[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 241 (Monday, December 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87393-87398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27742]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Region 5 and Region 6; California, Oregon, and Washington; Forest 
Plan Amendment for Planning and Management of Northwest Forests Within 
the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl

AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest Regions of the 
Forest Service, USDA, are proposing to amend the 1994 Northwest Forest 
Plan (NWFP). The amendment would apply to those Forest Service units, 
or parts thereof, with land management plans amended in 1994 by the 
NWFP or with land management plans developed later to include 
provisions of the NWFP. Units in the Pacific Northwest Region (Region 
6) include: Deschutes National Forest, Fremont-Winema National Forest, 
Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, 
Mt. Hood National Forest, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Olympic 
National Forest, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Siuslaw National 
Forest, Umpqua National Forest, and Willamette National Forest. Units 
in the Pacific Southwest Region (Region 5) include: Klamath National 
Forest and Butte Valley National Grassland, Lassen National Forest, 
Mendocino National Forest, Modoc National Forest, Six Rivers National 
Forest, and Shasta-Trinity National Forest. This notice initiates a 
scoping period on a preliminary proposed action and advises the public 
that the Forest Service is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) to evaluate the effects of amending the Northwest Forest Plan.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis are most valuable 
to the Forest Service if received by January 29, 2024. The draft EIS is 
expected in June 2024 and will be accompanied by a 90-day comment 
period. The final EIS is expected to be available for review in October 
2024. These dates are subject to changes in the project schedule. The 
dates and times of webinars that will be scheduled to share more 
information on the Northwest Forest Plan and potential proposed actions 
can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fsbdev2_026990.

ADDRESSES: Individuals and entities are encouraged to submit comments 
via webform at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=64745. Hardcopy letters must be submitted to the 
following address: Regional Forester, U.S. Forest Service, 1220 SW 3rd 
Avenue, Portland, OR 97204. For those submitting hand-delivered 
comments, please call 971-260-7808 to make arrangements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Dougherty, Planning Portfolio 
Supervisor, via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#285b45064e5b06465f4e58774e494b49685d5b4c49064f475e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e89b85c68e9bc6869f8e98b78e898b89a89d9b8c89c68f879e">[email protected]</span></a> or at 541-519-0154. 
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf and hard of 
hearing (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339, 24 
hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.

