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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 177 / Thursday, September 16, 2021 / Notices potentially require supplemental NEPA
analysis.
Purpose and Need for Action Tahoe National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan LRMP
1990 as amended by the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment Record of Decision SNFPA ROD 2004, collectively referred to as the Forest Plan, provides the foundation for the purpose of the Project. The Projects purpose is further supported by the North Yuba Forest Partnerships four goals for this Landscape: 1 Improve and restore forest health and resilience, which is aligned with Forest Plan direction to respond to deteriorating forest health by reducing susceptibility of forest stands to insectand droughtrelated tree mortality SNFPA ROD, pp.
6, 32, and 4448; 2 reduce the risk of high severity wildfire, which is aligned with Forest Plan direction to reduce threats to communities and wildlife habitat from large, severe wildfires SNFPA ROD, pp. 8, 34, and 4448; 3
protect local communities from the effects of high severity wildfire and climate change, which is aligned with Forest Plan direction to reduce the risk of wildfire to communities in the urban wildland interface while modifying fire behavior over the broader landscape SNFPA ROD, pp. 3, 34, and 4546; and 4 protect and secure water supplies through restoring watershed process and function, which is aligned with Forest Plan direction for addressing forest health; reducing risk of large, severe wildfires; and maintaining, restoring, and enhancing aquatic, riparian, and meadow ecosystems SNFPA ROD, pp.
3234, 4243, and 6266.
Needs for this proposal are driven by existing problematic conditions in the North Yuba Landscape in the areas of forest resilience, fire dynamics, fireadapted communities, water security, and biodiversity conservation. Actions are needed to: 1 Restore forest structure and species composition to develop heterogeneous forest stands and a forested landscape resilient to severe impacts from wildfire, insect and disease infestation, drought, and anticipated future conditions resulting from climate change; 2 reduce hazardous forest fuels to reduce wildfire spread and intensity and facilitate reintroduction of more frequent, lowto moderate-severity fires; 3 reduce hazardous forest fuels and stand densities in strategic locations to help protect communities and critical infrastructure in the event of a wildfire and to facilitate wildfire management operations; 4 reduce sedimentation from existing roads, trails, ditches, and
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other diversions and restore the natural hydrologic function of soils, meadows, and fens; and 5 maintain, enhance, and restore important terrestrial, riparian, and aquatic habitats.
Proposed Action The Tahoe National Forest is proposing multiple actions to meet the Projects purpose and need, including prescribed fire; thinning; opening creation; strategic tree planting;
sanitation cutting and stand improvement; restoration of aspen stands, meadows, and fens; stream channel restoration; soil decompaction;
road repair, maintenance, and decommissioning; and removal of nonnative invasive plants. In addition, project-specific amendments to the Tahoe National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 1990 and 2004, as amended are proposed.
Actions are proposed in the following emphasis areas: 1 Forest matrix; 2
infrastructure, strategic fuel area, and designated recreation site; and 3
unique ecological communities.
Landscape-wide actions are proposed for roads, soils, and non-native invasive plant treatments.
Vegetation and fuels management treatments include prescribed fire, thinning from below, variable density thinning, creation of one to three-acre openings, strategic tree planting, and sanitation cutting and stand improvement. Prescribed fire includes underburning and piling and burning as well as activities needed to prepare areas for burning, such as mastication, chipping and hand cutting and/or pruning shrubs and small trees, lopping and scattering cut material, and/or machine or hand cutting and piling of material and fire-control line construction.
Different types and combinations of activities are proposed in key areas designated in the Forest Plan: 1
Inventoried roadless areas IRAs, 2
California spotted owl and northern goshawk protected activity centers PACs, 3 California spotted owl home range core areas HRCAs, and 4 other forested areas, which include wildland urban intermix WUI threat zones, old forest emphasis areas, and general forest areas. The proposed action recognizes the importance of re-introducing fire in the Landscape. In all designated areas, forest stands needing treatment would first be evaluated to determine whether prescribed fire could be applied as a stand-alone treatment. In such cases, prescribed fire would need to be effective in meeting treatment objectives for the stands without resulting in
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excessive rates of fire spread and firecaused mortality of large trees.
Encroaching trees would be removed as needed in approximately 1,716 acres of meadows and fens. Roads and/or trails impacting the meadow or fen would be realigned or reconstructed to reduce or eliminate their impact to the meadow or fen. Ditches would be plugged, and other diversions disconnected from the meadow or fen to restore natural hydrology. Incised stream channels in meadows or fens would be restored.
Proposed road management actions include maintenance, improvement, realignment, and decommissioning. All temporary roads used for project implementation would be decommissioned upon completion of project activities. No new permanent roads are proposed for construction.
Manual, cultural, and chemical methods would be used for invasive plant removal.
Forest Plan Amendment The proposed action includes several project-specific amendments to the Tahoe National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan LRMP
1990 as amended by the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment Record of Decision SNFPA ROD 2004. Proposed changes include modifying, removing, and adding specific forest plan components to: 1 Protect California spotted owl protected activity centers PACs by enhancing their resilience to severe disturbances, thereby providing for their long-term sustainability on the Landscape; 2 address needs for enhancing habitat resiliency in California spotted owl home range core areas HRCAs; 3 balance needs for protecting PACs with protecting public and firefighter safety and reducing fire hazards near communities, critical access roads, and infrastructure for emergency services, communications, and power delivery; 4 enhance forest resilience by retaining large conifer trees greater than or equal to 30 inches diameter at breast height DBH while allowing some large trees to be removed under specific circumstances to enhance stand heterogeneity and meet project objectives for tree species composition and stand density; 5 effectively manage forest stand density for improved resilience in light of anticipated climate change. The proposed forest plan amendments would apply only to the North Yuba Landscape Project.
The proposed forest plan amendments pertaining to the California spotted owl are based on the Conservation Strategy for the California Spotted Owl in the
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