[Federal Register: February 20, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 33)]
[Notices]
[Page 7853-7855]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20fe09-42]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Klamath National Forest, CA, Big Pony Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Klamath National Forest (KNF) will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and publicly disclose
the environmental effects of implementing a vegetation and fuels
management project designed to reduce fire hazard to research plots and
improve forest health.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
within 45 days from date of publication in the Federal Register. The
draft EIS is expected in March, 2010 and the final EIS is expected in
August, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Jorge Enriquez, Goosenest Ranger
District, 37805 Highway 97, Macdoel, CA 96058. Comments may also be
sent via e-mail to comments-pacificsouthwest-klamath-
goosenest@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to (530) 398-398-5749 A public
scoping meeting to discuss project details and identify any potential
significant issues will be held on March 18th, 2009 at the Goosenest
Ranger District, 37805 Highway 97, Macdoel, CA 96058.
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. Comments submitted anonymously will be
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide
the respondent with standing to appeal the subsequent decision.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jorge Enriquez, Goosenest Ranger
District at (530) 398-5784 or jenriquez@fs.fed.us. 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 purpose for the proposed project is to reduce the potential
fire impacts to permanent research plots, and within and adjacent to
wildland urban interface (WUI) near Tennant, California. Intensive
logging in the early 1900s and subsequent fire suppression have
increased susceptibility to stand replacing insect, disease, and fire
events. The Big Pony Project is designed to reduce forest
susceptibility to stand replacing wildfire and increase stand
resiliency to insect, disease and fire damage while promoting the
development of large-pine dominated forests.
The proposed Big Pony Project is located within the Goosenest
Ranger District southeast of Tennant, California. The legal locations
are Sections 24 and 25 in T43NR1W; and Sections 2, 3, 9-11, 14-18, 19-
22, 27-30, and 32 in T43NR1E, Mt. Diablo Meridian, Siskiyou County,
California. The proposed project area encompasses approximately 6,673
acres between 4,800 to 6,100 feet elevation. The Big Pony Project is
consistent with management direction provided in the Northwest Forest
Plan, Land and Resource Management Plan for the KNF, National Fire
Plan, and the Endangered Species Act.
The Pacific Southwest Research Station established long-term
research plots in 2000 to study accelerating the development of late-
successional forest components. Forests surrounding the research plots
are overstocked with white fir and ladder fuels that create conditions
conducive to stand replacing wildfire. There is a need to enhance
protection from catastrophic wildfire to minimize risk to research
plots, private property, and to avoid fire suppression difficulties
within and adjacent to the WUI.
Proposed Action
The proposed project area encompasses approximately 6,673 acres
between 4,800 to 6,100 feet elevation. The proposed action is to
perform thinning and fuels treatment on 3,180 acres. The Proposed
Action consists of the five following treatments which will be applied
based on existing tree species present, fuels conditions, forest
health, and wildlife concerns. In all treatments, the retention of old-
growth legacy components (large diameter trees, large snags, and downed
logs) will be emphasized.
Roads needed for the project will be reassessed prior to and during
activities to determine if maintenance is needed and may require light
maintenance to meet project requirements, generally consisting of spot
rocking, grading, and re-establishing drainage structures. There will
be no new roads constructed or added to the Forest road system.
Approximately 0.5 miles of temporary road will be constructed for
project implementation and will be constructed to design standards that
minimize ground disturbance and protect resources. This temporary road
will be decommissioned following project completion.
1. Fuel Management Zone (FMZ) Treatments
Three hundred foot wide fuels reduction treatments will be applied
on 708 acres, in a linear fashion centered along 13 miles of roads. The
FMZs are designed to reduce fire hazard, improve fire suppression
effectiveness, and improve fire fighter safety in the event of a
wildfire. The FMZs will improve fire fighting effectiveness and safety
by providing potential anchor points for fire fighters during initial
attack. Trees less than 10 inches in diameter at breast
[[Page 7854]]
height (dbh) will be felled to reduce ladder fuels and stand density.
Large down woody material greater than 16 inches in diameter and
standing snags greater than 16 inches dbh will be left intact in
accordance with district guidelines. Post-treatment FMZ evaluations
will determine whether additional mowing is required to achieve the
proposed action. FMZ treatments will be expanded beyond the 300 foot
buffer in one 21-acre area at the southeast end of the project area to
address heavy fuel accumulations.
