Stanislaus National Forest, CA; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Rim Fire Recovery, 73498-73499 [2013-29135]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73498-73499]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29135]


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2013 / 
Notices

[[Page 73498]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Stanislaus National Forest, CA; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for Rim Fire Recovery

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Stanislaus National Forest proposes to remove hazard trees 
and dead trees within the Rim Fire perimeter in the Stanislaus National 
Forest in order to: capture the economic value of those trees which 
pays for their removal from the woods and potentially other future 
restoration treatments; provide for greater worker and public safety; 
reduce fuels for future forest resiliency to fire; and, improve road 
infrastructure to ensure proper hydrologic function.

DATES: Comments on the proposed action should be submitted within 30 
days of the date of publication of this Notice of Intent. Completion of 
the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is expected in April 
2014 and the Final EIS in August 2014.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be: mailed to the Stanislaus National Forest; 
Attn: Rim Recovery; 19777 Greenley Road; Sonora, CA 95370; delivered to 
the address shown during business hours (M-F 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); 
or, submitted by FAX (209) 533-1890. Submit electronic comments, in 
common (.doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt) formats, to: comments-pacificsouthwest-stanislaus@fs.fed.us with Subject: Rim Recovery.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maria Benech, Stanislaus National 
Forest, 19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370, phone (209) 532-3671, or 
email: mbenech@fs.fed.us. A scoping package, maps and other information 
are online at: https://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=43033.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

General Background

    The Rim Fire started on August 17, 2013, in a remote area of the 
Stanislaus National Forest near the confluence of the Clavey and 
Tuolumne Rivers about 20 miles east of Sonora, California. Over the 
next several weeks it burned 257,314 acres, including 154,430 acres of 
National Forest System (NFS) lands, becoming the third largest wildfire 
in California history. The Rim Fire Recovery project is located within 
the Rim Fire perimeter in the Stanislaus National Forest on portions of 
the Mi-Wok and Groveland Ranger Districts.

Purpose and Need for Action

    On August 22, 2013, after determining that conditions within the 
burn area were unsafe for public travel, Forest Supervisor Susan 
Skalski issued a temporary Forest Order (STF 2013-08) that prohibited 
public use within the burn area. The Forest Supervisor issued several 
updates changing the closure area to meet the current situation on the 
ground (2013-09 on 8/23/2013; 2013-10 on 8/31/2013; 2013-11 on 9/12/
2013; 2013-14 on 9/27/2013). On November 18, 2013, the Forest 
Supervisor issued the current temporary Forest Order (STF 2013-15) that 
prohibits public use within the burn area until November 18, 2014.
    Vegetation burn severities in the project area varied from low to 
high, but many areas contain trees killed or so severely damaged that 
they are not expected to survive.
    The primary purposes of this project are to: capture the economic 
value of hazard trees and dead trees which pays for their removal from 
the woods and potentially other future restoration treatments; provide 
for greater worker and public safety; reduce fuels for future forest 
resiliency to fire; and, improve road infrastructure to ensure proper 
hydrologic function.

Proposed Action

    The Forest Service proposed action, within the Rim Fire perimeter 
in the Stanislaus National Forest, includes: salvage of dead trees; 
removal of hazard trees and dead trees along roads open to the public; 
fuel reduction for future forest resiliency to fire; and, road 
improvements for proper hydrologic function. Implementation is expected 
to begin in summer 2014 and continue for up to 5 years. Roadside hazard 
trees will be designated for removal using the Hazard Tree Guidelines 
for Forest Service Facilities and Roads in the Pacific Southwest 
Region, April 2012 (Report RO-12-01). Dead trees will be designated for 
removal based on ``no green needles visible from the ground''. Proposed 
treatments include: salvage of dead trees and fuel reduction (29,648 
acres) including ground based mechanized equipment such as harvesters 
and rubber tired skidders (25,174 acres) and aerial based helicopter or 
cable systems (4,474 acres); removal of hazard trees, salvage of dead 
trees and fuel reduction along existing roads (390 miles); new road 
construction (6 miles); road reconstruction (234 miles); and, temporary 
road construction (6 miles). Temporary roads will be decommissioned 
following completion of project activities. No treatments are proposed 
within Wilderness, Inventoried Roadless Areas, or the wild 
classification segments of the Wild and Scenic Rivers. Project design 
will incorporate Best Management Practices (BMPs) according to regional 
and national guidance.

Possible Alternatives

    In addition to the Proposed Action, the EIS will evaluate the 
required No Action alternative and will likely consider other 
alternatives identified through the inderdisciplinary process and 
public participation.

Responsible Official

    Susan Skalski, Forest Supervisor, Stanislaus National Forest, 
Supervisor's Office, 19777 Greenley Road, Sonora, CA 95370.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The responsible official will decide whether to adopt and implement 
the proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, or take no 
action with respect to the Rim Fire Recovery project.

Scoping Process

    Public participation is important at numerous points during the 
analysis. The Forest Service seeks information, comments and assistance 
from federal, state, and local agencies and individuals or 
organizations that may be interested in or affected by the proposed 
action.
    The Forest Service conducts scoping according to the Council on

[[Page 73499]]

Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR 1501.7). In addition to 
other public involvment, this Notice of Intent initiates an early and 
open process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
EIS and for identifying the significant issues related to a proposed 
action. This scoping process allows the Forest Service to not only 
identify significant environmental issues deserving of study, but also 
to deemphasize insignificant issues, narrowing the scope of the EIS 
process accordingly (40 CFR 1500.4(g)).

Comment Requested

    This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping proces which guides the 
development of the EIS. Comments on the proposed action should be 
submitted within 30 days of the date of publication of this Notice of 
Intent.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A draft EIS will be available for comment when 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 a draft EIS 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 EIS stage 
but that are not raised until after completion of the final EIS 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 during the 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 EIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS 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 EIS 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 2, 2013.
Susan Skalski,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2013-29135 Filed 12-5-13; 8:45 am]
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