San Bernardino National Forest, Mountaintop Ranger District, CA, Santa Ana Watershed Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Forest Health Project, 66578-66580 [2012-27030]
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66578
Notices
Federal Register
Vol. 77, No. 215
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains documents other than rules or
proposed rules that are applicable to the
public. Notices of hearings and investigations,
committee meetings, agency decisions and
rulings, delegations of authority, filing of
petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are
examples of documents appearing in this
section.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Cancellation of Indianapolis Grain
Inspection & Weighing Service, Inc.
Designation; Selection of Interim
Provider; Opportunity for Designation
in the Indianapolis, IN Area; Correction
Grain Inspection, Packers and
Stockyards Administration, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; correction.
AGENCY:
Notice of intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
ACTION:
The Mountaintop Ranger
District, San Bernardino National Forest
proposes to reduce fire risk and improve
forest health within approximately
19,850 acres around the Barton Flats
area of the upper Santa Ana Watershed
under the authority of the Healthy
Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003.
To meet the primary purposes of
providing for firefighter safety and
community protection, it is proposed to
create shaded fuelbreaks along private
property boundaries adjacent to
communities, along roads, and ridge
tops that are strategically important as
defensible fire-fighting zones. Outside of
these fuelbreaks, it is proposed to
reduce the potential for stand-replacing
wildfire by reducing tree densities and
removing excess fuels, while at the same
time maintaining essential forest
structure required by wildlife. The
proposed action includes the long-term
maintenance of the treatments proposed
to meet the desired conditions.
SUMMARY:
The USDA, Grain Inspection,
Packers and Stockyards Administration
published a document in the Federal
Register on October 31, 2012,
concerning persons or governmental
agencies interested in providing official
services in the area presently assigned
to Indianapolis to submit an application
for designation. The document
contained an incorrect date.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric
Jabs, (816) 659–8408 or
Eric.J.Jabs@usda.gov.
DATES:
Correction
ADDRESSES:
SUMMARY:
In the Federal Register of October 31,
2012, in FR Doc. 2012–26824, on page
65856, under section Opportunity for
Designation make a correction to the
ending date. Correct the ending date
from ‘‘December 31, 2016’’ to show
‘‘December 31, 2015’’.
Dated: October 31, 2012.
Larry Mitchell,
Administrator, Grain Inspection, Packers and
Stockyards Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012–27079 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–KD–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
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Forest Service
San Bernardino National Forest,
Mountaintop Ranger District, CA,
Santa Ana Watershed Hazardous Fuels
Reduction and Forest Health Project
AGENCY:
Forest Service, USDA.
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15:06 Nov 05, 2012
Jkt 229001
Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by
December 6, 2012. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected July 2013 and the final
environmental impact statement is
expected September 2013.
Send written comments to
San Bernardino National Forest, 602 S.
Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino, CA
92408. Comments may also be sent via
email to comments-pacificsouthwestsan-bernardino@fs.fed.us, on the project
Web site at https://cara.ecosystemmanagement.org/Public/
CommentInput?Project=24122, or via
facsimile to (909) 383–5770.
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 EIS.
Therefore, comments should be
provided prior to the close of the
comment period and should clearly
articulate the reviewer’s concerns and
contentions.
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.
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Sfmt 4703
Tom
Hall, Environmental Coordinator at
thall@fs.fed.us; (909) 382–2905; or 602
S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino, CA
92408.
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: This
project will be performed under the
authority of, and must comply with, the
Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA)
of 2003. This project qualifies under
Title 1 of the HFRA because the project
area is in Wildland-Urban Interface
(WUI) as designated in the Mill Creek
Canyon (2006), Angelus Oaks (2005),
and Big Bear Valley (2006) Community
Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and
the San Bernardino National Forest
Land Management Plan (2006); and the
project reduces the risk of wildland fire
to the quality of the municipal water
supply for communities downstream in
San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange
counties, California. The predecisional
administrative review, ‘‘objection’’,
process that was authorized under the
HFRA will be implemented per 36 Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR) 218 for this
project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Purpose and Need for Action
The probability of stand-replacing
wildfire is high in much of the project
area. No large communities occur
within the project area, but thousands of
recreationists use the area during
summer and a number of communities
occur just outside the project area,
including Angelus Oaks to the west, and
Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, and other
smaller communities to the north. Of
major concern are the high
concentrations of recreationists during
the summer months, specifically
organizational camps and recreational
residence cabins on both NFS and
private lands in the watershed, coupled
with the limited ability to evacuate
them quickly from the watershed in case
of wildland fire. There is a high risk of
accidental fire being started by the
thousands of recreationists that occupy
the watershed during summer,
especially on weekends. There is a need
to reduce the rate of fire spread
throughout the watershed in order to
provide for firefighter safety in the event
E:\FR\FM\06NON1.SGM
06NON1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices
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of a wildfire, protect the recreationists
using the watershed, and protect the
neighboring communities.
