[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 115 (Tuesday, June 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34366-34368]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-14713]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Ringo Project Environmental Impact Statement

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 (EIS) for a project called Ringo, centered around Ringo Butte 
south of Wickiup Reservoir on the Crescent Ranger District.
    The Ringo project area is home to a myriad of wildlife and plant 
species including big game species, northern spotted owl, Oregon 
spotted frog, and other wildlife. The project area borders private 
forest land on the east as well as surrounding the community of Wickiup 
Acres. It contains popular locations for hunting, fishing, and other 
types of recreation. Values and ecosystem services within the Ringo 
project area were derived from values mapping exercises with the Ringo 
IDT and from a public meeting. Prominent values expressed include high 
quality wildlife habitat for sensitive and threatened species, nearby 
private land and communities, timber, firewood, forest products, access 
to the forest for hiking, wildlife viewing, driving, winter recreation, 
developed and dispersed camping, hunting opportunities, and Odell Butte 
Lookout.
    The Ringo Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) determined the largest 
potential for changes or threats to these values comes from wildfire, 
insects and disease. As evidenced by the Davis fire, which covers a 
portion of the planning area, wildfire can rapidly and dramatically 
alter large areas and affect safety and property. Disturbances such as 
wildfire and insect and disease outbreaks are natural processes 
however, with the current fuel loading and high density of trees in the 
Ringo project area these disturbances can become uncharacteristically 
severe.
    In order to continue to provide these values and services on the 
landscape into the future, there is a need to reduce tree density and 
surface fuels in order to restore and maintain a resilient, fire-
adapted ecosystem.
    The project area is approximately 30,000 acres in portions of the 
Upper Little Deschutes, Crescent Creek, Middle Little Deschutes, and 
Brown's Creek-Deschutes watersheds. It is located in T. 22 S., R. 8 E.; 
and R. 9 E.; T. 23 S., R. 8 E.; and R. 9 E.; T. 24 S., R. 7 E.; T. and 
R. 8 E.; T. 25 S., R. 7 E.; Willamette Meridian. The alternatives would 
include the proposed action, no action, and additional alternatives 
that respond to issues generated through the scoping process. The 
agency will give notice of the full environmental analysis and decision 
making process so interested and affected parties may participate and 
contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
30 days following the date that this notice appears in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Holly Jewkes, District Ranger, 
Crescent Ranger District, P.O. Box 208, Crescent, OR 97733. Comments 
can also be emailed to: [email protected]. The public will have another opportunity to comment 
when alternatives have been developed and the environmental impact 
statement is made available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ringo project leads Michelle King, 
District Environmental Coordinator at (541) 433-3216, or Joe Bowles, 
District Silviculturist at (541) 433-3200.
    Responsible Official: The responsible official will be John Allen, 
Deschutes Forest Supervisor, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, Oregon, 
97701.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Purpose and Need: The objectives developed for the Ringo Project 
are consistent with recommendations and direction presented in the 
Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act of 1960, the National Cohesive 
Wildland Fire Management Strategy, the Deschutes Land and Resource 
Management Plan as amended, and other national and regional guidance. 
The purpose and need of Ringo is to reduce tree density and surface 
fuels in order to restore and maintain a resilient, fire-adapted 
ecosystem that will protect or enhance quality habitat for key wildlife 
species including the northern spotted owl, white-headed woodpecker, 
and big game, allow for safe and effective wildfire response, maintain 
developed and dispersed recreational opportunities, and contribute to 
local and regional economies by providing timber, firewood, and other 
forest products.
    Proposed Action: The proposed action includes approximately 6,688 
acres of thinning. This includes primarily

