88042 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 / Notices 

activities, please contact Cherie Moore; 

telephone: (202) 941–8659; email: 

cherie.moore@usda.gov. Individuals 

who require alternative means for 

communication should contact the 

USDA TARGET Center at (202) 720– 

2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY)) or 

dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay 

service (both voice and text telephone 

users can initiate this call from any 

telephone). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title of Collection: County Committee 

Election. 

OMB Control Number: 0560–0229. 

Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 

2024. 

Type of Request: Extension. 

Abstract: This information collection 

is necessary to effectively allow farmers 

and ranchers to nominate potential 

candidates using the form FSA–669A 

for the FSA county committee election 

in accordance with the requirements as 

authorized by the Soil Conservation and 

Domestic Allotment Act, as amended. 

Specifically, FSA uses the information 

provided by the nominee annually or, if 

needed, throughout the year for special 

elections to create ballots for FSA 

county committee elections. Elections 

for FSA county committees are held 

each year; therefore, nominations for 

eligible nominees are requested each 

year. Any individual who meets the 

qualifications mentioned in form FSA– 

669A may be nominated by another 

person or by themselves. The form 

FSA–669A is used to collect the 

information for nominations; it requires 

the name and address of the nominee 

and the signatures of both the nominee 

and the person nominating the 

individual to be a nominee (only one 

signature is required for self-nominated 

individuals). The nominee must be 

eligible to vote in the designated FSA 

county committee election, eligible to 

hold the office of FSA county committee 

member, and willing to serve, if elected. 

For more information about FSA county 

committees, including elections, 

nominations, eligible voters, eligibility, 

and other related information, see the 

regulations in 7 CFR part 7. In addition, 

the form also includes a voluntary 

request for race, ethnicity, and gender 

information from the nominee. 

The number of respondents, 

responses and burden hours have not 

changed since the last OMB submission. 

For the following estimated total 

annual burden on respondents, the 

formula used to calculate the total 

burden hour is the estimated average 

time per response hours multiplied by 

the estimated total annual responses. 

Estimate of Average Time to Respond: 

Public reporting burden for collecting 

information under this notice is 

estimated to average 0.25 hours per 

response, including the time for 

reviewing instructions, searching 

existing data sources, gathering and 

maintaining the data needed, and 

completing and reviewing the collection 

of information for all respondents. 

Type of Respondents: Individuals 

(eligible voters). 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

10,500. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Reponses: 

10,500. 

Estimated Average Time per 

Response: 0.25 hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 2,625 hours. 

FSA is requesting comments on all 

aspects of this information to help us to: 

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of FSA, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of FSA’s 

estimate of burden including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; 

(4) Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

All comments received in response to 

this notice, including names and 

addresses when provided, will be a 

matter of public record. Comments will 

be summarized and included in the 

submission for Office of Management 

and Budget approval. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and USDA civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family or 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Individuals who require alternative 

means of communication for program 

information (for example, braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and text 

telephone (TTY) or dial 711 for 

Telecommunications Relay Service 

(both voice and text telephone users can 

initiate this call from any telephone). 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410 or email: OAC@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Zach Ducheneaux, 

Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2023–27969 Filed 12–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–EB–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Land Management Plan Direction for 

Old-Growth Forest Conditions Across 

the National Forest System 

AGENCY: Forest Service, Department of 

Agriculture. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture (Department) is 

proposing to amend all land 

management plans for units of the 

National Forest System (128 plans in 

total) to include consistent direction to 

conserve and steward existing and 

recruit future old-growth forest 

conditions and to monitor their 

condition across planning areas of the 

National Forest System. The intent is to 

foster the long-term resilience of oldgrowth forest conditions and their 

contributions to ecological integrity 

across the National Forest System. This 

notice initiates a scoping period on a 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 / Notices 88043 

1Executive Order 14072 also applies to the 

Bureau of Land Management but this notice of 

intent applies to National Forest System lands only. 

preliminary proposed action and 

advises the public that the Department 

is preparing an environmental impact 

statement to evaluate the effects of 

amending the 128 land management 

plans. 

DATES: Comments are most valuable to 

the Department if received by February 

2, 2024. The proposed action and draft 

environmental impact statement are 

expected in May 2024 and will be 

accompanied by a 90-day comment 

period, and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected in January 

2025. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be 

submitted using the following methods: 

Online (preferred): Individuals and 

entities are encouraged to submit 

comments via webform at https://

cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//

CommentInput?Project=65356. 

Mail: Hardcopy letters must be 

submitted to the Director, Ecosystem 

Management Coordination, 201 14th 

Street SW, Mailstop 1108, Washington, 

DC 20250–1124. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jennifer McRae, Planning Team Leader, 

at 202–791–8488. Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices for the deaf 

and hard of hearing (TDD) may call the 

Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest 

Service, an agency of the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, is 

responsible for managing the land and 

resources of the National Forest System 

to provide for multiple-use and 

sustained-yield of products and 

services. The Forest and Rangeland 

Renewable Resources Planning Act of 

1974 (88 Stat. 470 et seq.), as amended 

by the National Forest Management Act 

of 1976 (90 Stat. 2949 et seq.; 16 U.S.C. 

