Klamath National Forest, California, Hi-Grouse Project, 77595-77599 [E8-30184]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 245 (Friday, December 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 77595-77599]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30184]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Klamath National Forest, California, Hi-Grouse Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service is preparing an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Hi-Grouse Project to reduce fuel hazard and 
restore forest health on the Goosenest Ranger District of the Klamath 
National Forest.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis postmarked or 
received by 30 days after the publication of this notice are assured of 
being considered in the environmental analysis. The Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement is expected to be published in July 2009 and the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement is expected December 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Goosenest District Ranger, Attn: 
Hi-Grouse Project, Klamath National Forest, 37805 Highway 97, Macdoel, 
CA 96058. You may also send electronic comments to the project e-mail 
box: comments-pacificsouthwest-klamath-goosenest@fs.fed.us.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: District NEPA Planner, Wendy 
Dobrowolski at 530-398-5767 or Interdisciplinary Team Leader Lois 
Pfeffer at 559-359-7023 if you have questions, concerns or suggestions 
relating to this proposal.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hi-Grouse project area is located south 
of the Four Corners snowmobile trailhead and encompasses approximately 
7,430 acres in the southeast portion of the Goosenest Ranger District. 
The legal description for the project area is all or portions of: T44N 
R2E Sections 23, 25-28, 32-36; T43N R2E, Sections 1-4, 9-13, T44N R3E 
Section 31, T43N R3E, Sections 6, 7, and 18 Mt. Diablo Meridian, 
Siskiyou County, California. State agencies, tribal governments, 
environmental groups, and local elected officials collaborated with the 
Forest Service early in the process to develop this project.

Management Direction

    The project area includes a late-successional reserve, a special 
interest area and portions of the snowmobile trail system. Plans, 
policies and regulations that provide management direction for this 
project include (not limited to): Klamath National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan of 1995 (includes Standards and Guidelines 
from the Northwest Forest Plan); Goosenest Adaptive Management Area 
Ecosystem Analysis; Section 7(a) (1) of the Endangered Species Act; 
Healthy Forest Restoration Act; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; 
National Fire Plan; and Final Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted 
Owl.
    The project is designed to be consistent with all applicable 
policies and plans. The type of thinning proposed follows 
recommendations from the Late-Successional Reserve Assessment and 
Goosenest Adaptive Management Area analysis. The project is within the 
Fire-Prone Landscape area identified in the Northern Spotted Owl 
Recovery Plan. The entire project area (7,432 acres) lies within the 
Goosenest Adaptive Management Area and includes the following 
Management Areas (MA) as defined in the Klamath National Forest Land 
and Resource Management Plan of 1995 (Forest Plan): 4,635 acres General 
Forest MA 17; 2,574 acres Partial Retention Visual Quality Objective MA 
15; 152 acres Special Habitat Late Successional Reserve MA 5; 71 acres 
Special Interest Area MA 7. There are no Riparian Reserves present in 
the project area.

Background

    The Goosenest Adaptive Management Area was established under the 
Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) with an emphasis on ``Development of 
ecosystem management approaches, including use of prescribed burning 
and other silvicultural techniques, for management of pine forests, 
including objectives related to forest health, production and 
maintenance of late-successional forest and riparian habitat, and 
commercial timber production'' (NWFP Standard & Guideline D-14). This 
area presents challenges typical of east-side forests that have 
experienced marked departures from historic species composition, 
density, and disturbance regimes.
    The major influences on this area over the last 100 years are 
railroad logging beginning around 1900, grazing, fire suppression, and 
selective cutting prescriptions over the last several decades in the 
true fir dominated stands. Early logging removed the majority of the 
original pine forest and left white fir. The removal of pine seed 
sources, combined with livestock grazing and post-logging fires created 
ideal conditions for germination of true firs, which then became 
established and grew during the relatively warm and wet early half of 
the 20th century. Selective logging in the true fir types has lead to 
the introduction and spread of annosum root disease, which is now a 
major factor in stand health. Insect- and disease-related mortality is 
occurring in true firs and ponderosa pine. Mature lodgepole pine stands 
are continuing to experience heavy stand-replacing mortality due to the 
mountain pine beetle, and these high beetle populations are now 
infesting ponderosa pine within the white fir-pine type.
    Many of the stands in the project area are overstocked and heavy 
mortality is expected to continue. Much of the project area is severely 
departed from the historic fire return intervals having missed several 
fire cycles. An overview of the existing and desired conditions broken 
into general stand types is provided below, as well as the need for 
change.

