82 FR 7793 - Willamette National Forest, Sweet Home Ranger District; Oregon; Trout Creek Project
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 13 (January 23, 2017)
Forest Service
Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 13 (January 23, 2017)
| Page Range | 7793-7794 | |
| FR Document | 2017-01343 |
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 13 (Monday, January 23, 2017)] [Notices] [Pages 7793-7794] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2017-01343] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Willamette National Forest, Sweet Home Ranger District; Oregon; Trout Creek Project AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Trout Creek Project is proposed to encourage stand health, vigor, species diversity and structural complexity in the Matrix, Adaptive Management Area (AMA), and Riparian Reserves; contribute a variety of sustainable forest products to local markets; increase spatial heterogeneity, including complex early seral habitat, at a landscape scale by mimicking mixed severity fire; improve fire resiliency and strategically manage hazardous fuels in high risk areas that could adversely affect the integrity of adjacent privately owned lands, Late Successional Reserves (LSR), Matrix, AMA, and Riparian Reserve lands and to enhance hardwood habitat and diversity. Proposed activities to achieve the purpose of the project inculde forest management treatments across approximately 1,670 acres (about 4.5% of the analyzed landscape). Treatments include approximately 733 acres of variable forest thinning (including 109 acres of Riparian Reserve thinning) and approximately 101 acres of regeneration harvesting that would include aggregate retention. Additionally, approximately 370 acres of non-commercial treatments are proposed including fall and leave treatments, snag creation, underplanting of native conifers, the planting of special forest products, and the restoration of a 2-acre meadow. Road work would also be part of the actions associated with the proposed activities and would include road maintenance/reconstruction (48.5 miles), temporary road construction (4 miles), new road construction (less than 1 mile), road decommissioning (7 miles) and the expansion or establishment of 2 new rock pits. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received by February 15, 2017. The draft environmental impact statement is expected July 2017 and the final environmental impact statement is expected May 2018. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 4431 Highway 20, Sweet Home, OR 97386. Comments may also be submitted online at https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=46279. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanie Schmidgall at [email protected] or at 541-367-3809 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 Trout Creek project is approximately 37,344 acres in size and located approximately 20 miles east of the town of Sweet Home, Oregon. The project encompasses an area both to the north and south of Highway 20. The purposes of the project are to encourage stand health, vigor, species diversity and structural complexity in the Matrix, Adaptive Management Area (AMA), and Riparian Reserves; contribute a variety of sustainable forest products to local markets; increase spatial heterogeneity, including complex early seral habitat, at a landscape scale by mimicking mixed severity fire; improve fire resiliency and strategically manage hazardous fuels in high risk areas that could adversely affect the integrity of adjacent privately owned lands, Late Successional Reserves (LSR), Matrix, AMA, and Riparian Reserve lands; enhance and create hardwood habitat and diversity. The district resource specialists reviewed this landscape and identified it to have the greatest need across the Sweet Home Ranger District for work that would benefit forest health and diversity. Many of the forested stands in the project area are overstocked from a silviculture perspective. There is opportunity to thin, reduce the number of trees and increase the diversity and structure of the remaining forest over time. Additionally, the project area includes a portion of the Menagerie Wilderness and is adjacent to a large swath of private land. This interface of public and private ownership has resulted in neighboring parcels of land with differing management objectives and fuel loads. This project presents an opportunity to reduce the risk of fires spreading across these landscapes through strategically-placed fuel treatments. No management activities are proposed within the wilderness boundary. [[Page 7794]] Proposed Action We propose to thin approximately 733 acres (about 2% of the project area) and regenerate approximately 101 acres (less than 1% of the project area). Thinning treatments will be prescribed at varying frequencies and incorporate some untreated areas (skips) and create gaps up to 2 acres in size with variable spacing of remaining trees. We would design the regeneration harvest using an aggregate retention prescription to increase forest-age diversity and structural complexity across the project area. There are two categories of stands proposed for treatment: Managed stands that are about 40-60 years old and fire origin stands that range from 100-150 years old. Approximately 576 acres of thinning and 52 acres of regeneration would take place in managed stands and 157 of thinning and 49 acres of regeneration acres in fire origin stands. These actions will provide roughly 12 MMBF of timber products to the local community. Cedar, sugar pine and other minor species would be under planted