Plan Revision for Prescott National Forest, Yavapai and Coconino Counties, AZ, 2846-2850 [2010-642]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 11 (Tuesday, January 19, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2846-2850]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-642]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Plan Revision for Prescott National Forest, Yavapai and Coconino 
Counties, AZ

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to revise Land and Resource Management Plan.

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SUMMARY: As directed by the National Forest Management Act, the USDA 
Forest Service is revising the Prescott National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and will also prepare an 
environmental impact statement for this revised plan. This notice 
briefly describes the nature of the decision to be made, the need for 
change and proposed action, and information concerning public 
participation. It also provides estimated dates for filing the 
environmental impact statement, the names and addresses of the 
responsible agency official, and the individuals who can provide 
additional information. Finally, this notice briefly describes the 
applicable planning rule and how work done on the plan revision under 
the 2008 planning rule will be used or modified for completing this 
plan revision.
    The Prescott National Forest revised Forest Plan will supersede the 
land management plan previously approved by the Regional Forester on 
August 4, 1987, and amended 17 times from 1988 to 2008. Four of those 
amendments addressed project specific needs and the balance addressed 
programmatic needs. Programmatic needs for amendment included direction 
for habitat conservation for selected species, designation of a 
botanical area, treatment of noxious weeds, changes in utility corridor 
locations, clarification of grazing capacity, and adjustments to 
Prescott National Forest travel management policy. This amended Plan 
will remain in effect until the revision takes effect.

DATES: Comments concerning the need for change provided in this notice 
will be most useful in the development of the draft revised plan and 
draft environmental impact statement if received by February 15, 2010. 
The

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agency expects to release a draft revised plan and draft environmental 
impact statement for formal comment near the end of calendar year 2010 
and a final revised plan and final environmental impact statement near 
the end of calendar year 2011.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Prescott National Forest, Attn: 
Forest Plan Revision Team, 344 South Cortez Street, Prescott, Arizona 
86303. Comments may also be sent via e-mail by using the ``Contact Us'' 
page on the Prescott National Forest planning Web site: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott/plan-revisionlget-involved.shtml.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sally Hess-Samuelson, Forest Planner, 
Prescott National Forest, 344 South Cortez Street, Prescott, Arizona 
86303, shesssamuelson@fs.fed.us, 928-443-8216. Information on this 
revision is also available at Prescott National Forest revision Web 
site: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/prescott/plan-revisionhindex.shtml.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339 
between 8 AM and 8 PM, Eastern Time Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Name and Address of the Responsible Official

    The responsible official is Corbin Newman, Regional Forester, 
Southwestern Region, 333 Broadway SE, Albuquerque, NM 87102.