[[Page 87394]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Background: On April 3, 1994, the Secretaries of Agriculture and 
Interior approved what is commonly referred to as the NWFP, an 
amendment to land management plans for National Forests, and resource 
management plans for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) within the range of the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis 
caurina) (NSO) in Oregon, Washington, and Northern California (NWFP 
area). The NWFP provided management direction that was intended to 
conserve late successional and old growth forest ecosystems and 
associated species, including the NSO, marbled murrelet, and threatened 
and endangered at-risk anadromous fish, while providing a sustainable 
supply of timber and non-timber products to support and stabilize local 
and regional economies. The NWFP includes objectives to protect late 
successional and old growth forest habitats; an Aquatic Conservation 
Strategy to protect and restore aquatic habitat and watersheds; land 
allocations with associated management standards and guidelines; and 
``Survey and Manage'' standards and guidelines intended to provide a 
reasonable assurance of the persistence of rare and little-known 
species thought to be associated with mature and old growth forests.
    For nearly 30 years, Federal agencies have worked together and with 
partners to implement the NWFP to protect the long-term health of 
Federal forests in Oregon, Washington, and California in the range of 
the NSO. In many cases, the land management plans within the NWFP area 
are delivering effective, landscape-scale management, achieving 
positive community benefits and moving toward long-term desired 
ecological conditions by maintaining vegetation conditions that support 
NSO and marbled murrelets, protecting mature and old-growth forests, 
and retaining and improving habitat for aquatic and riparian-associated 
organisms.
    While important progress has been made, changed ecological and 
social conditions are challenging the effectiveness of the NWFP. In 
recent years, large, uncharacteristic wildfires have resulted in losses 
of mature and old growth forests eliminating gains achieved in the 
first 25 years of implementation of the NWFP, and research indicates 
that large wildfires, with impacts to mature and old growth forests and 
associated NSO habitat, will increase in frequency and extent in both 
the wetter (e.g., western Cascades) and drier (e.g., eastern Cascades, 
Klamath province) portions of forests within the NWFP area. Further, 
there is broad recognition, documented in numerous monitoring and 
research reports (see Changed Conditions below), that tribal 
involvement in the development of the 1994 NWFP was overlooked and that 
engaging tribes in addressing the challenges faced in the NWFP area is 
critical to success.
    There is also substantial new information relevant to the NWFP 
including the 2011 recovery plan for the NSO, the 2012 critical habitat 
designation for the NSO and the 2021 revision of that critical habitat 
designation, the 2021 Executive Order 14008, ``Tackling the Climate 
Crisis at Home and Abroad,'' and the 2022 Executive Order 14072 
``Strengthening the Nation's Forests, Communities, and Local 
Economies.''
    The NWFP affected Federal lands managed by the Forest Service and 
BLM. In 1995, the BLM updated resource management plans in western 
Oregon for the management of BLM-administered lands in the Coos Bay 
District, Eugene District, Salem District, and the Swiftwater Field 
Office of the Roseburg District, consistent with the NWFP, which guide 
management of approximately 2.5 million acres of BLM-administered 
lands. On August 5, 2016, the BLM revised these 1995 resource 
management plans to maintain strong protections for the NSO, listed 
fish species, and water resources while offering predictable and 
sustainable outcomes for local communities from tourism, recreation, 
and timber harvest.
    The Forest Service is proposing to amend NWFP direction, addressing 
changed conditions and new information, to improve resistance and 
resilience to fire where needed across the NWFP landscape, support 
adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in the NWFP landscape, 
address management needs of mature and old growth forests with related 
ecosystem habitat improvement, and contribute predictable supplies of 
timber and non-timber products to support economic sustainability in 
communities affected by forest management in the NWFP landscape, 
including addressing environmental justice concerns and ensuring tribal 
inclusion in developing and implementing plan direction in the NWFP. By 
strengthening habitat supported by mature and old growth ecosystems, an 
amendment is likely to enhance habitat protections for listed and 
unlisted wildlife to the wildlife-focused framework of the NWFP. The 
Forest Service is coordinating with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
as well as NOAA Fisheries regarding consultation pursuant to Section 7 
of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). An agreement will be developed to 
guide the consultation process.
    Changed Conditions: The Forest Service and its partners have 
assessed and monitored the overall outcomes resulting from implementing 
the NWFP strategy. Decades of research findings and monitoring 
results--including monitoring reports prepared by the Northwest Forest 
Plan Interagency Monitoring Program--have advanced our understanding of 
NWFP ecosystems and highlighted changed conditions. Reports that 
summarize the best available science and contribute to both our current 
understanding of ecosystem dynamics and identifying the preliminary 
needs for change include:
    <bullet> Synthesis of Science to Inform Land Management Within the 
Northwest Forest Plan Area (Spies et al. 2018.), and supplement, 
published by the Pacific Northwest Research Station.
    <bullet> Bioregional Assessment of Northwest Forests (BioA) (2020).
    <bullet> Supplemental Report to the Bioregional Assessment of 
Northwest Forests (2021).
    New Information: Actions related to NSO conservation have generated 
additional information since establishment of the NWFP in 1994. In 
2011, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) approved the ``Revised 
Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl'' (recovery plan), after the 
1990 listing of the species as threatened under the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA). The ESA requires agencies to ensure that their actions are 
not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or 
result in the adverse modification or destruction of critical habitat. 
The NSO inhabits structurally complex forests from southwest British 
Columbia through the Cascade Mountains and coastal ranges in 
Washington, Oregon, and California, and as far south as Marin County, 
California. Managing sufficient habitat for the NSO now and into the 
future is important for its recovery, though this challenge is 
exacerbated by competition from the barred owl (Strix varia) which 
poses a significant and complex threat to the NSO. An important goal of 
the NWFP is to conserve mature and old growth forests which provide 
habitat for NSO.
    After publication of the recovery plan, the USFWS designated 
critical habitat for the NSO in 2012 and revised that designation in 
2021. The designated areas are all located within the geographical area 
occupied by the NSO and contain specific characteristics, resources, 
and conditions necessary to support one or more life processes of the