on about 300 acres across the project area. Additionally, about 38 acres would be planted with desirable conifer bough species for future bough harvest. There would be 109 acres thinned in the Riparian Reserves in the managed stands. The older fire origin stands would see no thinning in the Riparian Reserves. We propose thinning harvests in managed stands within the Riparian Reserves to increase in- stream productivity by increasing hardwood species and light availability. About 8 acres of fall and leave treatments are also proposed to improve hardwood diversity and structure in the Riparian Reserve. This project also aims to increase spatial heterogeneity and complex early seral habitat by mimicking mixed severity fire on a landscape scale. On 309 acres of managed stands a combination of thinning, aggregate retention harvest, gap creation and controlled burn would result in a diverse landscape of green trees and openings. The treatments will vary by unit. In the fire origin stands, 47 acres would be treated to mimic high severity fire using a combination of commercial thinning, underburning and varying levels of tree girdling. An unburned area or low severity fire patch would be simulated by a proposed 65 acres of untreated skips. Hardwood fuel breaks, where conifers are thinned heavily and hardwood species are planted, are proposed on about 35 acres in managed stands and 76 acres of fire origin stands. This will help curb the volume of hazardous fuels in these stands, provide a long term option for managing wildfires in the area, and further improve fire resiliency in and adjacent to the project area. A 14 acre managed stand in Late Successional Reserve is also proposed to be treated in this way to help protect an Oregon Department of Transportation facility. Additionally, approximately 370 acres of non-commerical treatments are proposed across the project area. These include the fall and leave treatments, snag creation for oak and madrone restoration, underplanting of native conifers such as sugar pine and cedar, the planting of special forest products, and the restoration of a 2-acre meadow. While not adding commerical value, these actions will restore and maintain hardwood populations, increase forest diversity and structure, and contribute to over all landscape health in the project area. The removal of forest products would include associated road work across the project area. The project would propose approximately 50 miles of road maintenance or reconstruction that would include the installation of approximately 260 culverts (primarily replacements). There would be less than 1 mile of new road construction. Construction or reconstruction of temporary road access would be approxiately 4 miles. These temporary roads would be decommissioned and returned to their original condition at the conclusion of project activities. Also proposed would be to decommission and hydrologically stabilize approximately 7 miles of road. The impacted roads for decommissioning would be existing Forest Sevice roads 2000-011, 2000-600, 632, 636, 641, and 643, 2000-308, 2000-017, 2032-419, and 2027-830. Most of these roads or sections of road are currently inaccessible to vehicle traffic. A rock pit would be developed near the 2027-825 road junction and an existing rock pit would be expanded at the end of the 2027-730 road. Responsible Official Nikki Swanson, Sweet Home District Ranger Nature of Decision To Be Made Given the purpose and need, the scope of the decision to be made by the responsible official will be as follows:Do the proposed actions comply with all applicable laws governing Forest Service actions? Do the proposed actions comply with the applicable Standards and Guidelines found in the Willamette Land and Resource Management plan (LRMP)? [cir] If not, will the action ammend the LRMP? Does the environmental impact statement have suffcient site-specific environmental analysis to make an informed decesion? Do the proposed actions meet the purpose and need for action? With these assurances, the responsible official must decide: Whether or not to select the proposed action or one of any other potential alternatives that may be developed, and what, if any, additional actions should be required. Scoping Process This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. We are interested in your comments on the following questions: Are there alternative ways to meet the purpose and need of the project other than the proposed action we offer, which you would like the Forest Service to consider and analyze? Is there any information about the project area, which you believe is important in the context of the proposed activities that you would like the Forest Service to consider? What specifically are the potential effects of this proposed action that you are particularly concerned about? For example: Rather that simply stating that you would like a change in a proposed activity or that you would like an activity to not occur, it is more helpful to understand why you desire this. What are your underlying concerns with an activity or action; what are the effects from the activity that concern you? 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 also be accepted and considered. Dated: January 12, 2017. Nikki Swanson, District Ranger. [FR Doc. 2017-01343 Filed 1-19-17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-11-P
![Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 13 / Monday, January 23, 2017 / Notices 7793
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Dated: January 13, 2017. environmental impact statement is
CONTACT. Tammy Freeman Brown, expected May 2018.