Nature of the Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Plan provides guidance for all resource management 
activities on the Prescott National Forest. Approval of the revised 
Forest Plan will result in the following plan components to guide 
management for the next 10 to 15 years:
     Goals/desired conditions;
     Objectives;
     Forest-wide standards and guidelines;
     Management area desired conditions, standards, and 
guidelines;
     Suitability of lands for timber production, grazing, and 
recreation opportunities;
     Monitoring and evaluation requirements; and
     Recommendations may be made for special areas, such as 
Research Natural Areas, or areas that can only be designated by 
statute, such as Wilderness.
    Goals/desired conditions provide a description of desired outcomes 
of forest management. Objectives provide projections of measurable 
outcomes intended to promote achievement of Forest Plan goals/desired 
conditions. Forest-wide standards and guidelines provide management 
direction and guidance that is applicable across the Prescott National 
Forest. Management Area desired conditions, standards, and guidelines 
provide direction that applies to specific geographic areas within the 
Prescott National Forest. Identification of characteristics of lands 
where timber production, grazing, and recreation opportunities are 
suitable provides integration between particular uses and desired 
conditions and objectives for areas on the National Forest. Monitoring 
and evaluation indicates whether areas are trending toward goals/
desired conditions so that needed adjustments can be made in the 
future. Special areas are places or areas within the National Forest 
System designated because of their unique or special characteristics. 
Some can be designated by the responsible official, such as a Botanical 
Area. Others, such as Wilderness or Wild and Scenic River designations, 
are recommended for designation by the responsible official, but 
Congressional act designates.
    An environmental impact statement will be prepared that informs the 
Regional Forester so that he can decide which alternative set of plan 
components best meets the need to achieve quality land management under 
the sustainable multiple-use management concept and to meet the diverse 
needs of people, while protecting the resources of the Prescott 
National Forest, as required by the National Forest Management Act 
(NFMA) and the Multiple Use Sustained Yield Act.
    The scope of this decision is limited to revisiting those portions 
of the current Forest Plan that need modification, correction, or 
creation of direction that is lacking. We expect to focus on areas 
identified as being most critically in need of change. Identification 
of the types of decisions that will not be made within the plan can be 
as important as knowing the decisions to be made. The authorization of 
project-level activities on the forests is not a decision made in the 
Forest Plan but occurs through subsequent project-specific decision-
making. Designation of routes, trails, and areas for motorized vehicle 
travel has been documented in the 2009 Motorized Vehicle Use Map. 
Adjustments to the routes shown on the map are expected to be addressed 
in separate analyses and were not identified as a Need for Change in 
the Forest Plan. Some issues (e.g., hunting regulations), although 
important, are beyond the authority or control of the Prescott National 
Forest and will not be considered. In addition, some issues, such as 
wild and scenic river suitability determinations, may not be undertaken 
at this time, but addressed later as a future Forest Plan amendment.

Need for Change and Proposed Action

    The current Forest Plan is over 20 years old. Changes have taken 
place during that time based on changed economic, social, and 
ecological conditions; new policies and priorities; and new information 
based on monitoring and scientific research. Changes made during plan 
revision will be focused on three priority needs for change and two 
secondary needs for change. The three priority needs are (1) restore 
vegetation, structure, composition, and desired characteristics of fire 
to selected ecosystems, while responding to citizen concerns related to 
smoke emissions; (2) retain or improve watershed integrity to provide 
desired water quality, quantity and timing of delivery; and (3) provide 
sustainable and diverse recreation experiences that consider population 
demographic characteristics, reflect desires of local communities, 
avoid overcrowding and user conflicts, and minimize resource damage. 
Two other secondary needs were selected to be addressed with Forest 
Plan components and will likely be addressed as parts of the priority 
needs for change. They are: (a) Provide desired habitat for native fish 
species; and (b) enhance the value of open space provided by the 
Prescott National Forest by defining visual character within areas near 
or viewed by those in local communities. These needs are not adequately 
addressed in the current Forest Plan. Priority and secondary needs for 
change and means of addressing those needs during plan revision are 
described below:
    1. Restore vegetation, structure, composition, and desired 
characteristics of fire to selected ecosystems, while responding to 
citizen concerns related to smoke emissions. In order to improve 
ecological health and sustainability within several plant communities, 
vegetation structure (arrangement of vegetation) and composition (types 
of vegetation species) need to be modified to more closely resemble the 
range of conditions that historically occurred.
    The revised Forest Plan will define desired vegetative 
characteristics including: Desired species composition and vegetative 
transitions due to disturbances; structural characteristics such as 
spacing of shrub patches or tree groups and density of trees; and 
disturbance patterns such as frequency, severity, intensity, size and 
seasonality of fire. By trending toward defined