White Fir/Pine Community

    Desired Condition: Pine-dominated stands that can withstand endemic 
level of insects and disease and are resilient in the event of a 
wildfire. White fir is a small component of the stands and generally 
found in moist pockets and north facing slopes.
    Existing Condition: White fir has encroached, with the absence of 
natural fire, turning what was once a ponderosa pine dominated system 
into a white fir dominated stand too dense for ponderosa pine to 
withstand. Active bark beetle infestations have killed much of the 
pine, and what remains is highly susceptible to attack. White fir is 
not well suited for the site and limited to moist pockets or north 
facing slopes. The S-type of annosus root disease has been found in 
several of the stands, further reason that white fir will not be 
sustainable on these transitions zone sites.
    Need for Change: White fir needs to be significantly reduced on 
these sites. Areas with extensive pine mortality may need to be planted 
with pine to achieve the desired condition. Fuel treatments are needed 
to reduce heavy fuel loadings.

Mixed Conifer

    Desired Condition: Although not dominating most of these stands, 
ponderosa pine is a significant and sustainable component in these 
areas. These stands have a diverse assortment of diameter and age 
classes, high structural diversity, and old growth characteristics. 
Spotted owl and goshawk have ample habitat. Small openings provide for 
understory vegetation. These stands can withstand endemic level of 
insects and disease. The threat of stand-replacing wildfires has been 
reduced due to surrounding fuels treatments, and treatments within

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these stands have improved localized fuel conditions.
    Existing Condition: Many of these stands are overstocked, and high 
white fir densities are having negative impacts on the high elevation 
ponderosa pine. Many stands are growing in such dense conditions that 
individual trees are unable to develop large primary limbs and full 
crowns, and diameter growth is slowed. Important features for future 
spotted owl and goshawk habitat. Fuel loadings are extremely high in 
many areas where the white fir is beginning to self-thin.
    Need for Change: Overall stand density needs to be reduced to 
sustainable levels. Future spotted owl and goshawk nesting and foraging 
habitat needs to be brought on-line by culturing trees in younger 
stands to increase rates of diameter growth and to retain full crowns. 
White fir encroachment needs to be removed in and around pockets of 
ponderosa pine.

Lodgepole

    Desired Condition: In the lodgepole stands young, resilient, and 
overall healthy trees are desired. Species diversity is increased by 
the presence of white fir, ponderosa pine and aspen in these stands. 
Increasing aspen is desired to increase species diversity. Initial 
attack forces will be able to contain wildfires using fuelbreaks along 
roads as anchors.
    Existing Condition: In dense, contiguous tracts of lodgepole 
dominated stands, growth is stagnating and mortality from disease and 
beetle attacks are increasing. These stands are loaded with fuels, near 
areas with valuable wildlife habitat. Mixed among some of the lodgepole 
are individual trees and pockets of ponderosa pine, white fir, and 
aspen.
    Need for Change: To prevent the current and eminent tree mortality 
from adding to the existing fuel loadings these trees need to be 
removed. Biomass entries may be necessary to reduce the residual 
densities. To promote the expansion of aspen in areas where aspen 
stands exist, adjacent competing conifers should be removed.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for action is to address the major gaps 
between desired conditions, described in the Forest Plan for the 
Goosenest Adaptive Management Area (AMA) and the Northern Spotted Owl 
Recovery Plan, and the current conditions in the project area.
    The purpose and need components identified for this project area 
are listed below:

--Mimic natural processes through management actions to promote healthy 
ecological conditions and replicate the role of natural disturbances.
--Decrease stand density over most of the project area to reduce 
disease and insects to endemic levels, and provide for resilient 
stocking levels of desired species.
--Increase the proportion of ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and white pine 
on suitable sites to mimic historical stand conditions.
--Release understory in lodgepole pines stands to increase stand 
diversity and remove dead and soon-to-be dead trees to reduce current 
and future fuel accumulations.
--Treat heavy fuel loadings to reduce the threat of stand-replacing 
wildfire and mimic historical fire regimes of low intensity fire 
behavior, protect older forest habitat components in the project area, 
and provide for firefighter safety.
--Increase stand diversity to enhance overall vegetative diversity.
--Promote and maintain sustainable owl habitat elements in the 
Goosenest AMA and the Late Successional Reserve MAs by promoting 
resiliency to fire, insect and disease on the landscape and by 
culturing young trees to increase growth and crowns for future suitable 
habitat.
--Maintain sustainable nesting and foraging habitat in the goshawk 
territories. In meeting the needs above, the proposed action must also 
achieve the following purposes:
--Maintain aesthetic values especially along sensitive routes and areas 
seen from high places.
--Identify appropriate monitoring (learning) objectives related to 
project activities in line with the Goosenest AMA.

Proposed Action

    The Goosenest Ranger District of the Klamath National Forest 
proposes to restore ponderosa pine and mixed conifers, thin and use 
fuel reduction techniques on approximately 5,085 acres within the 
Goosenest AMA. The proposed actions were designed to address the 
purpose and need components and move towards the desired conditions 
while meeting plan standards and guidelines. This project involves 
altering stand density, structure, and species compositions, and the 
abatement of fuels generated from proposed activities as well as 
treatment of pre-existing fuel accumulations. The following activities 
are included in the proposed action. Some treatments overlap such as 
thinning followed with fuels abatement and underburning; and fuel 
treatment corridors overlapping other treatments.

Silvicultural Prescriptions and Objectives

    Thinning from Below (2,682 acres)--Thinning from below is a 
thinning method that removes the subordinate trees in the stand, i.e., 
those trees that are smaller and shorter than the trees forming the 
upper canopy. Stand density is reduced, allowing the trees with the 
best crown development and size to utilize the new growing space and 
increase growth and ability to withstand fire and insects and disease. 
Species composition can also be altered by favoring some species to be 
left over others. In this project, the objectives are to improve 
overall stand vigor, favor the largest fire-resistant trees and 
species, and reduce the potential for crown fire through removal of 
trees that act as fire ladders and that could sustain a crown fire. The 
percentage of ponderosa pine, sugar pine, and white pine will increase 
in the residual stand. Thinning intensity will vary and areas will be 
left un-thinned to maintain stand diversity. Treatment of conifer 
stumps with a fungicide (trade name Sporax) to prevent colonization and 
spread of the conifer root disease Heterobasidion annosum. The 
prescription will include small openings of \1/4\ to 1 acre in size in 
up to 15 percent of a treated stand. Fuels overall abatement treatments 
include: Yarding tree tops, pile and burning, lop and scatter, and 
biomass removal options. Overall abatement treatments will be carried 
out on 2,497 acres of the thinned acres. Additional fuels treatments 
include mechanical mowing on 309 acres and underburning of 1,742 acres 
in stands that have larger amounts of fire-resistant species.
    Ponderosa Pine/Mixed Conifer Restoration and Re-establishment 
(1,375 acres)--This prescription involves thinning to favor ponderosa, 
sugar, and white pine as the residual tree species in stands where 
white fir and red fir are heavily infested with annosum root disease 
and planting of pines where they are lacking. Post-treatment conditions 
will vary from thinned patches dominated by the largest pines to 
thinned patches dominated by white fir to areas of open pine forest. 
The larger areas of open pine and areas dominated by white fir will be 
planted to ponderosa pine, as well as rust-resistant sugar pine and 
white pine on the appropriate sites. The prescription will include un-
thinned areas and small openings of \1/4\ to 1 acre in size in up to 15 
percent of a treated stand. Treatment of conifer stumps with a

