[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 5, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33158-33159]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13576]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Plumas National Forest, California, Sugarloaf Hazardous Fuels 
Reduction Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, Feather River Ranger District of the 
Plumas National Forest (PNF) will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) on the Sugarloaf Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project 
proposed to modify fire behavior, promote forest and watershed health, 
while contributing to the economic stability of rural communities 
through: fuels treatments; group selections (GS); area and variable 
density thinning from below; road improvements; and prescribed fire 
treatments on National Forest System (NFS) lands. The Sugarloaf Project 
is located south of Little Grass Valley Reservoir, from Goat Mountain 
in the north to American House in the south, surrounding the community 
of La Porte; including the Valley Creek Special Interest Area (SIA) 
administered by the PNF.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 45 days from date of publication in the Federal Register. The 
draft environmental impact statement is expected July 2012 and the 
final environmental impact statement is expected August 2012. A 
decision is expected in September 2012 and implementation may begin as 
early as spring of 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Carol Spinos, Interdisciplinary 
Team Leader, Feather River Ranger District Ranger District, 875 
Mitchell Avenue, Oroville, CA 95965. Comments may be: (1) Mailed; (2) 
hand delivered between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays 
Pacific Time; (3) faxed to (530) 532-1210; or (4) electronically mailed 
to: [email protected]. Please 
indicate the name ``Sugarloaf Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project'' on 
the subject line of your email. Comments submitted electronically must 
be in Rich Text Format (.rtf), plain text format (.txt.) or Word 
(.doc).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carol Spinos, Interdisciplinary Team 
Leader, Feather River Ranger District Ranger District, 875 Mitchell 
Avenue, Oroville, CA 95966. Telephone: (530) 534-6500 or electronic 
address: [email protected].
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action is designed to meet the 
standards and guidelines for land management activities described in 
the Plumas National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (PNF LRMP) 
(USDA 1988) as amended by Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group (HFQLG) 
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) and Record of 
Decision (ROD) (USDA 1999a, 1999b, 2003b, 2003c), and the Sierra Nevada 
Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA) FSEIS and ROD (USDA 2004a, 2004b). This 
project is being planned under authorization of the Healthy Forest 
Restoration Act (H.R. 1904; Pub. L. 108-148; 36 CFR part 218--
Predecisional Administrative Review Process).
    The Sugarloaf Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project boundary 
encompasses all or portions of T. 21 N., R. 8 E., sec. 24-26; T. 21 N., 
R. 9 E., sec. 2, 3, 5-10, 15-22, 27-32 in Plumas County, CA, MDM.

Purpose and Need for Action

    This Project is proposed to establish defensible fuel profile zones 
(DFPZs), modify fire behavior, promote forest and watershed health, 
while contributing to the economic stability of rural communities in 
Plumas County, CA. Fire behavior needs to be modified in selected 
forest stands in order to reduce high fuel loading and resulting 
increased risks to people, structures, and resources in the wildland 
urban-interface (WUI). There is a need for forest health, tree species 
diversity and structural complexity to be altered in the Sugarloaf 
Project area, because stand densities are unnaturally overcrowded and 
dominated by shade-tolerant tree species (e.g. Douglas-fir and white-
fir) and high fuel loads, at-risk from stand-replacing wildfire, insect 
infestations and disease. There is a need to improve watershed health 
as road surfaces are eroding, contributing sedimentation downstream to 
degrade water quality. There is a need to contribute to local forestry-
related employment and provide forest products offerings, vital for 
rural communities such as La Porte and American House, isolated from 
urban job markets.

Proposed Action

    The USDA Forest Service, Feather River Ranger District of the 
Plumas National Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the Sugarloaf Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project. The proposed 
action would establish 992 acres of defensible fuel profile zones 
(DFPZs) using 763 acres of variable density and 229 acres of thinning 
from below; 100 acres of group selection (GS); 5 miles of NFS 
classified road reconstruction, 5 miles of unclassified (temporary) 
road construction (closed post operations) and the construction of up 
to 52 new log landing sites; 223 acres of mastication; 455 acres of 
hand thin, pile, and burn; 3,195 acres of prescribed fire using manual 
ignition (i.e., drip torch) techniques, and 28 miles of National Forest 
System (NFS) road improvements to mitigate resource damage; consistent 
with the Plumas National Forest Travel Management decision. The 
selected NFS land roads would be improved using various methods, such 
as grading, removing and upgrading culverts, ripping and seeding, slope 
re-contouring, and installing barriers. Wood by-products from these 
treatments are expected to produce 7 million board feet of 
commercially-valuable timber, while retaining all live trees greater 
than 29.9 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) and a minimum of 40 
percent forest canopy cover.

Possible Alternatives

    In addition to the proposed action, a no-action alternative and a 
non-commercial funding alternative aimed solely at reducing hazardous 
fuels as required by the Memorandum and Order dated 11/04/2009 (Case 
2:05-CV-00205-MCE-GGH). Additional alternatives may be developed and 
analyzed during the environmental analysis process.

Responsible Official

    The Plumas National Forest Supervisor is the Responsible Official.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decision to be made is whether to: (1) Implement the proposed 
action; (2) meet the purpose and need for action

[[Page 33159]]

through some other combination of activities; or, (3) take no action at 
this time.

Preliminary Issues

    The US Forest Service has identified the following preliminary 
issues including potential cumulative effects to watershed resources 
and wildlife habitat.

Permits or Licenses Required

    An Air Pollution Permit, Smoke Management Plan, and California 
Water Quality Board timber harvest waiver for waste discharge are 
required by local agencies.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. The Sugarloaf 
Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project will initiate and request comments 
at: an open house in Oroville, CA in June 2012, an official 45 day 
comment period once a Notice of Availability (NOA) is published in the 
Federal Register, a 30 day objection period, and an objection 
resolution period.
    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 with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent 
environmental documents. Individual members of organizations must have 
submitted their own comments to meet the requirements of eligibility as 
an individual, objections received on behalf of an organization are 
considered as those of the organization only.
    There will not be an appeal period after the final decision. 
Instead of an appeal period, there will be an objection process before 
the final decision is made and after the final EIS is mailed (36 CFR 
part 218). In order to be eligible to file an objection to the 
preferred alternative identified in the final EIS, specific written 
comments related to the project must be submitted during scoping or any 
other periods public comment is specifically requested on this EIS (36 
DFR 218.5).
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will become part of the public 
record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered, however.

    Dated: May 23, 2012.
Laurence Crabtree,
Acting Plumas National Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-13576 Filed 6-4-12; 8:45 am]
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