84 FR 25029 - Lincoln National Forest; Lincoln, Otero, Eddy and Chaves Counties, New Mexico; Revision of the Land Management Plan for the Lincoln National Forest

The USDA Forest Service is revising the Land Management Plan (Forest Plan) for the Lincoln National Forest and preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS). This notice describes the documents available for review and how to obtain them; summarizes the needs for change to the existing Forest Plan; identifies where a Preliminary Draft Forest Plan (detailed proposed action) can be obtained; provides information concerning public participation and collaboration, including the process for submitting comments; provides an estimated schedule for the planning process, including the time available for comments, and includes the names and addresses of agency contacts who can provide additional information.

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 104 (Thursday, May 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25029-25032]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11279]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Lincoln National Forest; Lincoln, Otero, Eddy and Chaves 
Counties, New Mexico; Revision of the Land Management Plan for the 
Lincoln National Forest

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service is revising the Land Management Plan 
(Forest Plan) for the Lincoln National Forest and preparing an 
environmental impact statement (EIS). This notice describes the 
documents available for review and how to obtain them; summarizes the 
needs for change to the existing Forest Plan; identifies where a 
Preliminary Draft Forest Plan (detailed proposed action) can be 
obtained; provides information concerning public participation and 
collaboration, including the process for submitting comments; provides 
an estimated schedule for the planning process, including the time 
available for comments, and includes the names and addresses of agency 
contacts who can provide additional information.

DATES: Comments concerning the needs for change and the Proposed Action 
provided in this notice will be most useful in the development of the 
revised plan and draft EIS if received by July 31, 2019. The draft 
revised Forest Plan and draft EIS are expected summer 2020, and the 
final revised Forest Plan and final EIS are expected late 2021.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Lincoln National Forest, Attn: 
Forest Plan, 3463 Las Palomas Rd., Alamogordo, New Mexico 88310 or via 
email to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Prather, Forest Planner, Lincoln 
National Forest, 3463 Las Palomas Road, Alamogordo, New Mexico 88310, 
575-434-7200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Nature of the Decision To Be Made

    The Lincoln National Forest is preparing an EIS to revise the 
existing Forest Plan. The EIS process is meant to inform the Forest 
Supervisor so he can decide which alternative best maintains and 
restores National Forest System terrestrial and aquatic resources while 
providing ecosystem services and multiple uses, as required by the 
National Forest Management Act and the Multiple Use Sustained Yield 
Act.
    The revised Forest Plan will describe the strategic intent of 
managing the Forest for the next 10 to 15 years and will address the 
identified needs for

[[Page 25030]]

change to the existing land management plans. The revised Forest Plan 
will provide management direction in the form of desired conditions, 
objectives, standards, guidelines, and suitability of lands. It will 
identify delineation of new management areas across the Forest; 
identify the timber sale program quantity; make recommendations to 
Congress for Wilderness designation; and list rivers and streams 
eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 
The revised forest plan will also provide a description of the plan 
area's distinctive roles and contributions within the broader 
landscape, identify watersheds that are a priority for maintenance or 
restoration, include a monitoring program, and contain information 
reflecting expected possible actions over the life of the plan.
    It is also important to identify the types of decisions that will 
not be made within the revised Forest Plan. The revised Forest Plan 
will represent decisions that are strategic in nature, but will not 
make site-specific project decisions and will not dictate day-to-day 
administrative activities needed to carry on the Forest Service's 
internal operations. The authorization of project level activities will 
be based on the guidance/direction contained in the revised plan, but 
will occur through subsequent project specific National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and decision-making.
    The revised Forest Plan will provide broad, strategic guidance 
designed to supplement, not replace, overarching laws and regulations. 
Though strategic guidance will be provided, no decisions will be made 
regarding the management of individual roads or trails, such as those 
that might be associated with a Travel Management plan under 36 CFR 
part 212. Some issues (e.g., hunting regulations), although important, 
are beyond the authority or control of the National Forest System and 
will not be considered. No decision regarding oil and gas leasing 
availability will be made, though standards will be brought forward or 
developed that would serve as mitigations should an availability 
decision be necessary in the future.