1601–1614), requires land management 

plans for all units of the National Forest 

System. Regulations to implement the 

National Forest Management Act are set 

forth at 36 CFR 219. 

Background 

On April 22, 2022, President Biden 

issued Executive Order 14072 

Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, 

Communities, and Local Economies. 

Section 2 of the Executive Order (E.O.) 

recognizes the distinctive role that 

Federal forest lands play in sustaining 

ecological, social, and economic 

benefits throughout the nation and calls 

particular attention to the importance of 

mature and old-growth forests on 

Federal lands for their role in 

contributing to nature-based climate 

solutions by storing large amounts of 

carbon and increasing biodiversity, 

mitigating wildfire risks, enhancing 

climate resilience, enabling subsistence 

and cultural uses, providing outdoor 

recreational opportunities, and 

promoting sustainable local economic 

development. 

Section 2(b) 1 of the E.O. required the 

Department to inventory mature and 

old-growth forest conditions on 

National Forest System lands, which the 

Forest Service completed an initial draft 

of in April 2023 (Mature and OldGrowth Forests: Definition, 

Identification, and Initial Inventory on 

Lands Managed by the Forest Service 

and Bureau of Land Management, 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/sites/default/ 

files/mature-and-old-growth-foreststech.pdf). The initial inventory was 

conducted by applying working 

definitions of old-growth and mature 

forest conditions for over 200 regional 

vegetation types to Forest Inventory and 

Analysis field plot data. Definitions and 

inventories have been established for 

forests exhibiting old-growth 

conditions, but mature forest conditions 

had not previously been ecologically 

defined in a consistent manner at a 

national scale. This initial inventory 

resulted in the Forest Service 

identifying an estimated 24.7 million 

acres of old-growth forest conditions 

and 68.1 million acres of mature forest 

conditions representing 17 and 47 

percent, respectively, of the 144.3 

million acres of forested National Forest 

System lands. 

Section 2(c)(ii) of the E.O. directed the 

Department, following completion of 

the initial inventory, to analyze threats 

to inventoried mature and old-growth 

forests on National Forest System lands, 

including threats from wildfires and 

climate change. Like the inventory, the 

initial threat analysis was national in 

scale and presents an initial compilation 

and summation of threats associated 

with wildfire, fire exclusion, insects and 

disease, extreme weather, climate and 

temperature, drought, tree cutting, 

roads, land use allocation, and wildland 

urban interface. In the analysis, the term 

‘‘threat’’ indicated a change in forest 

structure resulting in a reclassification 

of the forest condition but not 

necessarily a loss of ecological function 

and integrity. 

Initial analysis from that ongoing 

effort indicates several key findings that 

informed this proposed action. The 

initial analysis found that mortality 

from wildfires is currently the leading 

threat to mature and old-growth forest 

conditions, followed by insects and 

disease. The analysis found that tree 

cutting is now a relatively minor threat 

compared to climate amplified 

disturbances such as wildfire, insects 

and disease. However, past management 

practices, including timber harvest and 

fire suppression, contributed to current 

vulnerabilities in the distribution, 

abundance, and resilience of old-growth 

forest characteristics. 

The amount and distribution of 

mature forests across the National Forest 

System suggest that these lands have the 

inherent capability to sustain oldgrowth forest conditions into the future. 

This proposed amendment is intended 

to create a consistent approach to 

manage for old-growth forest conditions 

with sufficient distribution, abundance, 

and ecological integrity (composition, 

structure, function, connectivity) to be 

persistent over the long term, in the 

context of climate amplified stressors. 

The amendment establishes a set of 

national plan components and direction 

for geographically informed adaptive 

implementation strategies that promote 

the long-term persistence, distribution, 

and recruitment of old-growth forest 

conditions across the National Forest 

System. 

The proposed action recognizes the 

role of old-growth forest conditions in 

contributing to ecological integrity. It 

also recognizes that there are significant 

ecosystem and geographic differences 

that would require the development of 

geographically informed adaptive 

management strategies, in collaboration 

with the public and through 

consultation with Tribes and Alaska 

Native Corporations. The proposed 

amendment includes direction to 

integrate Indigenous Knowledge and 

respect for the ethic of reciprocity and 

responsibility to future generations and 

directs land managers to advance costewardship, recognizing the 

importance of general trust 

responsibilities, treaty rights, and 

cultural, religious, and other tribal 

interests and practices. The proposed 

amendment provides a framework for 

strategic conservation, and proactive 

stewardship and management, to 

mitigate risks across a range of forest 

conditions to both maintain and 

intentionally develop old-growth forest 

conditions, where feasible given climate 

impacts, and within the context of the 

multiple-use mandate that guides 

management of the National Forest 

System. 

