Mendocino National Forest; Upper Lake Ranger District; California; Pine Mountain Late-Successional Reserve Habitat Protection and Enhancement Project, 28883-28884 [2014-11609]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 20, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28883-28884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11609]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Mendocino National Forest; Upper Lake Ranger District; 
California; Pine Mountain Late-Successional Reserve Habitat Protection 
and Enhancement Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Mendocino National Forest, Upper Lake Ranger District, 
proposes to conduct fuels reduction and habitat enhancement treatments 
on approximately 7,830 acres southwest of Lake Pillsbury in the Pine 
Mountain vicinity. The Planning Area is 10,200 acres in size and 
comprises both Late Successional Reserve (LSR) and Matrix land 
designations. Of the approximately 7,830 acres to be treated, ~5690 
acres are within the Pine Mountain LSR and ~2,140 acres are in Matrix 
lands. The project emphasizes fuel reduction activities and habitat 
management for the protection and enhancement of late-successional 
species. The project area was chosen for treatment based on past fire 
history and the existing conditions that pose a threat to late-
successional habitat.
    The Pine Mountain LSR is one of the smaller LSRs within the Forest 
and provides a link between the Blue Slides LSR seven miles to the 
southeast and the Sanhedrin LSR, 1.25 miles to the north. This LSR also 
provides a critical link to State and other Federal lands to the south 
and west. This area is currently part of Northern Spotted Owl Critical 
Habitat (Unit 11, Subunit ICC 5), a designated land allocation by U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, and also includes 1.6 miles of critical 
habitat for anadromous fish. These habitats are located within both the 
LSR and matrix lands. The Project Area is located approximately 15 
miles north of the town of Upper Lake, primarily in T18N, R10W, and 
portions of T18N, R11W; T17N, R10W; and T17N, R11W, Mount Diablo Base 
Meridian.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by June 19, 2014. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in August 2014 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
in December 2014.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Forest Supervisor, 825 N. Humboldt 
Avenue, Willows, CA 95988. Comments may also be sent via email to 
comments-pacificsouthwest-mendocino@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 
(530) 934-7384.
    A public meeting will be held on May 30, 2014 to enable those with 
interest in the project to obtain more information, ask questions, and 
make comments for the development of the EIS and the alternatives. A 
field trip the following day may be held if enough interest is shown.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frank Aebly, at the Upper Lake Ranger 
District, 10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485, (707) 275-
2361, or faebly@fs.fed.us.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information

[[Page 28884]]

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

    Treatments in the Pine Mountain area are being proposed for several 
reasons: To reduce the risk to late-successional habitat loss from 
wildfire through vegetative treatments designed to modify and restore 
characteristic fire regimes and forest structure; improve forest 
health, vigor, and resilience to fire, insects and disease as well as 
enhance the diversity of plant and animal habitat found within the 
project area while restoring and enhancing late successional habitat; 
and to manage National Forest lands (including roads and trails) to 
meet the Aquatic Conservation Strategy Objectives and direction set 
forth in the Mendocino National Forest Land and Resource Management 
Plan (LRMP).

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action includes the following treatments to achieve 
the desired conditions:
     Fuel treatments may be applied as prescribed fire only or 
as a combination of prescribed fire with mechanical treatments, piling 
and pile burning.
     Mechanical treatments will include mastication or thinning 
of trees. Thinning of trees less than 10 inches in diameter at breast 
height (dbh) will be implemented by Forest Service personnel or through 
service contracts. Thinning of trees greater than 10 inches dbh will be 
implemented through a commercial contract. These treatments are 
intended to achieve ecological objectives such as restoring a fire-
resilient stand structure, managing for open habitat (that includes 
shrubs and hardwoods), hastening the development of desired late 
successional stand characteristics in plantations as well as 
accelerating the development and vigor of larger trees outside 
plantations. Treatments would reduce competition between trees for 
onsite resources such as moisture, light, nutrients and growing space; 
and would reduce overly dense stand conditions which have led to 
declining stand health and uncharacteristic fire regimes.
     Prescribed fire treatments will be applied in chaparral 
areas, following direction provided by the LRMP, to create a mosaic of 
age classes which provides for the development of heterogeneous 
chaparral habitat and interruption of fuel continuity.
     Prescribed fire treatment will be applied in forested 
areas with excessive accumulations of natural fuels, following 
direction provided by the LRMP.
     Shaded fuel breaks will be constructed following direction 
provided by LSR Assessment to provide a buffer against fires 
originating from the west and moving eastward with the prevailing 
winds. The fuel breaks will also assist in prescribed fire activities.

Other proposed activities include road management such as road 
maintenance, drainage improvement, road decommissioning, temporary road 
construction and rehabilitation, and non-system trail closures. The 
Interdisciplinary Team is developing design features and Best 
Management Practices to protect water, wildlife, aquatic, 
archaeological, cultural, and botanical resources.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official for this project is Sherry Tune, Forest 
Supervisor, 825 N. Humboldt Avenue, Willows, CA 95988.

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.

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 May 30, 2014, to enable those with interest in the 
project to obtain more information, ask questions, and make comments 
for the development of the EIS and the alternatives. A field trip the 
following day may be held if enough interest is shown.
    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.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this project. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered, however.

    Dated: May 7, 2014.
Sherry A. Tune,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2014-11609 Filed 5-19-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P