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desired conditions, the following situations will begin to be 
addressed: (a) Risk of severe uncharacteristic wildfires that damage 
soils and impact human health and safety, (b) changes in ecosystems 
that could affect diversity of plant and animal species such as the 
spread of invasive plant species, (c) infrequent fire occurrences that 
do not emulate historic characteristics within some ecosystems. 
Objectives will focus attention on high priority areas for restoration 
activities such as thinning, planned burning, or treatment of invasive 
plant species. Guidelines will provide direction for use of restoration 
methods other than traditional thinning and planned burns in areas 
where possible impacts to species are not acceptable. In collaboration 
with citizens, Management Area direction will identify areas where fuel 
reduction activities other than burning will be emphasized, such as 
near structures or close to communities.
    2. Retain or Improve watershed integrity to provide desired water 
quality, quantity, and timing of delivery. Watershed integrity is the 
completeness of watershed function in providing water quality, quantity 
and timing of delivery. It is influenced by soil function, biological 
function and geomorphology. Vegetative structure and composition, 
disturbance regimes and recreation activities all can affect watershed 
integrity.
    The revised Forest Plan will describe desired characteristics of 
watersheds including: Soil and vegetation characteristics in uplands 
and in areas near streams, water bodies, and ground water dependent 
ecosystems; desired water quality characteristics and other 
characteristics of healthy watersheds. Standards and guidelines will be 
developed for sensitive areas to provide guidance for recreational 
activities, vegetation utilization, and vegetative ground cover within 
those areas. Addressing this need will move toward maintaining water 
quality and quantity for municipal watersheds and for aquatic and 
riparian species habitat, and will provide timing of delivery that is 
commensurate with healthy soil, biological function, and natural 
geomorphology.
    3. Provide sustainable and diverse recreation experiences that 
consider population demographic characteristics, reflect desires of 
local communities, avoid overcrowding and user conificts, and minimize 
resource damage. Providing sustainable recreation opportunities was the 
number one concern at public meetings held early in 2009. With 
increasing populations and numbers of visitors to the Prescott National 
Forest, conflicts between types of activities, overcrowding, and over-
use leading to resource impacts need to be addressed.
    Numbers of recreationists on the Prescott National Forest have 
increased in recent years, both from increases in local population and 
from influx of visitors from the Phoenix metropolitan area. This has 
increased the potential for creating conflicts among all recreationists 
and leads to unmet recreational experience expectations. The increase 
in recreational use also interacts with ecosystems such as causing 
changes in habitat, wearing away vegetation, and spreading seeds of 
non-native plant species to new locations.
    The revised Forest Plan will describe forest-wide desired 
conditions for recreation experiences and for interactions between 
recreational activities and ecosystems. Management area boundaries will 
be adjusted to reflect geographically contiguous areas so that 
strategies can be developed to better respond to desires of people who 
reside in or feel connected to specific areas within the Prescott 
National Forest. Management area guidance will include description of 
goals/desired conditions as well as standards and guidelines to 
mitigate or help control conflicts between people and the environment 
or among recreationists. Addressing this need will help visitors know 
where to find the experience they desire and will better address 
impacts of recreation use.
    Two secondary needs for change were selected to be addressed with 
Forest Plan components.
    (a) Provide desired habitat for native fish species. Native fish 
and other aquatic species are in decline within several watersheds. 
Native aquatic species are no longer found in five watersheds that 
overlap with the Prescott National Forest. The Prescott National Forest 
can provide habitat and watershed characteristics that will support 
native fish species. The Forest could also cooperate with the State of 
Arizona in addressing control of non-native species.
    Desired conditions will be developed that describe desired aquatic 
habitat including stream flows, vegetation, and water quality at a 
Forest-wide scale. Standards and guidelines will be developed to help 
aquatic characteristics trend toward desired conditions.
    (b) Enhance the value of open space provided by the Prescott 
National Forest by defining the visual character within areas near or 
viewed by those in local communities. The high rate of population 
growth within Yavapai County combined with limited lands for 
development sensitizes residents to land development, land exchange, 
and land use issues. The Prescott National Forest has an opportunity 
via the Forest Plan to ensure that scenic values are taken into 
consideration as population density is expected to increase on other 
ownerships. Defining the value of Prescott National Forest open space 
will help to display the benefit these lands play in local communities, 
should land exchange be proposed.
    A new inventory of scenic values has been completed and desired 
conditions, standards, and guidelines will be developed based on scenic 
values of landscapes. Other Revision Changes. Some components of the 
current Forest Plan are still adequate and timely; these will be 
carried forward into the revised Forest Plan.
    Other components of the current Forest Plan will be modified or 
removed, for reasons including: they describe a purely administrative 
or procedural function; they duplicate direction that can be found in 
existing law, regulation, or Forest Service policy; they are based on 
outdated policies, science, or information; or they include out-of-date 
terminology. In addition, some standards and guidelines in the existing 
Forest Plan: May be unnecessarily prescriptive about how to accomplish 
a project, instead of focusing on the project outcome; do not support 
attaining desired conditions or accomplishing objectives; or are 
duplicative. Finally, portions of monitoring and evaluation guidance in 
the current Forest Plan focus on outputs rather than on progress toward 
attainment of goals/desired conditions.

