Department of Agriculture January 18, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Six Rivers National Forest (Six Rivers NF) will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to disclose the impacts associated with the following proposed actions: 1. Fuel reduction would occur and be located along corridors primarily on strategically placed ridges, along highly traveled roads and within isolated stands near private property. Treatment would consist of thinning trees less than 8'' diameter breast-height (DBH) and removing brush within treatment areas. Commercial biomass would be a by-product of this treatment. Fuel treatments would augment on-going road brush treatment projects funded by the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) located in the northwest corner of the project area. 2. All previously managed plantations would be treated, either with commercial thinning or timber stand improvements (TSI). Both treatments are designed to reduce stand density, decrease competition and improve growing space for residual trees. Commercially thinned plantations would consist of thinning trees greater than 8'' DBH. Plantations without a commercial saw-log component (TSI) would consist of thinning trees less than 8'' DBH and reducing brush. Commercial biomass would be a by-product of TSI treatments. 3. Off-site ponderosa pine plantations would be thinned to promote growth of naturally occurring tree species. 4. Douglas-fir/tanoak plantations would be thinned, and most of the planted pine within these plantations would be removed, while a portion of the hardwood component would be maintained. 5. Pure stands of Douglas-fir would be thinned to increase growing space for overstocked early seral stands. Stands that once contained a significant black oak component would be thinned to encourage black oak regeneration. 6. Douglas-fir and white fir stands with viable oak and pine would be thinned to reduce overall stand density, and trees that compete with healthy hardwoods and pines would be removed to increase their viability and promote their regeneration. 7. All treatments would maintain tree species mix of hardwoods and conifers.

The Ontonagon Resource Advisory Committee will meet in Ewen, Michigan. The Committee is meeting as authorized under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110-343) and in compliance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose is to review and make recommendations on Title II Projects submitted by the public.