[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 237 (Monday, December 12, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73430-73431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23894]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Gemmill Thin

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Shasta-Trinity National Forest proposes to thin trees and 
reduce existing fuels on approximately 1,700 acres of National Forest 
System lands in the Gemmill Thin project. The project is in T.29 and 30 
N., R.10 and 11 W., Mt. Diablo Meridian, immediately north and east of 
the community of Wildwood, California and south of Chanchelulla 
Wilderness and Roadless areas. Treatments will consist of thinning 
harvest to remove competing understory trees, road restroation, and 
removal of small trees and shrubs to protect and enhance an area 
designated by the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) as 
Late Successional Reserve (LSR). The project falls within a 4,800 acre 
analysis area which includes all or portions of Hall City Creek, Wilson 
Creek and Chanchelulla Creek. These creeks and many of their 
tributaries are also identified within the LRMP as Riparian Reserves 
(RR).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must 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 January 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected in April 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Gemmill Thin Comments, South Fork 
Management Unit, P.O. Box 159, Hayfork, CA 96041.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Carrothers, Gemmill Thin IDT 
Lead, South Fork Management Unit, P.O. Box 159, Hayfork at (530) 628-
5227 or visit the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/projects.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Gemmill Thin project responds to two problems within the Upper 
Hayfork Creek fifth field watershed and Chanchelulla late successional 
reserve (LSR). 1) There is less late successional old growth (LSOG) 
habitat than desired; 2) The risk of losing existing and developing 
LSOG habitat to wildfire is increasing. Thinning the forest will 
improve the growing conditions for the remaining trees by making more 
sunlight, water and other nutrients available for use. Tree health and 
growth in the treated sounds would improve; LSOG habitat would 
development at a faster rate. Ladder fuels, the small conifers, shrubs 
and hardwoods in the understory, provide a

[[Page 73431]]

conduit for fire to travel from the ground surface into the tree canopy 
and put the later, older trees at greater risk of loss to fire. 
Removing these ladder fuels greatly reduces the likelihood that 
wildfire will get into the canopy. The harvest and sale of cut trees 
provides wood products to society and offsets the cost of the proposed 
treatments.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to thin trees and shrubs and reduce existing 
fuels. Thinning prescriptions would be based on the following 
guidelines:
     On approximately 600 acres in 15 stands of mixed conifer 
and hardwood forest, aged 100 to 150 years, implement a low thinning. 
Enough trees would be removed to reduce the number of stems per acre to 
a stocking level that maintains a greater competitive advantage for the 
larger older trees and to remove fuel ladders. The largest and oldest 
trees would be retained, with the resulting stand averaging 60% tree 
canopy cover.
     On approximately 1,000 acres in 23 stands of mixed conifer 
and hardwood forest, aged 80 to 100 years old, implement a low 
thinning. Enough trees would be removed to reduce the number of stems 
per acre to a stocking level that maintains or increases growth rates 
and to remove fuel ladders. The largest and healthiest trees would be 
retained with the resulting stand averaging 50% tree canopy cover.
    A service contract would thin trees and grind up shrubs in planted 
stands. Thinning and release treatments would be accomplished through 
hand failing and mastication on approximately 100 acres in four planted 
conifer stands aged 20-40 years. Enough trees and shrubs would be 
removed to reduce the number of stems per acre to a stocking level that 
maintains stand growth rate and removes shrubs that act as a fuel 
ladder. The resulting stand would have an average of 100 trees per 
acre.

Responsible Official

    J. Sharon Heywood, Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National 
Forest, 3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002. (530) 226-2500.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed 
action, implement an alternative action that meets the purpose and need 
or take no action. The decision may include a non-significant forest 
plan amendment that permits treatment of stands older than 80 years.

Scoping Process

    Notice of the proposed action will be published in the newspaper of 
record, the Redding Record Searchlight. It will also be published in 
the Trinity Journal. Scoping letters will be mailed to interested and 
affected publics coincident with publication of the NOI in the Federal 
Register and information on the proposed action will be posted on the 
Forest Web site at http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/shastatrinity/projects. In 
addition, this proposal will be presented to and reviewed by the 
Trinity County Firesake council. This notice of intent initiates 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 issues the commenter 
has with the proposal. The results of scoping will include:
    (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.

Preliminary Issues

    No preliminary issues have been identified. Issues will be 
identified through scoping. 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 environment 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.
    (1) 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)].
    (2) Environmental objections that could be raised by the draft 
environmental impact statement stage but 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 45 
day comment period so that substantive comments and objections and 
received in time for meaningful consideration and response in the final 
environmental impact statement.
    Comments on the draft environmental impact statement should be as 
specific as possible, for example, refer to specific pages and/or 
chapters. 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: December 5, 2005.
J. Sharon Heywood,
Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
[FR Doc. 05-23894 Filed 12-9-05; 8:45 am]
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