[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 11, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40846-40847]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-16895]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 133 / Wednesday, July 11, 2012 / 
Notices  

[[Page 40846]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Santa Fe National Forest; New Mexico; Southwest Jemez Mountains 
Landscape Restoration Project Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Santa Fe National Forest is proposing to conduct 
ecological restoration activities on up to 110,000 acres within the 
greater Southwest Jemez Mountains (SWJM) landscape area over 10 years. 
Treatment areas are located on the Jemez Ranger District and would 
occur in the vicinity of Jemez Springs, New Mexico. The goal is to make 
the landscape less susceptible to undesirable, large-scale disturbances 
such as high-severity wildfire, climate change, or insects. Proposed 
actions include improving fish and wildlife habitat, vegetative 
diversity, and watershed function. Implementing the treatments will 
provide wood products and economic opportunities.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
30 days from date of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected in 
April, 2013, and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
in August, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Southwest Jemez Mountains Project, 
Santa Fe National Forest, 11 Forest Lane, Santa Fe, NM 87508. Comments 
may also be sent via email to [email protected], or via 
facsimile to 505-438-5390.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Bain, NEPA Coordinator, via 
email at [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:

Purpose and Need for Action

    There is a need to restore forest and riparian ecosystems in the 
Southwest Jemez Mountains landscape because current ecological 
conditions are not meeting or moving toward the desired conditions 
described in the Forest Plan and the Southwest Jemez Mountains 
Landscape Strategy. To meet the goal of improved resilience and 
function, we identified four purposes. First, reduce the potential for 
uncharacteristically severe and intense wildfires while promoting the 
low-intensity, frequent surface fires that were common across this 
landscape. To achieve this, there is a need for: (a) Forest stands with 
a mosaic of grassy openings, shrubs, and groups of trees of various 
sizes and ages; (b) native perennial grasses, shrubs, and forbs that 
can carry low-severity fire across the landscape; (c) more old-growth 
ponderosa pine and mixed conifer stands; and (d) reduced amounts of 
live and dead fuels. Second, improve the function of riparian 
ecosystems, streams, and wildlife habitat. To achieve this, there is a 
need for: (a) Native riparian vegetation along streams and more pools, 
riffles, and large woody debris within streams; (b) fewer impacts from 
livestock and elk in riparian areas and along stream banks; (c) less 
erosion, bare soil, and unstable or raw stream banks; (d) less erosion 
and fewer headcuts and gullies in upland areas; (e) fewer impacts from 
roads; (f) fewer nonnative invasive plants; (g) springs and seeps that 
function at or near their potential; and (e) more structural and 
understory diversity in northern goshawk and Mexican spotted owl 
habitat. The third purposed is to offset treatment costs and provide 
economic opportunity. To achieve this, there is a need for: (a) A 
source of wood products for commercial and personal use, and (b) a 
transportation system to implement activities and remove wood products. 
Finally, the fourth purpose of this project is to provide for the 
sustainability of archaeological sites, traditional cultural 
properties, sacred sites, and forest resources and areas associated 
with traditional practices. To do this, there is a need for: (a) 
Reduced amounts of fuel on archaeological sites; (b) erosion control 
measures on archaeological sites; (c) forests that provide continued 
availability to engage in traditional practices; and (3) fewer road-
related impacts on archaeological sites.

Proposed Action

    In response to the purpose and need, the Santa Fe National Forest 
proposes to conduct forest and watershed restoration treatments on up 
to 110,000 acres of National Forest System lands in the Southwest Jemez 
Mountains for up to 10 years, or until treatments are completed. The 
proposed restoration activities would occur in all ecosystems in the 
area, including ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, pi[ntilde]on-juniper, 
riparian areas, meadows, and aspen. The forest restoration activities 
would focus on thinning and burning treatments that would reduce stand 
density, continuity, and homogeneity, and increase heterogeneity 
(structural diversity at the landscape scale). Stream and riparian 
restoration activities would occur in and along a number of the 
perennial streams in the area to improve water quality and habitat for 
fish and aquatic species. Wildlife habitat restoration activities are 
designed to create diverse forest and meadow habitat where wildlife can 
find food, water and shelter. Cultural resource sites would be 
protected from uncharacteristically severe fires and the flooding and 
erosion that follow. Streams, watersheds, and cultural resources would 
benefit from road treatments. The draft proposed action would:
    * Cut trees individually and in groups with variable spacing and 
canopy opening sizes. Treatment would be accomplished by manually or 
mechanically cutting down (felling) trees and mechanically shredding 
(masticating) trees, depending on specific conditions. Thinning slash 
may be piled, lopped and scattered, chipped, or masticated. 
Merchantable wood products would be removed from sites where feasible, 
based on road access, slope, terrain, and economic factors.
    * Conduct prescribed burns using different methods and intensities 
including low- to moderate-intensity, initial entry burns; low-
intensity post-thinning burns to reduce slash or other surface fuels; 
and low-intensity maintenance burns where thinning and burning have 
occurred. Burning would