Purpose and Need and Needs for Change

    According to the National Forest Management Act, Forest Plans are 
to be revised on a 10 to 15 year cycle. The purpose and need for 
revising the current Forest Plan is (1) the Forest Plan is over 33 
years old, (2) since the Forest Plan was approved in 1986, there have 
been changes in economic, social, and ecological conditions, new 
policies and priorities, and new information based on monitoring and 
scientific research, and (3) to address the preliminary identified 
needs for change to the existing Forest Plan, which is summarized 
below. Extensive public and employee involvement, along with science-
based evaluations, have helped to identify the preliminary needs for 
change to the existing Forest Plan.
    What follows is a summary of the preliminary identified needs for 
change. A more fully developed description of the preliminary needs for 
change, which has been organized into several resource and management 
topic sections, is available for review on the plan revision website 
at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lincoln/landmanagement/planning/?cid=STELPRD3814307.
    The Lincoln National Forest has identified 21 focus areas that need 
to be considered and addressed through the plan revision process in 
order to provide sustainable resources, goods, and services. Overall, 
there is a need for plan direction that is strategic and identifies 
desired conditions with objectives for how resources should be managed; 
eliminates redundancies with existing laws, regulations and policy; 
removes requirements to prepare additional resource plans; and that 
incorporates the best available scientific information into all plan 
components. The following are the 21 focus areas that will be the focus 
of the need to change during plan revision.

Monitoring

     There is a need for monitoring plans that track progress 
toward desired conditions and allows for responsive adaptive management 
with available resources.
     There is a need for monitoring questions and associated 
indicators that look at the status of resources at appropriate scales.

Collaboration, Partnerships, and Relationships

     There is a need to include management approaches that will 
strengthen existing relationships, promote new relationships, and 
incorporate strategies that prioritize partnerships.
     There is a need for management approaches that promote 
seeking outside assistance in addition to working with partners and 
volunteers to manage resources and monitor activities.

Terrestrial Ecosystems

     There is a need to develop plan components that emphasize 
landscape-scale ecosystem restoration and resiliency through adaptive 
management strategies to changing environmental conditions and 
stressors.
     There is a need to include plan components that focus on 
addressing the impacts of nonnative invasive species on terrestrial and 
aquatic ecosystems.
     There is a need for plan components, including desired 
conditions and objectives, that recognize fire-adapted ecosystems, the 
role of fire on the landscape (including wilderness), and its use as a 
management tool, including planned and unplanned ignitions.
     There is need for plan direction that allows managers the 
flexibility to manage naturally ignited fires to meet resource 
objectives based on weather and site-specific conditions (for example, 
fuel conditions, topography, safety concerns, and values). These 
actions may include using prescribed fire, improving wildlife and range 
habitat, encouraging aspen regeneration, and improving watershed and 
overall forest health.
     There is a need to develop desired conditions (at multiple 
scales) for vegetation structure and composition to promote a 
characteristic diversity of seral states and species composition as 
well as meet management considerations for wildlife such as northern 
goshawk and Mexican spotted owl. This includes a suite of desired 
conditions for patch size, ecological status (composition), ground 
cover, coarse woody debris, and snags that characterize different 
ecological response units.
     There is a need to develop management objectives to meet 
desired conditions and monitoring criteria to measure effectiveness of 
management toward meeting desired conditions.

Riparian Ecosystems

     There is a need for plan components that identify 
appropriate riparian characteristics (e.g., biodiversity, connectivity, 
water availability) that promote functionality and resiliency while 
taking into account multiple stressors.
     There is a need to develop desired conditions for riparian 
areas including vegetation structure, ecological status (composition), 
ground cover, coarse woody debris and snags that characterize different 
riparian Ecological Response Units.
     There is a need for plan components that minimize 
ecological impacts of multiple uses in riparian areas.
     There is a need to develop more effective riparian plan 
monitoring

[[Page 25031]]

criteria in order to better assess riparian conditions and trends.

Soil Resources

     There is a need for plan components that promote the 
maintenance and restoration of soil condition and function (e.g., 
hydrology, stability, and nutrient cycling) by limiting the amount of 
exposed bare soil and by restoring and maintaining sufficient 
vegetative cover, including downed woody material.

