82 FR 16989 - Lincoln National Forest; New Mexico; South Sacramento Restoration Project
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 66 (April 7, 2017)
Forest Service
Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 66 (April 7, 2017)
| Page Range | 16989-16991 | |
| FR Document | 2017-06927 |
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 66 (Friday, April 7, 2017)] [Notices] [Pages 16989-16991] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2017-06927] ======================================================================== Notices Federal Register ________________________________________________________________________ This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. ======================================================================== Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 66 / Friday, April 7, 2017 / Notices [[Page 16989]] DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Lincoln National Forest; New Mexico; South Sacramento Restoration Project AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Lincoln National Forest will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to document and publicly disclose environmental effects of its management strategy for restoring forest health on approximately 140,000 acres in the southern Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The restoration strategy would include a variety of management tools including mechanical methods and prescribed fire to achieve forest health and fuel reduction goals. The project will include additional measures to improve wildlife habitat and watershed health. The project will include adaptive management options that will allow for treatment flexibility based on site-specific conditions, needs, and objectives. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by May 8, 2017. The draft environmental impact statement is expected December 2017 and the final environmental impact statement is expected April 2018. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to ``SSRP Comments, c/o Peggy Luensmann, Lincoln National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 3463 Las Palomas, Alamogordo, NM 88310''. Comments may also be sent via email to [email protected], or via facsimile to 575-434- 7218. A public meeting will be held at the Lodge Resort Pavilion, 601 Corona Place, Cloudcroft, NM 88317 on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Forest Service representatives will present an overview of the project proposal, answer questions, and discuss the analysis process. Please contact the Forest Service at 575-434-7200 at least one week in advance of the meeting if you need to request special accommodations (i.e., sign language interpretation, etc.). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The project Web site at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51146 or contact Peggy Luensmann, 575- 434-7200, [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: The project is being developed under the Agriculture Act (Farm Bill) of 2014 authority as amended to the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003, Section 602. The initial project proposal was designed in cooperation with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and with the participation of a local collaborative group representing the interests of local residents, environmental groups, other state and federal agencies, elected officials, and other stakeholders. Purpose and Need for Action The landscape within the South Sacramento Restoration Project planning area has been greatly altered from historic conditions. Overall forest health in the area has declined due to insects, disease, and other factors leading to high tree mortality and increased risk for high-severity wildland fire across the landscape. Wildlife habitat and watershed conditions have also declined as a result. The purpose of the project is to restore overall forest health, watershed health, and wildlife habitat in the planning area. There is a need to increase forest resiliency to insects, disease, and stand- replacing fires by shifting forest structure, composition, and diversity toward the natural range of conditions that were historically typical for mixed-conifer, ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper, and other habitat types within the Sacramento Mountains in southeast New Mexico. Additionally, there is a need to reduce high-severity fire risks and post-fire flooding potential to protect life, property, and natural resources by reducing crown fire hazard potential. There are also needs to reduce the likelihood of human-caused ignitions and to increase the ability of fire suppression crews to manage future wildfires. In Mexican spotted owl habitat, there is a need to protect existing and promote development of future habitat suitable for nesting, roosting, foraging, and dispersal to further recovery of the species. Additionally, there is a need to increase our understanding of the short- and long-term effects of land management on existing and future suitable habitat. Where watershed function is impaired, there is a need to improve soil condition and productivity; hydrologic function of springs and seeps; and quality of perennial and intermittent waters and riparian areas. Proposed Action In response to the purpose and need, the Lincoln National Forest proposes to conduct forest restoration activities on up to 140,000 acres of National Forest System lands in the southern Sacramento Mountains (approximately 10 to 15 years to meet initial project objectives with additional maintenance treatments over the long term). Restoration activities would occur in all ecosystems in the area, including mixed-conifer, ponderosa pine, pinyon-juniper, riparian areas, meadows, and aspen habitat types. Restoration activities would focus on thinning and burning treatments to improve forest health and resiliency by reducing stand density, continuity, and homogeneity (sameness of forest structure and species composition), and increase heterogeneity (diverse forest structure and species composition) at a landscape scale, midscale and fine scale. The South