Given the key threat that rapidly 

changing wildfire disturbances pose to 

national forest ecosystems and 

watersheds and the old-growth forests 

therein, this proposed action is intended 

to complement the Department’s 

continued focus on, funding, and 


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88044 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 / Notices 

implementation of the Forest Service’s 

Wildfire Crisis Strategy. Providing 

consistent national direction that 

recognizes the beneficial role that 

functional old-growth forest conditions 

play in enhancing forest resiliency to 

wildfire further strengthens efforts to 

abate the wildfire crisis. The proposed 

action also recognizes the importance of 

strategic conservation and proactive 

stewardship for wildfire resilience 

efforts, including science-based 

vegetation treatments and restoring 

prescribed fire in fire-adapted 

ecosystems, for the long-term retention 

and future recruitment of old-growth 

forest conditions. 

Focusing on the intentional 

management, conservation, and 

furtherance of old-growth across the 

National Forest System via a national 

amendment to land management plans 

is also warranted given the longstanding 

commitment demonstrated by the Forest 

Service to manage old-growth forest 

conditions for multiple values including 

ecosystem diversity, habitat, recreation, 

aesthetics, and water quality. For 

several decades, it has been the agency’s 

position that decisions concerning the 

management of old-growth forest 

conditions will be made in the 

development and implementation of 

land management plans, including plan 

direction that provides for a succession 

of young and mature forests into oldgrowth forests. Current data has 

identified approximately 2,700 land 

management plan components, across 

nearly all 128 individual plans, which 

provide direction on the management, 

conservation, or monitoring of oldgrowth forest conditions across the 

National Forest System. The proposed 

amendment builds on those existing 

plan components and promotes 

consistency in old-growth management, 

conservation, and recruitment efforts. 

This proposed action was informed by 

public feedback received on the Climate 

Resilience Advance Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (ANPR) the Forest Service 

initiated in April 2023 (88 FR 24497). 

The ANPR gave the public an 

opportunity to provide input on how 

the Forest Service should respond to the 

changing climate through forest 

management activities and possibly 

future policies. It included the following 

two questions: 

1. How might the Forest Service use 

the mature and old-growth forest 

inventory together with analyzing 

threats and risks to determine and 

prioritize when, where, and how 

different types of management will best 

enable retention and expansion of 

mature and old-growth forests over 

time? 

2. Given our current understanding of 

the threats to the amount and 

distribution of mature and old-growth 

forest conditions, what policy, 

management, or practices would 

enhance ecosystem resilience and 

distribution of these conditions under a 

changing climate? 

The Forest Service received 92,000 

comments in response to the ANPR, 

representing nearly 500,000 

respondents. Many responses included 

feedback on the appropriate 

conservation and management of mature 

and old-growth forest conditions, 

reflecting a diversity of perspectives. In 

developing this proposed action, the 

Department identified some potential 

areas of agreement, including: 

1. Land management plans, the forest 

planning process, and National Forest 

Management Act implementing 

regulations (36 CFR 219 ‘‘planning 

regulations’’) provide useful and 

durable mechanisms and frameworks 

for the furtherance of mature and oldgrowth conservation and management 

objectives. 

2. Old-growth forest conditions have 

distinct, unique, and special ecological, 

cultural, and social values and 

contribute to ecological integrity. There 

is value in the long-term presence and 

resilience of old-growth forest 

conditions on the National Forest 

System. 

3. Old-growth forest conditions exist 

in a dynamic landscape, and changes in 

the distribution and abundance of oldgrowth forest conditions related to 

disturbance and climate amplified 

stressors, including mortality from 

persistent drought, rapidly changing 

wildfire disturbance regimes, insects 

and disease, and encroachment 

pressures from urban development are 

likely to occur. 

4. There is concern over climate 

amplified disturbance impacts that pose 

a threat to the persistence of old-growth 

forest conditions on the National Forest 

System lands, and an understanding 

that current management practices may 

benefit from consistent direction to 

reduce vulnerabilities and increase 

resilience to stressors. 

5. There are differences in threats and 

conditions in different regions and 

ecosystems across the National Forest 

System that will require additional 

consultation with Tribes and Alaska 

Native Corporations and place-based 

collaboration to develop geographically 

informed adaptive management 

strategies. For example, in July 2023, the 

Secretary of Agriculture appointed a 

Federal Advisory Committee to guide 

related work in the Pacific Northwest to 

develop a climate informed amendment 

for the national forests of the Northwest 

Forest Plan. 

6. Management must be sciencebased, including Indigenous Knowledge 

as a source of best-available scientific 

information. 

7. Management direction should 

enable co-stewardship and recognize the 

importance of trust responsibilities, 

treaty rights, and cultural, religious, and 

other tribal interests and eco-cultural 

practices associated with old-growth 

forest conditions. 