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thinning from below which removes the smallest trees first until the 
desired density is achieved. Various techniques would be used to 
maintain or increase variability in tree spacing. Thinning increases 
individual tree growth and reduces fire and insect risk by reducing 
ladder fuels and overall stand density. Less fire resilient tree 
species such as lodgepole pine and white fir would be preferentially 
removed. Approximately 4,620 acres are expected to produce a 
merchantable timber product and the remaining 2,068 acres, which have 
smaller or fewer trees, may be utilized as chip wood or biomass if 
market conditions are favorable. Treatments are designed to keep tree 
densities at desired levels for 20 or 30 years.
    Ringo proposes approximately 884 acres of improvement cuts. In 
lodgepole pine (719 acres) this treatment removes damaged, diseased, or 
otherwise unhealthy trees. The majority of these stands have previously 
suffered high mortality from bark beetle attack. Within the range of 
the northern spotted owl, the overstory is no longer dense enough for 
spotted owl dispersal habitat. Removing these overstory trees would 
accelerate growth in the understory to achieve dispersal habitat 
faster. In mixed conifer areas (165 acres) this treatment would 
primarily involve removing white fir and other damaged and diseased 
trees along the edges of the Davis fire. These stands experienced 
moderate mortality in the fire which produced high ground fuel loads 
and downed wood. Existing ground fuels and downed wood would also be 
reduced in these stands to allow for safe and effective fire response.
    The proposed action includes approximately 64 acres of meadow 
enhancement which would occur in wetter lodgepole pine areas that 
previously were more open. The majority of trees would be removed from 
these areas. Meadows and grasslands are a rare habitat on the Deschutes 
National Forest. This treatment would enhance understory vegetation 
which is important for big game and other animal species.
    There will also be road status changes meaning roads that are 
currently classified as open but are physically blocked or missmapped 
would be closed and alternate ingress and egress routes currently 
listed as closed would be opened. This will reduce confusion in the 
event of wildfire evacuations and further aid the safety and 
effectiveness of wildfire response.
    Additional treatments include slash treatments and underburning. 
Slash created by the proposed mechanical activities would be treated by 
a variety of methods in order to create desired fuels conditions. 
Methods include hand and grapple piling followed by pile burning, 
utilization, or chipping/grinding. Approximately 5,476 acres of 
underburning would occur in the majority of ponderosa pine dominated 
stands after mechanical treatment. Additional areas that were 
previously treated in other projects or whose current conditions 
facilitate safe and effective operations are also included.
    The combination of these activities provide for a more resilient 
and fire-adapted ecosystem. By reducing the overall landscape wildfire 
risk, dense wildlife habitat such as northern spotted owl nesting 
roosting and foraging (NRF) and big game hiding cover will be protected 
without receiving thinning treatments. Wildlife habitat will be 
enhanced by reducing nest predation in white-headed wood pecker habitat 
with open ponderosa pine, increasing individual tree growth in areas 
that can provide future NRF, and providing better big game forage in 
meadow enhancements. Safe and effective wildfire response will be aided 
by reduced fire intensities and the flexibility of using recently 
treated areas for suppression as well as clearer routes for public 
evacuation by road. Recreation opportunities would be maintained by 
reducing the risk of large fires that negatively affect the wildlife, 
trees, and other characteristics that draw people to the Ringo area. 
Finally, wood products removed in these treatments would provide 
timber, firewood and other forest products to the local and regional 
economies.
    Comment: Public comments about this proposal are requested in order 
to assist in identifying issues, determine how to best manage the 
resources, and to focus the analysis. Comments received to this notice, 
including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered 
part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available 
for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted 
and considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not 
have standing to object to the subsequent decision under 36 CFR 218. 
Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the 
agency to withhold a submission from public record by showing how the 
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. Persons 
requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under FOIA, 
confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances, such 
as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform the 
requester of the agency's decision regarding the request for 
confidentiality, and where the request is denied the agency will return 
the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be 
resubmitted with or without name and address within a specified number 
of days. A draft EIS will be filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and available for public review by spring 2016. The EPA 
will publish a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the draft EIS in the 
Federal Register. The final EIS is scheduled to be available in the 
fall of 2016. The comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from 
the date the EPA publishes the NOA in the Federal Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early state, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
a draft EIS 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 contentious [Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power 
Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 533 (1978)]. Also, environmental 
objections that could be raised at the draft EIS state but that are not 
raised until after completion of the final EIS may be waived or 
dismissed by the courts [City of Angoon 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 comments and objections 
are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can be 
meaningfully considered and respond to them in the final EIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying the considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS 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 EIS of the merits of the alternative 
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. In the final EIS, the Forest 
Service is required to respond to substantive comments received during 
the comment period for the draft EIS. The Forest Service is the lead 
agency and the responsible official is the Forest Supervisor for the 
Deschutes National Forest. The responsible official will

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decide where, and whether or not to take action to meet the desired 
condition within the project area. The responsible official will also 
decide how to mitigate impacts of these actions and will determine when 
and how monitoring of effects will take place.
    The Ringo project decision and rationale will be documented in the 
Record of Decision. Per 36 CFR 218.7(a)(2), this is a project 
implementing a land management plan and not authorized under HFRA, 
section 101(2), and is thus subject to subparts A and C of 36 CFR 218--
Project level Predecisional Administrative Review Process.

    Dated: June 8, 2015.
Holly Jewkes,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 2015-14713 Filed 6-15-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P