[[Page 87395]]

species. The identified critical habitat contains features that are key 
to the conservation of the NSO and include lands within the NWFP 
reserves and matrix. Designation of critical habitat is a tool that 
supports the continued conservation of imperiled species by guiding 
cooperation within the Federal Government.
    More recently, in November 2023, the USFWS published a draft 
``Barred Owl Management Strategy'' and draft environmental impact 
statement that addresses the threat of the non-native and invasive 
barred owls to NSO and California spotted owls. Based on a recent 
analysis, NSO populations in study areas throughout their range 
declined by 35% to more than 80% over the past two decades. California 
spotted owls, which the USFWS proposed for ESA listing earlier this 
year, face a similar risk from barred owl competition as barred owl 
populations continue to expand southward.
    New information has also been generated by the NWFP Interagency 
Regional Monitoring Program which evaluates the effectiveness of the 
NWFP in achieving its management objectives on Federal lands in the 
planning area. Monitoring efforts, conducted at 5-year intervals, 
emphasize important regional scale questions for multiple resource 
areas including populations and habitat of NSO. Based on the most 
recent monitoring findings, barred owls are a primary factor that 
negatively affects NSO demographic traits and population trends. Other 
factors such as habitat loss resulting from wildfire, logging, and 
insects and disease have also contributed. Concern about the impacts of 
climate change is also increasing. Ecologically appropriate timber 
management, such as thinning, can contribute to development of new 
habitat.
    As part of the monitoring program, in 2021, the Forest Service 
published ``Strengthening the Federal-Tribal Relationship: A Report on 
Monitoring Consultation Under the Northwest Forest Plan.'' The report 
identifies opportunities to make Federal-Tribal relationships more 
effective and meaningful. It includes recommendations to improve 
consultation, protect Tribal rights and access, and to improve Federal-
Tribal forest management compatibility.
    Much more is known about the impact of climate change now than when 
the NWFP was approved in 1994, as described in the ``Supplemental 
Report to the Bioregional Assessment of Northwest Forests'' and in 
Executive Order 14008, ``Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and 
Abroad.'' Further, in 2012, the Forest Service updated its land 
management planning regulation (36 CFR 219, ``2012 Planning Rule,'') 
and included as a priority the need to plan for climate change and 
adaptation.
    In 2022, Executive Order 14072, ``Strengthening the Nation's 
Forests, Communities, and Local Economies'' was published. This 
executive order set in motion a multi-agency analysis of threats to 
mature, or late successional, as defined in the NWFP Record of 
Decision, and old-growth forests on Federal lands, including from 
wildfire and climate change, along with efforts to identify 
conservation strategies that will help address these threats. These 
analyses, along with advancements in best available science, including 
Indigenous Knowledge, offer ideas and strategies for better meeting the 
objectives of the NWFP.
    Purpose. The purpose of the proposed action is to amend the NWFP to 
establish new or modify existing plan components for 17 affected 
national forests to better enable the agency to meet the original 
intent of the NWFP to conserve mature and old-growth ecosystems and 
habitat for the NSO and other species, protect riparian areas and 
waters, and provide a sustainable supply of timber and non-timber 
forest products. Amending the NWFP will provide an opportunity for the 
Forest Service to incorporate findings from the Bioregional Assessment, 
the Science Synthesis and supplements, which identify changed 
conditions across the NWFP area since it was approved in 1994, and to 
incorporate new information relevant to the NWFP including monitoring 
reports.
    Need to Change. In preparing an amendment to the NWFP, the 
responsible official shall base an amendment on a preliminary 
identification of the need to change the plan (36 CFR 219.13(a)(1)). 
The preliminary need to change documents the issues identified by the 
agency through public and Tribal engagement, the Science Synthesis, 
Bioregional Assessment and new information described above, as well as 
issues identified by its partners and consideration by the NWFP Federal 
Advisory Committee (NWFP FAC).
    The preliminary need to change focuses on five interrelated topic 
areas, including:
    <bullet> Improving fire resistance and resilience across the NWFP 
planning area,
    <bullet> Strengthening the capacity of NWFP ecosystems to adapt to 
the ongoing effects of climate change,
    <bullet> Improving conservation and recruitment of mature and old-
growth forest conditions, ensuring adequate habitat for species 
dependent upon mature and old growth ecosystems and supporting regional 
biodiversity,
    <bullet> Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into planning, project 
design, and implementation to achieve forest management goals and meet 
the agency's general trust responsibilities, and
    <bullet> Providing a predictable supply of timber and non-timber 
products, and other economic opportunities to support the long-term 
sustainability of communities located proximate to National Forest 
System lands and economically connected to forest resources.
    Fire Resistance and Resilience: Recent wildfires, particularly in 
dry forests, have burned extremely large areas at high severities and 
at levels that differ from historic reference conditions in dry 
forests, where large patches of fire-killed trees were historically 
rare. Such fires have resulted in considerable harm to communities, 
including tribes, compounding existing social and economic 
sustainability challenges. The recent trend of increasing high-severity 
wildfire also threatens the ecological integrity of these forests, 
including mature and old growth forest conditions and the species, 
including the NSO, that depend on them--the precise resources that the 
NWFP was meant to maintain and restore. The Forest Service seeks 
additional plan direction that improves managers' ability to mitigate 
the risks of wildfire to communities, including tribes, and natural 
resources by supporting the functional role that fire plays in the 
ecological integrity of forests within the NWFP area, particularly in 
dry forests. In addition, while the NWFP recognizes the differences in 
management needs along the gradient of wet to dry forests, more clarity 
is needed to ensure that managers can implement the beneficial use of 
fire and other strategies appropriately across the varying ecosystems, 
including within riparian areas in the NWFP area.
    In the drier portions of the NWFP area, more than a century of fire 
exclusion and other management practices have resulted in overly dense 
and homogenous forest conditions that heightens the risk of large, 
high-severity fires. Such management practices have resulted in forest 
composition and structure that is more vulnerable to fire, because 
forests often have higher densities of smaller trees and shrubs and a 
lower proportion of fire-resilient species than were historically 
present.
    In moist forests, remaining mature and old growth ecosystems are 
being

