[Federal Register: April 13, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 71)]
[Notices]
[Page 19160-19162]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13ap06-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Eldorado National Forest; California; Freds Fire Reforestation
Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest will
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to restore, reforest,
and reduce fuels on approximately 4,300 acres that burned in the Freds
Fire of 2004. The Freds Fire Reforestation project area is located in
El Dorado County, California, on the Eldorado National Forest,
Placerville and Pacific Ranger Districts. The project area is located
immediately north of U.S. Highway 50, near the town of Kyburz. The
legal description is: Township 11 North, Range 14 East, Sections 13,
14, 23, 24, 25; Township 11 North, Range 15 East, Sections 14-23, 27-
30; Township 11 North, Range 16 East, Sections 17-20, 30, MDM.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by May 19, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
in July 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
in October 2006.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Kathryn D. Hardy, Placerville
Ranger District, 4260 Eight Mile Road, Camino, CA 95709, Attention:
Freds Fire Reforestation Project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Carroll, Project Leader,
Placerville Ranger District, 4260 Eight Mile Road, Camino, CA 95709, or
by telephone at 530-647-5386.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
On areas impacted by the Freds Fire of 2004 the purpose of the
project is to:
[[Page 19161]]
1. Reestablish a forested landscape and promote its survival and
growth; 2. incorporate fuel treatments to reduce wildfire spread and
intensity or interrupt fire spread; and 3. restore aquatic and riparian
habitats to improve water quality and provide for the native plant and
animal species associated with these ecosystems. The Freds Fire
resulted in adverse effects to forest resources such as soil, riparian
areas, and wildlife habitat, and caused extensive tree mortality.
Removal of most of the fire-killed trees occurred in 2005. Live and
dead trees remain, distributed across the landscape as described in the
Freds Fire Restoration FEIS. Without additional treatment to restore
the fire area, additional impacts are likely over the short and long
term. The goal of this project is to move the project area more quickly
toward desired future conditions for the land allocations within the
fire area, as defined by the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment
(SNFP). These land allocations are threat zone, defense zone, general
forest, protected activity centers for spotted owls, spotted owl home
range core areas, and riparian conservation areas adjacent to
perennial, seasonal and ephemeral streams.
Proposed Action
The proposed action would consist of combinations of site
preparation, reforestation, release, noxious weed, and fuel treatments.
Site preparation treatments would be by chemical methods, utilizing
ground-based herbicide applications (glyphosate or triclopyr).
Reforestation treatments would include planting and re-planting if
needed. Release treatments would include hand grubbing and ground-based
herbicide (glyphosate, triclopyr, or hexazinone) applications. Noxious
weed treatments would include hand treatments by manual and chemical
(glyphosate and clopyralid) methods. Fuel treatments would include
manual and chemical methods. No road construction is proposed.
The proposed action is consistent with the 1989 Eldorado National
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan as amended by the Sierra
Nevada Forest Plan Amendment Record of Decision (2004).
Possible Alternatives
Other alternatives will be developed based on significant issues
identified during the scoping process for the environmental impact
statement. All alternatives will need to respond to the specific
condition of providing benefits equal to or better than the current
condition. Alternatives being considered at this time include: (1) The
Proposed Action and (2) No Action.
Responsible Official
Kathryn D. Hardy, District Ranger, Placerville Ranger District,
Eldorado National Forest, is the responsible official. As the
responsible official she will document the decision and reasons for the
decision in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to
Forest Service appeal regulations (36 CFR part 215).
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether to adopt and implement the
proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or take no
action to plant trees, take steps to promote their survival and growth,
or conduct fuel treatments.
Scoping Process
Public participation will be especially important at several points
during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information,
comments, and assistance from the Federal, State, and local agencies
and other individual or organizations who may be interested in or
affected by the proposed action. To facilitate public participation,
information about the proposed action will be mailed to all who express
interest in the proposed action and notification of the public scoping
period will be published in the Mountain Democrat, Placerville, CA.
Comments submitted during the 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 scoping process includes:
(a) Identifying potential issues;
(b) Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
(c) Eliminating nonsignificant 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.
A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2006, from 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. at the County Fire Station 16, Kyburz, California.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement.
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 environmental 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, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, 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). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at
the draft environmental impact statement stage but that 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 are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. 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
[[Page 19162]]
21) The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in June, 2005. In the
final EIS, The Forest Service is required to respond to substantive
comments received during the comment period that pertain to the
environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable
laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decision
regarding this proposal.
Dated: April 6, 2006.
Judie L. Tartaglia,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06-3539 Filed 4-12-06; 8:45 am]
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