[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 78 (Friday, April 22, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22668-22670]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9871]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; I-5 Corridor Fuels 
Reduction Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Shasta Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest is 
proposing a hazardous fuels treatment project to reduce the risk of 
life, property and resource values from a high severity wildland fire 
event and improve fire suppression abilities and firefighter safety by 
modifying predicted fire behavior along Interstate Highway 5 (I-5) 
corridor north of the Pit River Bridge; south of the community of 
Pollock; east of Backbone Ridge peninsula; and west of the McCloud 
River Arm of Shasta Lake (approximately 15 miles north of Redding, 
Califronia). The project is located in Shasta County, California. The 
project area covers approximately 33,700 acres, 15,600 acres are within 
the wildland urban interface (WUI), 11,900 acres of the WUI are on 
National Forest System lands. Approximately 20,025 acres of the project 
area is proposed for treatment. Treatment methods include prescribe 
fire (i.e., broadcast, underburn, pile burn), mastication, thin and 
brush cut, prune, chip and pile.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by May 25, 2011. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
December 2011 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
October 2012.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Marian Kadota, Project Manager, 
1072 Casitas Pass Road, 288, Carpinteria, CA 93013. Comments 
may also be sent via e-mail to [email protected] with ``I-5 Corridor'' as the subject, or via 
facsimile to (530) 275-1512.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marian Kadota, Project Manager, 1072 
Casitas Pass Road, 288, Carpinteria, CA 93013. Phone: (805) 
220-6388; e-mail address: [email protected]. Individuals

[[Page 22669]]

who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call (530) 
242-5526.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The needs for the I-5 Corridor Fuels Reduction (I-5 Corridor) 
Project are to reduce the risk to life, property and resource values 
from a high severity wildland fire event uncharacteristic of the 
historical fire regime, and improve fire suppression abilities and 
firefighter safety by modifying fire predicted behavior through fuels 
treatment within the project area. This would be achieved by reducing 
the uncharacteristic buildup of fuels on the landscape on National 
Forest System lands. This proposal will compliment other existing and 
planned firewise treatments on non-national forest lands. Vegetation 
treatment on non-national forest lands for reducing the risk to 
individual homes is the responsibility of private landowners. The 
project is designed to respond to goals and objectives identified in 
the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, the Northwest Forest 
Plan, and the Lakehead Area Strategic Fuel Reduction Plan.
    The purposes (objectives) for the I-5 Corridor Project are to: 
restore fire to its natural role in the ecosystem (Forest Plan, p. 4-
4); manage the chaparral ecosystem to enhance wildlife habitat and 
watershed condition (Forest Plan, p. 4-4); manage vegetation to a level 
that results in healthy forest stands, maintenance of wildlife habitat, 
good scenic quality and public health and safety (Forest Plan, 
Management Area 8 [Shasta Unit], p. 4-112); and within bald eagle nest 
territories, manage vegetation to enhance or retain critical habitat 
elements over the long-term (Forest Plan, Management Area 8 [Shasta 
Unit], p. 4-112).

Proposed Action

    The Shasta-Trinity National Forest is proposing approximately 
20,025 acres of vegetation treatment on National Forest System lands in 
portions of T33N, R5W; T34N, R4W; T34N, R5W; T35N, R3W; T25N, R4W; 
T35N, R5W; T36N, R3W, MDM. The project does not involve any commercial 
timber harvest. The treatment methods include: Broadcast and underburn 
prescribe fire (approximately 12,815 acres); mastication followed by 
broadcast or underburn prescribe fire (approximately 1,675 acres); 
thin, pile, pile burn followed by broadcast or underburn prescribe fire 
(approximately 1,590 acres); thin, pile, pile and burn or chip 
(approximately 2,820 acres); and masticate (approximately 1,125 acres).
    Within all treatment areas, trees that pose a hazard to firefighter 
or public safety would be cut. If the tree is greater than 19 inches 
diameter at breast height (dbh), the downed tree would be left on site 
unless this conflicts with fuels management objectives or poses a 
safety hazard for that specific site.
    No new forest system or temporary roads are proposed for 
construction. The majority of roads within the project area are hard 
surfaced (e.g. paved) and would need no additional maintenance work 
through the implementation of this project. The native forest system 
surfaced roads (i.e., unpaved) may receive reconstruction and 
maintenance activities.
    The project is proposed for implementation over a ten year period. 
The proposed average annual treatment is approximately 2,000 acres. 
Treatments can occur any time of the year so long as Best Management 
Practices are implemented and the treatments comply with the design 
features included in the project design.
    Design features (protection measures) were developed and 
incorporated into the proposed action to reduce potential resource 
impacts from this project. In addition, monitoring measures are 
proposed to determine the effectiveness of the project's design and 
associated design features.
    The proposed action requires non-significant project level Forest 
Plan amendments. Two Forest Plan Management Prescription standards 
require higher levels of unburned dead and down material per acre be 
retained than what is proposed after treatment. The Limited Roaded 
Motorized Recreation management prescription requires an average of 20 
tons of unburned dead and down material per acre (Forest Plan, p. 4-
47); Roaded Recreation requires an average of ten tons of unburned dead 
and down material per acre on slopes less than 40 percent and where 
feasible, maintain the same amount on slopes over 40 percent (Forest 
Plan, pp. 4-65-66). The Forest Plan amendment would reduce the dead and 
down material from ten to 20 tons per acre to generally five to ten 
tons per acre in Limited Roaded Motorized Recreation and Roaded 
Recreation Management Prescription areas. This would entail 
approximately 1,255 acres of Limited Roaded Motorized Recreation and 
8,475 acres of Roaded Recreation. Another non-significant Forest Plan 
amendment would include designating a Forest Service acquired parcel 
located in Sec 9, T34N, R4W, MDM, totaling 117 acres, as Roaded 
Recreation for the management prescription. The National Forest System 
lands surrounding this parcel are designated Roaded Recreation. This 
117-acre parcel is located in one of the proposed treatment areas.
    A more detailed project description can be found on the Forest Web 
site at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/project_content.php?project=30238.

Possible Alternatives

    Based on the initial scoping of the project, another action 
alternative will be considered in the environmental analysis that only 
involves treatments within the wildland urban interface. The 
preliminary alternatives currently under consideration (besides the 
proposed action) are: the No Action Alternative and the Wildland Urban 
Interface Alternative. The final alternatives analyzed in detail will 
depend on the issues raised during public scoping.

Responsible Official

    The Forest Service responsible official for the preparation of the 
EIS is the Shasta-Trinity Forest Supervisor J. Sharon Heywood, 3644 
Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed 
action, approve an alternative to the proposed action, or take no 
action on treating the vegetation related to this project at this time.

Preliminary Issues

    Issues identified during initial scoping include potential 
cumulative, visual quality, water quality, special status species, and 
invasive plants impacts.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent reinitiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide 
the Agency

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with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent 
environmental documents.

    Dated: April 18, 2011.
Alan D. Olson,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2011-9871 Filed 4-21-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P