[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 27 (Thursday, February 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7074-7075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2605]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 27 / Thursday, February 10, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 7074]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Plumas National Forest, Feather River Ranger District, 
California, Bald Mountain Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement on a proposal to harvest trees from approximately 90 acres 
using group selection silviculture methods, from approximately 100 
acres using individual tree selection silviculture methods, and perform 
associated road system improvements within the pilot project area 
defined in the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forest Recovery 
Act, October 1998 (HFQLGFRA).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days of the publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected by May, 
2005 and the final environmental impact statement is expected by 
August, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Karen L. Hayden, District Ranger, 
Feather River Ranger District, 875 Mitchell Avenue, Oroville, CA 95965. 
Submit electronic comments to [email protected]. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for file formats 
and other information about filing comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine Worn, Project Leader, at the 
above address or call (530) 534-6500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is approximately 8,000 
acres and is entirely located within Plumas County, California. It is 
generally situated around Little Grass Valley Reservoir and the South 
Fork of the Feather River. The LaPorte/Quincy Road borders the project 
area to the east while Lumpkin Road and Forest Service Roads 22N27 and 
22N57 transect the western half of the project area. The legal 
description of the project area is as follows: T.22N, R.8E, part of 
Section 24; T.22N., R.9E., portions of Sections 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 
24, 27, 28, 29 and 34; and T.22N., R.10E. portions of Sections 7, 8, 
17, 18, of the Mount Diablo Base Meridian. The project area ranges in 
elevation from 5,000 to 6,500 feet above mean sea level.

Purpose and Need for Action

    Resource specialists examined the project area to determine the 
existing condition and to identify opportunities and specific 
management practices that could be implemented to accomplish management 
direction and goals described in the Plumas National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan, August 1988, as amended by the August 1999 
Record of Decision for the HFQLGFRA, as well as the Sierra Nevada 
Framework Forest Plan Amendment of January 2004, which amended the 
Sierra Nevada Framework Forest Plan Amendment of January 2001.
    Within the project area, treatment is needed to increase 
representation of fire-adapted tree species, improve forest health and 
vigor, reduce fuels, and increase canopy layer, seral stage, and age 
class diversity. The purpose of the project is to meet those needs by 
implementing group selection and individual tree selection 
silvicultural systems as directed in the HFQLGFRA and the Sierra Nevada 
Forest Plan Amendment 2004 Record of Decision.
    The project is designed to: (1) Test the effectiveness of group 
selection and individual tree selection treatments in achieving an all-
aged, multistory, fire-resilient forest, (2) provide an adequate timber 
supply that contributes to the economic stability of rural communities, 
and (3) promote ecological health of the forest.

Proposed Action

    The Forest Service proposes to conduct group selection timber 
harvest in approximately 50 groups covering approximately 90 acres. 
Group selection involves harvest of trees up to 30-inches in diameter 
from small (less than two acres) areas, resulting in uneven-aged (all-
aged) forests made up of a patchwork of small groups of same-aged 
trees. Undamaged, healthy, shade-tolerant conifers would be retained in 
groups. Individual tree selection would be used to remove individually-
selected trees less than 30-inches in diameter from approximately 100 
acres. Non-merchantable trees (small trees less than nine inches in 
diameter) would be masticated or removed for biomass to reduce ladder 
fuels and increase crown base height.

Responsible Official

    Karen L. Hayden, District Ranger, Feather River Ranger District, 
875 Mitchell Avenue, Oroville, CA 95965 is the Responsible Official.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Service must decide whether it will implement this 
proposal, an alternative design that moves the area towards the desired 
condition, or not to implement any project at this time.

Scoping Process

    Notice of the proposed action was first listed in the Plumas 
National Forest's Schedule of Proposed Actions in October, 1997. In 
August of 1998, a scoping letter was sent to interest and affected 
tribes, individuals, organizations, and Federal, State, and local 
agencies with responsibilities for local resource management. The Bald 
Mountain Landscape Analysis was completed in October, 1998 to: (1) 
Evaluate the condition of the landscape, (2) develop desired conditions 
for the Bald Mountain landscape, and (3) identify opportunities for 
moving the landscape toward desired conditions. An Environmental 
Assessment for the project was completed in March, 1999 and distributed 
for public review. A Decision Notice to proceed with the Bald Mountain 
Project was signed in June of 1999. The project was designed to treat 
approximately 1,907 acres by thinning and 66 acres by modified group 
selection. The resulting Decision (June, 1999) was never implemented. 
In December of 2004, a new proposed action for the Bald Mountain 
project was mailed to 192 individuals, groups, organizations, tribes, 
and Federal, State, and local agencies. The scoping letter was sent to 
those who expressed interest in the proposal, those who owned property 
or held mining claims in and

[[Page 7075]]

adjacent to the project area, and to agencies with responsibilities for 
local resource management. The revised proposal called for harvesting 
trees using group selection methods on approximately 90 acres and by 
individual tree selection on approximately 100 acres within the 
HFQLGFRA pilot project area. A Legal Notice announcing the start of the 
scoping process was published in the Oroville Mercury-Register on 
December 17, 2004. Eight comments have been received since the start of 
the scoping period.
    After evaluating responses to the December 2004 scoping, the Forest 
Service has decided to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) 
for the Bald Mountain project. This notice of intent invites additional 
public comment on this proposal and initiates the preparation of the 
environmental impact statement. The proposal has not been changed since 
scoping in December 24. Comments submitted at that time will be used in 
the environmental analysis process. Due to the extensive scoping 
efforts already conducted, no scoping meeting is planned.
    The scoping process will include identification of potential 
issues, in depth analysis of significant issues, development of 
alternatives to the proposed action, and determination of potential 
environmental effects of the proposal and alternatives. While public 
participation in this analysis is welcome at any time, comments 
received within 30 days of the publication of this notice will be 
especially useful in the preparation of the draft environmental impact 
statement. The public is encouraged to take part in the planning 
process and to visit with Forest Service officials at any time during 
the analysis and prior to the decision.

Addresses

    Comments may be: (1) Mailed to the Responsible Official; (2) hand 
delivered between the hours of 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays Pacific Time; 
(3) faxed to (530) 532-1210; or (4) electronically mailed to: [email protected]. Comments submitted 
electronically must be in Rich Text Format (.rtf).

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments 
submitted during the December 2004 scoping period will be used in the 
environmental analysis process. Those who submitted comments at that 
time do not need to comment again, unless they have new comments they 
would like to provide. The public is encouraged to take part in the 
process and is encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials at any 
time during the analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service 
will be seeking information, comments, and assistance from Federal, 
State, and local agencies and other individuals or organizations that 
may be interested in, or affected by, the proposed vegetation 
management activities.

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 forty-five 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 forty-five 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 21.

    Dated: February 3, 2005.
Terri Simon-Jackson,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-2605 Filed 2-9-05; 8:45 am]
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