Quail Vegetation and Fuels Treatment Project Environmental Assessment: 

Cover letter from the Forest Supervisor

Please note: below is the original Forest Supervisor's letter regarding the Quail Vegetation and Fuels Treatment Project Environmental Assessment.  The closing date for comments to this environmental assessment is  Friday, May 20, 2005. You can download the original letter in a printer friendly PDF format along with each chapter of the Quail Vegetation and Fuels Treatment Project Environmental Assessment.  Here's

Dear Interested Public:

The Quail Vegetation and Fuel Treatment Project Environmental Assessment (EA) is enclosed for your review. This EA would authorize vegetation management and fuel treatments in the Blackwood, McKinney, Meeks and Emerald Bay MAs beginning in 2005. The proposed project is based on the accumulation of fuels near developed private property that pose risks to human health and safety as well as forest and watershed resources. The EA contains two alternatives; the first alternative is labeled "Proposed Action" and the second is the "No Action" alternative. The Proposed Action would authorize thinning live trees by means of mechanical and hand treatment and removal or burning of fuelwood. Treatments include chipping and removal of standing dead and downed material, pile burning, and prescribed burning. The Proposed Action would reduce wildfire intensity and rate of spread, create a defensible fuel zone near developed property and allow fire suppression activities to work more effectively and safely. Standard resource protection measures for sensitive wildlife and plants, soils, water quality, air quality, and cultural resources are incorporated into the project.

Address comments before May 20, 2005 to: USDA Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin M.U., Forest Supervisor, attn: David Fournier, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA, 96150-4500, (530) 543- 2626, by FAX [(530) 543-2693] or by hand-delivery to the address shown above (Monday-Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, excluding federal holidays). Electronic comments, in acceptable [plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf) or Word (.doc)] formats, may also be submitted to: comments-pacificsouthwest-ltbmu@fs.fed.us. Please provide your name, address and telephone number, the title of the EA, and your specific comments and supporting rationale that you would like considered in reaching a decision. Names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action, and will be available for public inspection. Only those who submit timely and substantive comments will have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR 215. Each individual or representative from each organization submitting substantive comments must either sign the comments or verify identity upon request. 

Downloading the Forest Supervisor's Original Letter or the Environmental Assessment: 

The Forest Supervisor's original letter contains all the information you see above.  The only difference is the PDF document of the letter appears in its original form on Forest Service letterhead, and it is a bit more "Printer Friendly."

Please be aware the Forest Supervisor's original letter and each chapter of the Environmental Assessment (EA) are in a PDF format.  You will need to be patient as it may take several minutes for some of this file to open.  If you have difficulty accessing either of these files please Contact Us. 

The PDF format for the Forest Supervisor's original letter and the Environmental Assessment requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print.  If you need the Acrobat Reader, please select the link below titled "Get Acrobat Reader."  Selecting this link will take you to Adobe's web site.  From there, you can download a free copy of the Acrobat Reader program.  Once you've downloaded Acrobat Reader you will need to use the "back" button on your computer to return to this page.

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Download:

• Forest Supervisor's Original Letter  (206 KB)
• Cover and Table of Contents  (336K KB)
• Chapter 1: Introduction  (110 KB)
• Chapter 2: Alternatives and Measures to Avoid Adverse Effects  (1.5 M)
• Chapter 3: Environmental Consequences  (3.7 M - File size too big?  This chapter is broken up below!)
  • Chapter 3 - Part 1  (1.2 M)
  • Chapter 3 - Part 2  (1.2 M)
  • Figure 3-1: Cumulative Watershed Effects  (146 KB - insert after page 3-38.)
  • Figure 3-2: Representative Forests Stands in the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit before and after Fuel-Reduction Treatments  (446 KB- insert after Table 3-25.)
• Chapter 4: Consultation and Coordination  (13 KB)
• Chapter 5: Literature Cited  (34 KB)
• Appendix A. Best Management Practices  (203 KB)
• Appendix B. Vegetation and Fuels Summary Table by Stand  (677 KB)