[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 168 (Thursday, August 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50096-50098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4253]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Plumas National Forest, Feather River Ranger District, CA; Flea 
Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement to disclose the environmental effects resulting from 
construction of fuel breaks known as defensible fuel profile zones 
(DFPZs); harvest and reforestation of timber stands; restoration and 
enhancement of aquatic and riparian habitat; improvement of wildlife 
habitat and long term watershed condition; underburning to improve the 
health of unique plant communities; and road construction, 
reconstruction, and decommissioning.

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 
January 2008, and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
by April 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Karen Hayden, District Ranger, 
Plumas National Forest, Feather River Ranger District, 875 Mitchell 
Ave, Oroville, CA 95965. Comments may be (1) Mailed to the Responsible 
Official; (2) hand-delivered between the hours of 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, excluding holidays; (3) faxed to (530) 532-1210; 
or (4) electronically mailed

[[Page 50097]]

to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Zarlengo, Project Leader, Feather 
River Ranger District, 875 Mitchell Avenue, Oroville, CA 95965, or call 
(530) 532-8932.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Flea Project area is located within the 
Feather River Ranger District of the Plumas National Forest in Butte 
County. Encompassing approximately 11,000 acres, the project area is 
located north and east of Paradise, from De Sabla in the northwest to 
Jorbo Gap in the southeast, and north and west of Mayaro and North Fork 
of the Feather River in the northeast. Treatment units range in 
elevation from 1,600 to 4,300 feet above sea level. Communities in and 
near the project area include Paradise, Magalia, DeSabla, Yankee Hill, 
Concow, Pulga and Mayaro.
    The Flea Project is proposed as part of a broad resource management 
program to promote the ecological health of lands and economic health 
and stability of communities in the northern Sierra Nevada under the 
authority of the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Forest Recovery 
Act (HFQLG Act).

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Forest Service has identified the following project objectives: 
(1) Protect communities and forest ecosystems from high-intensity 
wildfires; (2) promote a healthy all-aged, multistoried, fire-resilient 
forest; (3) contribute to the stability and economic health of 
communities; (4) promote the health of unique plant communities; (5) 
promote healthy aquatic and riparian ecosystems, and improve long term 
watershed condition; and (6) improve wildlife habitat.

Proposed Action

    To achieve project objectives, the Forest Service proposes to 
construct approximately 2,007 acres of fuelbreaks known as Defensible 
Fuel Profile Zones (DFPZ). A DFPZ is a strategically located strip of 
land approximately \1/2\ mile in width on which fuels, both living and 
dead, have been modified in order to reduce the potential for sustained 
crown fire and to allow fire suppression personnel a safer location 
from which to take action against a wildfire. The DFPZs in the Flea 
Project would be part of a larger, strategic system of DFPZs on the 
Plumas National Forest, adjacent private lands, and other national 
forests.
    Proposed DFPZs are generally located on ridges, along roads, or 
adjacent to private property within wildland urban interface with tree 
crowns spaced at a distance that reduces the potential for crown fire 
spread (generally 40 percent canopy cover). DFPZs would be constructed 
through mechanically thinning and biomass removal on approximately 671 
acres, mastication on approximately 456 acres, underburning on 
approximately 447 acres, and hand cutting, piling, and burning on 
approximately 433 acres.
    The Forest Service proposes to harvest up to 5 million board feet 
of timber from group selection units (228 acres), and DFPZ mechanical 
thinning units (546 acres). Group selection involves harvest of trees 
less than 30-inches in diameter from small (0.5 to 2 acres) groups. 
Over time, this would create an uneven-aged (all-aged) forest made up 
of a mosaic of small groups of same-aged trees.
    Use of existing and temporary roads would be needed to access group 
selection and DFPZ treatment areas. An estimated 13.4 miles of existing 
road would be reconstructed with 0.45 additional miles of new 
classified road construction and 4.5 miles of new temporary spur 
construction. An estimated 9.5 miles of system roads would be 
decommissioned or closed by various methods, such as ripping and 
seeding, re-contouring, and installing barriers. Future use of all 
other roads and user-developed OHV routes in the Flea Project area 
would be determined by the Plumas National Forest's travel management 
process. Improve the health of serpentine plant communities through the 
use of prescribed fire. Underburn approximately 100 acres included as 
DFPZ treatment.
    Aquatic and riparian restoration projects include restoring and 
enhancing aquatic, native plant, and riparian habitat and improving 
long term watershed condition by decommissioning 9.5 miles of system 
roads, replacing or upgrading three culverts to restore aquatic species 
passage to approximately 5 miles of upstream habitat; and stabilizing 
stream channels and banks.
    Habitat for northern goshawk would be improved by enhancing tree 
growth and health, and by creating a more desirable open understory on 
84 acres included as DFPZ treatment.

Responsible Official

    Karen L. Hayden, District Ranger, 875 Mitchell Ave., Oroville, CA 
95965 is the Responsible Official. The Forest Service intends to use 
Stewardship contracting authority to apply the value from timber 
harvest to offset costs of fuel treatments.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will decide whether to implement this 
proposal, an alternative design that moves the project area towards the 
desired conditions, or not to implement any 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 related to the proposed actions, comments should be 
as specific as possible.
    Information about the proposed action will be mailed to the 
adjacent landowners, as well as to those people and organizations that 
have indicated a specific interest in the project, to Native American 
entities, and federal, state, and local agencies. The public will be 
notified of any meetings regarding this proposal by mailings and press 
releases sent to local newspapers and media. A community meeting in the 
project area is planned for January 2008, although specific information 
is not available at this time.

Preliminary Issues

    The following preliminary issues have been identified for this 
proposal: (a) Impacts of ground disturbing activities on watershed 
condition, (b) impacts of activities on highly erodible soils, (c) 
economic feasibility of the project due to high treatment and 
regeneration costs, and (d) impacts of activities on habitat used by 
the California spotted owl and northern goshawk. Continued analysis 
will determine the relevance of these preliminary issues. Additional 
issues may be identified during the scoping process.

Permits or Licenses Required

    No federal permits, licenses, or entitlements are necessary to 
implement the proposed project. State requirements, based on federal 
laws, and administered by the County Agricultural Commissioner for air 
quality management will be followed. These requirements include burning 
only on permissive burn days or receiving a special variance prior to 
ignition. Smoke permits are required from the Northern Sierra and 
Feather River Air Quality Management Districts (AQMD) prior to any 
understory or pile burning. Timber Harvest Activity Waivers are 
required from the California Regional Water Quality Control Board.

[[Page 50098]]

Comment Requested

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

    Dated: August 21, 2007.
Karen L. Hayden,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 07-4253 Filed 8-29-07; 8:45 am]
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