Public Comment Period

Public Comment Period

Community Protection – Central and West Slope Project

USDA Forest Service, Plumas National Forest

Plumas, Sierra, Yuba, and Butte Counties

The Forest Service is initiating the public comment period for the Community Protection – Central and West Slope Project. You can view the documents and maps on the web at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62873. The project proposes to implement fuels reduction and other vegetation treatments that mitigate the risk to communities, evacuation routes, critical infrastructure, and natural resources from wildfire on approximately 217,721 acres throughout the Plumas National Forest. In much of the project area, high densities of small and intermediate-sized trees, combined with a heavy buildup of surface litter, would facilitate rapid wildfire spread. These conditions have the potential to result in high-severity wildfire that puts local communities and infrastructure at extreme risk. Treatments will be designed to protect communities and improve the project area’s long-term resiliency to high severity wildfire, prolonged drought, climate change and insects and disease. Vegetation treatments would include mechanical treatments, manual treatments, prescribed fire, pile burning, and herbicide application.

To meet the purpose and needs of the project, a project specific Forest Plan Amendment (FPA) will be pursued. Specifically, the project will amend portions of standards outlined in the 2004 Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment ROD (hereafter 2004 SNFPA ROD). This is documented in the Environmental Assessment in Appendix C.

Due to the critical and time-sensitive nature of the proposed action, the Forest may elect to seek an Emergency Situation Determination (ESD), alternative arrangements (36 CFR 220.4(b)(2), or use other emergency authorities to expedite implementation of all or portions of the project.

How to Comment

Electronic comments are encouraged and should be submitted to: [email protected]. Electronic comments must be submitted in plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc or .docx), portable document format (.pdf) or as an email message. Please include “Community Protection – Central and West Slope” in the subject line. Hard copy comments may be mailed to: Plumas National Forest, Christopher Carlton, Forest Supervisor, Attn: Ryan Bauer, 159 Lawrence Street, Quincy, California 95971.

Individuals and organizations wishing to be eligible to object must meet the information requirements of 36 CFR 218 Subparts A and B. It is the responsibility of persons providing comments to submit them by the close of the comment period. Only those who submit timely and specific written comments regarding the proposed project during a public comment period are eligible to file an objection pursuant to 36 CFR §218.25. For objection eligibility, each individual or entity must either sign the comments or verify identity upon request.

The opportunity to comment ends 30 days following the date of publication of this legal notice in the newspaper of record. If you have questions, please contact Ryan Bauer, Project Coordinator, at (530) 283-7832 or email: [email protected].