The watershed has experienced a
range of fires in the past century;
approximately 31 percent of the project
area has burned. However, only about
1,700 acres have burned within the past
50 years. Some mechanical treatments,
thinning, and prescribed burning have
occurred in Barton Flats and in other
areas within the watershed.
Nevertheless, the lack of recent fuels
reduction treatments and fires in much
of the watershed, has resulted in forest
conditions where the vegetation is
denser, ladder fuels are present, and
there are unnaturally high levels of
woody material in some parts of the
project area. The San Bernardino
National Forest has experienced drought
conditions in recent years, the forest
conditions with unnaturally high levels
of fuel loading are still evident.
Extensive crown fires are now occurring
in similar southern California forests
because of accumulated surface fuels.
There is a need to improve forest health
within the watershed in order to
improve stand composition and the
overall watershed condition.
Many wildlife species occur within
the project area, including Southwestern
willow flycatcher and California spotted
owl. California spotted owl forest
habitat is characterized by high canopy
cover, as well as greater within-stand
vertical (e.g., tree regeneration layers,
snags) and horizontal (e.g., downed
woody material) heterogeneity. There is
a need to protect wildlife habitat and
improve forest health to help sustain
wildlife habitat and complement
ecological restoration of the watershed.
Proposed Action
Strategically, the proposed treatments
would provide defensible zones for
firefighting within WUI defense zones,
and would break up fuel continuity in
WUI threat zones. To meet the primary
purposes of providing for firefighter
safety and community protection,
shaded fuelbreaks will be created or
maintained along private property
boundaries adjacent to communities and
along roads and ridge tops that are
strategically important as defensible
fire-fighting zones. Shaded fuelbreaks
provide firefighters a defensible space
from which to carry out firefighting
operations. Most shaded fuelbreaks in
the project area will be about 600 feet
wide. For the Sugarloaf fuelbreak and
along private property boundaries, this
width may be expanded to meet desired
conditions. Most of the proposed
fuelbreaks in the project area would be
new fuelbreaks. However, the fuelbreaks
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:06 Nov 05, 2012
Jkt 229001
along the Jenks Lake County Road, the
Santa Ana River Road (Forest Road
1N45), and Highway 38 have already
been established and this project would
include the maintenance of those
fuelbreaks so that they meet the desired
conditions.
Treatment Level 1 is the most
intensive treatment and would result in
an open forest structure with no
standing dead trees, down logs, or other
fuels on the ground. Treatment Level 2
is a little less intensive and would occur
as outer bands on both sides of most
Treatment level 1 corridors, as well as
within relatively narrow areas between
Treatment Level 1 corridors. Forest
structure would be opened, but not as
extensively as in Treatment level 1.
Treatment Level 3 includes treatments
in areas outside of shaded fuelbreaks
and habitat suitable for California
spotted owls. The objective is to reduce
the potential of stand-replacing fires.
The focus of this objective is to break up
the continuity of the canopy fuels that
now exists and change fire behavior
under the 90th percentile weather
conditions, so that flame length and
rates of spread are reduced. There are
many areas with sensitive resources
(e.g., heritage resources, rare plants,
riparian areas, designated Critical
Habitat, etc.) within the project area and
they may fall within any treatment
level. Design Features have been
developed to protect those individual
sites either through avoidance or
through modification of the treatment at
and around those areas. The project area
also contains large amounts of habitat
for the California spotted owl, including
mapped nest stands, protected activity
centers (PACs), home range core (HRC)
areas, and suitable habitat. Treatment
Level 4 is designed to protect habitat
components and characteristics
important to spotted owls while
improving the fire behavior under some
conditions.