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fungicide (trade name Sporax) to prevent colonization and spread of the 
conifer root disease Heterobasidion annosum. Fuels treatments include 
overall abatement on all 1,375 acres with mechanical mowing on 107 
acres followed with underburning of 939 acres in stands that have 
larger amounts of fire-resistant species. The objectives of this 
prescription are to restore historic species composition and stand 
structure to areas that have lost most of the historic pine species and 
are now dominated by diseased white fir.
    Lodgepole Pine Thinning/Fuels Reduction (428 acres)--This 
prescription will remove remnant diseased lodgepole pines, pile fuels 
and thin the understory to promote the existing true firs and pine. The 
objective of this prescription is to move beetle-killed lodgepole 
stands towards an open stand structure with small trees of mixed 
species composition (including white fir, ponderosa pine, and lodgepole 
pine), that will be more resistant to mountain pine beetle mortality in 
the future. Treatment of stumps, 8 inches in diameter and larger, from 
live and recently dead conifers with a fungicide (trade name Sporax) 
would be done after tree cutting to prevent colonization and spread of 
the conifer root disease Heterobasidion annosum. Overall abatement 
treatments and mechanical mowing are planned on all 428 acres.
    Plantation Thinning (99 acres)--Existing plantations will be 
thinned to promote growth, future fire resistance, and a mixed species 
composition with emphasis on ponderosa pine. Since ponderosa pine is 
generally the most under-represented species in these plantations due 
to natural seeding of lodgepole and true firs, it will be favored to be 
left over other species.

Fuels Prescriptions and Objectives

    Overall Abatement (4,442 acres)--Overall abatement includes yarding 
tree tops, pile and burning, lop and scatter, and biomass removal 
treatment options.
    Yarding Tree Tops--In all silvicultural prescriptions that involve 
tree removal, tree tops would be moved to the landing for treatment 
(reoffer as forest by products or burning). This treatment would reduce 
fuels levels as a result of operations.
    Biomass Removal--Trees (generally less than 12''diameter breast 
height) would be removed in thinning operations to reduce potential 
crown fire behavior, improve species composition and reduce 
competition. Small diameter tree boles may be processed into bundles 
and removed.
    Piling and Burning--Following silviculture treatment, piling and 
burning will be used in fuels treatment corridors or where post-
treatment fuels present a fire hazard or may lead to difficulty 
carrying out prescribed underburning. It is not anticipated that this 
method will be used often since whole tree yarding will be done where 
possible.
    Lopping Scattering--This method will be used primarily to treat 
slash generated in thinning of plantations. Objective will be to reduce 
height and continuity of fuels and promote faster decomposition. It is 
not anticipated that this method will be used often since mechanical 
treatment is a standard operating procedure. In areas that are 
inaccessible or unsafe for mechanized equipment, this treatment is an 
alternative.
    Mechanical Mowing (844 acres)--Mowing will occur where shrubs and 
seedling and saplings are major determinants of fire behavior, as well 
as in lodgepole stands that are now dominated by small trees. 
Objectives will be to reduce shrub density and height and density of 
small trees to modify fire behavior.
    Underburning (2,723 acres)--In some sites following thinning 
treatments, controlled underburning will be used to reduce natural fuel 
loads, past activity slash, shrubs and white fir understory trees, 
while increasing herbaceous species and encouraging pine regeneration 
by creating areas of exposed mineral soil. Where underburning is 
prescribed as a stand-alone treatment, cutting and piling of ladder 
fuels and mowing of brush could be carried out to reduce potential 
flame lengths and scorch to residual trees. Underburning will not be 
prescribed where the residual stand will be dominated by true firs; in 
these instances, fuels treatments will emphasize mechanical methods.
    Fuels Treatment Corridors (Approximately 13 miles/480 acres)--This 
prescription was identified along major road corridors and certain 
access roads for fire control. Treatments will consist of small tree 
thinning and/or removal, pruning, mowing of brush, and hand or machine 
piling and burning of fuels concentrations. Treatments will generally 
extend 150 feet either side of the road, but may extend farther 
depending on slope and vegetation type.