8. Consistent and effective monitoring 

of current and future old-growth forest 

conditions over time would better 

inform adaptive management. 

9. Good examples of proactive 

stewardship and management direction 

and monitoring can be drawn from 

recent tribal co-stewardship agreements, 

Collaborative Forest Landscape 

Restoration Partnership projects, land 

management plans, and implementation 

of other programs. 

10. Nationally consistent direction for 

conserving, stewarding and recruiting 

old-growth forest conditions is 

connected to and should complement 

related Forest Service policy and 

direction, including the Wildfire Crisis 

Strategy and Climate Adaptation Plan. 

The Department believes that 

reaffirming, at a national scale, the 

commitment to maintaining and 

developing old-growth forests 

conditions across the National Forest 

System is prudent and warranted, and 

best advanced at this time via 

amendment of land management plans. 

As noted, abundances of mature forest 

condition across National Forest System 

lands suggest an inherent capability of 

these ecosystems to sustain old-growth 

forest conditions into the future. Given 

climate amplified stressors, 

management actions must be guided by 

science, including Indigenous 

Knowledge, intentionality, and 

commitment to evaluate the 

effectiveness of strategies designed to 

further desired old-growth forest 

conditions. 

Purpose of the Amendment 

The purpose of this amendment is to 

establish consistent plan direction to 

foster ecologically appropriate 

management across the National Forest 

System by maintaining and developing 

old-growth forest conditions while 

improving and expanding their 

abundance and distribution and 

protecting them from the increasing 

threats posed by climate change, 

wildfire, insects and disease, 

encroachment pressures from urban 

development, and other potential 

stressors, within the context of the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 / Notices 88045 

National Forest System’s multiple-use 

mandate. 

With consideration of the old-growth 

definition and initial inventory 

information, the initial threats analysis, 

comments the Forest Service received 

on the Climate Resilience ANPR, and an 

analysis of existing land management 

plan direction for old-growth 

management and conservation, the 

Department is proposing to amend all 

land management plans to establish 

consistent direction for old-growth 

forest conditions across the National 

Forest System. The proposed 

amendment establishes national intent 

to maintain and improve amounts and 

distributions of old-growth forest 

conditions within national forest 

ecosystems and watersheds so that oldgrowth forest conditions are resilient 

and adaptable to stressors and likely 

future environments. 

Standards are proposed to prevent 

degradation of old-growth conditions 

and to enable conservation and 

proactive stewardship within oldgrowth forest conditions to foster or 

increase resilience to disturbances and 

stressors that may have adverse impacts. 

Proactive stewardship includes 

ecologically appropriate management 

and recognition of when natural 

succession processes can support 

achievement of desired conditions. A 

guideline is proposed to encourage 

proactive stewardship to increase 

amounts and improve distributions and 

climate resilience of future old-growth 

forest conditions. 

The proposed action also includes a 

management approach to direct the 

development of a place-based strategy. 

The intent is for a unit or units to create 

a new Adaptive Strategy for Old-Growth 

Forest Conservation based on 

geographically relevant data or 

information, or adopt an already 

existing strategy that meets this intent, 

and include it as an appendix to either 

the broader scale monitoring strategy or 

in the biennial monitoring report. The 

Adaptive Strategy for Old-Growth Forest 

Conservation would not be a decision 

document representing final agency 

action—as a management approach, the 

strategy is ‘‘other plan content’’ that can 

be established or modified through an 

administrative change to enable 

adaptation, see 36 CFR 219.7(f)(2). 

This proposal is not intended to 

replace existing direction in plans but 

rather to add language that provides 

consistency across all plans. If existing 

plan direction provides more restrictive 

constraints on actions that may affect 

existing or potential old-growth forest 

conditions, those more restrictive 

constraints would govern. Additional 

purposes of this amendment are to: 

• Establish a clear role for Indigenous 

Knowledge and tribal leadership in the 

proactive stewardship and furtherance 

of old-growth forest conditions on the 

National Forest System lands. 

• Establish a National Old-Growth 

Monitoring Network to track trends and 

distribution patterns in old-growth for 

inventory, evaluation, assessment, and 

adaptive management purposes. 

• Facilitate the development of 

geographically informed adaptive 

strategies for old-growth forest 

conservation to support the effective 

implementation of this amendment and 

enable co-stewardship with Tribes and 

Alaska Native Corporations and 

collaboration with States, local 

governments, industry partners, and 

public stakeholders. 

Need for Change 

In preparing an amendment, the 

responsible official shall base an 

amendment on a preliminary 

identification of the need to change the 

plan (36 CFR 219.13(b)(1)). The need for 

change is to create a consistent set of 

national plan components and direction 

for the development of geographically 

informed adaptive implementation 

strategies for the long-term persistence, 

distribution, and recruitment of oldgrowth forest conditions across the 

National Forest System; to provide for 

consistent and effective monitoring of 

old-growth forest characteristics to 

inform adaptive management; and to 

more clearly recognize and incorporate 

Indigenous Knowledge and tribal rights 

and interests in managing for oldgrowth forest conditions. 

