Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Trinity Post Fire Hazard Reduction and Salvage, 73162-73164 [2015-29878]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 226 (Tuesday, November 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73162-73164]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-29878]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Trinity Post Fire 
Hazard Reduction and Salvage

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action would treat approximately 8,100 acres to 
reduce hazardous conditions within a buffer along open roads that 
burned in the 2015 wildfires. Standing dead and downed trees would be 
utilized to the extent practicable.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by December 24, 2015. The draft environmental impact statement is 
expected April 2016 and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected August 2016.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Trinity Post Fire Hazard Reduction 
and Salvage Project, Attn: Brenda Olson, Shasta-Trinity National 
Forest, 3644 Avtech Parkway, Redding, CA 96002. Comments may also be 
sent via email to comments-pacificsouthwest-shasta-trinity@fs.fed.us, 
or via facsimile to 530-226-2475.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda Olson by phone at 530-226-2422, 
or by email at brendaolson@fs.fed.us.
    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

    The Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Six Rivers National Forest 
have experienced wildfire on approximately 220,000 acres as a result of 
lighting in 2015. The majority of acres affected are the result of a 
July 30, 2015 lightning event. Much of the fire areas burned through 
National Forest System lands, but a number of private landowners were 
also affected. Approximately 161,000 acres of the Shasta-Trinity 
National Forest were burned. Wildfires affected most land allocations 
including designated Wilderness, Adaptive Management Areas, and Late-
Successional Reserve, as well as Inventoried Roadless Areas. Fires 
burned in a mosaic of intensities; acres burned have been categorized 
into high, moderate and low severity based on Rapid Assessment of 
Vegetation Condition After Wildfire (RAVG) data. Five fire complexes 
and one separate

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fire burned on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest:
     The Fork Complex near the communities of Hayfork, Post 
Mountain, and Wildwood (34,500 acres; 8,900 acres of high and moderate 
severity);
     The South Complex north and east of the community of 
Hyampom (29,400 acres; 5,900 acres high and moderate severity);
     The Mad River Complex near the communities of Mad River, 
Ruth, and Forest Glen (39,200 acres; 6,600 acres high and moderate 
severity);
     The Route Complex near the communities of Mad River and 
Hyampom (35,700 acres; 6,300 acres high and moderate severity);
     The River Complex near the Hoopa Reservation, the 
communities of Burnt Ranch and Denny, and within the Trinity Alps 
Wilderness Area (78,600 acres; 17,100 acres high and moderate 
severity); and
     The Saddle Fire northwest of the town of Hyampom (1,500 
acres; 600 acres high and moderate severity).
    A portion of the areas that burned at moderate and high severity 
had conifer forest cover prior to the fires (other acres were brush, 
grasslands or oak woodlands). The acres of conifer and mixed conifer 
forest that burned at high severity generally have no remaining live 
trees, and the areas that burned at moderate severity also have a high 
likelihood of deforestation or large pockets of mortality due to fire-
injury. Many trees showing signs of live branches or tops immediately 
following the fire will be lost due to cambium death or secondary 
mortality from insects compounded by years of drought.
    The areas affected by the 2015 wildfires on the Shasta-Trinity 
National Forest include vegetation along 387 miles of road (353 miles 
of National Forest System roads, 32 miles administered by state and 
county). Of these 387 miles, 248 miles are open to the public, 
including 233 miles through National Forest System lands. The 
vegetation along these roads experienced wildfire at varying degrees of 
intensity. Forested lands experiencing moderate and high intensity fire 
has resulted in a substantial number of dead and dying trees. 
Structural integrity of fire-killed trees has been compromised and it 
is expected many of them will fall during a wind or storm event.
    Current conditions within the burned area differ from the desired 
condition as identified in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan; 1995). Trees that were killed by 
the fire become less stable and increase the risk to all forest users. 
Once this material is on the ground and combined with the dead brush, 
fire behavior is likely to be more intense and more difficult to 
control. Because of the expected future fire behavior and the elevated 
risk of fire killed trees falling on firefighters, wildfire suppression 
strategies would be limited. Desired future conditions would be safe 
firefighter and public access; conditions that lead to a slower rate of 
wildfire spread and reduced intensity, with associated increased 
effectiveness of initial attack by firefighters; and roadside 
conditions that could be used as a line of defense for control of 
wildfires.
    Within areas experiencing large scale disturbance on the Shasta-
Trinity National Forest in 2015 due to wildfire, the purpose of this 
project is to move towards the desired conditions in the following 
ways:
    1. Reduce hazards (i.e. fire-killed trees and excessive fuels) that 
threaten public and firefighter safety along open National Forest 
System, County, and State roads;
    2. Sustain and establish forest cover; and,
    3. Within the treated areas, capture the economic value of felled 
trees and support the economies of local communities by providing 
forest products.
    Based on the Forest Plan and post fire assessment, we have 
identified a need to:
     Provide for public safety and protection of structures by 
managing fuel loading, distribution and arrangement within Wildland 
Urban Interface for low flame lengths and rate of spread (Forest Plan 
4-18);
     Remove danger/hazard trees (Forest Plan 4-26);
     Reduce surplus activity fuels that remain after meeting 
wildlife, riparian, soil and other environmental needs (Forest Plan, 
pg. 4-17);
     Create conditions that will support the restoration of 
fire to its natural role in the ecosystem (Forest Plan 4-4).
     Establish forest stands at densities appropriate to 
contribute to forest harvest in the future and to maintain wildlife 
habitat (Forest Plan, pg. 4-154).
     Quickly recover the monetary value of wood through salvage 
and sale, where feasible and appropriate, to provide economic stimulus 
to local communities (Forest Plan 4-5).