Written comments may be submitted Designated Federal Officer. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
as described under SUPPLEMENTARY [FR Doc. 2017–01347 Filed 1–19–17; 8:45 am] 4431 Highway 20, Sweet Home, OR
INFORMATION. All comments, including BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 97386. Comments may also be
names and addresses when provided, submitted online at https://
are placed in the record and are cara.ecosystem-management.org/
available for public inspection and DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Public//CommentInput?Project=46279.
copying. The public may inspect FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
comments received at the USDA Forest Forest Service Joanie Schmidgall at jschmidgall02@
Service Supervisor’s Office. Please call fs.fed.us or at 541–367–3809
Willamette National Forest, Sweet
ahead to facilitate entry into the Individuals who use
Home Ranger District; Oregon; Trout
building. telecommunication devices for the deaf
Creek Project
(TDD) may call the Federal Information
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339
Kamnikar, RAC Coordinator, by phone AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern
at 334–241–8114 or via email at ACTION:Notice of intent to prepare an Time, Monday through Friday.
lkamnikar@fs.fed.us; or Tammy environmental impact statement.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Freeman Brown, Designated Federal
Officer, by phone 334–241–8144 or via SUMMARY: The Trout Creek Project is Purpose and Need for Action
email at tfreemanbrown@fs.fed.us. proposed to encourage stand health, The Trout Creek project is
Individuals who use vigor, species diversity and structural approximately 37,344 acres in size and
telecommunication devices for the deaf complexity in the Matrix, Adaptive located approximately 20 miles east of
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Management Area (AMA), and Riparian the town of Sweet Home, Oregon. The
Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 Reserves; contribute a variety of project encompasses an area both to the
between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., sustainable forest products to local north and south of Highway 20. The
Eastern Standard Time, Monday markets; increase spatial heterogeneity, purposes of the project are to encourage
through Friday. including complex early seral habitat, at stand health, vigor, species diversity
a landscape scale by mimicking mixed and structural complexity in the Matrix,
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The severity fire; improve fire resiliency and
purpose of the meeting is to: Adaptive Management Area (AMA), and
strategically manage hazardous fuels in Riparian Reserves; contribute a variety
1. Introduce new RAC Members, high risk areas that could adversely of sustainable forest products to local
2. Discuss purpose of RAC, operating affect the integrity of adjacent privately markets; increase spatial heterogeneity,
guidelines and responsiblities; owned lands, Late Successional including complex early seral habitat, at
Reserves (LSR), Matrix, AMA, and a landscape scale by mimicking mixed
3. Elect a RAC Chairperson, and Riparian Reserve lands and to enhance
4. Discuss potential projects and severity fire; improve fire resiliency and
hardwood habitat and diversity. strategically manage hazardous fuels in
processes. Proposed activities to achieve the high risk areas that could adversely
The meeting is open to the public. purpose of the project inculde forest affect the integrity of adjacent privately
The agenda will include time for people management treatments across owned lands, Late Successional
to make oral statements of three minutes approximately 1,670 acres (about 4.5% Reserves (LSR), Matrix, AMA, and
or less. Individuals wishing to make an of the analyzed landscape). Treatments Riparian Reserve lands; enhance and
oral statement should request in writing include approximately 733 acres of create hardwood habitat and diversity.
