[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 62 (Thursday, April 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16422-16423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7162]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Plumas National Forest, California, Keddie Ridge Hazardous Fuels
Reduction Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest, Mt. Hough
Ranger District will prepare and environmental impact statement (EIS)
on the Keddie Ridge Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project proposal to
modify fire behavior, improve forest and watershed health, protect and
enhance habitat for Region 5 Forest Service sensitive plant and
wildlife species (clustered lady's slipper, Constance's rock cress, and
bald eagle), and reduce the spread and introduction of noxious weeds
through: fuels treatments, group selections, road improvements, and
herbicide and mechanical applications in the Indian Valley area.
DATES: Scoping comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be
received within 14 days from date of publication in the Federal
Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
September 2010 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
February 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Katherine Carpenter,
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Mt. Hough Ranger District, 39696 Highway
70, Quincy, CA 95971. Comments may be: (1) Mailed; (2) hand delivered
between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays Pacific Time; (3)
faxed to (530) 283-1821; or (4) electronically mailed to: comments-
pacificsouthwest-plumas-rnthough(dfs.fed.us. Please indicate the name
``Keddie Ridge Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project'' on the subject line
of your email. Comments submitted electronically must be in Rich Text
Format (.rtf), plain text format (.txt.) or Word (.doc). 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 ETS.
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 proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously
will be accepted and considered, however.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine Carpenter, Interdisciplinary
Team Leader, Mt. Hough Ranger District, 39696 Highway 70, Quincy, CA
95971. Telephone: (530) 283-7619 or electronic address:
[email protected].
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: The proposed action is designed to meet the
standards and guidelines for land management activities described in
the Plumas National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (PNF LRMP)
(USDA 1988) as amended by Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group (HFQLG)
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) and Record of
Decision (ROD) (USDA 1 999a, 1 999b, 2003b, 2003c), and the Sierra
Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA) FSEIS and ROD (USDA 2004a, 2004b).
This project is being planned under authorization of the Healthy Forest
Restoration Act (H.R. 1904; Pub. L. 108-148; 36 CFR 218--Predecisional
Administrative Review Process).
The proposed project is located in Plumas County, California,
within the Mt. Hough Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest. The
proposed project is located west of Canyon Dam, east of Eisenheimer
Peak, south of Keddie Peak, and north of the Greenville Wye. The Keddie
Ridge Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project boundary encompasses all or
portions of T. 25 N., R. 9 E., sec. 1-4, 8-11; T. 25 N., R. 10 F., sec.
1-6, 8-16, 22-24; T. 25 N., R.
[[Page 16423]]
11 E., sec. 5-9, 17-19; T. 26 N., R. 8 E., sec. 1, 2, 12; T.26 N., R. 9
F., sec. 1-17, 2029, 32-36, T. 26 N., R. 10 E., sec. 1-36; T. 26 N., R.
11 E., sec. 2-10, 15-21, 29-32; T. 27 N., R. 8 E., sec. 1, 12-15, 22-
27, 34-36; T. 27N., R 9 E., sec. 9-11, 13-36; T. 27N., R. 10 E., sec.
2-5, 8-11, 14-36; T. 27 N., R. 11 F., sec. 27, 28, 31-34; T. 28 N., R.
10 F., 33-35, MDBM.
Purpose and Need for Action
This project is proposed to modify fire behavior, improve forest
and watershed health, protect and enhance habitat for Region 5 Forest
Service sensitive plant and wildlife species, and reduce noxious weed
infestations in the project area. Fire behavior needs to be modified in
specific stands in order to reduce high fuel loading and resulting
increased risks to people, structures, and resources. Forest health
needs to be improved because current high stand densities in the Keddie
area are leading to mortality from drought, insects and fire. Region 5
Forest Service sensitive plant and wildlife species (clustered lady's-
slipper orchid, Constance's rock cress, and bald eagle) habitat needs
enhancement and protection from the risk of high severity, stand-
replacing wildfire due to dense stands and high fuel loads. The
location and number of poorly maintained roads in the project area are
currently contributing to poor watershed health, and should be reduced.
Noxious weeds, including Canada thistle, Scotch broom, medusa head,
yellow star thistle, and hoary cress need to be controlled in order to
lessen risk of weed introduction, establishment, and spread to adjacent
areas.
Proposed Action
The USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest, Mt. Hough Ranger
District will prepare and environmental impact statement (EIS) for the
Keddie Ridge Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project. The proposed action
would construct 5,456 acres of fuelbreaks known as Defensible Fuel
Profile Zones (DFPZs). DFPZs would be constructed using a combination
of mechanical harvest, mastication, hand thin, pile, and burn, and
prescribed underburn. The proposed action would also include 741 acres
of mechanized thinning (area thinning) outside of DFPZs. Group
selection is proposed in mechanical thinning units within DFPZs and
area thinning units (330 acres) using mechanical equipment. Group
selection involves harvest of trees less than 30 inches in diameter in
small (0.5 to 2 acres) patches. Hand thinning, piling, chipping and/or
burning of conifers (3-10 inches dbh) is proposed within approximately
45 acres of the primary nesting zone of the Round Valley bald eagle
territory. Hand thinning to a spacing of 20 feet, piling, and burning
of saplings and small diameter trees (8 inches or less dbh), is
proposed within the fourteen clustered lady's slipper sites and
approximately 72 acres of Constance's rock cress.
Manipulation of surface fuels within clustered lady's slipper
occurrences would also occur. If consistent with the Plumas National
Forest Travel Management decision, improperly constructed or
unmaintained roads that are causing resource damage would be
decommissioned or closed by various methods, such as ripping and
seeding, recontouring, or installing barriers. For more information
about the travel management process, visit the Plumas National Forest
Web site at: http://bit.ly/bTJZER. Treatments proposed to contain and
control the known weed infestations within the project area include the
following or a combination thereof: herbicide applications of
chlorsulfuron, aminopyralid, or glyphosate; hand-pulling; late spring
underburning and direct flaming with a back-pack propane torch; and
revegetation in selected areas using native seed.
A decision is expected in April 2011 and implementation may begin
as early as summer of 2011.
Possible Alternatives
In addition to the proposed action, a no action alternative will be
analyzed. Additional alternatives may be developed and analyzed during
the environmental analysis process.
Responsible Official
The Plumas National Forest Supervisor is the Responsible Official.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether to: (1) Implement the proposed
action; (2) meet the purpose and need for action through some other
combination of activities; or, (3) take no action at this time.
Permits or Licenses Required
An Air Pollution Permit, Smoke Management Plan, and California
Water Quality Board timber harvest waiver for waste discharge are
required by local agencies.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement, The Keddie Ridge
Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project will initiate and request comments
at: An open house in Greenville, CA in June 2010, an official 45 day
comment period once a Notice of Availability is published in the
Federal Register, a 30 day objection period, and an objection
resolution period.
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.
Dated: March 25, 2010.
Maria T. Garcia,
Deputy Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-7162 Filed 3-31-10; 8:45 am]
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