U.S. Forest Service 

Pacific Southwest Region

May 2016

Overview Guide to Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement and Draft Forest Plans 

Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests

• Every national forest managed by the Forest Service is required to have a land management plan, or 

forest plan, by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 and other laws. Forest plans guide how 

we manage National Forest System lands, but do not compel any action, authorize projects or 

activities, or guarantee specific results.

• We are revising the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests' plans because they are more than 20 

years old. Economic, social, and ecological conditions have changed since they were written; new 

laws, regulations and policies are in place; and new information based on monitoring and scientific 

research is now available.

• Together, the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests manage nearly 4.6 million acres of national 

forest system lands located at the southernmost extent of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of 

California and portions of western Nevada. Although we are completing one environmental impact 

statement (EIS) in this process, three unique forest plans will result from it.

• There are three main natural resource topics we are focusing on to revise these forest plans, 

including fire management, ecological integrity, and sustainable recreation and designated areas. 

The alternatives we used in our analysis - found in the draft EIS - vary in the ways they address 

these important issues. 

• The purpose of revising these forest plans is to:

o Reduce risk of large high-intensity wildfires to communities, recreation sites and 

infrastructure

o Increase our ability to manage wildfires to meet resource objectives and reduce smoke 

impacts to communities

o Restore the resilience of vegetation and aquatic and riparian ecosystems

o Restore wildlife and plant habitat and diversity

o Reduce risk of large high-intensity wildfire to wildlife and their habitats

o Provide sustainable and diverse recreation that considers demographics, reflects local 

communities desires, avoids overcrowding and use conflicts, minimizes resource damage 

and protects cultural resources
Overview Guide to Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Forest Plans

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o Update our management of wilderness, wild and scenic rivers, and the Pacific Crest 

National Scenic Trail

• The draft EIS explains why we are proposing plan revisions, presents a full spectrum of different 

management alternatives, and analyzes the environmental effects of the alternatives. Based on this 

analysis and comments that the Forest Service receives on these draft documents, we will prepare a 

final EIS and proposed forest plans.

• We considered four alternatives in the draft EIS, based around the three revision topics. The 

alternatives present a range of options for addressing the issues the public, local tribes, groups and 

other agencies raised throughout the public involvement process as well as the purpose and need for 

revising these forest plans. See the attached table for how the revision topics are addressed across 

alternatives.

• To begin your review of the draft EIS and draft forest plans, we suggest first reading the draft EIS 

Summary (a separate document on the project website: http://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters) to help 

get oriented. The draft EIS consists of three volumes of analysis, including maps. There are three 

forest plans (one for each forest). 

• The draft EIS, draft forest plans and supplemental information are available on-line at the project 

website: http://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters. Please note that some of the supplemental information 

will be posted shortly after the draft EIS and draft plans are released. The documents are arranged 

by headings and can be located on the project website as follows:

o The draft forest plans are located under the “Forest Plan” heading.

o The draft EIS is located under the “Analysis” heading.

o The public engagement schedule, including public meeting details can be found under the 

“Analysis” heading.

o Supplemental reports (formerly known as specialist reports) can be found under the 

“Supporting” heading. Topics include: Economics, Fire Ecology, Fire-climate, Old 

Forest, Vegetation Resilience, Vegetation Ecology, Terrestrial Connectivity, Complex 

Early Seral Forests, Carbon Stability, Botany, Air Quality, Insects and Pathogens, Aquatic 

and Riparian Ecosystems, and Fire Management.

o Wild and Scenic Rivers supplemental information can be found under the “Supporting” 

heading.

o Wilderness supplemental information can be found under the “Supporting” heading.

o Species of Conservation Concern supplemental information can be found under the 

“Supporting” heading.

o Monitoring Program supplemental information can be found under the “Supporting” 

heading.

