81 FR 15220 - Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Lower McCloud Fuels Management Project

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 55 (March 22, 2016)

With the Lower McCloud Fuels Management Project (project), the Shasta-Trinity National Forest (Forest) is proposing to create fuel management zones (FMZs), burn using prescribed fire, and remove designated hazard trees. The project area covers 12,071 acres on National Forest System lands. A combination of treatments would be used across the project area, resulting in some acres being treated with multiple prescriptions to achieve stated objectives.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15220-15222]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06388]


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 55 / Tuesday, March 22, 2016 / 
Notices

[[Page 15220]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Shasta-Trinity National Forest; California; Lower McCloud Fuels 
Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: With the Lower McCloud Fuels Management Project (project), the 
Shasta-Trinity National Forest (Forest) is proposing to create fuel 
management zones (FMZs), burn using prescribed fire, and remove 
designated hazard trees. The project area covers 12,071 acres on 
National Forest System lands. A combination of treatments would be used 
across the project area, resulting in some acres being treated with 
multiple prescriptions to achieve stated objectives.

DATES: Comments concerning this scope of the analysis must be received 
by April 21, 2016. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in December 2016 and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected in June 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Carolyn Napper, District Ranger, 
Shasta-McCloud Management Unit, 204 W. Alma St., Mt. Shasta, California 
96067, Attn: Heather McRae. Comments may also be sent via email to: 
[email protected], or via 
facsimile to (530) 926-5120.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heather McRae, Fuels Specialist, at 
(530) 964-3770 or [email protected], or Andrea Shortsleeve, 
Interdisciplinary Team Leader at (208) 373-4386 or 
[email protected].
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Lower McCloud Fuels Management Project is located within the 
McCloud River basin, an area that is considered to contain 
outstandingly remarkable fisheries, geology, scenery, wildlife, and 
cultural and historic values. All lands within the project area are 
National Forest System Lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service, 
however, there are private properties located within the Lower McCloud 
watershed. Private ownership activities and designations include a 
nature preserve, a fishing club, a utility company, timber companies, 
and a ranching operation. The project area is located partly within the 
West Girard inventoried roadless area (IRA), and almost completely 
within the Iron Canyon Late-Successional Reserve (LSR).
    The Iron Canyon LSR, is centrally located within the network of 
LSRs in the Shasta-McCloud subprovince, and contains some of the 
largest blocks of contiguous habitat in the network. This places a high 
level of importance on the protection and enhancement of the current 
and future habitat within the area. The Iron Canyon LSR was identified 
within a Forest-wide Late Successional Reserve Assessment as an area of 
elevated risk to large-scale disturbance due to changes in the 
characteristics and distribution of the mixed-conifer forests resulting 
from past fire suppression. High severity, high intensity wildfire was 
identified as the greatest threat to further loss and degradation of 
habitat for late-successional associated species within the network of 
LSRs.
    Fire is the most widespread and dynamic disturbance regime 
affecting the project area. The historic fire regime in the Lower 
McCloud project area was characterized by frequent fires of low to 
mixed severity. However, the Lower McCloud project area has not 
experienced a large scale fire in over 100 years and has departed from 
historic fire return intervals. As a result, there is a significant 
departure in the current vegetative conditions from historic conditions 
in the project area. Past forest practices, including active fire 
suppression, have changed the composition and structure of the 
vegetation in the project area.
    Current conditions include high fire hazard and risk. The absence 
of wildfire has resulted in uncharacteristically dense vegetation and 
high fuel loading, a decline in wildlife forage and habitat diversity, 
and an elevated risk of high-severity, stand-replacing fires within the 
LSR. These conditions have created a concern over potential fire 
behavior on public and private lands, threats to forest resources, and 
potential impacts to air quality.
    Without the influence of fire under well-defined conditions to 
restore and maintain vegetation diversity, many stands are likely to 
continue to accumulate abundant fuels and vegetation, and are 
subsequently more likely to succumb to stand replacing fire that will 
reduce or eliminate late-successional conditions. Other stands are 
likely to continue to lose their structural and compositional 
diversity, important attributes of late-successional stands. As fire 
hazard and fire behavior potential increase, periods of poor air 
quality during wildfires are more likely to occur, soil erosion 
processes may accelerate, soil productivity may decrease, water quality 
may be degraded, habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife species 
will diminish, and recreation opportunities will be negatively 
impacted.
    Many of these concerns have been validated by relatively recent 
wildfires (e.g. the 2012 Bagley Complex and Ward fire, the 2009 Tennant 
fire; the 2007 Bolli fire; the 2005 Bagley fire; the 1999 High Complex 
and others) near the project area. These fires were outside of the 
historic fire return interval, had high fuel loading, and, due to 
weather conditions, burned under extreme fire conditions. The 
uncharacteristic fuel accumulation and weather conditions combined with 
poor access for firefighting forces, rugged terrain, and many other 
factors contributed to extreme fire behavior in most of these recent 
fires. During several of these fires, multiple structures were lost and 
air quality standards exceeded the California Air Resource Board 
thresholds. Additionally, areas that experienced high burn severity 
also experienced soil erosion, wildlife habitat loss, and degraded 
visual quality.