Sacramento Restoration Project includes areas of the Lincoln National Forest, Sacramento Ranger District that either have not been previously treated, or that were previously treated but require additional treatments to support forest restoration and other habitat management goals at all scales. To meet project needs, the Forest Service is proposing to conduct hand and mechanical thinning and prescribed fire treatments to achieve forest and wildlife habitat restoration objectives as described below. Treatments would be aligned with old growth development and large tree [[Page 16990]] retention objectives, which are ecosystem components that are generally lacking in the planning area. The following types of treatment activities may be considered for this project: Hand Treatments--Hand treatments refer to the use hand tools such as chainsaws, brush cutters, and other methods that do not require the use of heavy machinery, vehicles, or similar equipment. The use of manual methods can be extremely time consuming and would most likely be used on slopes that are inaccessible by heavy equipment; in areas adjacent to open roads; or in areas where use of mechanical methods would cause significant, unavoidable harm to resources. Mechanical Treatments--Mechanical treatments refer to a variety of possible tools used to meet objectives. These include equipment and vehicles designed to cut trees and lop slash including on all terrain; yard material to landings; pile slash; chip or masticate wood; and transport material. Merchantable wood products would be removed from sites where feasible, based on road access, slope, terrain, and economic factors. Non-merchantable wood and thinning slash may be removed or treated on site depending on site-specific objectives. Prescribed Fire--Broadcast and pile burning are types of prescribed fire that may be used in this project. In most cases, pile burning would occur following mechanical treatments to remove activity slash created during mechanical treatment activities. Bulldozers or similar heavy equipment are most commonly used to pile slash. Slash may be hand piled in areas with limited amounts of downed woody debris, where highly-erodible soils occur, or on steep slopes and other areas that are not accessible to heavy equipment. Broadcast burning would be most often used after initial thinning and pile burning treatments on a regular maintenance schedule (typically every 2 to 15 years depending on the plant association). However, broadcast burning may also be used as an initial treatment where treatment objectives do not require mechanical thinning prior to burning (such as maintaining open meadows or in stands to stimulate understory growth) and where the use of broadcast burning would be expected to meet restoration objectives with minimal risk to property or resources of concern. Both manual and aerial ignition methods may be used. If prescribed burning is unable to occur due to environmental or personnel constraints, then additional hand or mechanical methods would occur to maintain restoration objectives. Adaptive Management--The adaptive management strategy consists of three principle components: (1) The ability to select management tools or strategies best suited to site-specific and mid-scale management; (2) the ability to learn from treatment and resource monitoring so the most effective treatment methods are used to achieve management goals in new areas; and (3) the ability to incorporate new technologies or tools as they become available. All proposed hand or mechanical thinning and prescribed fire treatments may be used indefinitely after the initial treatments to maintain or further reduce tree densities and fuel loads if site- specific objectives cannot be fully achieved by the initial treatment. Additional treatments methods may be utilized to restore watershed health and improve wildlife habitat: Some snags and downed woody debris would be retained as needed to improve soil condition and nutrient cycling and to meet wildlife habitat objectives outlined in the Lincoln National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). New snags may be created to improve wildlife habitat conditions and forest health in areas where existing snags are limited. Watersheds--Improve water quality and watershed condition. Treatments may include but is not limited to installing structures to control erosion; reseeding or replanting native vegetation where natural regeneration is not sufficient to stabilize soils; and treating headcuts in arroyos. Mexican Spotted Owl Habitat--Restoration activities, including hand or mechanical thinning and prescribed fire treatments are proposed in Mexican spotted owl protected activity centers and recovery habitats. The overall goal is to improve the quantity, quality, and distribution of owl habitat. Treatments would be designed in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and align with the 2012 Mexican spotted owl recovery plan. These restoration activities are expected to improve habitat resiliency by reducing the risk of stand-replacing fires and reducing the occurrence and extent of insect and disease outbreaks within owl habitat. Treatments are also expected to promote the development of future habitat in forest stands that are not currently suitable for nesting and roosting or only provide marginal habitat. Pre- and post-treatment monitoring would occur so the impacts of treatments can be understood. Infrastructure improvements may be necessary to complete proposed treatments: Roads--Open system roads (maintenance level 2 through 5) would continue to be maintained as needed. Maintenance level 1 roads (closed roads) would be temporarily opened and maintained where needed for project access. Temporary roads and landings may be constructed where needed for these purposes. Road maintenance includes but is not limited to smoothing out road surfaces, improving drainage, and stabilizing stream crossings. Both maintenance level 1 and temporary roads would be closed after treatments are completed. Open system roads would remain open to public access after completion of the project. No new permanent roads