by close-of business, February 17, 2017, variable forest thinning (including 109 The district resource specialists
to be scheduled on the agenda. Anyone acres of Riparian Reserve thinning) and reviewed this landscape and identified
who would like to bring related matters approximately 101 acres of regeneration it to have the greatest need across the
to the attention of the committee may harvesting that would include aggregate Sweet Home Ranger District for work
file written statements with the retention. Additionally, approximately that would benefit forest health and
committee staff before or after the 370 acres of non-commercial treatments diversity. Many of the forested stands in
meeting. Written comments and are proposed including fall and leave the project area are overstocked from a
requests for time to make oral comments treatments, snag creation, underplanting silviculture perspective. There is
must be sent to Lisa Kamnikar, Alabama of native conifers, the planting of opportunity to thin, reduce the number
RAC Coordinator, 2946 Chestnut Street special forest products, and the of trees and increase the diversity and
Montgomery, Alabama 36107; by email restoration of a 2-acre meadow. Road structure of the remaining forest over
to lkamnikar@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile work would also be part of the actions time. Additionally, the project area
to 334–241–8111. associated with the proposed activities includes a portion of the Menagerie
Meeting Accommodations: If you are and would include road maintenance/ Wilderness and is adjacent to a large
a person requiring reasonable reconstruction (48.5 miles), temporary swath of private land. This interface of
accommodation, please make requests road construction (4 miles), new road public and private ownership has
in advance for sign language construction (less than 1 mile), road resulted in neighboring parcels of land
interpreting, assistive listening devices, decommissioning (7 miles) and the with differing management objectives
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
or other reasonable accommodation. For expansion or establishment of 2 new and fuel loads. This project presents an
access to the facility or proceedings, rock pits. opportunity to reduce the risk of fires
pleases contact the person listed in the DATES: Comments concerning the scope spreading across these landscapes
section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION of the analysis must be received by through strategically-placed fuel
CONTACT. All reasonable February 15, 2017. The draft treatments. No management activities
accommodation requests are managed environmental impact statement is are proposed within the wilderness
on a case by case basis. expected July 2017 and the final boundary.
VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:02 Jan 19, 2017 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\23JAN1.SGM 23JAN1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/82_FR_7806/page/1.svg)
![7794 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 13 / Monday, January 23, 2017 / Notices
Proposed Action help curb the volume of hazardous fuels Land and Resource Management plan
We propose to thin approximately 733 in these stands, provide a long term (LRMP)?
acres (about 2% of the project area) and option for managing wildfires in the Æ If not, will the action ammend the
regenerate approximately 101 acres (less area, and further improve fire resiliency LRMP?
than 1% of the project area). Thinning in and adjacent to the project area. A 14 • Does the environmental impact
treatments will be prescribed at varying acre managed stand in Late statement have suffcient site-specific
frequencies and incorporate some Successional Reserve is also proposed to environmental analysis to make an
untreated areas (skips) and create gaps be treated in this way to help protect an informed decesion?
Oregon Department of Transportation • Do the proposed actions meet the
up to 2 acres in size with variable
facility. purpose and need for action?
spacing of remaining trees. We would
Additionally, approximately 370 acres With these assurances, the
design the regeneration harvest using an
of non-commerical treatments are responsible official must decide:
aggregate retention prescription to • Whether or not to select the
proposed across the project area. These
increase forest-age diversity and proposed action or one of any other
include the fall and leave treatments,
structural complexity across the project potential alternatives that may be
snag creation for oak and madrone
area. developed, and what, if any, additional
restoration, underplanting of native
There are two categories of stands
conifers such as sugar pine and cedar, actions should be required.
proposed for treatment: Managed stands
the planting of special forest products,
that are about 40–60 years old and fire Scoping Process
and the restoration of a 2-acre meadow.
origin stands that range from 100–150 This Notice of Intent initiates the
While not adding commerical value,
years old. Approximately 576 acres of scoping process, which guides the
these actions will restore and maintain
thinning and 52 acres of regeneration development of the environmental
hardwood populations, increase forest
would take place in managed stands and impact statement. We are interested in
diversity and structure, and contribute
157 of thinning and 49 acres of your comments on the following
to over all landscape health in the
regeneration acres in fire origin stands. questions:
project area.
