[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 117 (Friday, June 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39624-39626]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14316]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection; Generic Clearance for Non-Timber Forest 
Products

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and 
organizations on the new information collection, Non-timber Forest 
Products.

DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before August 16, 
2016 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to Lynne 
Westphal, USDA, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 1033 
University Place, Suite 360, Evanston, IL 60201.
    Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to 847-866-9506 or by 
email to: [email protected]. Please clearly state that your comments 
are in reference to the proposed Generic Clearance for Non-timber 
Forest Products. Comments submitted in response to this notice may be 
made available to the public through relevant Web sites and upon 
request. For this reason, please do not include in your comments 
information of a confidential nature, such as sensitive personal 
information or proprietary information. If you send an email comment, 
your email address will be automatically captured and included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available 
on the Internet. Please note that responses to this public comment 
request containing any routine notice about the confidentiality of the 
communication will be treated as public comments that may be made 
available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine 
notice.
    The public may inspect the draft supporting statement and/or 
comments received at USDA, Forest Service, Northern Research Station, 
1033 University Place, Suite 360, Evanston, IL 60201 during normal 
business hours. Visitors are encouraged to call ahead to 847-866-9311 
to facilitate entry to the

[[Page 39625]]

building. The public may request an electronic copy of the draft 
supporting statement and/or any comments received be sent via return 
email. Requests should be emailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lynne Westphal, USDA, Forest Service, 
Northern Research Station, 847-866-9311 x11. Individuals who use 
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 twenty-four hours a 
day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Non-Timber Forest Products.
    OMB Number: 0596--NEW.
    Type of Request: New.
    Abstract: Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are plants, mushrooms, 
and plant- or tree-derived goods like nuts, boughs, sap, and leaves 
that are harvested for use as food, medicine, and other purposes. 
Previous research suggests that approximately 20% of the U.S. 
population collects non-timber forest products for social, cultural, 
and/or economic reasons. Some non-timber forest product gathering is 
formal (planned, systematic) while much of it is informal (unplanned, 
opportunistic, and/or incidental to other outdoor recreation 
activities). For some people, harvested wild plants and mushrooms make 
up a substantial or nutritionally important part of their diet. In 
other cases, non-timber forest products are locally or regionally 
important products for businesses.
    Many opportunities exist to design and manage forests and other 
natural areas to enhance the supply of non-timber forest products and 
increase the benefits they provide to society, and to maintain 
populations of, or adapt to loss of, important non-timber forest 
products in the face of changes like invasive species and climate 
impacts. Potential benefits include improved public health outcomes 
from outdoor activity including decreased obesity, diabetes, stress, 
and depression. Harvesting and consuming non-timber forest products 
also may help reduce the risk of malnutrition for individuals living in 
areas with limited access to fresh, affordable food. Designing and 
managing for non-timber forest products may have particular value in 
achieving environmental justice, as harvesting wild plants and 
mushrooms appears to be especially important for recent immigrants, 
American Indians, and Alaska Natives. However, managing forests and 
other natural areas to provide non-timber forest products in a 
sustainable way requires detailed, scientifically-based information 
that is not currently available. For example, it is important to avoid 
overharvesting any species and to minimize people's exposure to soil- 
and plant-based contaminants.
    Many laws and policies specifically direct the USDA Forest Service 
(Forest Service) to consider and manage for non-timber forest products 
for the benefit of the American public. The Multiple-Use Sustained-
Yield Act of 1960 requires the Forest Service to manage National 
Forests ``under principles of multiple use and to produce a sustained 
yield of products and services.'' The Forest and Rangeland Renewable 
Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 requires the Secretary of 
Agriculture to ``maintain a comprehensive inventory of renewable 
resources and evaluate opportunities to improve their yield of goods 
and services.'' The 2012 Planning Rule specifically requires 
``consideration of habitat conditions for wildlife, fish, and plants 
commonly enjoyed and used by the public for hunting, fishing, trapping, 
gathering, observing, and subsistence'' on national forests [italics 
added]. The Forest Service's 2010 National Report on Sustainable 
Forests affirms the agency's ``all-lands'' approach to managing the 
nation's natural resources, including forests that are not part of the 
National Forest system by providing useful information and management 
guidelines for potential adoption by nonfederal forest owners; 
gathering of non-timber forest products is addressed many times in this 
report. The United States is a signatory to the Montreal Process and is 
required to report every 5 years on a range of criteria and indicators 
for sustainable use of temperate and boreal forests. Several of the 
indicators address non-timber forest products, including one on 
subsistence uses of U.S. forests, but the only systematic data 
currently available on subsistence practices in the United States are 
for Alaska.
    The Forest Service must also meet trust responsibilities to 
American Indians and Alaskan Natives on federal and tribal lands. This 
includes upholding treaties with American Indian tribes, the Federal 
Trust responsibility to tribes, and the Native American Religious 
Freedom Act. Non-timber forest products make up a significant amount of 
the natural resources that tribes depend on for traditional cultural 
uses related to health, economic and food security, and native customs 
and practices. Much of the historical and ethnographic information 
about the uses of non-timber forest products by American Indians and 
Alaskan Natives may not reflect contemporary uses and issues. Gaining 
new information can help us understand how uses of non-timber forest 
products have changed over time in response to management, socio-
cultural circumstances, the economic conditions of tribes, and 
environmental forces of change.
    Taking all of this into account, it is clear that Forest Service 
and other public and private land managers need general and place-
specific information about non-timber forest products and non-timber 
forest product harvesting practices--and this information is not 
currently available. Therefore, to ensure that the Forest Service can 
meet its statutory and regulatory responsibilities and is able to 
inform management of forests and other natural areas to provide non-
timber forest products in a sustainable way, the Forest Service seeks 
to obtain OMB approval to collect information from people who harvest 
non-timber forest products and from people who manage, make policies 
for or otherwise have a stake in the management of lands where non-
timber forest products are harvested or may be harvested.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Businesses and Non-
Profit Organizations, and/or State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Estimate of Burden per Response: 30-90 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 2,000.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,000-3,000 hours.
    Comment is invited: Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this 
collection of information is necessary for the stated purposes and the 
proper performance of the functions of the Forest Service, including 
whether the information will have practical or scientific utility; (2) 
the accuracy of the Forest Service's estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    All comments received in response to this notice, including names 
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record. 
Comments will be summarized and included in the

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submission request toward Office of Management and Budget approval.

    Dated: June 9, 2016.
Carlos Rodriguez-Franco,
Acting Deputy Chief for Research and Development.
[FR Doc. 2016-14316 Filed 6-16-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P