[[Page 87396]]

lost and further fragmented by wildfire. Plan direction is sought to 
prioritize mature and old growth forest conditions including habitat 
for the NSO and other ecosystem services during wildfire suppression 
activities. New post-wildfire silvicultural direction would guide 
reforestation and restoration of burned landscapes and for other post-
disaster recovery efforts. New direction would also effectively steward 
existing plantations to contribute to a robust and resilient ecosystem 
that support the region's communities.
    Indigenous fire stewardship and cultural burning regimes can 
contribute to the ecological health of NWFP forests. The NWFP did not 
adequately address the severe ecological impacts of a century of fire 
suppression and removal of Indigenous fire practices and cultural fire 
regimes on the landscape. Equitable and meaningful Tribal co-management 
and co-stewardship related to fire is needed, including recognition of 
the importance of Indigenous fire stewardship and cultural burning 
regimes to the ecological health of NWFP ecosystems. Developing and 
maintaining mature and old growth forest conditions, heterogeneous and 
complex forest structures, biodiversity, habitat, and cultural 
ecosystem services is strengthened through inclusion of Indigenous fire 
practitioners and practice.
    Climate Change: Hot and dry conditions are projected to become 
increasingly frequent, intense, and prolonged in the NWFP area as 
temperatures warm and summer rains become less frequent. The Pacific 
Northwest is rapidly warming, and while changes in total annual 
precipitation are not projected to be substantial, changes in snowpack 
and streamflow are anticipated, contributing to the potential for 
uncharacteristic fire. As a result, climate change is significantly 
altering the ecological processes and disturbance regimes which shape 
NWFP area forests. Acute disturbance events in turn leave forests more 
susceptible to long-term shifts in tree species composition that is 
less fire resilient. There is also a recognition of the critical role 
forests within the NWFP area can play in carbon sequestration and 
storage as a mitigation to climate change.
    Climate change is also affecting other ecological and hydrologic 
processes, increasing the vulnerability of NWFP forests and overall 
ecological integrity. With climate change, the timing and significance 
of rain events is increasingly atypical with respect to impacts on 
plants, people, and infrastructure. In the wet systems, atmospheric 
rivers cause floods, affecting road systems and culverts with impacts 
to fish, aquatic biodiversity, and access for recreation. Within dry 
forest systems, climate change is increasing the likelihood of drought 
and is contributing to wildland fires occurring at uncharacteristic 
scales and severities. Furthermore, climate change is shifting the 
distribution of forest types, plant and animal communities and fire 
regimes (e.g., wet versus dry forests) throughout the NWFP area.
    Climate-related vulnerabilities include increased drought-related 
stress, increasing insect, exotic species and pathogen damage, and loss 
of appropriate historical forest type cover in some areas. Drought 
conditions and longer fire seasons are climate impacts with wide-
ranging effects, and improved fire resilience is an important 
adaptation strategy.
    Since 1994, Tribes and State and Federal agencies have produced a 
range of climate vulnerability assessments and adaptation plans 
applicable to the NWFP area. Amendment of the NWFP should reflect 
consideration of pre-existing and ongoing forest-level, Tribal and 
State climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans and 
resilience-building initiatives. Tribal communities are on the front 
lines of climate change, both in experiencing significant impacts of 
climate stressors and as leaders in climate change monitoring, 
planning, mitigation, and adaptation. The NWFP should reflect Tribal 
knowledge and a significant role for Tribes in monitoring the effects 
of climate change, conducting research on these effects and developing 
strategies to address climate change adaptations and responses across 
the NWFP area.
    Mature and Old Growth Ecosystems: Protecting and enhancing 
biodiversity of mature and old growth ecosystems is a central tenet of 
the NWFP, and the 2012 Planning Rule's focus on ecosystem integrity 
emphasizes this priority. Mature and old growth ecosystems are critical 
components of biodiversity and provide carbon storage. The NWFP 
protects mature and old growth ecosystems primarily through a system of 
reserves and leave tree requirements, though mature and old growth 
stands outside of reserves do not have the same level of protection.
    As noted, the NWFP did not adequately address important differences 
in successional and disturbance dynamics in different types of forests, 
and so did not adequately account for threats from uncharacteristic 
disturbance and climate change. New plan direction would improve 
conservation and recruitment of mature and old growth forest conditions 
and associated habitat for NSO and other vulnerable species in moist 
forest settings. At the same time, active management is necessary to 
restore and conserve mature and old growth forest conditions and 
associated biodiversity in seasonally dry, fire prone forests. More 
nuanced direction would support mature and old growth ecosystems with 
management strategies that recognize biophysical and cultural 
variability in forests and the importance of future forest adaptation 
and resiliency.
    Tribal Inclusion: The NWFP area encompasses tribal lands or 
ancestral territories associated with over 80 federally recognized 
American Indian Tribes, and additional tribes that are not currently 
recognized. The development and implementation of the NWFP in 1994 
could have involved more consultation, engagement, and partnership with 
tribes and the inclusion of ecological and traditional ecological 
knowledge. It is imperative that Tribal governments, representatives, 
and communities across the NWFP area have the opportunity to engage in 
amendment of the NWFP to ensure that Tribal sovereignty and treaty 
rights are accurately addressed and to integrate co-stewardship and co-
management frameworks for accomplishing plan objectives. In some cases, 
cultural resources and other forest products that are important to 
tribes, or are recognized as treaty rights, should be prioritized over 
non-native or commercial uses. For example, there may be First Food 
locations or resources, such as huckleberries, where Indigenous 
Knowledge and practices are primary/dominant and should be considered 
for prioritization of management separately from other public 
interests.
    An amendment to the NWFP would incorporate best available 
scientific evidence from both western and Indigenous science 
perspectives to meet the threats to, and drivers of fire resilience in 
forests and communities. Where Tribal, forest-level, or regional plans 
have not been developed, the Forest Service should collaborate with 
Tribal Natural Resources and Wildlife departments, Forests and 
communities to support efforts to design strategies for climate refugia 
and habitat connectivity for threatened and endangered and culturally 
relevant species, vulnerability assessments, and adaptation plans, and 
to build social and ecological resilience to climate change related 
stressors.
    Communities: The development and implementation of the NWFP has had 
significant socio-economic, cultural, workforce, and financial impacts 
on