These actions will provide roughly 12 • Are there alternative ways to meet
The removal of forest products would
MMBF of timber products to the local the purpose and need of the project
include associated road work across the
community. Cedar, sugar pine and other other than the proposed action we offer,
project area. The project would propose
minor species would be under planted which you would like the Forest Service
approximately 50 miles of road
on about 300 acres across the project to consider and analyze?
maintenance or reconstruction that
area. Additionally, about 38 acres would • Is there any information about the
would include the installation of
be planted with desirable conifer bough project area, which you believe is
approximately 260 culverts (primarily
species for future bough harvest. There important in the context of the proposed
replacements). There would be less than
would be 109 acres thinned in the activities that you would like the Forest
1 mile of new road construction.
Riparian Reserves in the managed Service to consider?
Construction or reconstruction of
stands. The older fire origin stands • What specifically are the potential
temporary road access would be
would see no thinning in the Riparian effects of this proposed action that you
approxiately 4 miles. These temporary
Reserves. We propose thinning harvests are particularly concerned about? For
roads would be decommissioned and
in managed stands within the Riparian example: Rather that simply stating that
returned to their original condition at
Reserves to increase in-stream you would like a change in a proposed
the conclusion of project activities. Also
productivity by increasing hardwood activity or that you would like an
proposed would be to decommission
species and light availability. About 8 activity to not occur, it is more helpful
and hydrologically stabilize
acres of fall and leave treatments are to understand why you desire this.
approximately 7 miles of road. The
also proposed to improve hardwood What are your underlying concerns with
impacted roads for decommissioning
diversity and structure in the Riparian an activity or action; what are the effects
would be existing Forest Sevice roads
Reserve. from the activity that concern you?
2000–011, 2000–600, 632, 636, 641, and
This project also aims to increase It is important that reviewers provide
643, 2000–308, 2000–017, 2032–419,
spatial heterogeneity and complex early their comments at such times and in
and 2027–830. Most of these roads or
seral habitat by mimicking mixed such manner that they are useful to the
sections of road are currently
severity fire on a landscape scale. On agency’s preparation of the
inaccessible to vehicle traffic. A rock pit
309 acres of managed stands a environmental impact statement.
would be developed near the 2027–825
combination of thinning, aggregate Therefore, comments should be
road junction and an existing rock pit
retention harvest, gap creation and provided prior to the close of the
would be expanded at the end of the
controlled burn would result in a comment period and should clearly
2027–730 road.
diverse landscape of green trees and articulate the reviewer’s concerns and
openings. The treatments will vary by Responsible Official contentions.
unit. In the fire origin stands, 47 acres Nikki Swanson, Sweet Home District Comments received in response to
would be treated to mimic high severity Ranger this solicitation, including names and
fire using a combination of commercial addresses of those who comment, will
thinning, underburning and varying Nature of Decision To Be Made
be part of the public record for this
levels of tree girdling. An unburned area Given the purpose and need, the proposed action. Comments submitted
or low severity fire patch would be
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
scope of the decision to be made by the anonymously will also be accepted and
simulated by a proposed 65 acres of responsible official will be as follows: considered.
untreated skips. • Do the proposed actions comply
Hardwood fuel breaks, where conifers Dated: January 12, 2017.
with all applicable laws governing
are thinned heavily and hardwood Forest Service actions? Nikki Swanson,
species are planted, are proposed on • Do the proposed actions comply District Ranger.
about 35 acres in managed stands and with the applicable Standards and [FR Doc. 2017–01343 Filed 1–19–17; 8:45 am]
76 acres of fire origin stands. This will Guidelines found in the Willamette BILLING CODE 3410–11–P
VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:02 Jan 19, 2017 Jkt 241001 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 E:\FR\FM\23JAN1.SGM 23JAN1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/82_FR_7806/page/2.svg)
Document Created: 2017-01-20 01:29:28
Document Modified: 2017-01-20 01:29:28
| 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 February 15, 2017. The draft environmental impact statement is expected July 2017 and the final environmental impact statement is expected May 2018. | |
| Contact | Joanie Schmidgall at [email protected] or at 541-367-3809 | |
| FR Citation | 82 FR 7793 |
2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR