[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 217 (Thursday, November 10, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68393-68394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22435]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Plumas National Forest; California; Diamond Vegetation Management 
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 will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal implement hazardous 
fuel reduction and construction of Defensible Fuel Profile Zones, 
implement thinning, group selection harvest, road system improvements, 
and stream channel restoration. Also, treatments of noxious weeds are 
proposed using mechanical, fire, and chemical methods. These actions 
are proposed to occur in forested areas of public land northeast of 
Quincy, California.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days of the date of publication of this Notice of Intent in 
the Federal Register. The draft EIS is expected in April 2006 and the 
final EIS is expected in August 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to James M. Pe[ntilde]a, Plumas 
National Forest, P.O. Box 11500, Quincy, CA 95971. Fax: (530) 283-7746. 
Electronic comments should be sent to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Moghaddas, Interdisciplinary 
Team Leader, Mt. Hough Ranger District, telephone (530) 283-7652.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Tentative or Preliminary Issues and Possible Alternatives

    Alternatives being considered at this time include: (A) the 
Proposed Action and (B) No Action.
    The proposed action is designed to meet the standards and 
guidelines for land management activities in the Plumas National Forest 
Land and Resource Management Plan (1988) (LRMP) as amended by the 
Record of Decision for the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forest 
Recovery Act (1999) (HFQLG), and as amended by the Record of Decision 
for the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (2004).
    The proposed action is located in Plumas County, California, within 
the Mt. Hough Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest in all or 
portions of Sections 1 and 2 T26N R11E; Sections 2-6, 8-11, 14-23, 26-
29, 32, and 33 T26N R12E. Sections 1, 2, 10-14, 24, and 25 T27N R10E; 
Sections 2-28, 30, 35, 36 T27N R11E; Sections 1-12, 14-17, 19-21, 26-35 
T27N R12E; Section 6 T27N R13E; Sections 13, 14, 23, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36 
T28N R10E; Sections 1-5, 7-20, 23-26, 29-36 T28N R11E; Sections 5-9, 
14-36 T28N R12E; and Section 31 T28N R13E MDM. Section 1, T23N, R9E; 
Section 6, T23N, R10E; Sections 4 & 8, T23N, R11E; Sections 1-6, 8-12, 
13-16, 22-26, 31, and 32, T24N, R10E; Sections 5-8, 15, 17, 21-28, and 
33-35, T24N, R11E; Sections 1, 10-12, 13, 14, 21-28, 33-34, and 26, 
T25N, R9E; Sections 6-8 and 14-35, T25N, R10E; and Sections 19, 29, 30, 
31, and 32, T25N, R11E, MDM.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for this proposal is to shift the existing 
conditions toward the desired conditions. In the context of an 
integrated management approach there are several primary needs for this 
proposal. They include:
    (1) Modifying fire behavior to protect communities, fire fighters, 
and biological resources; (2) Modifying forest structure and species 
composition to promote the development of an uneven-aged, multistoried, 
fire resilient forest; (3) Restoring aquatic and riparian habitat and 
improve watershed conditions; (4) Contributing to the economic 
stability of rural communities; (5) Controlling spread and introduction 
of noxious weeds; and (6) Providing access to integrated resource 
treatments and improving the road system.

Proposed Action

    The project area for the proposed action is about 100,000 acres. 
The proposal is composed of eight actions: (1) Reduce hazardous fuels; 
(2) implement group selection timber harvest; (3) implement thinning 
timber harvest and biomass removal; (4) improve transportation system; 
(5) improve riparian and watershed conditions, (6) thin conifers trees 
to release aspen stands; (7) thin conifers and reduce fuels in Baker 
cypress

[[Page 68394]]

habitat, and (8) remove and abate noxious weeds. Fuel treatments would 
consist of construction of about 5,700 acres of defensible fuel profile 
zones and prescribed burning on about 900 acres, totalling about 6, 600 
acres. Group selection timber harvest as part of the HFQLG pilot 
project would be conducted on about 1,200 acres. Thinning and biomass 
removal are proposed on about 4,255 acres. Also, thinning is proposed 
in plantations (about 800 acres) riparian habitat conservation areas 
(about 1,256 acres), aspen stands (about 820 acres), Baker cypress 
stands (about 140 acres). Six areas of stream channel restoration is 
proposed. And about two miles of new system roads would be constructed; 
ten miles of temporary roads would be constructed and decommissioned 
after use; twelve miles of existing roads would be permanently 
decommissioned; 107 miles of reconstruction fo existing roads, and 
seven culverts would be replaced or installed for fish passage. About 
400 locations of Canada thistle (Cirsium avense) would be treated with 
either clopyralid or glyphopsate on about 120 acres. the remaining 2 
acres of noxious weed locations would be treated with mechanical, hand, 
or burning methods.

Lead Agency

    The USDA Forest Service is the lead agency for this proposal.

Responsible Official

    Plumas National Forest Supervisor James M. Pe[ntilde]a is the 
responsible official. Plumas National Forest, P.O. Box 11500, Quincy, 
CA 95971.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    Forest Supervisor James M. Pe[ntilde]a will decide whether to 
implement the Diamond Project as proposed and described above, 
implement the project based on an alternative to this proposal that is 
formulated to resolve identified conflicts, or not implement this 
project at this time.

Scoping Process

    Public questions and comments regarding this proposal are an 
integral part of this environmental analysis process. Comments will be 
used to identify issues and develop alternatives to the proposed 
action. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering 
issues and concerns on the proposed action, comments should be as 
specific as possible.
    A copy of the Proposed Action will be mailed to adjacent 
landowners, as well as those people and organizations that have 
indicated a specific interest in the Diamond project, interested 
individuals who attended the open house held prior to the development 
of a landscape assessment for the watersheds encompassing the project, 
to Native American Tribes, Federal, State, and local agencies. The 
public will be notified of any meetings regarding this proposal by 
mailings and press releases sent to the local newspaper and media.

Permits or Licenses Required

    An Air Pollution Permit and a Smoke Management Plan are required by 
local agencies.

Comment

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement under NEPA, which 
will guide development of the EIS. Our desire is to receive substantive 
comments on the merits of the Proposed Action, as well as comments that 
address errors, misinformation, or information that has been omitted. 
Substantive comments are defined as comments within the scope of the 
proposal, that have a direct relationship to the proposal, and that 
include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official's 
consideration.

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, 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 proposal action 
participate by the close of the 45-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: November 3, 2005.
James M. Pe[ntilde]a,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-22435 Filed 11-9-05; 8:45am]
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