[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 216 (Friday, November 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62775-62776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24681]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Information Collection: Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of 
Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean

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 renewal with revisions of the currently approved 
information collection, Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of 
Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean. 
(OMB #0596-0246).

DATES: Comments concerning this notice must be received in writing on 
or before January 11, 2022 to be assured of consideration. Comments 
received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this information collection should be 
addressed to Kathleen McGinley, Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service, 
International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), 1201 Calle Ceiba, 
R[iacute]o Piedras, PR 00926. Comments also may be submitted via 
facsimile to 787-766-6302, or by email to [email protected]. 
Please put ``Comments re: Post-Hurricane Research'' in the subject 
line.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available 
to the public through relevant websites 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 International Institute of Tropical Forestry 
(IITF), Jard[iacute]n Bot[aacute]nico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, R[iacute]o 
Piedras, PR 00926 during normal business hours. Visitors are encouraged 
to call ahead to 787-764-7790 to facilitate entry to the 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: Requests for additional information 
should be made to Kathleen McGinley, Social Scientist, USDA Forest 
Service, by electronic mail to [email protected] or phone 919-
600-3108. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf 
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800- 877-8339 
twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture, 
Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean.
    OMB Number: 0596-0246.
    Expiration Date of Approval: February 28, 2022.
    Type of Request: Renewal with revisions.
    Abstract: In September 2017, two major hurricanes passed through 
the Caribbean, causing catastrophic damage to communities, 
infrastructure, farms, and forests across Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin 
Islands, and many neighboring island nations, significantly 
compromising local livelihoods, food security, and economic stability 
throughout the region. Through a series of focus groups and interviews 
conducted in 2018 and 2019 under OMB Approval #0596-0246, we gathered 
extensive information about the wide range of effects and associated 
impacts of the hurricanes on agricultural and forest systems and the 
varied states of hurricane readiness and resilience across farm and 
forest sectors throughout the U.S. Caribbean. Building on this 
information and understanding of agricultural and forest systems, USDA 
Forest Service seeks a renewal with revisions to continue to collect 
information about the recovery of farms, forests, and rural communities 
from the effects and associated impacts of hurricanes Irma and Maria 
and to collect additional information about agriculture and forest 
sector hurricane vulnerabilities, mitigation, adaptation, readiness, 
and resilience. Such information is critical to the design and 
implementation of ongoing recovery work and to longer-term resilience 
and sustainable development efforts in the U.S. Caribbean and in other 
regions affected by hurricanes or other major disturbances.
    The information to be collected is essential to the Department of 
Agriculture mandate to support agriculture and natural resources that 
are productive, sustainable, and provide benefits for the American 
public under the Rural Development Policy Act of 1980, and to the 
Forest Service mandate to provide expert advice and conduct research on 
the management of forests outside the National Forest System through 
the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. Additionally, the 
importance of gathering, analyzing, and sharing this type of 
information is reflected in the National Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended, and the Forest 
and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978.
    Information will be collected through mixed methods, including 
interviews with and surveys of research participants selected 
purposively in line with the research objectives. This collection will 
be revised to further explore the topics in the original information 
collection and incorporate additional lines of inquiry related to the 
longer-term recovery of farms, forests, and rural communities and 
associated changes in hurricane risk, vulnerabilities, and resilience 
since the

[[Page 62776]]

2017 hurricanes. Revisions in this renewal request also include the 
development and use of survey tools that incorporate multiple choice 
and other closed ended questions that permit quantitative analysis of 
the topics of inquiry, in addition to open ended questions, which 
produce more detailed data for qualitative analysis. This renewed 
collection and its revisions will generate scientifically based, up-to-
date information that can be used to inform ongoing recovery, 
resilience, and sustainable development efforts in agriculture and 
forest systems in the U.S. Caribbean by USDA, Forest Service, other 
Federal agencies, local government, civil society, and the private 
sector.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Private Sector 
Businesses, Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organizations, State or 
Local Government.
    Estimate of Annual Burden per Response: 15 minutes for surveys, 25 
minutes for interviews.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 250.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1 response/
respondent.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours on Respondents: 110 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 Agency, including whether 
the information will have practical or scientific utility; (2) the 
accuracy of the Agency'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. USDA Forest 
Service will consider the comments received and amend the information 
collection as appropriate.
    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 submission request 
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.

Alexander L. Friend,
Deputy Chief, Research & Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-24681 Filed 11-10-21; 8:45 am]
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