[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2878-2881]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-884]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Six Rivers National Forest, Mad River Ranger District, CA; Buck
Mountain Vegetation and Fuel Management Project EIS
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Six Rivers National Forest (Six Rivers NF) will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement to disclose the impacts associated with
the following proposed actions:
1. Fuel reduction would occur and be located along corridors
primarily on strategically placed ridges, along highly traveled roads
and within isolated stands near private property. Treatment would
consist of thinning trees less than 8'' diameter breast-height (DBH)
and removing brush within treatment areas. Commercial biomass would be
a by-product of this treatment. Fuel treatments would augment on-going
road brush treatment projects funded by the Community Wildfire
Protection Plan (CWPP) located in the northwest corner of the project
area.
2. All previously managed plantations would be treated, either with
commercial thinning or timber stand improvements (TSI). Both treatments
are designed to reduce stand density, decrease competition and improve
growing space for residual trees. Commercially thinned plantations
would consist of thinning trees greater than 8'' DBH. Plantations
without a commercial saw-log component (TSI) would consist of thinning
trees less than 8'' DBH and reducing brush. Commercial biomass would be
a by-product of TSI treatments.
3. Off-site ponderosa pine plantations would be thinned to promote
growth of naturally occurring tree species.
4. Douglas-fir/tanoak plantations would be thinned, and most of the
planted pine within these plantations would be removed, while a portion
of the hardwood component would be maintained.
5. Pure stands of Douglas-fir would be thinned to increase growing
space for overstocked early seral stands. Stands that once contained a
significant black oak component would be thinned to encourage black oak
regeneration.
6. Douglas-fir and white fir stands with viable oak and pine would
be thinned to reduce overall stand density, and trees that compete with
healthy hardwoods and pines would be removed to increase their
viability and promote their regeneration.
7. All treatments would maintain tree species mix of hardwoods and
conifers.
[[Page 2879]]
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by March 3, 2011. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
August 2011 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
November 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Buck Mountain Project Team, Mad
River Ranger District, 741 State Highway 36, Bridgeville, CA 95526.
Comments may also be sent via facsimile to (707) 574-6273. Electronic
comments, in acceptable plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or Word
(.doc) may be submitted to [email protected]. Please insure that ``Buck Mountain Project'' occurs in
the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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:
Background
The Forest Service is proposing the Buck Mountain Vegetation and
Fuel Management Project to accelerate late-successional forest
characteristics, reduce excessive fuel loading, and improve and restore
forest ecosystem health. The Buck Mountain planning area encompasses
approximately 14,396 acres, of which 10,058 acres are National Forest
System (NFS) lands. The project would treat approximately 2,062 acres
of NFS lands. Treatment would consist of: (1) Commercially harvesting
timber stands under 130 years old, through thinning on approximately
613 acres of natural stands, 389 acres of plantations and 44 acres of
oak restoration; (2) non-commercial timber stand improvement on 788
acres of previously managed stands; and (3) stand alone fuels
treatments on 1,228 acres, primarily located along strategically
located roads and ridge tops.
The proposed project would take place within the Upper Van Duzen
watershed on NFS lands administered by the Mad River Ranger District in
Humboldt County and Trinity County, California. The legal location
includes portions of the following townships: Township 1 North, Range 5
East; Township 1 North, Range 6 East; Township 1 South, Range 6 East;
and Township 1 South, Range 5 East, Humboldt Baseline and Meridian.
(1) The majority of the Buck Mountain Planning Area occurs within
the Eel River Late-Successional Reserve (LSR). A Forest-wide Late
Successional Reserve Assessment (LSRA, 1999) determined that this area
of the LSR was deficient in late-successional habitat. Portions of the
LSR were previously privately owned and heavily harvested. Extensive
stands of plantations exist that do not provide suitable habitat for
late successional species such as the northern spotted owl. The LSRA
identified this area as needing density management and fuel reduction
treatments to develop and protect late-successional habitat. Management
opportunities exist in conifer stands that are in the tanoak, Douglas-
fir and white fir series that are either old plantations or natural
stands that are less than 130 years old. They are characterized
generally as overstocked with high fuel loadings.
(2) The majority of the planning area occurs within the Wildland
Urban Interface (WUI) areas for the communities of Mad River and
Dinsmore as well as residences along the Van Duzen River in Trinity
County and Humboldt County.
(3) Oak woodland communities historically comprised a much greater
percentage of the landscape than today. In 1855 approximately 36% of
the North Fork of the Eel River watershed, a component of LSR 307, was
composed of oak woodland communities, and currently it is about 6%.
Evidence within the Buck Mountain Planning Area suggests a similar
decline in oak woodland communities. Oak communities have greater
native grass and forbs species diversity than adjacent conifer forests
and provide greater forage habitat for deer populations than adjacent
vegetation communities. Additionally, grasses and forbs mature later in
the summer beneath oak communities, which can extend the availability
of forage and reduce the rate of spread of wildfire.