Road Maintenance and Temporary Roads

    Road Maintenance (as needed)--Access into the Hi-Grouse project 
area will be by a series of County and National Forest System (NFS) 
roads, near the community of Macdoel, California. The main NFS roads 
that serve the project area are: 15, 77, 44N80, 44N62, and 44N54.
    Existing NFS roads within the project area received periodic 
clearing, blading and drainage structure maintenance in the 2007 and 
2008 seasons. Roads needed for the project will be reassessed prior to 
and during activities to determine if maintenance is needed and may 
require light maintenance to meet project requirements, generally 
consisting of spot rocking, grading, and re-establishing drainage 
structures. There will be no new roads constructed or added to the 
Forest road system. All aggregate rock and water source requirements 
for this project can be met from existing sources on National Forest 
lands. No new sources will be developed.
    Temporary Roads--Approximately 4.0 miles of temporary road will be 
needed to access thinning units, of which 3.25 miles will be on non-
system roads from previous harvest entries. These roads will be 
decommissioned upon project completion. Decommissioning could include 
all or a combination of the following activities: (1) Placing earth or 
log mound barriers to prevent vehicle traffic; (2) subsoiling and 
outsloping the road surface; (3) installing water bars and other 
drainage structures; and (4) mulching with native materials (logging 
slash) or certified weed free straw.
    New temporary roads will be located and constructed to design 
standards that minimize ground disturbance, protect resources, and 
provide safe transportation at the least possible cost.
    Existing non-system roads are generally old jeep roads or temporary 
roads constructed for past harvest activities. Road reconstruction, as 
defined by Forest Service Manual 7700, will not be required.
    Monitoring--Forest Plan monitoring (including Best Management 
Practices) will be conducted in conjunction with other Forest projects.
    Tractor units will be monitored to ensure soil disturbance is 
within established guidelines. Northern spotted owl surveys will be 
conducted through the life of the project. As part of the Forest 
noxious weed program, inventory noxious weeds for 3 years after the 
project is completed or as long as it takes the vegetation to recover 
from project disturbance (as measured by ground duff cover and forb and 
shrub layer cover).
    Upon completion of project activities, monitoring will be conducted 
to assess the positive or negative effects of fuels treatments. 
Monitoring will be completed by the Forest and/or interested 
stakeholders (multi-party

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monitoring) and will be subject to available funding and the ability of 
stakeholders to contribute funds or in-kind services. The immediate (1-
3 years post-project) and long-term effects on landscape attributes 
will be monitored using a fire effects monitoring and inventory system 
(e.g., FIREMON). Monitoring will be used to (1) Document basic 
information during different phases of the project, (2) establish 
changes in attributes and trends through time, (3) analyze short and 
long-term fire effects, and (4) determine if project objectives related 
to fuels were met. Monitoring will be conducted according to the 
Klamath National Forest Fuels and Fire Effects Monitoring Guide (USDA 
Forest Service 2007). Project data will be collected and input into the 
monitoring database at intervals established by the project monitoring 
plan.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The USDA Forest Services is the lead agency.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official for this project is the Forest Supervisor 
for the Klamath National Forest, Patricia A. Grantham, 1312 Fairlane 
Road, Yreka, California 96097.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The responsible official for this proposal is the forest 
supervisor. Based on the analysis in the final EIS, the responsible 
official will make the following decisions and document them in a 
record of decision: (1) Whether to treat stands within the project area 
as proposed, or in what manner; and (2) What project design features 
should be applied.

Scoping Process

    How to Comment: Opinions, values and suggestions for the general 
management direction for the Klamath National Forest will be noted, but 
will not be as useful to the ID Team as comments that are specific to 
the proposal. The ID Team is looking specifically for comments that 
discuss any impacts the proposed actions might have, especially to 
landowners, minorities, the local economy, recreational use and 
wildlife habitat.
    How Your Comments Are Used: Once the ID Team has read your comments 
and identified the significant issues, they will begin to develop 
alternatives to the proposed actions. After they develop the 
alternatives, the next step is to analyze the environmental effects of 
those alternatives, the proposed actions and also the ``No Action'' 
alternative.
    The alternatives, analysis of effects and related discussion will 
be presented to the public in the draft EIS, which is expected to be 
available for review in the summer of 2009. Following public review of 
the draft EIS, the ID Team will use the comments received to revise the 
document into the final EIS. Based on the results of environmental 
analysis and public input, the decision maker may issue a decision in a 
document titled the ``Record of Decision''.

