Department of Agriculture March 29, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with Section 3(b) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the USDA Forest Service, Washington Office, is transmitting the final boundary of the Presque Isle National Wild and Scenic River to Congress.

The U.S. Forest Service (FS) will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on a proposed action to conduct selective cutting and prescribed burn in forest across approximately 33,010 acres of National Forest System lands. The project intends to conserve and restore the Rim Lakes Project Area to makeover timethe forest ecosystem more sustainable and resilient to natural disturbances such as drought and climatic variability, insects, disease, fire, and wind. The purpose of the project is to restore forest health, move forests toward an uneven-aged forest structure with all age classes represented, and restore frequent, periodic surface fire as an ecological process, as well as reduce the risk of a stand-replacing fire. The project will also improve hydrologic function, improve wildlife habitatin particular for Northern goshawk and Mexican spotted owland improve scenic quality, as well as move the project area towards forest plan old growth management allocation goals. In order to meet the purpose, this project includes a site- specific, forest plan amendment to the Apache-Sitgreaves Land and Resource Management Plan. This amendment clarifies guidelines to assure the proposed action can meet its restoration objectives, and to assure consistency with the forest plan. Information about the project can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/asnf/landmanagement/projects.