[Federal Register: November 29, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 228)]
[Notices]
[Page 71459-71460]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29no05-24]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Stanislaus National Forest, Mi-Wok Ranger District, California,
Great Hunt Reforestation and Release Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Stanislaus National Forest is in the process of preparing
an environmental analysis for the Great Hunt Reforestation and Release
Project. This project is being planned on National Forest lands
encompassing portions of the Groveland, Mi-Wok and Summit Ranger
Districts. The proposal to be analyzed consists of conducting site
preparation, planting, and plantation release treatments using a
combination of methods on approximately 2330 acres. Treatments will
include backpack application of the herbicide glyphosate on
approximately 545 acres; mechanically shredding or hand cutting
competing vegetation on 1,655 acres with follow-up glyphosate
applications on 1,530 acres; and burning and hand cutting competing
vegetation with follow up glyphosate applications on 30 acres.
Treatments are designed to assure adequate survival and growth of
planted conifers by reducing competing vegetation.
The goals tied to this project in the Stanislaus National Forest
Plan Direction 2005 (STF FPD) are to increase the frequency of large
trees, improve the continuity and distribution of old forests, and
restore forest species composition and structure following large scale,
stand-replacing disturbance events (STF FPD page 9). The areas under
consideration for management activities are old timber harvest units,
as well as areas burned by the following wildfires: Granite Fire, 1973;
River Fire, 1987; Cotton Fire, 1990; Ruby Fire, 1992; and Creek Fire,
1994. In areas identified for site preparation and planting, natural
regeneration of conifer seedlings following the harvest or fire
disturbance events is inadequate due to
[[Page 71460]]
rapid and vigorous growth of competing vegetation and the lack of a
seed source in some areas (STF FPD page 146, Standard and Guideline 15-
J: ``Reforest all openings in available, capable, and suitable lands
for timber production created by timber harvest, wind, fire, or insect
and disease pests (36 CFR 219.27(b)(2))''). These areas are not on
track to meet the goals of the STF FPD. As such, the benefits of a
forested environment, and all the associated benefits of forest
structure have not occurred.
Decision to be Made: The decision to be made is whether to
implement the proposed action as described above, to meet the purpose
and need for action through some other combination of activities, or to
take no action at this time.
Scoping Process: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis
should be received in writing within 15 days of the date of publication
of this Notice of Intent in the Federal Register.
The project was initially listed in the Forest's July and October
2005 quarterly edition of the Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA).
Scoping letters were sent in September 1, 2005 to those who responded
to the SOPA and to other identified interested and affected individuals
and government agencies. In the SOPA, the mode of environmental
documentation was predicted as an environmental assessment.
It has now been determined that the environmental analysis will be
documented in an environmental impact statement. Since there are no
changes being made to the proposed action that was previously scoped,
the scoping period at this point is brief. Scoping letters previously
received by the Forest Service from the first scoping period will
continue to be used for this process. A public scoping meeting is not
anticipated at this time.
The scoping process will be used to identify issues regarding the
proposed action. An issue is defined as a point of dispute, debate, or
disagreement related to a specific proposed action based on its
anticipated effects. Significant issues brought to our attention are
used during environmental analysis to develop alternatives to the
proposed action. Some issued raised in scoping may be considered non-
significant because they are: (1) Beyond the scope of the proposed
action and its purpose and need; (2) already decided by law,
regulation, or the Land and Resource Management Plan; (3) irrelevant to
the decision to be made; or (4) conjectural and not supported by
scientific or factual evidence.
Alternatives: Alternatives proposed to date are the Proposed Action
as described above and the No Action.
Identification of Permits or Licenses Required: No permits or
licenses have been identified to implement the proposed action.
Lead, Joint Lead, and Cooperating Agencies: The USDA Forest Service
is the lead agency for this proposal; there are no cooperating
agencies.
Estimated Dates for Filing: The expected filing date with the
Environmental Protection Agency for the draft EIS is March 1, 2006. The
expected filing date for the final EIS is July 1, 2006.
Person to Whom Comments May Be Mailed: Comments may be submitted
to: District Ranger, Mi-Wok Ranger District, P.O. Box 100, Mi-Wuk
Village, CA 95346 or (209) 586-0643 (fax) during normal business hours.
The Mi-Wok Ranger District business hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m
Monday through Friday. Electronic comments, in acceptable plain text
(.txt), rich text (.rtf), or Word (.doc) formats, may be submitted to:
mgmelin@fs.fed.us using Subject: Great Hunt Reforestation and Release
Project.
Reviewer's Obligation to Comment: The comment period on the draft
EIS will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency
publishes the notice of availability of the draft EIS 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
draft statements 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
environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised until
after completion of the final environmental impact statement 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 by the close of the 45-day 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 environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns with the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement 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
environmental impact statement 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.
Further Information: Marty Gmelin, Interdisciplinary Team Leader
may be contacted by phone at (209) 586-3234 ex. 629 for more
information about the proposed action and the environmental impact
statement or at the Mi-Wok Ranger District, P.O. Box 100, Mi-Wuk
Village, CA 95348.
Responsible Official and Mailing Address: Tom Quinn, Forest
Supervisor, 19777 Greenly Road, Sonora, CA 95370.
Dated: November 22, 2005
Tom Quinn,
Forest Supervisor, Stanislaus National Forest.
[FR Doc. 05-23426 Filed 11-28-05; 8:45 am]