(4) The Van Duzen River Watershed Analysis (Van Duzen River WA,
1998) had determined that current road densities were too high within
the Van Duzen watershed and the Eel River LSR. The LSR as a whole had
been evaluated to have 3.1 miles of roads per square mile. Road density
within the project area on Federal lands is even higher, at 3.6 miles
per square mile. Reducing the road density within the project area
would reduce sediment levels and benefit aquatic habitats.
Decommissioning (should opportunities exist) would help accomplish
this.
Management Areas
The Mad River Ranger District is managed under the Six Rivers
National Forest Land Resource Management Plan (LRMP). The National
Forest Service portion of the planning area has two management area
allocations:
Management Area 8--Special Habitat (9,612 acres): The majority of
the planning area consists of this management area. Special habitat
within the planning area consists of the Eel River Late-Successional
Reserve (LSR). This management area is intended to provide a core of
relatively undisturbed habitat for plants and animals associated with
mature and old growth forests. The management emphasis and goal is to
protect and enhance late-successional habitat (LRMP, IV-34, 35).
Management Area 17--General Forest (446 acres): A small portion of
the planning area is within this management area. General Forest
includes forested land where commercial timber management is expected
to occur. Examples of allowable silvicultural activities include timber
harvest, reforestation, conifer release, pre-commercial thinning, and
forest pest management. The primary goals are to produce a sustained
yield of timber, contribute younger seral stages to the vegetation
mosaic of the forest, and conserve key components of functional habitat
for mature and old growth-associated species (LRMP IV-63).
Required Consultations
The LRMP requires consultation with potentially affected Native
American Tribes as part of the Forest's Native American trust
responsibilities. Consultation was initiated with the Bear River Band
of Rohnerville Rancheria, the Table Bluff Reservation-Wiyot Tribes and
the Round Valley Indian Tribes in the late fall of 2009. There were no
concerns expressed. The Forest Tribal Relations Specialist will
complete Tribal consultation beyond the initiation phase.
Consultation with the Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) is required
because of the proposed cutting of trees greater than 20'' DBH in this
planning area. Early consultation has been initiated by the REO. The
REO LSR working group agreed with the rationale for exceeding the 20''
DBH cut limit, and a finalized formal exemption is pending. It would be
granted prior to the issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD) once the
LSR working group determined that implementing the project's
silviculture prescriptions would meet the objectives of Late
Successional Reserves under the Northwest Forest Plan.
The Endangered Species Act requires consultation with the United
States Fish
[[Page 2880]]
and Wildlife Service (FWS) regarding any proposal that may affect a
Federally listed threatened or endangered species. We will work closely
with this agency through the Forest Level I wildlife biologist to
fulfill consultation requirements for listed and proposed species.
The Endangered Species Act requires consultation with the United
States National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding any proposal
that may affect a Federally listed threatened or endangered marine
species. We will work closely with this agency through the fisheries
biologist to fulfill consultation requirements for listed and proposed
species.
The Clean Water Act requires Forest level consultation with the
North Coast California Water Quality Control Board (NCCWQCB) to assure
that basin plan standards for water quality are met by the proposal.
This consultation will begin soon after preliminary Best Management
Practices and project design features have been identified.
Late-Successional Reserve Management
Silvicultural prescriptions for the proposed treatment units in
stands no older than 80 years conform to the criteria documented in the
Forest-wide LSR Assessment. The Regional Ecosystem Office LSRA
memorandum dated March 3, 2000 sanctioned proposed treatments of stands
between 80 and 130 years old within LSRs on the Six Rivers NF, but it
would require a non-significant Forest Plan amendment.
The REO acknowledged the case-by-case need to exceed the 20'' DBH
diameter cut limit requirement that would be needed to be met for the
project to be exempt from further REO review. The proposal includes
treatment of stands that would require the cutting of trees greater
than 20'' DBH to effectively meet LSR objectives. This proposal
warranted consultation with the REO. A tentative verbal agreement has
been issued allowing the proposal to proceed. A written memorandum
sanctioning the proposal will be drafted once the preferred alternative
is issued and issued before the ROD is signed.
Purpose and Need for Action
There is a need in the Buck Mountain Planning Area to manage
vegetation and fuel in select conifer stands, oak woodlands and shrub
fields for the purpose of achieving the following objectives:
Accelerate the development of late-successional habitat
characteristics in plantations and in early to mid-mature natural
stands (up to 130 years old).
Improve the health of conifer and oak woodland
communities, increase their resiliency to wildfires and disease
outbreaks, restore species diversity and reduce stand densities in
overstocked stands.
Minimize wildfire threat to local communities in strategic
locations, along travel routes and near private residential property by
reducing fuel buildup in stands in the WUI where stand conditions have
high amounts of surface and ladder fuels.
In fulfilling the objectives listed above, there are opportunities
to provide commodities in the form of timber, biomass, and fuelwood.
All commercial activities and by-products would be incidental in
achieving the desired outcomes stated in the purpose and need. There is
also an opportunity to reduce open road densities in the planning area
for watershed and late-successional habitat health.
