[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 29 (Monday, February 14, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7468-7469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2767]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 29 / Monday, February 14, 2005 / 
Notices  

[[Page 7468]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Shasta-Trinity National Forest, California; Pilgrim Vegetation 
Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Shasta-Trinity National Forest proposes to harvest timber 
and clean up the resulting down wood (fuels) on approximately 3,770 
acres of National Forest System lands. About 90% of the area would be 
harvested through thinning by removing a portion of the trees from 
overcrowded forest stands. Trees removed would be those infected with 
disease or insects and generally smaller in size than those left 
behind. Most of the trees on the remaining 10% are infected by disease 
and insects and would be removed. Young tree seedlings would be planted 
in the openings created in these areas. The project area is in T40 and 
41N, R1W, MDM., about 10 miles northeast of the town of McCloud, 
California. Most of the project area is zoned by the Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan as Matrix land. About one percent of the area 
is zoned as Riparian Reserve (areas adjacent to streams or other 
wetlands).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
no later than 30 days after the publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in June 2005 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
in September 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to District Ranger Michael Hupp, 
Shasta-McCloud Management Unit, 204 W. Alma St., Mt. Shasta, California 
96067.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Funk, McCloud Ranger Station, 
P.O. Box 1620, McCloud, California 96057, telephone (530) 964-3770 or 
via e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    Thinning will reduce overcrowded conditions in forest areas where 
too many trees currently exist. Reducing density will improve the 
health of these forest areas by making more water, nutrients and 
sunlight available for use by the remaining trees (conifers and 
hardwoods). This will improve the health of the forest and improve tree 
resistance to insects, pathogens and drought. Too many small trees in 
the understory can act as a fuel ladder and carry fire into the canopy 
layer of the forest resulting in the death of a large number of trees. 
Small trees act as a fuel ladder because their crowns are closer to the 
ground and allow flames to move into the canopy. Removing small trees 
raises the crown base height and reduces the likelihood of flames 
reaching the canopy layer.
    The removal of groups of trees and re-planting with tree seedlings 
is being proposed to re-establish live trees in areas where most are 
dead or dying from insects, pathogens and drought. The harvest and sale 
of wood products will provide wood products to society and offset the 
cost of treatment.

Proposed Action

    The project will include the following treatments:
    1. Thinning harvests on approximately 3,380 acres.
    a. On 780 acres of 25-45 year old pine stands, thin from below to a 
spacing of approximately 20 feet. About 90% of these stands are older 
plantations. The resulting product will be primarily wood chips.
    b. On approximately 1,480 acres of 75-95 year old stands, thin to a 
density appropriate for ponderosa pine stands (approximately 120-150 
square feet of basal area).
    c. On approximately 1,080 acres of 75-95 year old pine stands, thin 
to a slightly more open condition than ``b'' (approximately 100-120 
square feet of basal area) by removing additional dead, dying and 
diseased trees in pockets infected with root diseases and maintain pine 
savanna stands in historic openings.
    d. On approximately 40 acres, thin two-storied mature stands to 
reduce understory ladder fuels and maintain older trees, especially 
pines.
    On all of the thinning harvests, small-diameter trees not needed 
for optimum stocking will be removed as wood chips. After the harvest 
treatments the project area would be treated to reduce accumulations of 
down wood and deep needle slash by underburning 200 acres and tractor 
piling and burning 1,000 acres.
    e. Release aspen from conifer competition on approximately 16 acres 
by removing conifers within 150 feet of aspen.
    2. Harvest 10 acres of knobcone pine for sale as wood chips. 
Tractor pile residual slash and re-plant with ponderosa pine.
    3. Harvest and re-plant approximately 370 acres of 95-110 year old 
pine suffering from root disease and bark beetle mortality. Leave 
healthy white fir, incense-cedar, sugar pine, Douglas-fir and black 
oak. Remove wood products. Tractor pile residual slash. Re-plant with 
mixed species in shaded areas, ponderosa pine in open areas. The timber 
harvest outputs from the entire project are anticipated to be 
approximately 40-50 thousand CCF (25-30 MMBF) of sawlog products plus 
approximately 3,000 tons of chipped wood products.
    The proposed action includes borax application on stumps to prevent 
the spread of annosus root disease, but does not include the use of 
herbicides or pesticides. The project may include the construction of 
short lengths of temporary road and the closure or decommissioning of 
other roads.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    Lead Agency: USDA, Forest Service.

Responsible Official

    J. Sharon Heywood, Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National 
Forest, 3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed 
action, take an alternative action that meets the purpose and need, or 
take no action.

Scoping Process

    The project is included in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest's 
quarterly schedule of proposed actions (SOPA).

[[Page 7469]]

Information on the proposed action will also be posted on the forest 
Web site, http://www.fs.fed.us/r5.shastatrinity/projects, and 
advertised in the Mt. Shasta Herald. A field trip will be held for 
interested parties in May of 2005. This notice of intent intimates the 
scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental 
impact statement. Comments submitted during this 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 
issue the commenter has with the proposal. The scoping process 
includes:
    (a) Identifying potential issues.
    (b) Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
    (c) Eliminating non-significant 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.
    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 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 
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 thus ensuring substantive 
comments and objections are 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: January 24, 2005.
J. Sharon Heywood,
Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
[FR Doc. 05-2767 Filed 2-11-05; 8:45 am]
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