages and/or
chapters. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal
and will be available for public inspection.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21.)
Dated: December 5, 2005.
J. Sharon Heywood,
Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
[FR Doc. 05-23894 Filed 12-9-05; 8:45 am]
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