Badger Forest Health Restoration Project

Badger Forest Health Restoration 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 Badger Forest Health Restoration 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, reduce wildfire risk, protect and enhance watershed values, and to restore ecological processes. The project is intended to increase landscape resilience to disturbances, including fire, insects, disease, and drought using management activities to achieve the goals outlined in the CFLRP for the Badger area.

The project area encompasses approximately 40,000 acres in the general area of Badger Mountain, the community of Old Station, Hat Creek, and Lost Creek. The project is located in Shasta County, California on the northern boundary of Lassen Volcanic National Park, extending 0.25 miles beyond State Highway 44 and east to the Hat Creek Rim in portions of Townships 31-33N, Range 4-6E, 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=59440.

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 March 12, 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: Frank Heide, District Silviculturist, Hat Creek Ranger District, PO Box 220, Fall River Mills, CA 96028, (530) 336-5521, FAX: (530) 336-3337, 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) formats, may be submitted to: comments-[email protected] using Subject: Badger Restoration 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 late 2021. 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) 336-5521.