When trees are thinned the residual
slash (limbs, tops, etc) would be treated
either by chipping, direct removal, or
through hand or machine piling and
burning. Wood slash piles would be
burned, once the wood has dried, under
controlled conditions that minimize
smoke within the communities.
Prescribed broadcast burns are proposed
to reduce fuels in some areas and would
serve to break up the continuity of the
shrub and herbaceous fuels and down
wood in these areas. In some of these
areas, dead trees would be cut and piled
or removed prior to burning. Prescribed
broadcast burning may also be used
after thinning has been conducted to
reduce fine fuels. Broadcast burns
would only occur when weather
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
66579
conditions provide for safe burning
around adjacent communities.
The proposed action also includes
reforestation/native plant restoration in
treatment areas. Reforestation will be
focused in disturbed areas such as
landings but may also include fire scars
and areas damaged by off-road vehicles,
etc. The intent would be to enhance the
restoration progress of those sites.
Reforestation and native plant
restoration units are not specifically
identified in the Proposed Action maps
but planting opportunities would be
indentified during the implementation
phase and could occur in any of the
mapped treatment areas. Restoration
would be done with native plant species
from locally-collected seeds and would
represent the historic species
composition on the site.
A complete description of the
proposed action and maps can be found
at https://data.ecosystemmanagement.org/nepaweb/
nepa_project_exp.php?project=24122 or
can be requested from the project
contact.
Possible Alternatives
A ‘‘No Action’’ alternative will be
analyzed as a part of this project. Under
this alternative no actions would be
taken to reduce wildland fire behavior,
protect communities and the municipal
watershed, or improve firefighter safety
and forest health at this time.
Responsible Official
The responsible Official will be the
Mountaintop District Ranger, San
Bernardino National Forest.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide
whether or not to implement the action
as proposed or an alternative way to
achieve the desired outcomes.
Preliminary Issues
The Santa Ana Watershed Hazardous
Fuels Reduction and Forest Health
project was scoped for 30 days
beginning on July 7, 2011 and a public
fieldtrip was held on July 23, 2011.
Based on the comments received on the
project the issues were identified and
will be analyzed for recreation, wildlife,
fire behavior, hydrology and soils, and
plants.
Significant issues included: the
impacts to recreational residence tract
cabins, impacts to California spotted
owl habitat, the scale of treatments, and
cumulative beneficial affects of
treatments within the project.
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06NON1
66580
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 215 / Tuesday, November 6, 2012 / Notices
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the
scoping process, which guides the
development of the environmental
impact statement. A public meeting will
be held on Thursday, November 29,
2012 at 6–8 p.m. in the Big Bear
Discovery Center located at 41374 North
Shore Drive, Highway 38, Fawnskin, CA
92333.
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.
Dated: October 26, 2012.
Scott Tangenberg,
Mountaintop District Ranger, San Bernardino
National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2012–27030 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation
Service
Notice of Availability of the Record of
Decision (ROD) for the Gulf Coast
Pipeline Project
Natural Resources
Conservation Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Record
of Decision.
AGENCY:
This notice represents the
Record of Decision (ROD) regarding the
Natural Resources Conservation
Service’s (NRCS’s) decision to
subordinate its rights, acquired under
the Wetland Reserve Program, to allow
the Gulf Coast Segment (Gulf Coast
Pipeline Project) of the TransCanada
Keystone Pipeline, LP to cross one
NRCS held conservation easement in
Fannin County, Texas associated with
this approximately 480 mile pipeline
from Cushing, Oklahoma, to Nederland,
Texas. This is in accordance with
agency policy CPM–440, Part 514,
Circular 7, Infrastructure Policy on
Easements, dated September 6, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD are
available upon request from the Natural
Resource Conservation Service, 101
South Main, Temple, Texas 76502.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Claude W. Ross, Natural Resources
Specialist, Natural Resources
Conservation Service, 101 South Main,
Temple, TX 76501; Phone: 254–742–
9822.