2. Fuels Reduction With Emphasis on White Fir Removal
Thinning will be applied to 2,021 acres of overly dense conifer
stands favoring ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and incense cedar. White
fir and juniper will be removed to reduce stand basal area (BA) to 60-
120 square feet. Large white fir (greater than 40 inches dbh) will be
left for snag recruitment for wildlife. Retention of old-growth legacy
components (large diameter trees, large snags and downed logs) will be
emphasized. Thinning would provide a buffer zone around existing sugar
pine to favor their development. Treatment areas will be evaluated
post-thinning and if appropriate, they will receive an underburn or mow
treatment. The following conservation measures will be implemented
around known goshawk activity centers. (1) Within one mile of activity
centers 15% of stands will not be treated and, though generally
targeted for removal, a limited amount of pole-sized and larger white
fir will be retained. (2) Within one-half mile of activity centers only
trees less than 10 inches dbh will be thinned and 16-25 foot spacing
will be maintained; except under the dripline of greater than 30-inch
dbh ponderosa or sugar pine, where all trees will be thinned.
3. Fuels Reduction in Lodgepole Pine
Overly dense lodgepole pine stands impacted by mountain pine
beetles will be thinned on 76 acres. Ponderosa pine will be retained
along with a small component of white and red fir for diversity and
snag recruitment. All mature lodgepole pine will be removed. All trees
will be removed within 30 feet of dominant- and co-dominant ponderosa
pine with a retention BA of 80-100 square feet. Trees up to 10 inches
dbh will be removed except where there are not larger sized trees to
maintain 16 to 25-foot spacing. Treatment areas will be evaluated post-
thinning and if appropriate, they will receive an underburn treatment.
4. Plantation Thinning
Thinning will be applied to 346 acres of overly dense conifer
plantations. Small diameter trees will be thinned to a spacing of 12 to
30 feet to create a mosaic pattern typical in uneven-aged stands. The
variability in stand spacing will account for site specific conditions
including species composition, slope and aspect, and the size of
existing trees. The majority of slash (75%) will be piled and burned
and the remaining 25% will be left intact for wildlife diversity
objectives.
5. Underburn Only
Underburning will occur on 29 acres to reduce density of shrubs and
white fir saplings.
Lead and Cooperating Agencies
The Forest Service is the lead agency.
Responsible Official
Klamath National Forest Supervisor, Patricia A. Grantham, 1312
Fairlane Road, Yreka, California 96097.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The responsible official for this proposal is the forest
supervisor. Based on the analysis in the final EIS, the responsible
official will make the following decisions and document them in a
record of decision: (1) Whether to treat stands within the project area
as proposed, or in what manner; and (2) What project design features
should be applied.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the EIS. A public scoping meeting to discuss project
details and identify any potential significant issues will be held on
March 18th, 2009 at 7 p.m. at the Goosenest Ranger District, 37805 Hwy
97, Macdoel, CA 96058. The KNF is particularly interested in hearing
about any potentially significant issues, points of discussion,
dispute, or debate about the effects of the proposed action. 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
EIS.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Your
participation at this stage of the project is essential for the
Interdisciplinary (ID) Team to develop effective, issue-driven
alternatives and mitigations, as needed, to the proposed action.
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times
and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of
the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's
concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and specific
comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent
administrative review or judicial review.
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 will be
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide
the respondent with standing to participate in subsequent
administrative review or judicial review. Written comments can be
submitted via fax (530) 398-5749 or surface mail to: Jorge Enriquez,
Goosenest Ranger District, 37805 Hwy 97, Macdoel, CA 96058. You can
also comment electronically in a format such as an e-mail message,
plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), or Word (.doc) to comments-
pacificsouthwest-klamath-goosenest@fs.fed.us . Please call Jorge
Enriquez at (530) 398-5784 or visit the Klamath National Forest Web
page at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/klamath/projects/projects/index.shtml
for additional information regarding the proposed action. 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. A field trip with
interested participants will be arranged.
A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact
statement will be published in the Federal Register. We would
appreciate receiving your comments within 45 days of publication.
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).
Thank you for your interest in the proposed project and in the
management of our National Forests.
[[Page 7855]]
Dated: February 12, 2009.
Patricia A. Grantham,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9-3612 Filed 2-19-09; 8:45 am]
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