This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

10717 

Vol. 77, No. 36 

Thursday, February 23, 2012 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Black Hills National Forest, Custer, 

South Dakota—Mountain Pine Beetle 

Response Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Corrected notice of intent to 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement. 

SUMMARY: This project proposes to treat 

areas newly infested by mountain pine 

beetles on approximately 250,000 acres 

of the Black Hills National Forest. 

Treatments would occur in both South 

Dakota and Wyoming, and on all four 

Ranger Districts. Treatments would be 

carried out within the scope of direction 

provided in the Revised Land and 

Resource Management Plan for the 

Black Hills National Forest, as amended 

(Forest Plan). The original notice of 

intent for this project was published in 

the Federal Register on Monday, August 

8, 2011 (76 FR 48120). This corrected 

notice of intent is being published now 

because the treatment area acreage has 

changed from 325,000 to 250,000, and 

because an additional alternative has 

been developed. Were it to be selected, 

a Forest Plan amendment would be 

needed to implement that alternative. 

The original NOI did not identify the 

need for a Forest Plan amendment as 

part of the Decision to be Made. 

DATES: The draft environmental impact 

statement (DEIS) is expected in March 

2012, and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected in August 

2012. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katie Van-Alstyne, project team leader, 

Black Hills National Forest, Mystic 

Ranger District, Rapid City, SD 57701, 

phone (605) 343–1567. Individuals who 

use telecommunication devices for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 

p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through 

Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purposes of the project are to 

reduce the threat to ecosystem 

components including forest resources 

on National Forest System (NFS) lands 

from the ongoing mountain pine beetle 

epidemic, and to help protect local 

communities and resources on adjacent 

lands of other ownerships from largescale wildfire by reducing hazardous 

fuel levels. 

Proposed Action 

Background The Black Hills National 

Forest (the Forest) lies in the Black Hills 

of western South Dakota and eastern 

Wyoming. Of the roughly 1.5 million 

acres in the Black Hills, about 1.2 

million acres are National Forest System 

(NFS) lands, with lands of other 

ownership comprising another 300,000 

acres. The predominant tree species on 

lands of all ownerships in the Black 

Hills is ponderosa pine (Pinus 

ponderosae). Since 1997 the Black Hills 

area has experienced a significant 

increase in pine tree mortality from an 

outbreak of mountain pine beetle 

(Dendroctonus ponderosae). In many 

parts of the Forest beetle populations 

are at or approaching epidemic levels. 

The outbreak in the Black Hills is part 

of a larger bark beetle epidemic which 

has recently affected more than 40 

million acres of forest land in the 

western United States. 

In the Black Hills mountain pine 

beetles (MPB) typically prefer stands of 

dense, mature pine trees. Tree stands in 

this condition are frequent and 

continuous throughout the area. Once 

attacked by beetles, most trees typically 

die, and eventually fall to the ground, 

adding dead and dry fuels within an 

area already rated as having high 

wildfire hazard. Since 1980, due to 

several factors including drought the 

Forest has seen a dramatic increase in 

acreage burned by wildfires. In that 

period over 250,000 acres have burned, 

consuming forest resources and posing 

threats to lands of other ownership 

intermingled with NFS lands. 

Proposal The primary management 

tools for reducing beetle-caused tree 

mortality are removing infested trees, 

and reducing the density of remaining 

trees to lessen the susceptibility to 

attack. The Forest Service is working to 

manage persistent and increasing 

populations of the mountain pine beetle 

across the Forest. As part of that larger 

effort the Forest is proposing the 

Mountain Pine Beetle Response Project 

(MPBRP—the project). The project 

would be conducted as an authorized 

hazardous fuels reduction project under 

the authority of the Healthy Forests 

Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA). The 

proposed action would treat newly 

detected infestations that may occur on 

about 250,000 acres of NFS lands to 

reduce and slow the spread of MPB. 

Specifically, newly infested trees would 

be removed, or made unsuitable for 

occupancy by beetles, before beetles can 

mature and further disperse to other 

trees. Some surrounding mature trees at 

risk of infestation may also be removed. 

A variety of treatment options would be 

available for use depending on 

conditions encountered on infested 

sites. Actual treatments used at any 

specific location would be determined 

at the time of implementation. 

Treatment options would include 

commercial tree removal using groundbased or cable logging equipment, or 

helicopter; non-commercial methods 

such as chipping trees or cutting them 

into short sections; and spraying small 

areas of trees to prevent infestation. 

Some temporary road construction is 

proposed, although generally road 

access would use existing road 

templates where available. Roads would 

be closed after use. 

Possible Alternatives 

The No Action alternative would not 

authorize any actions on the project area 

at this time. One other alternative was 

developed for detailed consideration 

based on scoping comments. 

Lead and Cooperating Agencies 

No cooperating agencies have been 

identified. 

Responsible Official 

The Responsible Official for this 

project is the Forest Supervisor, Black 

Hills National Forest, 1019 North 5th 

Avenue, Custer, South Dakota, 57730. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

After considering the proposed action 

and any alternatives, the environmental 

analysis, and public comment, the 

Forest Supervisor will decide whether 

to conduct treatments to reduce and 

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10718 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2012 / Notices 

slow the progress of the beetle 

epidemic. If an action alternative is 

selected, the Supervisor will decide 

where treatments may occur, and what 

actions are appropriate and may be 

taken. The Supervisor will also decide 

whether to amend the Forest Plan as 

part of the decision, and if so, the nature 

of that amendment. Finally, the decision 

will include the scope of monitoring 

that should occur. 