[[Page 15221]]

    The purpose of this project is to reduce the risk of a stand-
replacing fire in the LSR, improve firefighter and public safety by 
providing safe access in and out of the project area, and to restore 
fire in its natural role in the ecosystem. In order to meet the purpose 
of this project, there is a need to reduce fuels, improve safety of 
individuals, and improve forest ecosystem function and health within 
the project boundary. The following specific needs have been identified 
by the interdisciplinary team:

1. Reduction of Fuels

     There is a need to reduce fuel accumulations in the 
project area to minimize current fuel loading and lessen the threat of 
habitat loss from future wildland fires.
     There is a need to protect existing late successional 
habitat from threats of habitat loss that occur inside and outside of 
the LSR.
     There is a need to reduce the likelihood of stand 
replacing disturbances that would result in the loss of key late-
successional structure or existing and future late-successional forest.
     There is a need for the natural role of fire to be 
restored to the ecosystem at historic fire return intervals to 
facilitate fire-related processes on this landscape.

2. Improvement of Safety of Individuals

     There is a need to provide areas and access to areas where 
firefighters can safely employ suppression tactics to reduce the spread 
and severity of uncharacteristic wildland fire.
     There is a need to remove hazard trees in FMZs, along 
roads, and in developed recreation sites to reduce safety risk to 
humans working in and visiting the area.
     There is a need to provide for the safety of individuals 
along access routes and within developed recreation sites.

3. Improvement of Forest Ecosystem Function and Health

     There is a need to increase habitat quality within the 
project area to provide for a range of species, including rare and 
sensitive species and those that are associated with late successional 
stages.
     There is a need to maintain and promote the connectivity 
of late successional habitat.
     There is a need to promote long term sustainability of 
late-successional habitat by mitigating undesirable fire effects.
     There is a need to promote the development and long term 
sustainability of late successional habitat characteristics within the 
LSR.
     There is a need to enhance riparian habitat by reducing 
risk of loss from fire.
     There is a need to reduce stand densities in the project 
area to improve the resiliency of stands to a disturbance such as a 
wildfire.
     There is a need to create a vegetation profile with high 
spatial complexity to mimic historically characteristic fire patterns.
     There is a need for the natural role of fire to be 
restored to the ecosystem to facilitate fire-related processes in the 
landscape.
     There is a need to maintain the characteristics of 
ecosystem composition and structure within the IRA, by reducing the 
risk of uncharacteristic wildfire effects within the range of 
variability that would be expected to occur under natural disturbance 
regimes of the current climatic period.