The proposed amendment focuses on 

interrelated topic areas, including: 

• Improving conservation of old-growth 

forest conditions 

• Improving durability, resilience, and 

resistance to fire, insects and disease 

within old-growth forest conditions 

across the National Forest System 

• Strengthening the capacity of existing 

and future old-growth forest 

conditions to adapt to the ongoing 

effects of climate change 

• Addressing concerns about future 

durability, distribution, and 

redundancy of old-growth forest 

conditions 

• Incorporating Indigenous Knowledge 

into planning, project design, and 

implementation to achieve forest 

management goals and help meet 

general trust responsibilities 

• Establishing a National Old-Growth 

Monitoring Network 

• Providing direction for geographically 

informed adaptive management 

strategies 

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. 

Consistent with 36 CFR 219.16(a)(2), 

there will be a 90-day comment period 

for additional input when the proposed 

action and draft environmental impact 

statement are released. 

Lead and Cooperating Agencies 

The Forest Service will prepare the 

environmental analysis in compliance 

with the National Environmental Policy 

Act and operate as the lead agency for 

this amendment. State agencies and 

Federally recognized Tribes and Alaska 

Native Corporations are invited to 

indicate interest in participating as a 

cooperating agency. 

Responsible Official 

The responsible official for this 

amendment is the Secretary of 

Agriculture. 

Nature of the Decision To Be Made 

The Secretary will decide whether 

and how to amend all National Forest 

System land management plans. 

Substantive Provisions 

When proposing a land management 

plan amendment, the planning 

regulations (36 CFR 219), as amended, 

require the responsible official to 

identify in this notice what part of the 

substantive requirements (219.8 through 

219.11) will govern this amendment 

process. These are the requirements 

likely to be directly related to the 

amendment based on the purpose of the 

amendment or the effects of the 

amendment (36 CFR 219.13(b)(5)). The 

Secretary’s initial determination, subject 

to change, is that the following sections 

of the specific substantive requirements 

within 219.8 through 219.11 are directly 

related to the plan direction being 

added by the amendment and therefore 

will apply within the scope and scale of 

the amendment. 


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36 CFR 219.8(a)(1)—Terrestrial and 

aquatic ecosystem integrity (including 

associated analytical considerations in 

219.8(a)(1) (i through vi). 

36 CFR 219.8(a)(1 and 2)—Watershed 

integrity, water quality, and soils. 

36 CFR 219.8(a)(3)—Riparian areas. 

36 CFR 219.8(b)—Social and 

economic sustainability, including the 

analytical requirements of 219.8(b)(1 

through 6). 

39 CFR 219.9(a)(2) Ecosystem 

diversity. 

36 CFR 219.9(b) Ecological conditions 

for species (including threatened, 

endangered, proposed or candidate 

species and potential species-ofconservation-concern). 

36 CFR 219.10(a) Ecosystem services 

and multiple use (including analytical 

requirements 1 through 10). 

36 CFR 219.10(b)(1)(i) Recreation 

settings, opportunities, access, and 

scenic character. 

36 CFR 219.10(b)(1)(ii) Cultural and 

historic resources. 

36 CFR 219.10(b)(1)(iii) Areas of tribal 

importance. 

Scoping Process—Submitting 

Comments 

This notice of intent begins the 

scoping process, 36 CFR 220.4(e). 

Comments submitted in response to this 

notice will be considered and guide the 

development of the draft environmental 

impact statement. The Department is 

requesting comments on the proposed 

action, including any modifications or 

additional language, potential 

alternatives, and identification of any 

relevant information, studies, or 

analyses concerning impacts that may 

affect the quality of the environment. 

The Department does not anticipate that 

the proposed action will require any 

permits or other authorizations. 

It is important that reviewers provide 

their comments at such times and in 

such manner that they are useful in the 

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. 

Specific 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 Secretary to 

consider. 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. 

Objection Process Information 

The proposed action is not subject to 

the 36 CFR 219 subpart B objection 

process, in accordance with 36 CFR 

219.51(b). 

Preliminary Proposed Action 

The following is a description of the 

Department’s proposed action to 

address the interrelated concerns 

identified in the Need for Change 

section above. The proposed action 

consists of plan components and other 

plan content that would be added to all 

land management plans. Existing plan 

components in all plans would remain 

in effect, and if existing plan 

components are more restrictive, the 

more restrictive direction would govern. 