[[Page 87397]]

communities and publics. The NWFP has largely not achieved its timber 
production goals, which were the NWFP's primary criteria for supporting 
economies and community wellbeing (e.g. livelihoods and subsistence 
practices). Impacts include not only timber-related employment, but 
also community and industry infrastructure, and community connection to 
management and conservation practices and activities. In addition, some 
social, economic, and ecological challenges currently facing 
communities were not anticipated by the NWFP. For example, communities 
are facing increasing risks from natural hazards (e.g., wildfire, 
flooding, debris flows) related to conditions on National Forest System 
lands. The intent of the NWFP amendment is to be forward-looking and 
promote adaptability of communities, the forest workforce, and the 
Forest Service to future changes with a focus on timber and non-timber 
products and other economic opportunities.
    Proposed Action. The following is a preliminary description of the 
agency's proposed amendment to address the interrelated concerns 
identified in the preliminary need to change. The agency will refine 
the proposed action considering comments received from the public and 
recommendations from the Northwest Forest Plan Area Federal Advisory 
Committee. To strengthen the NWFP to meet its objectives, the Forest 
Service seeks to amend the 1994 action to:
    <bullet> Improve fire resistance and resilience by clarifying 
direction for employing prescribed fire, managed fire use associated 
with natural ignitions, cultural burning, and active management. 
Direction should reflect differences in dry and moist forested 
ecosystems, non-forested ecosystems, and in riparian areas. Direction 
would ensure that forests are managed to adapt to changing fire 
regimes, restore fire in a functional role in the health and integrity 
of forest ecosystems, and contribute to traditional cultural resources. 
Improved fire resilience will meet the needs of the Endangered Species 
Act, support the Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy, and 
strengthen relationships between the agency and Tribal Nations and 
Indigenous peoples.
    <bullet> Strengthen the capacity of NWFP ecosystems to adapt to the 
ongoing effects of climate change and to mitigate impacts of climate 
change. Deliberate focus on climate impacts is needed to help managers 
address key vulnerabilities of drought-related stress, increasing 
impacts of disease, insects and exotic species, negative impacts to 
forest cover, and watershed management strategies that improve 
conservation of fish habitat and stream flows.
    <bullet> Improve sustainability of mature and old growth ecosystems 
by providing plan direction to maintain and expand mature and old 
growth forest conditions and reduce loss risk across all land use 
allocations. Amended plan content would differentiate and clarify 
varying conservation goals for moist and dry forest ecosystems. In 
addition, it would clarify management intent within land use 
allocations, including matrix and adaptive management areas.
    <bullet> Add plan direction incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into 
planning and plan implementation, including future project design, to 
identify and support tribal goals, achieve forest management goals and 
meet the agency's trust responsibilities.
    <bullet> Support the long-term sustainability of communities 
located near National Forest System lands and those that are culturally 
and economically connected to forest resources. Clarity is needed 
regarding opportunities for timber and non-timber products, including 
from restoration activities. The NWFP should sustain the values, 
benefits, and other ecosystem services that national forests provide to 