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SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:06 Nov 05, 2012
Jkt 229001
In
September 2008, TransCanada Keystone
Pipeline, LP (TransCanada) filed an
application for a Presidential Permit
with the U.S. Department of State (DOS)
to build and operate the Keystone XL
Project.
In the original application,
TransCanada had proposed that the
project would consist of 1,375 miles of
new 36-inch diameter pipeline, to be
built in three segments: The
approximately 850-mile long ‘‘Steele
City’’ segment from the U.S. border to
Steele City, Nebraska; the approximately
478-mile long ‘‘Gulf Coast’’ segment
from Cushing, Oklahoma to Nederland,
Texas; and the 47-mile long ‘‘Houston
Lateral’’ segment from Liberty County,
Texas, to the Moore Junction area in
Harris County, Texas.
On February 27, 2012, TransCanada
submitted a letter to the Department of
State giving advanced notice of the
intent to move forward with the Gulf
Coast Segment (Gulf Coast Pipeline
Project). The Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS) included
analysis of the Gulf Coast Pipeline
Project.
The ROD noticed herein pertains only
to the Gulf Coast Pipeline Project and to
NRCS’s decision to subordinate its
rights, acquired under the Wetlands
Reserve Program, thereby allowing the
pipeline to cross a conservation
easement in Fannin County, Texas.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Dated: October 29, 2012.
Salvador Salinas,
State Conservationist.
[FR Doc. 2012–26979 Filed 11–5–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–533–813]
Certain Preserved Mushrooms From
India: Preliminary Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review; 2011–2012
Import Administration,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(the Department) is conducting an
administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on certain
preserved mushrooms (mushrooms)
from India. The period of review (POR)
is February 1, 2011, through January 31,
2012, and the review covers one
producer and exporter of the subject
merchandise, Agro Dutch Industries
Limited (Agro Dutch). We have
AGENCY:
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Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
preliminarily assigned to Agro Dutch an
antidumping duty margin based upon
the application of adverse facts
available.
DATES: Effective Date: November 6,
2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Katherine Johnson or Terre Keaton
Stefanova, AD/CVD Operations, Office
2, Import Administration, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department
of Commerce, 14th Street and
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington,
DC, 20230; telephone (202) 482–4929 or
(202) 482–1280, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scope of the Order
The merchandise subject to the order
is certain preserved mushrooms. The
product is currently classified under the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTSUS) item numbers
2003.10.0127, 2003.10.0131,
2003.10.0137, 2003.10.0143,
2003.10.0147, 2003.10.0153,
0711.51.0000, 0711.90.4000,
2003.10.0027, 2003.10.0031,
2003.10.0037, 2003.10.0043 and
2003.10.0047. Although the HTS
numbers are provided for convenience
and customs purposes, the written
product description, available in
Antidumping Duty Order: Mushrooms
From India, 64 FR 8311 (February 19,
1999) (Mushroom Antidumping Duty
Order), remains dispositive.
Methodology
The Department has conducted this
review in accordance with section
751(a)(2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
amended (the Act). In making our
preliminary results, we have relied on
facts available and, because the
respondent did not act to the best of its
ability to respond to the Department’s
requests for information, we have drawn
an adverse inference in selecting from
among the facts otherwise available.1
For a full description of the
methodology underlying our
conclusions, please see ‘‘Decision
Memorandum for Preliminary Results of
Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review: Certain Preserved Mushrooms
from India’’ (Preliminary Decision
Memorandum) from Christian Marsh,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Operations, to Paul Piquado, Assistant
Secretary for Import Administration,
dated concurrently with these results
and hereby adopted by this notice. The
Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a
public document and is on file
1 See
E:\FR\FM\06NON1.SGM
sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act.
