Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; East McCloud Plantations Thinning Project, 53839-53840 [2012-21712]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 171 (Tuesday, September 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53839-53840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21712]


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 4, 2012 / 
Notices

[[Page 53839]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; East McCloud 
Plantations Thinning Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to evaluate and disclose the predicted effects of the 
East McCloud Plantations Thinning project, which would treat conifer 
plantations on approximately 9,266 acres to improve forest health and 
increase resiliency to natural events such as drought, insect and 
disease infestations and severe wildfire. Treatments would include 
commercial and non-commercial thinning and hazardous fuels reduction 
using mechanical and hand methods. Proposed connected actions include 
road maintenance and reconstruction of National Forest System, new road 
construction and addition of new roads and selected existing 
unauthorized routes to the Forest Transportation System to support 
future management activities. The project is located in Siskiyou and 
Shasta Counties, California, on the northeast corner of the Shasta-
McCloud Management Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The 
project's legal description is: Portions of Township (T.) 39 North 
(N.), Range (R.) 1-3 East (E.); T. 40 N., R. 2, 3 E.; T. 41 N., R. 2-4 
E.; T. 42 N., R. 3, 4 E., MBM. The project area is approximately 18 
miles northeast of the town of McCloud, California, and 70 miles 
northeast of Redding, California.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by October 3, 2012. The draft environmental impact statement is 
expected in July 2013 and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected November 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Nisha van Hees, USDA Forest 
Service, Shasta McCloud Management Unit, 204 West Alma Street, Mount 
Shasta, California 96067. Comments may also be sent via email to 
comments-pacificsw-shasta-trinity-mtshasta-mccloud@fs.fed.us or via 
facsimile to (530) 926-9678. Verbal comments must be received in person 
at the Mt. Shasta Ranger Station, 204 West Alma Street in Mt. Shasta, 
California, or by telephone at (503) 926-9664 during normal business 
hours (8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nisha van Hees, TSI Program Manager/
District Culturist, at 530-926-9664.
    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

    Past reforestation activities in the project area have resulted in 
hundreds of dense conifer plantations which will soon reach or already 
exceed site capability to sustain healthy and vigorous trees. 
Competition for limited water, sunlight, and nutrients as well as high 
tree density have resulted in decreasing growth rates and increasing 
susceptibility to major insect attacks and other factors such as 
drought, root disease, storm damage, mistletoe infestations and severe 
wildfire. Recent drought conditions in the western United States have 
put additional environmental stress on plantations that are growing at 
high stand densities such as those in the project area.
    Current conditions cannot sustain plantation capacity to meet the 
future stand growth, production, and development potential needed to 
meet the goals and future desired conditions directed in the Shasta-
Trinity National Forest's Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest 
Plan). The Forest Service proposes to reduce competition in selected 
plantations at this time to promote the development of mature forests 
and reduce the probability of density- and drought-related mortality in 
the plantations.
    Approximately one hundred years of fire suppression have contibuted 
to the current conditions of overcrowding and trending towards slow 
tree growth, low stand health, and density-related mortality. The 
project area is susceptible to uncharacteristically severe, stand-
destroying wildfire due to the increasing surface fuel accumulation, 
tree density and number of dead trees in the canopy. The exclusion of 
fire has also resulted in understory vegetation extending into the 
forest canopy creating fuel ladders into the overstory vegetation. In 
the case of a wildfire during the summer season, fire behavior modeling 
predicts rates of spread, flame lengths, and resistance to control that 
would contribute to significant mortality and post-fire damage in 
plantations. The project is needed at this time to restore and sustain 
healthy, disturbance-resilient ecosystems by reducing woody fuels, 
forest densities and landscape homogeneity.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action would treat conifer plantations ranging from 4-
55 years of age; ranging in size from approximately one-third to 300 
acres, using the following silvicultural prescriptions: (1) Thin from 
below on 5,173 acres using mechanical and hand methods; (2) Thin from 
below combined with mastication to remove 55-90 percent of the brush on 
2,333 acres; (3) Mastication only on 1,760 acres in areas with small 
diameter trees and dense or large brush (all acres are approximate).
    About 93 percent of the proposed treatment acres are outside the 
designated Late Successional Reserves (LSR). Thinning outside of the 
LSR would include retention of tall healthy trees with large crowns. 
Minimum spacing would leave 45-100 trees per acre depending on age, 
species, site quality, and average tree size. Within the LSR, thinning 
would vary to further enhance valuable habitat components such as 
species and structural diversity. Variable spacing that includes tree 
retention based on habitat value would leave 45-120 trees per acre 
across 90 percent of unit areas. About 10 percent of each unit would 
remain untreated.
    In all management prescriptions, the proposed action would radial 
thin around rust-resistant sugar pine and some hardwoods, including 
black oak; remove most competing conifers in and near aspen clones; and 
prune residual trees at variable heights. Most of the