The Department seeks to amend the 

following land management plans: 

Region 1—Beaverhead-Deerlodge, 

Bitterroot, Clearwater, Custer-Gallatin, 

Dakota Prairie Grassland, Flathead, 

Helena-Lewis and Clark, Idaho 

Panhandle, Kootenai, Lolo, Nez Perce; 

Region 2—Arapaho-Roosevelt-Pawnee, 

Bighorn, Black Hills, Grand MesaUncompahgre-Gunnison, Medicine 

Bow, Nebraska, Pike-San IsabelCimarron-Comanche, Rio Grande, Routt, 

San Juan, Shoshone, Thunder Basin, 

White River; Region 3—ApacheSitgreaves, Carson, Cibola Mountains, 

Cibola Grasslands, Coconino, Coronado, 

Gila, Kaibab, Lincoln, Prescott, Santa 

Fe, Tonto; Region 4—Ashley, Boise, 

Bridger-Teton, Caribou, Challis, Curlew 

Grasslands, Dixie, Fishlake, Humboldt, 

Manti-La Sal, Payette, Salmon, 

Sawtooth, Targhee, Toiyabe, Uinta, 

Wasatch-Cache; Region 5—Angeles, 

Cleveland, Eldorado, Inyo, Klamath, 

Lake Tahoe Basin, Lassen, Los Padres, 

Mendocino, Modoc, Plumas, San 

Bernardino, Sequoia, Shasta-Trinity, 

Sierra, Six Rivers, Stanislaus, Tahoe; 

Region 6—Colville, Crooked River 

National Grassland, Deschutes, 

Fremont, Gifford Pinchot, Malheur, Mt. 

Baker-Snoqualmie, Mt. Hood, Ochoco, 

Okanogan, Olympic, Rogue River, 

Siskiyou, Siuslaw, Umatilla, Umpqua, 

Wallowa-Whitman, Wenatchee, 

Willamette, Winema; Region 8— 

Chattahoochee-Oconee, Cherokee, 

Croatan, Daniel Boone, El Yunque, 

Francis Marion, George Washington, 

Jefferson, Kisatchie, Land Between the 

Lakes, National Forests in Alabama, 

National Forests in Florida, National 

Forests in Mississippi, NantahalaPisgah, National Forests in Texas, 

Ouachita, Ozark and St. Francis, 

Sumter, Uwharrie; Region 9— 

Allegheny, Chequamegon-Nicolet, 

Chippewa, Finger Lakes, Green 

Mountain, Hiawatha, Hoosier, HuronManistee, Mark Twain, Midewin 

Tallgrass Prairie, Monongahela, Ottawa, 

Shawnee, Superior, Wayne, White 

Mountain; Region 10—Chugach, 

Tongass. 

The following would be added to each 

land management plan: a statement of 

distinctive roles and contributions, one 

goal, one management approach, four 

desired conditions, one objective, four 

standards, one guideline, and plan 

monitoring requirements. For general 

descriptions of plan components and 

other plan content, see 36 CFR 219.7(e) 

and (f). 

Proposed Plan Components and Other 

Plan Content To Add to Each Land 

Management Plan 

Statement of Distinctive Roles and 

Contributions— 

The National Forest System plays a 

distinctive and key role in providing the 

nation with benefits related to national 

forests and grasslands within the 

broader landscape, including oldgrowth forest conditions. Old-growth 

forests are dynamic systems 

distinguished by old trees and related 

structural attributes. Old growth 

typically differs from other stages of 

stand development in a variety of 

characteristics, including the presence 

of old trees, variability in canopy 

structure, patchiness, and development 

pathways depending on disturbance 

regimes and resulting patterns. The 

structure and composition of old-growth 

forests is highly place-based and can 

range from old, multi-layered temperate 

coniferous forests with high amounts of 

dead wood in the form of standing snags 

and coarse wood to old, single-storied 

pine forests or oak woodlands with 

open canopy structure and firemaintained herb and litter dominated 

understories. 

Old-growth forest conditions support 

ecological integrity and contribute to 

distinctive ecosystem services—such as 

long-term storage of carbon, increased 

biodiversity, improved watershed 

health, and social, cultural, and 

economic values. Old-growth forests 

have place-based meanings tied to 

cultural identity and heritage; local 

economies and ways of life; traditional 

and subsistence uses; aesthetic, 

spiritual, and recreational experiences; 

and Tribal and Indigenous histories, 

cultures, and practices. For millennia, 

Tribal and Indigenous practices have 

maintained resilient forest structure and 

composition of forests that harbor high 

structural and compositional diversity, 

with particular emphasis on understory 

plants and fire-dependent wildlife 

habitat. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 / Notices 88047 

Goal— 

1. Interpretation and implementation 

is grounded in recognition and respect 

of tribal sovereignty, treaties, 

Indigenous Knowledge and the ethic of 

reciprocity and responsibility to future 

generations. Implementation should 

enable co-stewardship, including for 

cultural burning, prescribed fire, and 

other activities, and should occur in 

consultation with Tribes and Alaska 

Native Corporations to fulfill treaty 

obligations and general trust 

responsibilities. 