• The draft EIS and draft forest plans will be open to a public comment period for 90 days. Please 

submit your comment(s) only once using one of the following methods. You may request a 

confirmation response if you submit your comment via the project web-site.

o Project web-site comment form: http://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters 

o Postal mail: Planning Team Leader, Forest Plan Revision, 1839 South Newcomb Street, 

Porterville, CA 93257 
Overview Guide to Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Forest Plans

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o E-mail: r5planrevision@fs.fed.us

• We are seeking your specific comments on how to improve the alternatives and anything you think

we missed in our analysis.

• The most helpful input provides:

o Modifications or corrections to the information in the draft EIS or draft forest plans

o Missing environmental or socioeconomic information not already listed in the draft EIS

or draft forest plans

o New information about laws, regulations, or guidance that apply to forest management

o Missing scientific research or errors in the Forest Service's analysis

• For more information on forest plan revision, the draft forest plans or the draft environmental

impact statement, please contact the Project Team Leader at 707-562-9121 or:

o Inyo NF: Leeann Murphy lbmurphy@fs.fed.us; 760-873-2404

o Sequoia NF: Brenda Ehmann behmann@fs.fed.us; 559-784-1500 ext. 1138

o Sierra NF: Judi Tapia jetapia@fs.fed.us; 559-297-0706, ext. 4938

o Project web-site: http://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters

o Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZmEPivjC1g&feature=youtu.be

# # # 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. 
Overview Guide to Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Draft Forest Plans 

Table from Summary - Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

Revision of the Inyo, Sequoia, and Sierra National Forests Land Management Plans

4

Comparing Alternatives

This table shows a comparison of how each alternative addresses the revision topics 

Revision 

Topic Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C Alternative D 

Fire 

Management

Two distance-based 

zones around the 

wildland urban 

intermix: wildlandurban intermix

defense zone; 

wildland-urban 

intermix threat zone

Four risk-based fire 

management zones: 

community wildfire 

protection zone, 

general wildfire 

protection zone, 

wildfire restoration 

zone, wildfire 

maintenance zone

One distance-based 

zone around the 

wildland urban 

intermix: wildlandurban intermix

defense zone; 1 riskbased fire 

management zone: 

wildfire maintenance 

zone; remainder in 

general wildfire zone

Same as alternative B

Ecological 

Integrity 

Prescriptive 

vegetation 

management 

emphasis on shortterm retention of 

habitat for California 

spotted owl, Pacific 

fisher and Sierra 

marten. 

Vegetation and fuels 

management 

treatments prioritized 

in the wildland-urban 

intermix and 

elsewhere in a 

roughly geometric 

pattern of strategically 

placed area 

treatments; 

Emphasis on 

restoration towards 

specific desired 

conditions based on 

natural range of 

variation and habitat, 

concentrated in focus 

landscapes; 

strategically located 

treatments to support 

larger landscapescale prescribed 

burning and greater 

opportunity to 

manage wildfires to 

meet resource 

objectives. 

Focused restoration 

of sage-grouse 

habitat. 

Adds some critical 

aquatic refuges.

Emphasis on shortterm habitat 

protection for 

California spotted 

owl, Pacific fisher, 

and Sierra marten. 

Vegetation and fuels 

management 

treatments focused 

on the wildland-urban 

intermix defense 

zone; limited 

mechanical treatment 

elsewhere; emphasis 

on managing wildfires 

to meet resource 

objectives where 

feasible. 

Increased restoration 

of sage-grouse 

habitat. Adds most 

critical aquatic 

refuges.

Same approach as 

alternative B, but 

more focus on 

increasing the area 

treated to improve the 

long-term 

sustainability and 

resilience of forests 

and watersheds.

Sustainable 

Recreation 

and 

Designated 

Areas 

No additional 

recommended 

wilderness areas

Additional 

recommended 

wilderness areas 

identified on the Inyo 

National Forest only.

Additional 

recommended 

wilderness areas 

identified on all 

forests

No additional 

recommended 

wilderness areas