Contact Information and Schedule

    Scoping comments postmarked or received by 30 days after the 
publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register are assured 
of being considered in the environmental analysis. Please note that all 
input received during project planning is a matter of public record; 
therefore names and addresses of participants cannot be kept 
confidential. You may also submit an oral comment over the telephone, 
in person (during normal business hours). Written comments should be 
addressed to: Goosenest District Ranger, Klamath National Forest, Attn: 
Hi-Grouse Project, 37805 Hwy 97, Macdoel, California 96058.
    You may also send electronic comments (.doc, .pdf, .rtf) to the 
District project e-mail box: comments-pacificsouthwest-klamath-
goosenest@fs.fed.us.
    A public meeting was held in the fall of 2007 to introduce 
interested parties to the project. The proposed treatments were field 
verified during the summer of 2008 and are similar to those discussed 
during the fall 2007 meeting. Feel free to contact the District office 
to arrange a meeting, or if you have any questions about submitting a 
comment, please contact Lois Pfeffer, ID Team leader at 559-359-7023 or 
Wendy Dobrowolski, District NEPA Planner, at the Goosenest Ranger 
District 530-398-5767.

Preliminary Issues

    Effects to Northern Spotted Owl--During the development of the 
proposed action, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 
approximately 1,751 acres of Critical Habitat for northern spotted owl 
within the Hi-Grouse project area. This new designation was not 
considered in the development of the proposed action and approximately 
830 acres of the designated Critical Habitat is identified for forest 
restoration and fuels treatments. The newly designated critical habitat 
is depicted on the scoping map and will be considered in the 
development of alternatives and future resource protection measures.
    Pine and mixed conifer restoration and re-establishment treatments 
would remove some current northern spotted owl habitat that is not 
expected to persist in the long term due to insects and disease. Pine 
and mixed conifer restoration treatments would maintain and promote 
largest, healthy remaining trees and re-establish historic species 
composition. Thinning treatments would increase sustainability of 
forest cover and northern spotted owl habitat over the long term by 
increasing the capacity of the stands to resist effects of drought, 
fire, insects and disease. Thinning and fuel reduction treatments would 
result in short-term impacts to some important northern spotted owl 
habitat elements, such as canopy cover and down woody debris. 
Treatments are designed to promote and maintain key elements of habitat 
(especially large fire-resistant trees) and restore historic forest 
conditions.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Your 
participation at this stage of the project is essential for the 
Interdisciplinary (ID) Team to develop effective, issue-driven 
alternatives and mitigations, as needed, to the proposed action. For 
the purposes of this EIS, an issue is defined as a point of discussion, 
dispute or debate about environmental effects of this proposed action. 
Issues are often identified by reviewing comments received from: the 
general public, Tribal governments, within the agency (including ID 
Team members), other federal agencies, state, county, and local 
governments and agencies. After the ID Team has reviewed all the 
comments received and identified the issues, they will begin to develop 
alternatives to the proposed actions that are based on any significant 
issues that were identified. You can help the Hi-Grouse ID Team develop 
effective alternatives by submitting your project-specific comments.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be 
prepared for comment. The comment period on the draft environmental 
impact statement will be 45 days from the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal 
Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
draft environmental impact

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statements 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 contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power 
Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also, environmental objections 
that could be raised at the draft environmental impact statement stage 
but that are not raised until after completion of the final 
environmental impact statement may be waived or dismissed by the 
courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) 
and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. 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 substantive comments and objections 
are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it can 
meaningfully consider them and respond to them in the final 
environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement 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 
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives 
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.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21.

    Dated: December 11, 2008.
Patricia A. Grantham,
Forest Supervisor, Klamath National Forest.
[FR Doc. E8-30184 Filed 12-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P