Proposed Action

    Dead vegetation will be treated on National Forest System lands 
along 233 miles of roads open to the public (i.e. National Forest 
System Roads (NFS), county roads, and state highways) that burned 
during the 2015 wildfire season. Treatments are proposed along 233 
miles of public roads which cross National Forest System lands, 
including:
     153 miles of NFS Maintenance Level 2 (accessible with high 
clearance vehicles) roads;
     34 miles of NFS Maintenance Level 3 (accessible with 
passenger cars) roads;
     19 miles of NFS Maintenance Level 4 (paved) roads; and
     27 miles of state and county roads.
    Treatments along these roads could include:
     Remove or treat dead vegetation (using one of the 
``treatment types'' listed below) within a 300 foot total width buffer. 
Width of the buffer on either side of the road would change but would 
always total 300 feet; i.e. if conditions lend to a wider treatment on 
the uphill side, the uphill side may be treated up to 275 feet from the 
road and the downhill side would be treated for 25 feet from the road. 
The area of treatment is approximately 8,100 acres. The minimum 
treatment area along either side of the road will be 25 feet. Treatment 
types for both initial entry and maintenance could include:
    [cir] Hand felling of dead trees and brush. Dead vegetation will be 
identified at the time of treatment.
    [cir] Mastication, which pulverizes or chops standing trees and 
logs into small particles. This treatment can include mowing, mulching, 
or chipping.
    [cir] Lopping woody debris (slash) and scattering around the 
treated area, which redistributes woody material.
    [cir] Hand piling slash, which reduces surface fuels.
    [cir] Machine piling slash, which reduces surface fuels.
    [cir] Pile burning, which reduces surface fuels.
    [cir] Jackpot burning, which is a burning method used to reduce 
heavy intermittent fuel concentrations, where fuels are not continuous 
enough to carry a broadcast fire.
    [cir] Broadcast burning, which is a burning method used where heavy 
continuous fuel concentrations exist.
    [cir] Chipping, which pulverizes or chops trees, brush, and logs 
into small particles.
     Maintain treated areas through understory burning, where 
feasible.
     Utilize wood products whenever possible. This can include 
salvage logs, commercial or personal firewood, biomass removal, etc.
    [cir] Large timber sales are expected to be feasible on up to 128 
miles of the roads proposed for treatment.
     Provide for future forest cover through planting, 
utilizing a species

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composition consistent with historic conditions, with spacing between 
seedlings of 18 to 30 feet.
     Create a control line on the outside edge of treatment 
areas where necessary to maintain fuel reductions with prescribed fire.
     Where appropriate, stumps of freshly cut conifers will be 
treated with an EPA-registered borate compound to prevent spread of 
Heterobasidion root disease.
     Trees or snags that are imminent hazards to the road and/
or operations would felled; trees that are felled outside the treatment 
buffer would be left onsite.
     No treatments are proposed within Wilderness.
     Additional Resource Protection Measures will be developed 
to address resource concerns for wildlife, watersheds, soils and other 
issues that are identified.
    Fuels reduction treatment goals are to:
     Reduce downed logs to 10-20 tons per acre. Downed logs 
includes woody material >3-inches in diameter including fuels created 
by salvage and suppression actions.
     Reduce dead brush by 50-100%.

Responsible Official

    David R. Myers, Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed 
action, take an alternative action that meets the purpose and need or 
take no action.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. This project is 
within Wildland Urban Interface and as such is consistent with the 
Healthy Forest Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA), which contains 
provisions to expedite hazardous fuels reduction and forest restoration 
projects on federal lands. Project authorized under HFRA are defined 
under Section 102(a) of the act and are designed to actively involve 
the public (Section 104(e) and (f) of the act). In an effort to provide 
for collaborative design of this project or alternatives, you are 
invited to participate in open public meetings at the following 
locations and times: Hyampom Community Center on November 30, 2015 at 
5:00 p.m.; Weaverville Board of Supervisor's Chambers on December 1, 
2015 at 5:00 p.m.; Trinity County Fairgrounds dining hall in Hayfork on 
December 2, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.; Ruth Lake Community Services District 
Hall in Mad River on December 3, 2015; and, Burnt Ranch School on 
December 4, 2015 at 5:00 p.m. Additional project information is 
available on the project Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=48060.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and alternative means of meeting the 
purpose and need.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide 
the respondent with standing to participate in subsequent 
administrative review or judicial review. An Emergency Situation 
Determination will be requested for this project consistent with 
regulations at 36 CFR 218.21. An Emergency Situation Determination 
would eliminate the 30-day Objection period prior to a decision.

    Dated: November 17, 2015.
David R. Myers,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015-29878 Filed 11-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-11-P