Management Opportunities To Meet the Purpose and Need
To meet the purpose and need, the Six Rivers National Forest
proposes to manage vegetation and treat fuel loadings on approximately
3,062 acres of National Forest System lands administered by the Mad
River Ranger District. Potential treatment opportunities include the
following:
1,046 acres of commercial harvest in plantations, natural
stands up to 130 years old and oak woodlands. Silvicultural treatments
would include commercial thinning, oak release, and thinning/sanitation
cutting. Ground skidding, skyline cable, and helicopter logging methods
may be employed, as dictated by cost efficiency and resource protection
needs. Potential harvest yield is about 4.5 to 5.5 MMBF.
Activities associated with commercial harvesting include use of
existing roads, skid trails, and landings, activity fuel treatments,
and road maintenance/minor reconstruction along haul routes. New skid
trails and landings would be needed in some areas to facilitate harvest
activities. Harvest activity fuel treatments may involve a combination
of mechanical techniques (biomass utilization, chipping, yarding tops,
machine piling/burning), manual techniques (hand piling/burning and
lop/scatter to 18'' or less depth), and prescribed burning.
Approximately 6.0 miles of temporary road may be needed to perform
these treatments. Approximately 3.8 miles would use existing road beds
(old logging roads and illegal woodcutting roads). Approximately 2.2
miles would be newly constructed temporary roads. No new system road
construction is anticipated. Temporary roads would be decommissioned
after project completion.
788 acres of timber stand improvement (TSI) in plantations
and young natural stands. Silvicultural treatments include non-
commercial thinning and release and commercial biomass utilization. As
with commercial harvesting, activity fuel treatments would also be
prescribed.
46 acres of stand-alone fuel reduction in early to mid-
mature seral natural stands. Prescribed treatments include small tree
cutting, mastication, road-side chipping, prescribed fire, hand piling,
biomass/fuelwood utilization, raking/windrowing, lop and scatter to
18'' or less depth and machine piling.
1,182 acres of fuelbreak construction along strategic
travel routes and ridges. Prescribed treatments within 300 feet on
either side of selected roads, which are outside of commercial harvest,
TSI, and stand-alone fuel reduction units, may include one or several
of the following: Small tree cutting, mastication, roadside chipping,
prescribed burning (underburning and jackpot burning), hand piling/
burning, lop/scatter to 18'' or less depth and machine piling.
Hauling of commercial timber products on State Highway 36,
County Roads 511 and 512 and Forest Service System roads within the
planning area. Felling and removal, where appropriate, of hazard trees
along haul routes.
Decommissioning of non-essential existing roads outside of
the proposed treatment areas may be included in the design of this
project to reduce road density as part of the restoration of late-
successional habitat and watershed conditions.
Proposed Action
Most of the project area is located within a LSR. Proposed fuel and
harvest units were chosen based on criteria that would meet two
objectives of LSRs: (1) Protecting existing and potential late-
successional habitat from catastrophic loss due to wildfire or disease
and/or bug outbreak from overstocked stand conditions, and (2)
Accelerating development of late-successional habitat. The proposed
action is designed to meet the project's purpose and need while
satisfying the standards and guidelines of the LRMP. The Buck Mountain
Vegetation and Fuel Management Project would treat vegetation in the
following ways:
Fuel reduction would be located along corridors primarily
on strategically placed ridges, along highly traveled roads and within
isolated
[[Page 2881]]
stands near private property. Treatment would consist of thinning trees
less than 8'' DBH and removing brush within treatment areas. Commercial
biomass would be a by-product of this treatment. Fuel treatments would
augment on-going road brush treatment projects funded by the Community
Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) located in the northwest corner of the
project area.
All previously managed plantations would be treated,
either with commercial thinning or timber stand improvements (TSI).
Both treatments are designed to reduce stand density, decrease
competition and improve growing space for residual trees. Commercially
thinned plantations would consist of thinning trees greater than 8''
DBH. Plantations without a commercial saw-log component (TSI) would
consist of thinning trees less than 8'' DBH and reducing brush.
Commercial biomass would be a by-product of TSI treatments.
Off-site ponderosa pine plantations would be thinned to
promote growth of naturally occurring tree species.
Douglas-fir/tanoak plantations would be thinned, and most
of the planted pine within these plantations would be removed, while a
portion of the hardwood component would be maintained.
Pure stands of Douglas-fir would be thinned to increase
growing space for overstocked early seral stands. Stands that once
contained a significant black oak component would be thinned to
encourage black oak regeneration.
Douglas-fir and white fir stands with viable oak and pine
would be thinned to reduce overall stand density, and trees that
compete with healthy hardwoods and pines would be removed to increase
their viability and promote their regeneration.
All treatments would maintain tree species mix of hardwoods and
conifers.
Maps and tables detailing the proposed action can be found at
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sixrivers/.
In addition, maps will be available for viewing at:
Mad River Ranger District, 741 Highway 36 (28 miles east of
Bridgeville), Bridgeville, CA 95526; phone: 707-574-6233.
Responsible Official
Thomas Hudson, District Ranger, Mad River Ranger District, 741
Highway 36, Bridgeville, CA 95526.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The responsible official will decide whether to adopt and implement
the proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or take no
action.
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 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, those
who only submit anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the
subsequent decision under 36 CFR part 215.
Dated: January 11, 2011.
Tyrone Kelley,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2011-884 Filed 1-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P