83 FR 17359 - Wayne National Forest: Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, Scioto, Vinton and Washington Counties; Ohio; Assessment Report of Ecological, Social and Economic Conditions, Trends and Sustainability for the Wayne National Forest

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 76 (April 19, 2018)

The Wayne National Forest (Wayne), located in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau of southeast Ohio, is initiating the forest planning process pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule. This process will result in a revised and updated Natural Resource Land Management Plan for the Wayne, often referred to as the Forest Plan, which will guide all resource management activities on the Wayne for approximately the next fifteen years. The current Wayne Forest Plan was completed in 2006. The plan revision process encompasses three stages: Assessment, plan development, and implementation and monitoring. This notice announces the initiation of the assessment phase, the first stage of the plan revision process. The assessment shall rapidly identify and consider relevant and readily accessible information about ecological, social and economic conditions and trends in the planning area. Findings will be documented in an assessment report that will be available for public comment.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 76 (Thursday, April 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17359-17360]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08159]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 76 / Thursday, April 19, 2018 / 
Notices

[[Page 17359]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Wayne National Forest: Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, 
Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Noble, Perry, Scioto, Vinton and Washington 
Counties; Ohio; Assessment Report of Ecological, Social and Economic 
Conditions, Trends and Sustainability for the Wayne National Forest

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Wayne National Forest (Wayne), located in the Unglaciated 
Allegheny Plateau of southeast Ohio, is initiating the forest planning 
process pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule. This process will result in 
a revised and updated Natural Resource Land Management Plan for the 
Wayne, often referred to as the Forest Plan, which will guide all 
resource management activities on the Wayne for approximately the next 
fifteen years. The current Wayne Forest Plan was completed in 2006.
    The plan revision process encompasses three stages: Assessment, 
plan development, and implementation and monitoring. This notice 
announces the initiation of the assessment phase, the first stage of 
the plan revision process. The assessment shall rapidly identify and 
consider relevant and readily accessible information about ecological, 
social and economic conditions and trends in the planning area. 
Findings will be documented in an assessment report that will be 
available for public comment.

DATES: In the spring and summer of 2018, the public is invited to 
participate in the assessment phase of the revision process, for which 
public engagement opportunities will be posted on the Wayne Forest Plan 
Revision website located at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/wayne/landmanagement/planning.
    Information will also be sent to electronic mailing lists, social 
media, and media outlets. If members of the public are interested in 
learning more, please visit the Forest Plan Revision website and select 
the link to subscribe to updates on the Wayne Forest Plan Revision. 
Information can also be obtained by sending an email to 
[email protected].
    The draft assessment report for the Wayne National Forest is 
expected to be completed by August 2018 and will be posted on the Wayne 
Forest Plan Revision website listed above for review. The final 
assessment report is expected to be completed by October 2018. The 
assessment will inform the need for changes required in the existing 
forest plan. Wayne National Forest will then initiate procedures 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and prepare 
and evaluate a revised Forest Plan.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Wayne National Forest, Attn: Plan 
Revision, 13700 US HWY 33, Nelsonville, OH 45764. Written comments may 
also be sent via email to W[email protected], or via facsimile 
to 740-753-0118. All correspondence, including names and addresses when 
provided, will be placed in the record and will be available for public 
inspection and copying.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lori Swiderski, Revision Project 
Director, 740-753-0859, [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 National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 
1976 requires that every National Forest System (NFS) unit develop a 
Land and Resource Management Plan, often called a Forest Plan. On April 
9, 2012, the Forest Service finalized its land management planning 
rule, referred to as the 2012 Planning Rule (26 CFR 219), which 
describes requirements for the planning process and provides 
programmatic direction to National Forests and National Grasslands for 
developing and implementing their forest plans. Forest Plans describe 
the strategic direction for management of forest resources, and are 
adaptive and amendable as conditions change over time, in order to 
remain relevant for their intended application period of 10-15 years.
    Similar to the 2008 Planning Rule, the 2012 Planning Rule requires 
each national forest to outline desired conditions for each management 
area, specify objectives to achieve those conditions, and engage the 
public extensively throughout the plan revision process. However, the 
2012 Planning Rule diverges from previous iterations in several guiding 
concepts and substantive components, particularly in relying on the 
concept of ecological integrity to frame plan assessment, develop plan 
components, and fulfill monitoring requirements. Based on current 
estimates, it is expected to take two years to produce a revised Forest 
Plan.
    Pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule, the revision process 
encompasses three stages: Assessment, plan revision and monitoring.
    Assessment--This notice announces the start of the first stage of 
the process, during which updated information from the public, other 
federal agencies, and non-governmental parties, as well as still-
applicable data from the previous revision effort will be compiled in a 
succinct assessment report. Information relevant to the assessment 
report may include the current, changed, and changing status of 
ecological, social and economic conditions within the planning area and 
their interconnected relationships within the context of the broader 
landscape. The development of the assessment includes opportunities for 
the public to contribute information and engage in the planning process 
to build a common understanding prior to entering formal plan revision. 
Information gathered will be documented in an assessment report that 
forms the basis for the need for change document, which identifies 
changes to be included in the new plan to provide management direction 
adaptable enough to address changing environmental, social and economic 
conditions.
    For the first phase, the Wayne has posted helpful resources, 
including the current Forest Plan, the 15 required assessment topics, 
and the Citizen's Guide to National Forest Planning, on the Wayne 
Forest Plan website listed in the DATES section.

