[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 71 (Thursday, April 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19160-19162]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-3539]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Eldorado National Forest; California; Freds Fire Reforestation 
Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest will 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to restore, reforest, 
and reduce fuels on approximately 4,300 acres that burned in the Freds 
Fire of 2004. The Freds Fire Reforestation project area is located in 
El Dorado County, California, on the Eldorado National Forest, 
Placerville and Pacific Ranger Districts. The project area is located 
immediately north of U.S. Highway 50, near the town of Kyburz. The 
legal description is: Township 11 North, Range 14 East, Sections 13, 
14, 23, 24, 25; Township 11 North, Range 15 East, Sections 14-23, 27-
30; Township 11 North, Range 16 East, Sections 17-20, 30, MDM.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by May 19, 2006. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in July 2006 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
in October 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Kathryn D. Hardy, Placerville 
Ranger District, 4260 Eight Mile Road, Camino, CA 95709, Attention: 
Freds Fire Reforestation Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Carroll, Project Leader, 
Placerville Ranger District, 4260 Eight Mile Road, Camino, CA 95709, or 
by telephone at 530-647-5386.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    On areas impacted by the Freds Fire of 2004 the purpose of the 
project is to:

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1. Reestablish a forested landscape and promote its survival and 
growth; 2. incorporate fuel treatments to reduce wildfire spread and 
intensity or interrupt fire spread; and 3. restore aquatic and riparian 
habitats to improve water quality and provide for the native plant and 
animal species associated with these ecosystems. The Freds Fire 
resulted in adverse effects to forest resources such as soil, riparian 
areas, and wildlife habitat, and caused extensive tree mortality. 
Removal of most of the fire-killed trees occurred in 2005. Live and 
dead trees remain, distributed across the landscape as described in the 
Freds Fire Restoration FEIS. Without additional treatment to restore 
the fire area, additional impacts are likely over the short and long 
term. The goal of this project is to move the project area more quickly 
toward desired future conditions for the land allocations within the 
fire area, as defined by the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment 
(SNFP). These land allocations are threat zone, defense zone, general 
forest, protected activity centers for spotted owls, spotted owl home 
range core areas, and riparian conservation areas adjacent to 
perennial, seasonal and ephemeral streams.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action would consist of combinations of site 
preparation, reforestation, release, noxious weed, and fuel treatments. 
Site preparation treatments would be by chemical methods, utilizing 
ground-based herbicide applications (glyphosate or triclopyr). 
Reforestation treatments would include planting and re-planting if 
needed. Release treatments would include hand grubbing and ground-based 
herbicide (glyphosate, triclopyr, or hexazinone) applications. Noxious 
weed treatments would include hand treatments by manual and chemical 
(glyphosate and clopyralid) methods. Fuel treatments would include 
manual and chemical methods. No road construction is proposed.
    The proposed action is consistent with the 1989 Eldorado National 
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan as amended by the Sierra 
Nevada Forest Plan Amendment Record of Decision (2004).

Possible Alternatives

    Other alternatives will be developed based on significant issues 
identified during the scoping process for the environmental impact 
statement. All alternatives will need to respond to the specific 
condition of providing benefits equal to or better than the current 
condition. Alternatives being considered at this time include: (1) The 
Proposed Action and (2) No Action.

Responsible Official

    Kathryn D. Hardy, District Ranger, Placerville Ranger District, 
Eldorado National Forest, is the responsible official. As the 
responsible official she will document the decision and reasons for the 
decision in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to 
Forest Service appeal regulations (36 CFR part 215).

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made is whether to adopt and implement the 
proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or take no 
action to plant trees, take steps to promote their survival and growth, 
or conduct fuel treatments.

Scoping Process

    Public participation will be especially important at several points 
during the analysis. The Forest Service will be seeking information, 
comments, and assistance from the Federal, State, and local agencies 
and other individual or organizations who may be interested in or 
affected by the proposed action. To facilitate public participation, 
information about the proposed action will be mailed to all who express 
interest in the proposed action and notification of the public scoping 
period will be published in the Mountain Democrat, Placerville, CA.
    Comments submitted during the 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 scoping process includes:
    (a) Identifying potential issues;
    (b) Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.
    (c) Eliminating nonsignificant 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.
    A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 9, 2006, from 7 p.m. 
to 9 p.m. at the County Fire Station 16, Kyburz, California.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.

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 proposed 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

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21) The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in June, 2005. In the 
final EIS, The Forest Service is required to respond to substantive 
comments received during the comment period that pertain to the 
environmental consequences discussed in the draft EIS and applicable 
laws, regulations, and policies considered in making the decision 
regarding this proposal.

    Dated: April 6, 2006.
Judie L. Tartaglia,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06-3539 Filed 4-12-06; 8:45 am]
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