Proposed Action/Preferred Alternative

    The project area is approximately 12,071 acres in total, and the 
proposed action involves a total of 13,153 acres of treatments, with 
areas of overlapping treatment. There would be no treatments occurring 
outside of the project area. The treatments would occur over 
approximately 7-10 years. The proposed action would utilize the 
existing road system and does not propose new road construction.
    Approximately 1,630 acres are proposed for treatment as fuel 
management zones (FMZ). Fuel Management Zones would reduce overstory, 
midstory, and understory fuels, including live vegetation, and are 
intended to create shaded fuel breaks designed to reduce potential fire 
behavior in the treated area. Fuel management zones would be 
constructed along roads and ridge tops in order to improve those 
locations' functionality as evacuation routes and fuel breaks. Fuel 
Management Zones will range from 300 feet to 600 feet wide depending 
upon treatment location, and would be treated with a variety of 
methods, based on site specific conditions. These methods would include 
thinning by hand and machine, mastication by machine, machine piling, 
hand piling, and pile burning.
    After treatment, the fuel management zones (FMZs) in the project 
area would reduce the current risk of large, stand-replacing fires and 
enhance the usability of roads and ridges in the project area for 
wildland fire management. Overstory trees would be thinned to reduce 
crown-to-crown overlap. The average height from the ground to the 
canopy would increase. Understory trees, shrubs, and heavy ground fuels 
would be reduced, increasing the potential of fire being contained at 
the FMZ. The density of the stand would be less that the current 
condition, with fewer trees per acre and the larger, more fire-
resistant trees retained in the stand.
    Commercial products may be removed from the fuelbreaks, primarily 
to reduce residual fuels and to meet the intent of applicable 
management direction and desired future condition. The cutting, sale, 
or removal of timber from the fuelbreaks may be needed to reduce the 
risk of uncharacteristic wildfire effects and to maintain the 
ecosystem's composition and structure within the range of variability 
that would be expected to occur under natural disturbance regimes of 
the current climatic period, which is allowed under the 2001 Roadless 
Rule. Commercial products may include biomass, firewood, or timber. The 
amount of residual fuel generated in the treatment of the FMZ will 
determine if the removal of fuel from the site would occur. If treated 
areas have high levels of activity generated, residual fuel that would 
render the fuelbreak ineffective, the fuel would be removed from the 
site by whichever method is most practicable. Hazard trees identified 
within the FMZs, roads, and developed recreation sites that pose a 
threat to employees and the public would be felled where determined 
necessary. Hazard tree felling would follow Hazard Tree Guidelines for 
Forest Service Facilities and Roads within the Pacific Southwest 
Region.
    Approximately 11,523 acres are proposed for treatment with 
prescribed fire. Low to moderate intensity prescribed fire would be 
applied using and underburn to consume surface and ladder fuels in 
proposed areas. Multiple prescribed fire entries may be required to 
meet desired future conditions and could be implemented at any time of 
the year within designated operating periods. Prescribed fire lighting 
techniques would consist of aerial ignition (i.e., plastic sphere 
dispenser or helitorch) and hand lighting methods. Natural and man-made 
features, such as roads and trails, would be utilized for control lines 
to minimize ground disturbance where feasible. Fire lines would be 
constructed to mineral soil using a dozer and hand tools where natural 
barriers do not exist, and trees may be felled to facilitate holding 
activities during prescribed fire implementation. Approximately 0.21 
miles of hand line and 1.9 miles of dozer line are part of the proposed 
action. The dozer line would be created by both constructing new fire 
line and scraping vegetation off of old roadbeds.

[[Page 15222]]

The hand line would use pre-existing line that was constructed during 
the Bagley fire. Target prescribed fire objectives following treatment 
are:
     Desired flame lengths in these treatment areas vary from 
0-6 feet according to resource objectives.
     Large diameter dead/down material would be retained to 
historical levels--where appropriate--to support soil, fungal, plant, 
and animal functionality.
     Up to 70% of the fuels less than 3 inches in diameter 
would be consumed while retaining a minimum of 50% soil cover.
     Ladder fuels would be reduced in an effort to increase 
canopy base height to 10 feet or greater.
     In shrub dominated areas, a mosaic of age classes and 
diversity of species composition would be created.

Responsible Official

    Forest Supervisor, Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Forest Supervisor will decide whether to implement the proposed 
action/preferred alternative, take an alternative action that meets the 
purpose and need, or take no action.

Preliminary Issues

    Potentitial issues could be related to threatened and endangered 
species habitat, treatments within LSR and IRA, and the private 
property surrounding the project area. Access to the project site and 
proposed treatments may be an issue due to the amount of private 
property located within and surrounding the project area. Potential 
issues will be addressed within the project design.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. The scoping 
information and Notice for Public comment will be published in the Mt. 
Shasta Herald and the Redding Record Searchlight.
    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 should be 
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 solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered, however.

    Dated: March 2, 2016.
Dave Myers,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2016-06388 Filed 3-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P