Watershed and Water Resources

     There is a need to include plan components to maintain or 
restore the integrity of aquatic ecosystems and watersheds.
     There is a need for plan components that improve 
hydrological function and condition of water-dependent system by 
maintaining and restoring upland and riparian vegetative cover and 
reducing erosion and sedimentation from disturbed sites (e.g., reclaim 
head cuts) where feasible.
     There is a need to develop plan components to ensure 
stream channels and floodplains are dynamic and resilient to 
disturbance.
     There is a need to develop more effective aquatic biotic 
monitoring items in order to better assess biological condition and 
trends.

At-Risk Species

     There is a need for plan components that support 
ecological conditions that contribute to the recovery and conservation 
of federally listed species (threatened and endangered), maintaining 
stable to increasing populations of the species of conservation 
concern, and maintaining common and abundant species.
     There is a need for plan components that will support 
documentation and establishment of baseline conditions for terrestrial 
and aquatic habitat linkages and connectivity for species migration and 
movement across the landscape.

Climate

     There is a need to include plan components that consider 
potential climate impacts or stressors (e.g., increases in storm 
events, uncharacteristic wildfire, drought, flooding, and other extreme 
weather) to ecosystems and natural resources.

Carbon Stocks

     There is a need to describe desired conditions for carbon 
storage and emissions, particularly as they relate to historic and 
current vegetation structure, including the potential for emissions 
from biomass removal, and prescribed and wild fires.

Air

     There is a need to describe desired conditions and 
objectives for air quality, incorporated by reference from applicable 
Federal and State Regulations (i.e. Clean Air Act) without duplicating 
or conflicting with those regulations.

Social and Economic Conditions and Multiple Uses

     There is a need for plan components that recognize the 
Lincoln National Forest's role in contributing to local economies 
(e.g., timber, grazing, and other multiple-use activities and products, 
etc.).
     There is a need for plan components that build stronger 
relationships with states, state and federal agencies, cities and 
counties, tribal governments, and the public, including, but not 
limited to, recreational and forest user groups, environmental groups, 
local communities, youth, vendors, and other users with cultural and 
historic ties to the forest for the management of resources such as 
water, timber and other forest products.

Rangeland Resources

     There is a need to add plan components for rangeland 
management that maintain or restore ecological integrity and 
productivity of rangelands.

Timber and Forest Products

     There is a need for plan components to ensure the 
sustainability and availability of forest products such as timber, 
firewood, and other special forest products for economic uses.

Water Resources

     There is a need for updating and developing plan 
components that provide for the management of sustainable water supply 
for multiple uses.

Fish, Wildlife, and Plant Resources

     There is a need for plan components to meet desired 
ecological conditions that allow a wide range of management practices 
to promote forest health, resiliency, and sustainability.
     There is a need to develop plan components that support 
ecological conditions of the various habitat types that contribute to 
the conservation of native plant and animal species for hunting, 
fishing, and wildlife viewing.

Cultural and Historic Resources

     There is a need for plan components to evaluate, 
stabilize, preserve, interpret, and protect historic and sensitive 
properties (e.g. archeological sites, historic structures, and 
traditional properties).
     There is a need for plan components to ensure the 
sustainability and availability of forest products such as timber, 
firewood, medicinal and ceremonial plants, edible plants and other 
special forest products for economic and cultural uses.

Recreation and Scenic Character

     There is a need for plan components to address changing 
trends in services, activities, and types of facilities desired by the 
public, while balancing those trends with other resource management 
such as soils and vegetation.
     There is a need for plan components to address illegal use 
and compliance to prevent resource damage.
     There is a need for management approaches to better 
address those areas of public concern with law enforcement to address 
user conflicts and resource damage.
     There is a need for plan components to reduce user 
conflicts (e.g. recreational shooting and hikers, equestrians, hikers, 
and bicyclists, and motorized and non-motorized users).
     There is a need for plan components to better integrate 
scenery management within all forest management (e.g. restoration, 
habitat diversity, timber management) to further positive outcomes for 
all resources.

