National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule, 9164-9165 [2016-03900]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 9164 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 36 / Wednesday, February 24, 2016 / Notices collaborative relationships and to provide advice and recommendations to the Forest Service concerning projects and funding consistent with Title II of the Act. RAC information can be found at the following Web site: https://www.fs. usda.gov/main/nezperceclearwater/ workingtogether/advisorycommittees. DATES: The meeting will be held on March 30–31, 2016, at 9:00 a.m. All RAC meetings are subject to cancellation. For status of meeting prior to attendance, please contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Grangeville Office, 104 Airport Road, Grangeville, Idaho. Written comments may be submitted as described under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. All comments, including names and addresses when provided, are placed in the record and are available for public inspection and copying. The public may inspect comments received at the Nez PerceClearwater National Forests Grangeville Office. Please call ahead to facilitate entry into the building. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Smith, Designated Federal Officer, by phone at 208–983–5143 or via email at lasmith02@fs.fed.us. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the meeting is to: 1. Present project proposals; and 2. Select the projects to recommend for Title II funding. The meeting is open to the public. The agenda will include time for people to make oral statements of three minutes or less. Individuals wishing to make an oral statement should request in writing by March 23, 2016, to be scheduled on the agenda. Anyone who would like to bring related matters to the attention of the committee may file written statements with the committee staff before or after the meeting. Written comments and requests for time for oral comments must be sent to Laura Smith, Designated Federal Officer, 104 Airport Road, Grangeville, Idaho 83530; by email to lasmith02@fs.fed.us or via facsimile to 208–983–4099. Meeting Accommodations: If you are a person requiring reasonable accommodation, please make requests in advance for sign language interpreting, assistive listening devices, VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:59 Feb 23, 2016 Jkt 238001 or other reasonable accommodation. For access to the facility, please contact the person listed in the section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. All reasonable accommodation requests are managed on a case by case basis. Dated: February 17, 2016. Cheryl Probert, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 2016–03844 Filed 2–23–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3411–15–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule Forest Service, USDA. Notice of an advisory committee renewal. AGENCY: ACTION: The Secretary of Agriculture has renewed the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule (Committee). In accordance with provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Committee has been renewed to continue providing advice and recommendations on the implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule (Planning Rule). The Committee will also deliberate and formulate advice for the Secretary to aid in the implementation of the new Planning Rule. The Committee is necessary and in the public interest. DATES: The charter renewal was effective February 3, 2016. As provided by the FACA law, the charter will expire 24 months from the date of renewal. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Acheson, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Forest System, Ecosystem Management Coordination; telephone: 202–205–1275, Email: aacheson@fs.fed.us. 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 Standard Time, Monday through Friday. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SUMMARY: Background In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), the Secretary of Agriculture has renewed the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule (Committee). The Committee is a discretionary advisory committee. The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and recommendations on implementation of the planning rule. The Committee will be solely advisory in nature. Advice or recommendations of the Committee will be given only with respect to the implementation of the planning rule and associated projects. All activities of the Committee will be conducted in an open, transparent, and accessible manner. The Committee will be asked to perform the following duties or other requests made by the Secretary or the Chief: • Offer recommendations on outreach efforts, public engagement, and stakeholder collaboration; • Offer recommendations on broad scale and multiparty monitoring and other ways to engage partnerships in land management plan revisions; • Offer recommendations on communication tools and strategies to help provide greater understanding of the land management planning process; and • Offer recommendations on potential best management practices and problem solving resulting from early implementation of the 2012 Planning Rule. Advisory Committee Organization This Committee is currently comprised of 21 members who provide balanced and broad representation within each of the following three categories of interests: 1. Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following: a. Represent the affected public atlarge; b. Hold State-elected office (or designee); c. Hold county or local elected office; d. Represent American Indian Tribes; and e. Represent Youth. 2. Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following: a. National, regional, or local environmental organizations; b. Conservation organizations or watershed associations; c. Dispersed recreation interests; d. Archaeological or historical interests; and e. Scientific Community. 3. Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following: a. Timber Industry; b. Grazing or other land use permit holders or other private forest landowners; c. Energy and mineral development; E:\FR\FM\24FEN1.SGM 24FEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 36 / Wednesday, February 24, 2016 / Notices d. Commercial or recreational hunting and fishing interests; and e. Developed outdoor recreation, offhighway vehicle users, or commercial recreation interests. The Committee will serve 2-year terms and will meet three to six times annually, or as often as necessary at the times designated by the Designated Federal Officer (DFO). The appointment of members to the Committee are made by the Secretary of Agriculture. Members of the Committee serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel expenses while performing duties on behalf of the Committee, subject to approval by the DFO. Further information about the Committee is posted on the Planning Rule Advisory Committee Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/ planningrule/committee. Equal opportunity practices were followed in accordance with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policies. To ensure that the recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the needs of the diverse groups served by USDA, membership includes to the extent possible, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent the needs of all racial and ethnic groups, women and men, and persons with disabilities. Dated: February 17, 2016. Gregory L. Parhan, Assistant Secretary for Administration. [FR Doc. 2016–03900 Filed 2–23–16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3411–15–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Caribou-Targhee National Forest; Ashton/Island Park Ranger Station; Idaho; Buffalo TSI Forest Service, USDA. Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. AGENCY: ACTION: This project proposes to reduce or prolong the overall susceptibility to mountain pine beetle attacks and crown fires in a subset of previously harvested areas within the analysis area. Precommercial thinning is proposed so trees within these stands maintain diameter and height growth as well as increased crown development and to move this project area toward meeting specific goals, and objectives outlined in the Targhee National Forest Revised Forest Management Plan (RFP) and the Properly Functioning Condition Assessment (PFC). mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:59 Feb 23, 2016 Jkt 238001 Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by March 25, 2016. The draft environmental impact statement is expected July 2016 and the final environmental impact statement is expected January 2017. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Mike Alfieri, Island Park Ranger Station, 3726 Highway 20, Island Park, ID 83429. Comments may also be sent via email to comments-intermtn-caribou-targheeashton-islandpark@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 208–558–7812. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mike Alfieri, Forestry Technician 208– 558–4210 or malfieri@fs.fed.us. 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: DATES: Purpose and Need for Action The purpose of this project is to reduce or prolong the overall susceptibility to mountain pine beetle attacks and crown fires in a subset of previously harvested areas within the analysis area. The purpose is to also to provide for a variety of resource products now and in the future. All of the areas identified for treatment were harvested using the clearcut method over 20 years ago and are regenerated with hundreds and even thousands of trees per acre, primarily of lodgepole pine. Precommercial thinning is proposed so trees within these stands maintain diameter and height growth as well as increased crown development and to move this project area toward meeting specific goals, and objectives outlined in the Targhee National Forest Revised Forest Management Plan (RFP) and the PFC. These include: 1. Use vegetation management to achieve a broad array of multiple-use and ecosystem management objectives, including forest health, structure, composition, and distribution in larger landscapes. . . . Develop long term vegetation and density management strategies to reduce the risk of a future catastrophic bark beetle epidemic (RFP III–12). For the Buffalo project area this goal has been further refined as leaving approximately 195 trees per acre or a 15 by 15 foot overall tree spacing to prolong the susceptibility to future mountain pine beetle attacks. 2. Lodgepole pine stands in Watershed 10 would provide a variety of forest products now and in the future. More dense stands would provide smaller diameter products such as post PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 9165 and poles; less dense stands would provide larger diameter trees that could be harvested as sawtimber in the future. Stands that remain susceptible to crown fire or mountain pine beetle would eventually die providing firewood. For the Buffalo project, firewood, post and poles could be a byproduct of the proposed treatments. In the future, the areas thinned with this proposal would provide sawtimber available for future harvest (RFP III 31–33). 3. The likelihood of future landscapelevel crown fire will be reduced in order to protect human life and safety, developments, structures, and sensitive resource values (RFP III–6). The roadside fuelbreak along a portion of Fish Creek Road would increase chances that firefighters will be able to safely engage either unwanted wildfires or fires for resource benefit. For the Buffalo project area, the various treatments would reduce spacing between tree canopies to reduce the potential of crown fire; and ground fuels will be minimized to decrease the potential for a surface fire and for a surface fire to reach the crowns. The desired condition for this project is outlined in the three goals stated above. The need for this project is to bring this landscape closer to meeting these desired conditions. With reference to susceptibility to mountain pine beetle, thinned lodgepole stands have more open grown conditions which leave tree stand’s microclimate less desirable for mountain pine beetle. Wind speeds can increase within thinned stands, disrupting pheromone plumes that let other beetles know there is available food. Efforts to prevent undesirable levels of bark beetle-caused tree mortality must change susceptibility through reductions in tree competition, disruption of pheromone plumes thus negatively affecting host-finding, and reduction in the fecundity, fitness and survivorship of target bark beetle species. Less dense trees have thicker phloem which favors mountain pine beetle production but this strategy also increases resistance of individual trees through increased tree vigor allowing the trees the energy or turgor pressure to expel the beetle. Trees of low vigor related to a higher relative stand density caused by competition for water and nutrients are more susceptible to bark beetle attack. Areas that are not precommercially thinned and have very high densities of lodgepole pine are also less susceptible for mountain pine beetle because of reduced phloem thickness. Watershed 10 will have a variety of lodgepole pine stands that would E:\FR\FM\24FEN1.SGM 24FEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 24, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9164-9165]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03900]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National 
Forest System Land Management Planning Rule