Public Involvement

    The Prescott National Forest has taken a collaborative approach in 
preparation for Forest Plan Revision. Rather than sponsoring several 
public meetings focused on plan revision, we engaged citizens in 
planning and ongoing stewardship of the forest. This included inviting 
citizens to share their desires for the future and invent new ways to 
support and sustain stewardship. Methods used include human geographic 
mapping, gaining understanding of informal community networks, reaching 
out to informal community leaders, and encouraging development of 
community visions. More standard methods that were used included public 
meetings in February of 2009 to discuss needs for change, use of the 
Prescott National Forest Web page to provide information and offer 
feedback forms, and face to face and written

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communication with tribal entities. Information gathered from the 
public as well as science-based assessments were used to determine the 
need for change identified above.
    We will continue efforts to have meaningful consultation and 
collaboration with tribal nations on a government-to-government basis. 
The Prescott National Forest also wants to continue collaborative 
efforts with members of the public as well as federal and state 
agencies, local governments and private organizations.
    Continued public participation at multiple meetings sponsored by 
local groups or multi-interest organizations will take place throughout 
the winter and spring of 2010 to develop the proposed plan and 
alternatives. Public meetings are expected during the summer of 2010 to 
integrate and share the results of these efforts. Dates, times and 
locations of these meetings will be posted on the Prescott National 
Forest planning Web site as well as via community bulletin boards, e-
mail announcements, and through community networks. The information 
gathered will be combined with other feedback to refine needs for 
change, if necessary, develop the proposed plan, and prepare the draft 
environmental impact statement. Once a draft environmental impact 
statement is published, formal comment periods will allow for comment 
on the proposed plan and the content of the EIS.
    At this time, the Prescott National Forest is seeking input on its 
needs for change and proposals to address those needs. In particular, 
did we miss any important issues or concerns?
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of 
the revised plan and the EIS. Therefore, comments on the needs for 
change will be most valuable if received by February 15, 2010 and 
should clearly articulate the reviewers' concerns. The submission of 
timely and specific comments can affect a reviewer's ability to 
participate in subsequent administrative or judicial review. At this 
time, we anticipate using the 2000 planning rule pre-decisional 
objection process (36 CFR 219.32) for administrative review. Comments 
received in response to this solicitation, including the names and 
addresses of those who comment will be part of the public record. 
Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered.