Designated Areas

     There is a need to re-evaluate designated and proposed 
special areas (i.e., research natural areas, botanical areas, etc.), 
excluding Congressionally-designated areas as considerable time has 
passed and conditions may have changed.
     There is a need to conduct wilderness evaluations for the 
revised plan while taking into account existing uses of the areas being 
evaluated/recommended.

Infrastructure

     There is a need for plan components to address the long-
term sustainability of infrastructure (e.g., trails, administrative and 
recreation facilities, range improvements, roads, etc.), maintenance, 
design, and improvement.

Land Ownership, Status, Use, and Access

     There is a need to develop plan components to manage 
special uses for the purpose of resource protection and public needs.

[[Page 25032]]

     There is a need to develop plan components related to the 
Forest Service land uses and adjustment program to provide access, 
resolve boundary inconsistency, create connectivity for wildlife, and 
facilitate management.
     There is a need for plan components that encourage the 
acquisition of public access and protection of existing public access.
     There is a need for plan components related to military 
uses of the Forest.

Energy Resources, Mineral Resources, and Geologic Hazards

     There is a need for plan components that address 
transmission corridors, non-renewable and renewable energy generation, 
including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal, in order to protect 
natural resources, heritage and sacred sites, traditional tribal 
activities, caves and scenery.
     There is a need for plan components regarding the use of 
common variety salable mineral materials, such as commercial contracts, 
personal use, and free use permits, while protecting natural resources, 
heritage and sacred sites, traditional tribal activities, and scenery.
     There is need for plan components regarding locatable 
minerals such as commercial leasing, while protecting natural 
resources, heritage and sacred sites, traditional tribal activities, 
and scenery.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action is to revise the Forest Plan to address the 
above identified needs for change to the existing Forest Plan. 
Alternatives to the proposed action will be developed to address the 
significant issues that will be identified through scoping. In response 
to the above needs for change, a Preliminary Draft Forest Plan has been 
developed. This more fully developed description of the proposed action 
is available for review on the Lincoln plan revision website at: 
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lincoln/landmanagement/planning/?cid=STELPRD3814307.
    Please review and provide any feedback you may have on both the 
needs for change identified above and on the Preliminary Draft Forest 
Plan found on the above website.

Responsible Official

    Travis Moseley, Forest Supervisor, Lincoln National Forest

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the EIS. Written comments received in response to 
this notice will be analyzed to complete the identification of the 
needs for change to the existing plan, further develop the proposed 
action (Preliminary Draft Forest Plan), and identify potential 
significant issues. Significant issues will, in turn, form the basis 
for developing alternatives to the proposed action.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments are best 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions. Comments received 
in response to this notice, including the names and addresses of those 
who comment, will be part of the public record. Comments submitted 
anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous 
comments will not provide the Lincoln National Forest with the ability 
to provide the respondent with subsequent environmental documents.
    For information on when public meetings will be scheduled for 
refining the proposed action and identifying possible alternatives to 
the proposed action, refer to the Forest's website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lincoln/landmanagement/planning/?cid=STELPRD3814307.
    The decision to approve the revised Forest Plan for the Lincoln 
National Forest will be subject to the objection process identified in 
36 CFR part 219 subpart B (219.50 to 219.62). According to 36 CFR 
219.53(a), those who may file an objection are individuals and entities 
who have submitted substantive formal comments related to plan revision 
during the opportunities provided for public comment during the 
planning process.

Applicable Planning Rule

    Preparation of the revised Forest Plan for the Lincoln National 
Forest began with the publication of a Notice of Assessment Initiation 
in the Federal Register on June 25, 2015 (80 FR 36500) and was 
initiated under the planning procedures contained in the 2012 Planning 
Rule (36 CFR 219 (2012)).

Documents Available for Review

    The Needs for Change documentation, the Preliminary Draft Forest 
Plan, the Assessment Report (Volumes 1 & 2), summaries of the public 
meetings and public meeting materials, and public comments are posted 
on the Forest's website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lincoln/landmanagement/planning/?cid=STELPRD3814307. As necessary or 
appropriate, the material available on this site will be further 
adjusted as part of the planning process using the provisions of the 
2012 Planning Rule.

    Dated: May 10, 2019.
Frank R. Beum,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2019-11279 Filed 5-29-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P