[[Page 17360]]

    During this assessment phase, the Wayne invites other government 
agencies, non-governmental parties, and the public to share relevant 
information that will help develop an understanding of conditions and 
trends of the assessment topics that are useful to making decisions 
about the revised plan content. This will include governmental or non-
governmental assessments, plans, monitoring reports, studies, and other 
sources of relevant information about existing and changed conditions, 
trends, and perceptions of social, economic and ecological systems in 
the planning area. The Wayne will host a variety of public outreach 
forums in the spring and summer of 2018 to facilitate this effort, and 
the public is encouraged to participate and provide meaningful 
contributions. The Wayne is seeking local knowledge of social values, 
available data resources, areas of use, and activities, goods and 
services produced by lands within the Wayne that will help identify 
gaps in the current management plan, inform the need for change, and 
highlight priority issues that should be addressed in this revision. 
This will then lead to the next step of the revision process and inform 
desired conditions, standards and guidelines, land suitability 
determinations, and other components that will become part of the 
revised plan. Public participation is an essential step toward 
understanding current conditions, available data, and feedback needed 
to support an overall strategic, efficient and effective revision 
process.
    Several guiding principles, developed to overcome stakeholder-
identified challenges, will drive public engagement throughout the plan 
revision process. These guiding principles include providing direct and 
transparent communication through a variety of methods, maintaining 
focused public involvement, building relationships, and promoting 
sharing, learning and understanding between the agency, partners and 
the public. These guiding principles will help the Wayne ensure that 
public engagement in the current assessment phase and throughout the 
plan revision process will be functional, accessible, and 
representative.
    Plan Revision--Using the need for change as a foundation, the 
Wayne, in coordination with partners and the public, will then begin 
the plan revision phase of the process. During this phase, participants 
will develop a vision statement and goals that will lead the forest 
into the future, specifying desired conditions and objectives to help 
achieve these goals. The Wayne will engage the public to identify 
issues and develop plan alternatives. Finally, in compliance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act, a proposed action, an environmental 
impact statement (EIS), and eventually a revised Forest Plan will be 
completed, with announced opportunities for public review and comment. 
The plan is a programmatic document that will guide and define 
development of on-the-ground projects. However, the plan itself is not 
a decision document.
    Monitoring--As part of the plan revision, the public will assist 
the Forest Service in developing a monitoring program, which will be 
carried out after the revised plan is approved and will continue 
through the life of the plan. The monitoring program should be designed 
to help evaluate progress towards meeting the desired conditions and 
objectives established by the Forest Plan, and may include monitoring 
questions that address the status of watershed conditions, visitor use 
and satisfaction, effects of management activies, and more. Monitoring 
efforts should be within the financial and technical capability of the 
agency and will help the Forest Service and the public evaluate the 
effectiveness of the Forest Plan by providing feedback and helping 
determine whether any changes in the plan are necessary.
    To identify as much relevant information as possible, the Wayne is 
encouraging contributors to share their concerns and perceptions of the 
conditions and trends in social, economic and environmental systems 
within the Wayne planning area. Meetings, review and comment periods, 
and other opportunities for public engagement throughout the plan 
revision process will be publicized, with announcements posted on the 
Wayne's planning website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/wayne/landmanagement/planning. Information will also be sent out to the 
Forest's mailing list. If anyone is interested in being included in 
these notifications, please send an email to 
[email protected].

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official for the revision of the Forest Plan for 
Wayne National Forest is Anthony V. Scardina, Forest Supervisor, Wayne 
National Forest, 13700 US HWY 33, Nelsonville, OH 45764.

    Dated: March 10, 2018.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2018-08159 Filed 4-18-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P