06NON1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 215 (Tuesday, November 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66578-66580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27030]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
San Bernardino National Forest, Mountaintop Ranger District, CA,
Santa Ana Watershed Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Forest Health Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Mountaintop Ranger District, San Bernardino National
Forest proposes to reduce fire risk and improve forest health within
approximately 19,850 acres around the Barton Flats area of the upper
Santa Ana Watershed under the authority of the Healthy Forests
Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003. To meet the primary purposes of
providing for firefighter safety and community protection, it is
proposed to create shaded fuelbreaks along private property boundaries
adjacent to communities, along roads, and ridge tops that are
strategically important as defensible fire-fighting zones. Outside of
these fuelbreaks, it is proposed to reduce the potential for stand-
replacing wildfire by reducing tree densities and removing excess
fuels, while at the same time maintaining essential forest structure
required by wildlife. The proposed action includes the long-term
maintenance of the treatments proposed to meet the desired conditions.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by December 6, 2012. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected July 2013 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected September 2013.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to San Bernardino National Forest, 602
S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92408. Comments may also be sent
via email to comments-pacificsouthwest-san-bernardino@fs.fed.us, on the
project Web site at https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/CommentInput?Project=24122, or via facsimile to (909) 383-5770.
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 EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's
concerns and contentions.
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Hall, Environmental Coordinator at
thall@fs.fed.us; (909) 382-2905; or 602 S. Tippecanoe Ave., San
Bernardino, CA 92408.
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: This project will be performed under the
authority of, and must comply with, the Healthy Forests Restoration Act
(HFRA) of 2003. This project qualifies under Title 1 of the HFRA
because the project area is in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) as
designated in the Mill Creek Canyon (2006), Angelus Oaks (2005), and
Big Bear Valley (2006) Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) and
the San Bernardino National Forest Land Management Plan (2006); and the
project reduces the risk of wildland fire to the quality of the
municipal water supply for communities downstream in San Bernardino,
Riverside, and Orange counties, California. The predecisional
administrative review, ``objection'', process that was authorized under
the HFRA will be implemented per 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
218 for this project.
Purpose and Need for Action
The probability of stand-replacing wildfire is high in much of the
project area. No large communities occur within the project area, but
thousands of recreationists use the area during summer and a number of
communities occur just outside the project area, including Angelus Oaks
to the west, and Big Bear Lake, Big Bear City, and other smaller
communities to the north. Of major concern are the high concentrations
of recreationists during the summer months, specifically organizational
camps and recreational residence cabins on both NFS and private lands
in the watershed, coupled with the limited ability to evacuate them
quickly from the watershed in case of wildland fire. There is a high
risk of accidental fire being started by the thousands of
recreationists that occupy the watershed during summer, especially on
weekends. There is a need to reduce the rate of fire spread throughout
the watershed in order to provide for firefighter safety in the event
[[Page 66579]]
of a wildfire, protect the recreationists using the watershed, and
protect the neighboring communities.
The watershed has experienced a range of fires in the past century;
approximately 31 percent of the project area has burned. However, only
about 1,700 acres have burned within the past 50 years. Some mechanical
treatments, thinning, and prescribed burning have occurred in Barton
Flats and in other areas within the watershed. Nevertheless, the lack
of recent fuels reduction treatments and fires in much of the
watershed, has resulted in forest conditions where the vegetation is
denser, ladder fuels are present, and there are unnaturally high levels
of woody material in some parts of the project area. The San Bernardino
National Forest has experienced drought conditions in recent years, the
forest conditions with unnaturally high levels of fuel loading are
still evident. Extensive crown fires are now occurring in similar
southern California forests because of accumulated surface fuels. There
is a need to improve forest health within the watershed in order to
improve stand composition and the overall watershed condition.
Many wildlife species occur within the project area, including
Southwestern willow flycatcher and California spotted owl. California
spotted owl forest habitat is characterized by high canopy cover, as
well as greater within-stand vertical (e.g., tree regeneration layers,
snags) and horizontal (e.g., downed woody material) heterogeneity.
There is a need to protect wildlife habitat and improve forest health
to help sustain wildlife habitat and complement ecological restoration
of the watershed.
Proposed Action
Strategically, the proposed treatments would provide defensible
zones for firefighting within WUI defense zones, and would break up
fuel continuity in WUI threat zones. To meet the primary purposes of
providing for firefighter safety and community protection, shaded
fuelbreaks will be created or maintained along private property
boundaries adjacent to communities and along roads and ridge tops that
are strategically important as defensible fire-fighting zones. Shaded
fuelbreaks provide firefighters a defensible space from which to carry
out firefighting operations. Most shaded fuelbreaks in the project area
will be about 600 feet wide. For the Sugarloaf fuelbreak and along
private property boundaries, this width may be expanded to meet desired
conditions. Most of the proposed fuelbreaks in the project area would
be new fuelbreaks. However, the fuelbreaks along the Jenks Lake County
Road, the Santa Ana River Road (Forest Road 1N45), and Highway 38 have
already been established and this project would include the maintenance
of those fuelbreaks so that they meet the desired conditions.
Treatment Level 1 is the most intensive treatment and would result
in an open forest structure with no standing dead trees, down logs, or
other fuels on the ground. Treatment Level 2 is a little less intensive
and would occur as outer bands on both sides of most Treatment level 1
corridors, as well as within relatively narrow areas between Treatment
Level 1 corridors. Forest structure would be opened, but not as
extensively as in Treatment level 1. Treatment Level 3 includes
treatments in areas outside of shaded fuelbreaks and habitat suitable
for California spotted owls. The objective is to reduce the potential
of stand-replacing fires. The focus of this objective is to break up
the continuity of the canopy fuels that now exists and change fire
behavior under the 90th percentile weather conditions, so that flame
length and rates of spread are reduced. There are many areas with
sensitive resources (e.g., heritage resources, rare plants, riparian
areas, designated Critical Habitat, etc.) within the project area and
they may fall within any treatment level. Design Features have been
developed to protect those individual sites either through avoidance or
through modification of the treatment at and around those areas. The
project area also contains large amounts of habitat for the California
spotted owl, including mapped nest stands, protected activity centers
(PACs), home range core (HRC) areas, and suitable habitat. Treatment
Level 4 is designed to protect habitat components and characteristics
important to spotted owls while improving the fire behavior under some
conditions.
When trees are thinned the residual slash (limbs, tops, etc) would
be treated either by chipping, direct removal, or through hand or
machine piling and burning. Wood slash piles would be burned, once the
wood has dried, under controlled conditions that minimize smoke within
the communities. Prescribed broadcast burns are proposed to reduce
fuels in some areas and would serve to break up the continuity of the
shrub and herbaceous fuels and down wood in these areas. In some of
these areas, dead trees would be cut and piled or removed prior to
burning. Prescribed broadcast burning may also be used after thinning
has been conducted to reduce fine fuels. Broadcast burns would only
occur when weather conditions provide for safe burning around adjacent
communities.
The proposed action also includes reforestation/native plant
restoration in treatment areas. Reforestation will be focused in
disturbed areas such as landings but may also include fire scars and
areas damaged by off-road vehicles, etc. The intent would be to enhance
the restoration progress of those sites. Reforestation and native plant
restoration units are not specifically identified in the Proposed
Action maps but planting opportunities would be indentified during the
implementation phase and could occur in any of the mapped treatment
areas. Restoration would be done with native plant species from
locally-collected seeds and would represent the historic species
composition on the site.
A complete description of the proposed action and maps can be found
at https://data.ecosystem-management.org/nepaweb/nepa_project_exp.php?project=24122 or can be requested from the project contact.
Possible Alternatives
A ``No Action'' alternative will be analyzed as a part of this
project. Under this alternative no actions would be taken to reduce
wildland fire behavior, protect communities and the municipal
watershed, or improve firefighter safety and forest health at this
time.
Responsible Official
The responsible Official will be the Mountaintop District Ranger,
San Bernardino National Forest.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Responsible Official will decide whether or not to implement
the action as proposed or an alternative way to achieve the desired
outcomes.
Preliminary Issues
The Santa Ana Watershed Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Forest Health
project was scoped for 30 days beginning on July 7, 2011 and a public
fieldtrip was held on July 23, 2011. Based on the comments received on
the project the issues were identified and will be analyzed for
recreation, wildlife, fire behavior, hydrology and soils, and plants.
Significant issues included: the impacts to recreational residence
tract cabins, impacts to California spotted owl habitat, the scale of
treatments, and cumulative beneficial affects of treatments within the
project.
[[Page 66580]]
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. A public meeting
will be held on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 6-8 p.m. in the Big Bear
Discovery Center located at 41374 North Shore Drive, Highway 38,
Fawnskin, CA 92333.
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.
Dated: October 26, 2012.
Scott Tangenberg,
Mountaintop District Ranger, San Bernardino National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2012-27030 Filed 11-5-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