Management Approach— 

1. Adaptive Strategy for Old-Growth 

Forest Conservation: 

(a) Within two years, in consultation 

with Tribes and Alaska Native 

Corporations and in collaboration with 

States, local governments, industry 

partners, and public stakeholders, create 

or adopt an Adaptive Strategy for OldGrowth Forest Conservation based on 

geographically relevant data or 

information to: 

• Effectively braid place-based 

Indigenous Knowledge and Western 

science to inform and prioritize the 

conservation and recruitment of oldgrowth forest conditions through 

proactive stewardship. 

• Identify criteria used to indicate 

conditions where plan components will 

apply. 

• Prioritize areas for the retention and 

promotion of old-growth forest 

conditions, based on threats, stressors, 

and opportunities relevant to the plan 

area. 

• Establish target milestones for 

management specific to the plan area, to 

support progress toward the desired 

conditions of this amendment. 

• Develop additional proactive 

climate-informed stewardship, 

conservation, and management 

approaches as needed to effectively 

achieve the desired conditions, 

standards, and guidelines in the 

amendment. 

• Identify a program of work and 

partnerships that can support effective 

delivery of the plan monitoring 

requirements to inform adaptive 

management. 

• Provide geographically relevant 

information about threats, stressors, and 

management opportunities relevant to 

the ecosystem of the plan area to 

facilitate effective implementation. 

(b) One or more units may create a 

joint Adaptive Strategy for Old-Growth 

Forest Conservation. An already existing 

strategy or other document may also be 

used if it meets this intent. 

(c) Include the Adaptive Strategy for 

Old-Growth Forest Conservation as an 

appendix to either the broader scale 

monitoring strategy or the biennial 

monitoring report, see 36 CFR 219.12. 

Units should use this strategy to inform 

priorities. The strategy may be 

periodically updated (36 CFR 219.13(c)) 

to reflect new information and 

monitoring results. 

Desired Conditions— 

1. The amount and distribution of oldgrowth forest conditions are maintained 

and improved relative to the existing 

condition over time, recognizing that 

old-growth forest conditions are 

dynamic in nature and shift on the 

landscape over time as a result of 

succession and disturbance. 

2. Proactive stewardship, including 

for retention and recruitment, along 

with natural succession, foster an 

increasing trend in the amount, 

representativeness, redundancy, and 

connectivity of old-growth forest 

conditions such that future conditions 

are resilient and adaptable to stressors 

and likely future environments. 

3. Carbon stored in old-growth 

conditions contributes to the long-term 

carbon storage, stability, and resiliency 

of forest carbon across the National 

Forest System. 

4. The long-term abundance, 

distribution, and resiliency of oldgrowth conditions contribute to the 

overall ecological integrity of 

ecosystems and watersheds. 

Objective— 

1. Within ten years, at the unit level, 

at least one landscape prioritized within 

an Adaptive Strategy for Old-Growth 

Forest Conservation will exhibit 

measurable improvements in old growth 

desired conditions as a result of 

retention, recruitment, and proactive 

stewardship activities and natural 

succession. 

Standards for Management Actions 

Within Old-Growth Forest Conditions— 

1. Vegetation management activities 

must not degrade or impair the 

composition, structure, or ecological 

processes in a manner that prevents the 

long-term persistence of old-growth 

forest conditions within the plan area. 

2. (a) Vegetation management in oldgrowth forest conditions must be for the 

purpose of proactive stewardship, to 

promote the composition, structure, 

pattern, or ecological processes 

necessary for the old-growth forest 

conditions to be resilient and adaptable 

to stressors and likely future 

environments. Proactive stewardship 

activities shall promote one or more of 

the following: 

i. amount, density and distribution of 

old trees, downed logs, and standing 

snags; 

ii. vertical and horizontal distribution 

of old-growth structures, including 

canopy structure; 

iii. patch size characteristics, 

percentage or proportion of forest 

interior, and connectivity; 

iv. types, frequencies, severities, 

patch sizes, extent, and spatial patterns 

of disturbances; 

v. return of appropriate fire 

disturbance regimes and conditions; 

vi. successional pathways and stand 

development; 

vii. connectivity and the ability of 

native species to move through the area 

and cross into adjacent areas; 

viii. ecological conditions for at-risk 

species associated with old-growth 

forest conditions; 

ix. the presence of key understory 

species or culturally significant species 

or values; 

x. species diversity, and presence and 

abundance of rare and unique habitat 

types associated with old-growth forest 

conditions; or 

xi. other key characteristics of 

ecological integrity. 

b) Exceptions to this standard may be 

allowed if the responsible official 

determines that actions are necessary: 

i. to reduce fuel hazards on National 

Forest System land within the wildlandurban interface to protect a community 

or infrastructure from wildfire; 

ii. to protect public health and safety; 

iii. to comply with other statutes or 

regulations; 

iv. for culturally significant uses; or 

v. in cases where it is determined that 

the direction in this amendment is not 

relevant or beneficial to a particular 

forest ecosystem type. 

