Backbone Project Scoping Notice

Backbone Project

Lassen National Forest

Hat Creek Ranger District

Shasta County, California

Scoping Notice

The Hat Creek Ranger District, Lassen National Forest is initiating scoping for the Backbone Project, a long-term landscape-level project located within the Burney-Hat Creek Basins Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project area (CFLRP). The project area was considered in the CFLRP to evaluate opportunities to promote forest health and diversity and improve wildfire and wildlife habitat resilience. This project will help to restore fire-adapted forest ecosystems by creating an all-age, multistoried, more fire-resilient forest that approximates pre-settlement conditions (period prior to the suppression of fire beginning in the early twentieth century).

The project area encompasses approximately 7,600 acres west of the Thousand Lakes Wilderness and continues south to the northeast corner of Latour State Demonstration Forest. The project is located in Shasta County, California, in Townships 32-34N, Range 3E, Mount Diablo Base and Meridian.

A description of the project, including the purpose and need, the proposed action, and maps, is available on the Lassen National Forest web page at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=60622.

The Forest Service is seeking your input as it relates to the proposed action and identification of any issues about the anticipated effects from this proposed action. Please respond by December 27, 2021, so your comments may be fully considered as we move through the decision-making (“NEPA”) process with this project.

Comments, written or oral, may be submitted to: Robin Wall, District Ranger, Hat Creek Ranger District, PO Box 220, Fall River Mills, CA 96028, (530) 336-5521, FAX: (530) 336-3338, during normal business hours. Hat Creek Ranger District Office’s business hours are from 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday. Due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, please submit any oral comments by phone and written comments by U.S. mail or email. Electronic comments, in acceptable plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or Word (.doc, .docx) formats, may be submitted to: comments-pacificsouthwest-lassen-hat-creek@usda.gov using Subject: Backbone Project. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, are part of the public record for this proposed action.

The proposed project is subject to the pre-decisional review (or objection) regulations of 36 CFR §218 Subparts A and B. Only those who submit timely and specific written comments (defined by 36 CFR 218.1) during a designated public comment period established by the responsible official will have eligibility to file an objection (36 CFR §218.5). For objection eligibility, each individual or representative from each entity submitting timely and specific written comments must either sign the comment or verify identity upon request. Individuals and organizations wishing to be eligible to object must meet the information requirements in §218.25(a) (3).

A decision regarding this proposal is expected in mid-2022. Thank you for your interest and participation in the environmental analysis process. For more information on the project, please contact Frank Heide, District Silviculturist, by phone at (530) 258-7129.