Applicable Planning Rule

    Preparation of the revised plan was underway when the 2008 National 
Forest System land management planning rule was enjoined on June 30, 
2009, by the United States District Court for the Northern District of 
California (Citizens for Better Forestry v. 12 United States Department 
of Agriculture, 632 F. Supp. 2d 968 (N.D. Cal. June 30, 2009)). On 
December 18, 2009 the Department reinstated the previous planning rule, 
commonly known as the 2000 planning rule in the Federal Register 
(Federal Register, Volume 74, No. 242, Friday, December 18, 2009, pages 
67059 thru 67075). The transition provisions of the reinstated rule (36 
CFR 219.35 and appendices A and B) allow use of the provisions of the 
National Forest System land and resource management planning rule in 
effect prior to the effective date of the 2000 Rule (November 9, 2000), 
commonly called the 1982 Planning Rule, to amend or revise plans. The 
Prescott National Forest has elected to use the provisions of the 1982 
Planning Rule, including the requirement to prepare an environmental 
impact statement, to complete its plan revision. In December of 2009, 
we prepared the Analysis of the Management Situation (AMS) that 
summarized social, economic, and ecological conditions and trends in 
and around the Prescott National Forest, identified initial needs for 
change, integrated needs for change, and along with public input, 
identified where the current Forest Plan provides inadequate or, in 
some cases unnecessary guidance for the present and future. The AMS was 
prepared using the provisions of the 1982 planning rule and is found on 
the Prescott National Forest planning Web site (See section called FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION near the beginning of this notice for web link).
    Although the 2008 planning rule is no longer in effect, information 
gathered prior to the court's injunction is useful for completing the 
plan revision using the provisions of the 1982 planning rule. The 
Prescott National Forest has concluded that the analyses begun or 
developed during the plan revision process to date are appropriate for 
continued use in the revision process. The ongoing inventory and 
evaluation of potential wilderness areas and the Draft Upper Verde 
River Eligibility Report Update for the National Wild and Scenic River 
System have been underway since 2008, are consistent with appropriate 
provisions of the 1982 planning rule, and will be brought forward into 
this plan revision process. Other reference reports that were used to 
prepare the Analysis of the Management Situation are listed below and 
will be brought forward in the plan revision process. Prior to the 
injunction of the 2008 Planning Rule, we had taken the following steps 
in preparation for plan revision:
     Identified characteristics of communities near and within 
Prescott National Forest boundaries. Worked toward understanding the 
citizens within the community by encouraging each community to develop 
a vision for the landscape to which they were connected. Community 
visions can be found on the Prescott National Forest planning Web page 
(For Web link, see section labeled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION near the 
beginning of this notice).
     Developed an Ecological Sustainability Report (2009) to 
provide information on the biological and physical environment of the 
Prescott National Forest and surrounding area. The diversity of 
ecosystems and species known to occur within the Prescott National 
Forest were profiled along with identification of existing threats and 
associated risks to long-term sustainability of those ecosystems and 
species. Ecological concerns identified helped to highlight specific 
elements of the current Forest Plan that may need to be changed. The 
Ecological Sustainability Report (ESR) will continue to be used as a 
reference in the planning process as appropriate to those items in 
conformance with the 2000 planning rule transition language and 1982 
planning rule provisions. This is scientific information and is not 
affected by the change of planning rule. This information will be 
updated with any new available information (For Web link, see section 
labeled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION near the beginning of this notice).
     Described the social and economic relationship between the 
Prescott National Forest and surrounding communities, in the document 
titled Prescott National Forest Economic and Social Sustainability 
Assessment (2008). It assists us in understanding the relationship 
between National Forest lands and surrounding communities and acts as 
an aid in identifying specific elements of the current Forest Plan that 
may need to be changed. The Economic and Social Sustainability Report 
was completed in 2008, is not affected by the change in planning rule, 
and will continue to be used as a reference in the planning process. 
This information will be updated with any new available information 
(For Web link, see section labeled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION near the 
beginning of this notice).
    Several assessments, such as those listed below, were also prepared 
before the 2008 planning rule was enjoined.

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Each includes scientific information and is not affected by the change 
of planning rule. In each case information may be updated with any new 
available information. Both documents can be found at the following 
location: https://www.fs.fed.us/r3/plan-revisionlassess/pres/index.shtml.
     The Socioeconomic Assessment of the Prescott National 
Forest (2005) provides information based on existing secondary data, 
for example, county and state economic data, U.S. Census data, and a 
wide range of data from Forest Service databases.
     Attitudes, Beliefs and Values Toward National Forest 
System Lands: The Prescott National Forest (2006) documented a focus 
group study that provides information about attitudes, beliefs and 
values related to forest management and resources. As necessary or 
appropriate, the above listed material will be further adjusted as part 
of the planning process using the provisions of the 1982 planning rule.

(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1600-1614; 36 CFR 219.35 (74 FR 67073-67074))

    Dated January 8, 2010.
Alan Quan,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-642 Filed 1-15-10; 8:45 am]
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