[[Page 53840]]

plantations include islands of residual trees that pre-date the 
plantations which would be left untreated to provide diverse structure 
and habitat within the plantations.
    About 80% of the treatment acres would have wood products removed 
using whole-tree-yarding to designated landings.
    One or more of these secondary treatments, depending on site 
conditions, would follow the primary silvicultural treatments: (1) 
Masticate competing brush; (2) pile and burn activity fuels; (3) lop 
and scatter activity fuels; and (4) pull slash back or chip within 50 
feet of National Forest System roads. Secondary treatments address 
predicted wildfire behavior by reducing hazardous fuels conditions.
    The project would be accomplished under several Service and Timber 
Sale Contracts over a period of several years, dependent upon funding. 
Plantations to be treated are generally put together in contracts of 
300 to 600 acres in size and located close to one another to be 
operationally and economically feasible. Additional vegetation and road 
treatments would be completed with Forest Service employees and agency 
owned machinery (i.e., force account), Youth Conservation Corp Crews, 
California Conservation Corp Crews and/or volunteers as funding allows. 
Treatment activities and road actions would occur between approximately 
May 1 and October 15 each year. Plantations with poor stand health and 
vigor and/or high fuel hazards would be treated first. Commercial 
removal units would be scheduled as soon as possible. Upon award, the 
average Service Contract vegetation treatment and related road closures 
would generally be completed within 18 months. Timber Sale Contracts 
can take anywhere from 1 to 5 years from award to completion. 
Associated road closures would occur upon completion of an activity in 
each contract/sale area boundary.
    Road management activities necessary to implement the proposed 
action and also needed for future management activities include: 126 
miles of road maintenance and 36 miles of reconstruction on National 
Forest System (NFS) roads. Existing unauthorized routes totaling 33 
miles are proposed to be added to the NFS (these routes are currently 
open roads that are not part of the National Forest system under the 
Shasta-Trinity National Forests Motorized Travel Management, Final 
Environmental Impact Statement, 2010); and construction of 24 segments 
totaling 5.5 miles of new roads that would be added to the system.
    Eighteen miles of existing unauthorized routes and 3.5 miles of new 
temporary roads would be decommissioned within 1-3 years of project 
conclusion.
    Approximately 462 landings up to one-half acre in size (or up to 
one-quarter acre in the LSR) would be located within or near plantation 
boundaries where wood products would be removed.
    Landings and skid trails would be rehabilitated when no longer 
needed for this project. Maintenance Level 1 (intermittent use) roads 
would be closed within 1-3 years of each contracts completion, until 
needed for future management activities.
    The Proposed Action implements the Forest Plan standards and 
guides, management recommendations in the Forestwide Late Successional 
Reserve Assessment, the Forest's Fire Management Plan, and Regional 
Ecosystem Office guidance. Additional site-specific project design 
features and best management practices would be used to further protect 
resources. Coordination and consultation with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service will continue and consultation with the State Historic 
Preservation Office and Tribes is planned.

Responsible Official

    J. Sharon Heywood, 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.

Permits or Licenses Required

    A permit would be required from the State of California prior to 
burning piles. Storm Water Permits: The appropriate regulatory agencies 
will be consulted regarding national or state required permits 
associated with roads used in project implementation. Required permits 
will be obtained prior to implementation.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement.
    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 contentions.
    Include the following information with your comments: your name, 
address, email (optional), and telephone number; the project name: East 
McCloud Plantations Thinning Project; and site-specific comments about 
the proposed action, along with supporting information you believe will 
help identify issues, develop alternatives, or predict environmental 
effects of this proposal. The most useful comments provide new 
information or describe unwanted environmental effects potentially 
caused by the proposed action. If you reference scientific literature 
in your comments, you must provide a copy of the entire reference you 
have cited and include rationale as to how you feel it is pertinent to 
the East McCloud Plantations Thinning Project.
    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.

    Dated: August 21, 2012.
J. Sharon Heywood,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-21712 Filed 8-31-12; 8:45 am]
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