would be constructed. Decisions about changing public access are not included in this project. Forest Plan Amendment To further meet project goals, the proposed action would include a project-specific amendment to the Forest Plan that would authorize the use of forest restoration strategies in places and under conditions that were not foreseen when the current Forest Plan standards and guidelines were established in 1986. The amendment is expected to include, but may not be limited to, the standard and guideline changes relating to:Using harvest strategies on steep slopes where such activities are not currently authorized; Using a broader range of treatment options within Mexican spotted owl habitat than is currently authorized; and Removing timing restrictions in some Mexican spotted owl protected activity centers so disturbance in occupied habitat can be limited to one year. A project-specific plan amendment is a one-time variance in Forest Plan direction. Forest Plan standards and guidelines revert back to the original language for all other ongoing or future projects that may be authorized on the Lincoln National Forest unless additional amendments are made for those other projects. The amendment will be fully developed based on circumstances, issues, and concerns identified during the project scoping period. If adopted, this would be the eighteenth amendment to the Forest Plan since its inception in 1986. The current Forest Plan is under revision and a final decision on the revised plan is not expected until 2019. The final South Sacramento Restoration Project analysis and decision is [[Page 16991]] expected to be consistent with the revised Forest Plan. Responsible Official The Forest Supervisor of the Lincoln National Forest is the deciding officer for this project. The Forest Supervisor will issue a record of decision at the conclusion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and after evaluating public comments received on the draft EIS. Nature of Decision To Be Made The Forest Service is the lead agency for the project. Based on the results of the NEPA analysis and consideration of public comments, the Forest Supervisor will authorize implementation of one of the following: (1) The no action alternative; or (2) the agency's proposed action, including the adaptive management strategy, Forest Plan amendment, and any protection measures or mitigations necessary to minimize or avoid adverse impacts. The decision will be based on a consideration of the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action or other alternatives that may be developed to respond to significant issues. The Forest Supervisor may select the proposed action, a modified proposed action or alternative, another alternative analyzed in detail, or no action. Scoping Process This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. The Forest Service will host a public scoping meeting. See the Addresses section for details on the location, date, and time of the meeting. 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. This proposed project is an activity implementing a land management plan and is subject to the objection process described in 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and C. As such, individuals and organizations wishing to be eligible to file a predecisional objection must meet the information requirements in 36 CFR 218.25(a)(3). Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will become part of the public record for this project and may be released under the Freedom of Information Act. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous commenters will have no standing to participate in subsequent administrative review or judicial review. Dated: March 20, 2017. Jeanne M. Higgins, Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System. [FR Doc. 2017-06927 Filed 4-6-17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
![Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 66 / Friday, April 7, 2017 / Notices 16991
expected to be consistent with the Information Act. Comments submitted 763–5222. For TTY callers, please use
revised Forest Plan. anonymously will be accepted and the Federal Relay Service 1–800–877–
considered; however, anonymous 8339.
Responsible Official
commenters will have no standing to SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NAC
The Forest Supervisor of the Lincoln participate in subsequent administrative was established in March 2012 and
National Forest is the deciding officer review or judicial review. operates in accordance with the Federal
for this project. The Forest Supervisor
Dated: March 20, 2017. Advisory Committee Act (Title 5,
will issue a record of decision at the
Jeanne M. Higgins, United States Code, Appendix 2,
conclusion of the National
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest Section 10). The NAC members are
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
System. appointed by the Director, U.S. Census
process, and after evaluating public
[FR Doc. 2017–06927 Filed 4–6–17; 8:45 am] Bureau, and consider topics such as
comments received on the draft EIS.
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P hard-to-reach populations, race and
Nature of Decision To Be Made ethnicity, language, aging populations,
The Forest Service is the lead agency American Indian and Alaska Native
for the project. Based on the results of DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE tribal considerations, new immigrant
the NEPA analysis and consideration of populations, populations affected by
public comments, the Forest Supervisor Bureau of the Census natural disasters, highly mobile and
will authorize implementation of one of migrant populations, complex
the following: (1) The no action National Advisory Committee households, rural populations, and
alternative; or (2) the agency’s proposed population segments with limited
AGENCY: Bureau of the Census,
action, including the adaptive access to technology. The Committee
Department of Commerce.
management strategy, Forest Plan also advises on data privacy and
ACTION: Notice of public meeting. confidentiality, among other issues.