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of an advisory committee renewal.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Agriculture has renewed the National Advisory 
Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land 
Management Planning Rule (Committee). In accordance with provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), the Committee has been 
renewed to continue providing advice and recommendations on the 
implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning 
Rule (Planning Rule). The Committee will also deliberate and formulate 
advice for the Secretary to aid in the implementation of the new 
Planning Rule. The Committee is necessary and in the public interest.

DATES: The charter renewal was effective February 3, 2016. As provided 
by the FACA law, the charter will expire 24 months from the date of 
renewal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Acheson, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Forest Service, National Forest System, Ecosystem 
Management Coordination; telephone: 202-205-1275, Email: 
aacheson@fs.fed.us. 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 Standard Time, Monday 
through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee 
Act (FACA), as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2), the Secretary of Agriculture 
has renewed the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the 
National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule (Committee). The 
Committee is a discretionary advisory committee.
    The purpose of the Committee is to provide advice and 
recommendations on implementation of the planning rule. The Committee 
will be solely advisory in nature. Advice or recommendations of the 
Committee will be given only with respect to the implementation of the 
planning rule and associated projects. All activities of the Committee 
will be conducted in an open, transparent, and accessible manner. The 
Committee will be asked to perform the following duties or other 
requests made by the Secretary or the Chief:
     Offer recommendations on outreach efforts, public 
engagement, and stakeholder collaboration;
     Offer recommendations on broad scale and multiparty 
monitoring and other ways to engage partnerships in land management 
plan revisions;
     Offer recommendations on communication tools and 
strategies to help provide greater understanding of the land management 
planning process; and
     Offer recommendations on potential best management 
practices and problem solving resulting from early implementation of 
the 2012 Planning Rule.

Advisory Committee Organization

    This Committee is currently comprised of 21 members who provide 
balanced and broad representation within each of the following three 
categories of interests:
    1. Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following:
    a. Represent the affected public at-large;
    b. Hold State-elected office (or designee);
    c. Hold county or local elected office;
    d. Represent American Indian Tribes; and
    e. Represent Youth.
    2. Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following:
    a. National, regional, or local environmental organizations;
    b. Conservation organizations or watershed associations;
    c. Dispersed recreation interests;
    d. Archaeological or historical interests; and
    e. Scientific Community.
    3. Up to seven members who represent one or more of the following:
    a. Timber Industry;
    b. Grazing or other land use permit holders or other private forest 
landowners;
    c. Energy and mineral development;

[[Page 9165]]

    d. Commercial or recreational hunting and fishing interests; and
    e. Developed outdoor recreation, off-highway vehicle users, or 
commercial recreation interests.
    The Committee will serve 2-year terms and will meet three to six 
times annually, or as often as necessary at the times designated by the 
Designated Federal Officer (DFO). The appointment of members to the 
Committee are made by the Secretary of Agriculture. Members of the 
Committee serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel 
expenses while performing duties on behalf of the Committee, subject to 
approval by the DFO. Further information about the Committee is posted 
on the Planning Rule Advisory Committee Web site: https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/planningrule/committee.
    Equal opportunity practices were followed in accordance with U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) policies. To ensure that the 
recommendations of the Committee have taken into account the needs of 
the diverse groups served by USDA, membership includes to the extent 
possible, individuals with demonstrated ability to represent the needs 
of all racial and ethnic groups, women and men, and persons with 
disabilities.

    Dated: February 17, 2016.
Gregory L. Parhan,
Assistant Secretary for Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-03900 Filed 2-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
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