Terms Used

ROD (Record of Decision)
This type of decision document is used when an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been produced. Decisions documented in a Record Of Decision are ubject to administrative appeals.

EIS (Environmental Impact Statement)
This document discloses the environmental impacts to be expected from the proposed action and from specific alternatives to the proposed action. An EIS is prepared when significant environmental impacts are anticipated. Your comments are requested within 45 days of release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Your comments are considered prior to making the final decision and are responded to in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

DN (Decision Notice)
This type of decision document is used when an Environmental Assessment (EA) is conducted and it is concluded that no significant environmental impact will result from implementing the preferred alternative. (If a significant environmental impact will result, an EIS must be prepared.) Decisions documented in a Decision Notice are subject to administrative appeal unless there has been no expression of public interest in the action.

EA (Environmental Assessment)
This document discloses the environmental impacts to be expected from the proposed action and from specific alternatives to the proposed action. An EA is prepared when significant environmental impacts are not anticipated or when there is a question as to the extent of the impacts. Your comments are requested within 30 days of release of an EA. Your comments are considered prior to making the final decision and are responded to in an appendix to the EA.

DM (Decision Memo)
A number of categories of action have been determined from prior experience and analysis to result in no significant impact to the environment. If a proposed action falls into one of these categories, and if no extraordinary circumstances exist which might cause an adverse impact in the specific case, these actions can be "categorically excluded" from documentation in an EA or EIS. A Decision Memo document is used when the environmental analysis has been "categorically excluded". Ordinarily, decisions documented in a Decision Memo are not subject to administrative appeal; the exception is the category of small timber sales (unless there has been no expression of public interest in the sale).