Public Scoping Notice for Thousand Springs Forest Health Project

The Hat Creek Ranger District is starting analysis on the Thousand Springs Forest Health Project (Thousand Springs Project, Project) located between 1 and 2 miles north of the community of Dana, California, Township 38 North, Range 4 East, Sections 17, 18, 19, 20 and Township 38 North, Range 3 East, Section 13.   The project lies within a wildland urban interface (WUI) zone that has been prioritized for treatment due to a combination of excessive fuel levels, proximity to residences, and frequency of public use.

The purpose of this project is to reduce fuel levels and increase fire resiliency on 276 acres of predominantly eastside pine habitat on the Hat Creek Ranger District. Treatments within the project area include sawlog and biomass thinning and follow-up prescribed fire. The project intends to integrate new treatments on National Forest System (NFS) lands with existing treatments on adjacent private lands.

The Proposed Action and Purpose and Need are available on the Lassen National Forest web page at: http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=59040.

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 4, 2020, 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: Andrew Hart, Acting District Ranger, 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. Electronic comments, in acceptable plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), or Word (.doc) formats, may be submitted to: [email protected] using Subject: Thousand Springs Forest Health Project.

Pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (Pub. L. No. 113-76) and the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill) (Pub. L. No. 113-79), projects that are categorically excluded are not subject to pre-decisional administrative review or administrative appeal. Further, they are not subject to legal notice and comment under the pre-decisional administrative review process (36 CFR 218.23).

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. A decision regarding this proposal is expected in late December 2020 or January 2021. Thank you for your interest and participation in the environmental analysis process.