[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 22, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 22393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08450]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 78 / Wednesday, April 22, 2020 / 
Notices  

[[Page 22393]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

April 16, 2020.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments 
are requested regarding: Whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility; the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of 
the methodology and assumptions used; ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques 
and other forms of information technology.
    Comments regarding this information collection received by May 22, 
2020 will be considered. Written comments and recommendations for the 
proposed information collection should be submitted within 30 days of 
the publication of this notice on the following website 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Forest Service

    Title: Generic Information Collection to Conduct Survey Improvement 
Projects.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The primary function of the USDA Forest 
Service is to manage the national forests and grasslands, and to 
provide assistance and science-based information to land managers 
across the urban to rural to wilderness continuum. Forests and natural 
areas provide a wide range of benefits and services to all Americans. 
Understanding these many issues is critical to managing forests and 
other natural areas to meet the needs of Americans and to achieving the 
mission of the USDA Forest Service ``to sustain the health, diversity, 
and productivity of the Nation's forests and grasslands to meet the 
needs of present and future generations.'' In the last decade, state-
of-the art techniques have been instituted by the FS and other Federal 
agencies and are now routinely used to improve the quality and 
timeliness of surveys and related methods of data collection and 
analyses, while simultaneously reducing respondents' cognitive workload 
and burden. The purpose of this generic clearance is to allow the FS to 
evaluate, adopt, and use these state-of-the art techniques to improve 
current data collection efforts of forest and for natural land 
management practices.
    Collection of data to support the broad-ranging mission of the USDA 
Forest Service is supported by a number of federal laws, regulations, 
and executive orders. The Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960, the 
Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974 and 
1978, and the 2012 Planning Rule all specifically require or support 
the lines of research proposed in this information collection.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information obtained from 
these efforts will be used to develop new Forest Service surveys and 
related data collection protocols and improve current ones. 
Specifically, the information will be used to reduce respondent burden 
while simultaneously improving the quality of the data collected in 
these surveys. These objectives are met when respondents are presented 
with plain, coherent, and unambiguous questions in surveys and related 
data collection instruments that ask for data compatible with 
respondents' memory and/or current reporting and record keeping 
practices. The purpose of the survey improvement projects will be to 
ensure that Forest Service surveys continuously attempt to meet these 
standards of excellence. Without adequate testing, data collected may 
be of poor quality, resulting in additional resources required to 
process data or negative impacts on survey estimates.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Business or 
other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local or Tribal 
Government.
    Number of Respondents: 7,500.
    Frequency of Responses: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 2,700.

Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-08450 Filed 4-21-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-15-P