communities, including tribes, that directly depend on them. Above all, 
changes in plan direction would ensure effective wildfire risk 
reduction to reduce risks to communities, life, and property.
    Expected impacts are strong tribal inclusion, improved fire 
resilience, especially in mature and old growth forests, with 
associated improvements to habitat and biodiversity and supply of 
timber and non-timber products and economic opportunity from National 
Forest System Lands.
    Preliminary Alternatives. This notice of intent initiates the 
official scoping process, which guides the development of the 
environmental impact statement. Written comments received in response 
to this notice will be analyzed to further develop the proposed action 
and to identify potential significant issues for developing 
alternatives to the proposed action. A no-action alternative, which 
represents no change to existing management direction, will be analyzed 
in addition to the proposed action and will serve as the baseline for 
the comparison among action alternatives. Comments we receive in 
response to this notice of intent may identify additional alternatives.
    Lead and Cooperating Agencies. Public agencies and Tribes are 
invited to indicate interest in participating as a cooperating agency.
    Responsible Official. The Responsible Officials for this amendment 
are the Regional Foresters of the Pacific Northwest Region and the 
Pacific Southwest Region.
    Nature of the Decision to Be Made. The Responsible Officials will 
decide whether to approve one or more proposals to amend the NWFP to 
establish new or to modify existing plan components. Given the purpose 
and need of the amendment, the Responsible Officials will review 
alternatives and public comments, consider the environmental 
consequences, and document the finding in an environmental impact 
statement. The Responsible Officials will decide whether to select the 
proposed action, another alternative, or a combination of alternatives 
and base their decision on the preliminary need to change the plan.
    Substantive Provisions. When proposing a Forest Plan amendment, the 
2012 Planning Rule at 36 CFR 219.13(b)(2) requires the responsible 
official to provide notice of which substantive requirements of 36 CFR 
219.8-219.11 are likely to be directly related to the amendment. 
Whether a Planning Rule provision is directly related to an amendment 
is determined by any one of the following: The purpose for the 
amendment, a beneficial effect of the amendment, a substantive adverse 
effect of the amendment, or a lessening of plan protections by the 
amendment (36 CFR 219.13(b)(5). Based on those criteria, the 
substantive provisions that are likely to be directly related to the 
proposed amendments are: (1) 36 CFR 219.8(a)(1), ecosystem integrity; 
(2) 36 CFR 219.8(b), Social and economic sustainability; (3) 36 CFR 
219.9(a), ecosystem plan components; (4) 36 CRF 219.10 (a)(5), Habitat 
conditions, subject to the requirements of Sec.  219.9, for wildlife, 
fish, and plants commonly enjoyed and used by the public; for hunting, 
fishing, trapping, gathering, observing, subsistence, and other 
activities (in collaboration with federally recognized Tribes, Alaska 
Native Corporations, other Federal agencies, and State and local 
governments); (5) 36 CFR 219.10 (a)(8), System drivers, including 
dominant ecological processes, disturbance regimes, and stressors, such 
as natural succession, wildland fire, invasive species, and climate 
change; and the ability of the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems on 
the plan area to adapt to change (Sec.  219.8); (6) 36 CFR 219.10 
(b)(1)(iii), Management of areas of tribal importance; and (7) 36 CFR 
219.11(c), Timber harvest for purposes other than timber production.