amendment, and any protection
measures or mitigations necessary to SUMMARY: The Bureau of the Census All meetings are open to the public.
minimize or avoid adverse impacts. (Census Bureau) is giving notice of a A brief period will be set aside at the
The decision will be based on a meeting of the National Advisory meeting for public comment on Friday,
consideration of the environmental Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other April 28. However, individuals with
effects of implementing the proposed Populations (NAC). The NAC will extensive questions or statements must
action or other alternatives that may be address policy, research, and technical submit them in writing to: census.
developed to respond to significant issues relating to a full range of Census national.advisory.committee@
issues. The Forest Supervisor may select Bureau programs and activities, census.gov (subject line ‘‘April 2017
the proposed action, a modified including communications, decennial, NAC Meeting Public Comment’’), or by
proposed action or alternative, another demographic, economic, field letter submission to Kimberly L.
alternative analyzed in detail, or no operations, geographic, information Leonard, Committee Liaison Officer,
action. technology, and statistics. The NAC will Department of Commerce, U.S. Census
meet in a plenary session on April 27– Bureau, Room 8H179, 4600 Silver Hill
Scoping Process Road, Washington, DC 20233.
28, 2017. Last minute changes to the
This notice of intent initiates the schedule are possible, which could If you plan to attend the meeting,
scoping process, which guides the prevent us from giving advance public please register by Monday, April 24.
development of the environmental notice of schedule adjustments. Please You may access the online registration
impact statement. The Forest Service visit the Census Advisory Committees from the following link: https://
will host a public scoping meeting. See Web site for the most current meeting www.regonline.com/registration/
the ADDRESSES section for details on the agenda at: http://www.census.gov/ Checkin.aspx?EventID=1970458.
location, date, and time of the meeting. about/cac.html. The meeting will be Seating is available to the public on a
It is important that reviewers provide available via webcast at: http:// first-come, first-served basis.
their comments at such times and in This meeting is physically accessible
www.census.gov/newsroom/census-
such manner that they are useful to the to people with disabilities. Requests for
live.html or at http://www.ustream.tv/
agency’s preparation of the sign language interpretation or other
embed/6504322?wmode=direct.
environmental impact statement. auxiliary aids should also be directed to
DATES: April 27–28, 2017. On Thursday,
Therefore, comments should be the Committee Liaison Officer as soon
provided prior to the close of the April 27, the meeting will begin at as known, and preferably two weeks
comment period and should clearly approximately 8:30 a.m. and end at prior to the meeting.
articulate the reviewer’s concerns and approximately 5:00 p.m. On Friday, Due to increased security and for
contentions. April 28, the meeting will begin at access to the meeting, please call 301–
This proposed project is an activity approximately 8:30 a.m. and end at 763–9906 upon arrival at the Census
implementing a land management plan approximately 3:00 p.m. Bureau on the day of the meeting. A
and is subject to the objection process ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at photo ID must be presented in order to
described in 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and the U.S. Census Bureau Auditorium, receive your visitor’s badge. Visitors are
C. As such, individuals and 4600 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, not allowed beyond the first floor.
organizations wishing to be eligible to Maryland 20746. Topics of discussion include the
file a predecisional objection must meet FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tara following items:
nlaroche on DSK30NT082PROD with NOTICES
the information requirements in 36 CFR Dunlop Jackson, Branch Chief for • 2020 Census Program Updates
218.25(a)(3). Comments received in Advisory Committees, Customer Liaison • 2020 Census Operational Readiness:
response to this solicitation, including and Marketing Services Office, at Integrated Partnership and
names and addresses of those who tara.t.dunlop@census.gov, Department Communications Program
comment, will become part of the public of Commerce, U.S. Census Bureau, • Local Update of Census Addresses
record for this project and may be Room 8H177, 4600 Silver Hill Road, Status
released under the Freedom of Washington, DC 20233, telephone 301– • Tribal Consultations Briefing
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Document Created: 2017-04-06 23:49:19
Document Modified: 2017-04-06 23:49:19
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. | |
| Dates | Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by May 8, 2017. The draft environmental impact statement is expected December 2017 and the final environmental impact statement is expected April 2018. | |
| Contact | The project Web site at https:// www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=51146 or contact Peggy Luensmann, 575- 434-7200, [email protected] | |
| FR Citation | 82 FR 16989 |
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