[[Page 40847]]

continue to be periodically conducted to maintain the natural 5 to 15 
year fire cycle, depending on the forest type and location. Aerial and 
manual ignitions would be used.
    * Maintain selected roads needed for access. Road maintenance 
includes smoothing out road surfaces, improving drainage, and 
stabilizing stream crossings.
    *Open closed roads where needed for access and wood removal. 
Conduct road maintenance on these roads as needed. Roads would be 
closed after they are no longer needed.
    *Eliminate unnecessary roads and trails (routes) through 
decommissioning. This can include physically closing a route to public 
use while maintaining that route for occasional administrative access 
by Forest Service personnel or specified permittees. Various methods 
would be used depending on site-specific conditions and land uses. 
Decisions about access are not included in this project.
    *Constructing temporary roads where needed for access and wood 
product removal. After the temporary roads are no longer needed, they 
would be obliterated. No new permanent roads would be constructed.
    *Maintain the road system by developing new and/or expanding 
existing gravel pits.
    *Restore stream and riparian ecosystems to help improve water 
quality, fish habitat, riparian and meadow habitat, and watershed 
functions. Treatments include: Tilling and seeding denuded campsites 
and trails to encourage vegetation; installing structures to control 
erosion and stabilize stream banks and stream-road crossings; planting 
native riparian vegetation along stream corridors; placing logs in 
streams to improve pool formation and aquatic habitat conditions; 
protecting large meadow habitat; installing riparian exclosure fences 
or barriers to reduce elk and livestock use along streams; treating 
headcuts in arroyos in riparian meadows; thinning toe slopes and 
creating large woody debris; controlling invasive plants; and 
replacing, repairing, or installing water sources to encourage elk and 
cattle use in the uplands.
    *Improve and enhance wildlife habitat by cutting encroaching 
conifers to restore upland and riparian grassy meadow habitat; 
regenerating aspen stands by cutting encroaching conifers and 
conducting prescribed burns; maintaining existing water sources and/or 
constructing new water sources; screening wildlife water sources; 
creating snags; restoring upland and floodplain meadows; removing 
Kentucky bluegrass and reestablishing native bunchgrasses; and 
maintaining the desired amount of downed logs, snags, and forest floor 
down woody debris.
    *Protect cultural resources by reducing fuel and controlling 
erosion on archaeological sites and reducing fuel on traditional 
cultural properties and sacred sites.
    All proposed thinning, mowing (of tree seedlings), and prescribed 
fire treatments may be used indefinitely after the initial treatments 
to maintain or further reduce tree densities and fuel loads.

Possible Alternatives

    A full range of alternatives to the proposed action, including a 
no-action alternative, will be considered. The no-action alternative 
represents no change and serves as the baseline for the comparison 
among the action alternatives.

Responsible Official

    The responsible official is the Forest Supervisor of the Santa Fe 
National Forest.

Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor--the Responsible Official for this project--
will decide whether or not to implement the proposed activities on all 
or portions of the 110,000-acre analysis area using one or more of the 
methods described. She will also decide which forest plan amendments to 
adopt.

Permits or Licenses Required

    The discharge of dredged and fill material resulting from the 
instream habitat improvement treatments requires a Section 404 permit 
from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
    The discharge of pollutants (sediment) to waters of the U.S. 
requires a Clean Water Act 401 Water Quality Certification and a Clean 
Water Act 402 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NDPES) 
permit from the New Mexico Environment Department.
    Consult with and obtain concurrence from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service on the listed species to address and on the biological 
assessment, and continue consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service in accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act.
    Consult with the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Officer, 
tribes, and consulting parties regarding identification, evaluation, 
and determination of effects of the project on cultural resources in 
accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Ongoing 
collaborative efforts regarding restoration in the Southwest Jemez 
Mountains will continue. A variety of public involvement and 
collaboration activities such as open house meetings, field trips, and 
interagency workshops will be scheduled beginning in July 2012. Public 
meetings are tentatively scheduled for July 24, 26, 31 and August 2, 
2012. The dates, times, and locations of the public scoping meetings 
will be posted on the forest's Web site at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/santafe/home/?cid=FSBDEV7_021009.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments by the 
closing date and in such a manner that they are useful to the agency's 
preparation of the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments 
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 become part of the public 
record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered, however.

    Dated: July 5, 2012.
Maria T. Garcia,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-16895 Filed 7-10-12; 8:45 am]
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