[[Page 87398]]

    Scoping Comments and the Objection Process. This notice of intent 
initiates the scoping process. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be considered and will guide the development of the 
proposed amendment and draft environmental impact statement which will 
be accompanied by a 90-day comment period. In this scoping period, the 
Agency is requesting comments on potential alternatives and impacts, 
and identification of any relevant information, studies, or analyses 
concerning impacts that may affect the quality of the environment. 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. The agency is planning several 
webinars to share information about the Northwest Forest Plan and 
potential proposed actions. See DATES section above for a link to 
dates, times and links will be https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fsbdev2_026990.
    The proposed action is subject to the objection process identified 
in 36 CFR 219, subpart B (219.50-219.62). Commenting during the 
opportunity to comment provided by the Responsible Official as 
prescribed by the applicable regulations will establish eligibility to 
object once the final environmental impact statement and draft record 
of decision have been published. Only individuals or entities who 
submit substantive written comments during the designated comment 
periods will be eligible to participate in the objection process (36 
CFR 219.53(a)). Substantive written comments should be within the scope 
of the proposed action, have a direct relationship to the proposed 
action, and include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official to 
consider. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered; however, they cannot be used to establish eligibility for 
the objection process. Comments received in response to this 
solicitation, including names (and addresses, if included) of those who 
comment, will be part of the public record for this proposed action.
    This preliminary proposed action and other related documents are 
available for comment on the project website listed in the ADDRESSES 
section above, and additional information regarding this proposal can 
be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/landmanagement/planning/?cid=fsbdev2_026990.

    Dated: December 13, 2023.
Troy Heithecker,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2023-27742 Filed 12-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P


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