Scoping Process 

The original notice of intent initiated 

the scoping process, which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. The Forest Service 

sought to involve interested parties in 

identifying issues related to responding 

to and managing the ongoing insect 

outbreak. Public comment has helped 

the planning team identify key issues 

and opportunities to develop 

appropriate responses and alternatives, 

and monitoring strategies, and to 

evaluate the effects of the proposal. 

Three public meetings were held at 

the scoping stage of project analysis, on 

August 23, 2011, in Sundance, 

Wyoming, at the Crook County 

Courthouse; August 25 in Hill City, 

South Dakota, at the high school; and 

August 30 in Spearfish, SD, at the 

Holiday Inn. In addition, three public 

meetings will be held during the 

comment period on the DEIS. 

The Forest Service recognizes the 

broad public interest in the 

communities and counties lying in or 

adjacent to the Black Hills, as well as 

the States of South Dakota and 

Wyoming. The initial mailing list for 

this project includes counties and 

municipalities lying wholly or partially 

within the Forest boundary. 

It is important that reviewers provide 

their comments at such times and in 

such manner that they are useful to the 

agency’s preparation of the 

environmental impact statement. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered, however. 

Dated: February 15, 2012. 

Dennis Jaeger, 

Deputy Forest Supervisor, Black Hills 

National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 2012–4174 Filed 2–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Request for Proposals: 2012 

Hazardous Fuels Woody Biomass 

Utilization Grant Program 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; Correction. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, 

State and Private Forestry (S&PF), 

Technology Marketing Unit, located at 

the Forest Products Laboratory, 

published a document in the Federal 

Register of February 6, 2011, concerning 

requests for grant applications for wood 

energy projects that require engineering 

services. The document contained 

incorrect dates. 

ADDRESSES: All applications must be 

sent to the respective Forest Service 

Regional Office listed below for initial 

review. These offices will be the point 

of contact for final awards. 

Forest Service Region 1 (MT, ND, Northern ID & Northwestern SD), 

ATT: Angela Farr, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region (R1), Federal Building, 200 East Broadway, Missoula, MT 59807, 

afarr@fs.fed.us, (406) 329–3521. 

Forest Service Region 2 (CO, KS, NE, SD, & WY), ATT: Susan Ford, 

USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region (R2), 740 Simms St., 

Golden, CO 80401–4702, sbford@fs.fed.us, (303) 275–5742. 

Forest Service Region 3 (AZ & NM), ATT: Jerry Payne, USDA Forest 

Service, Southwestern Region (R3), 333 Broadway Blvd., SE., Albuquerque, NM 87102, jpayne01@fs.fed.us, (505) 842–3391. 

Forest Service Region 4 (Southern ID, NV, UT, & Western WY), ATT: 

Scott Bell, USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region (R4), Federal 

Building, 324 25th St., Ogden, UT 84401, sbell@fs.fed.us, (801) 

625–5259. 

Forest Service Region 5 (CA, HI, Guam and Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands), ATT: Larry Swan, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region (R5), 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 95492–1110, 

lswan01@fs.fed.us, (707) 562–8917. 

Forest Service Region 6 (OR & WA), ATT: Ron Saranich, USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region (R6), 333 SW 1st Ave., Portland, OR 97204, rsaranich@fs.fed.us, (503) 808–2346. 

Forest Service Region 8 (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, 

TN, TX, VA, Virgin Islands & Puerto Rico), ATT: Dan Len, USDA 

Forest Service, Southern Region (R8), 1720 Peachtree Rd NW., Atlanta, GA 30309, dlen@fs.fed.us, (404) 347–4034. 

Forest Service Region 9 (CT, DL, IL, IN, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, 

MO, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV, WI), ATT: Lew McCreery, 

Northeastern Area—S&PF, 180 Canfield St., Morgantown, WV 

26505, lmccreery@fs.fed.us, (304) 285–1538. 

Forest Service Region 10 (Alaska), ATT: Daniel Parrent, USDA Forest 

Service, Alaska Region (R10), 3301 C Street, Suite 202, Anchorage, 

AK 99503–3956, djparrent@fs.fed.us, (907) 743–9467. 

Region 10 address after February 15, 2012: Forest Service Region 10 

(Alaska), ATT: Daniel Parrent, USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region 

(R10), 161 East 1st Avenue, Door 8, Anchorage, AK 99501, 

djparrent@fs.fed.us, (907) 743–9467. 

Detailed information regarding what to 

include in the application, definitions of 

terms, eligibility, and necessary 

prerequisites for consideration are 

available at www.fpl.fs.fed.us/tmu, and 

at www.grants.gov. Paper copies of the 

information are also available by 

contacting the Forest Service, S&PF 

Technology Marketing Unit, One Gifford 

Pinchot Dr., Madison, Wisconsin 

53726–2398, 608–231–9504. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions regarding the grant 

application or administrative 

regulations, contact your appropriate 

Forest Service Regional Biomass 

Coordinator as listed in the addresses 

above or contact Susan LeVan-Green, 

Program Manager of the Technology 

Marketing Unit, Madison, WI (608) 231– 

9504, slevan@fs.fed.us. Individuals who 

use telecommunication devices for the 

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

twenty-four hours a day, every day of 

the year, including holidays. 

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