In granting an exception, the 

responsible official must include the 

rationale in a decision document. 

3. Vegetation management within oldgrowth forest conditions may not be for 

the primary purpose of growing, 

tending, harvesting, or regeneration of 

trees for economic reasons. Ecologically 

appropriate harvest is permitted in 

accordance with standards 1 and 2. 

4. Exceptions to standards 2 and 3 

may be granted by the Regional Forester 

in Alaska if necessary to allow for 

implementation of the Southeast Alaska 

Sustainability Strategy and the rationale 

must be included in a decision 

document. 

Guideline— 

1. This guideline is intended to 

increase amounts and improve 

distributions and climate resilience of 

future old-growth forest conditions. It 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
88048 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 20, 2023 / Notices 

applies to areas that do not currently 

meet old-growth definitional conditions 

but that have been identified in the 

Adaptive Strategy for Old-Growth Forest 

Conservation as a priority for the future 

contribution of the development of 

those conditions over time. 

For the purposes of fostering an 

increasing trend in the amount, 

representativeness, redundancy, and 

connectivity of old-growth forest 

conditions such that future conditions 

will be resilient and adaptable to 

stressors and likely future 

environments, landscape-level proactive 

stewardship activities should, within 

the scope of meeting other desired 

conditions, and characteristic of the 

ecosystem, be developed for the 

following priorities and purposes: 

(a) To provide landscape-level 

redundancy and representation of oldgrowth conditions such that loss due to 

natural disturbance events does not 

result in a loss or isolation of the oldgrowth conditions at the landscape 

scale. 

(b) To retain and promote the 

development of resilient old-growth 

conditions adjacent to existing oldgrowth forest conditions, including for 

the purposes of reducing fire hazard, 

altering potential fire spread or fire 

severity, or reducing potential insect or 

disease outbreak that may spread to 

adjacent old-growth forest. 

(c) To enhance landscape and patch 

connectivity in forest conditions 

between old-growth condition patches 

where connectivity is poor or oldgrowth patches are isolated. 

(d) To retain and promote the 

development of old-growth conditions 

where current conditions are likely to 

provide old-growth conditions in the 

shortest timeframe possible. 

(e) To retain and promote the 

development of old-growth conditions 

in watersheds, firesheds, or other 

relevant landscape units where existing 

amounts and distributions of old-growth 

conditions lack resilience and 

adaptability to stressors and likely 

future environments. 

(f) To retain and promote the 

development of old-growth conditions 

in areas of likely climate refugia that are 

projected to have the inherent capability 

to sustain old-growth conditions. 

(g) To promote climate adapted 

species assemblages in areas where 

changing climatic conditions are likely 

to alter current conditions and change 

species assemblages over time. 

Plan Monitoring— 

The Chief of the Forest Service is 

responsible for establishing a National 

Old-Growth Monitoring Network for the 

purposes of informing the continued 

implementation and evaluating the 

effectiveness of this amendment, based 

on the initial inventory and remote 

sensing data and other sources of finer 

scale information. The National OldGrowth Monitoring Network will adapt 

to emerging inventory methods, 

regularly update the national inventory 

of mature and old-growth conditions, 

develop analytical processes to interpret 

trend information, and convey findings 

to the field as they relate to 

implementation of the amendment. 

Regions and units will collaborate with 

the Chief’s Office on the development of 

approaches to identify old-growth forest 

conditions and for effectively verifying 

estimated abundances and distributions. 

For plan-level monitoring: 

1. Within two years, identify initial 

criteria indicating where these plan 

components will apply and include 

such identification in the biennial 

monitoring report or the broader scale 

monitoring strategy to be updated as 

conditions change. 

2. Within biennial monitoring 

evaluation reports, provide regular 

updates on actions taken pursuant to 

this amendment and provide updates on 

measurable changes in unit-level oldgrowth forest conditions when new 

information is available. 

3. Add the following questions and 

indicators to plan-level monitoring 

programs: 

a. Question: Are retention, 

development, and proactive 

stewardship activities implemented 

under the Adaptive Old-Growth 

Conservation and Management Strategy 

fostering an increasing trend in the 

amount, representativeness, 

redundancy, and connectivity of oldgrowth forest conditions on the unit? 

i. Indicator: Changes in trends in 

amounts and distributions of old-growth 

forest conditions on the unit. 

b. Question: Are vegetation 

management activities within oldgrowth forest promoting the desired 

composition, structure, pattern, and 

ecological conditions? 

i. Indicator: Changes in composition, 

structure, and patterns related to desired 

ecological conditions in areas affected 

by vegetation management. 

This proposed action and other 

related documents are available for 

comment on the project website at 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/

?project=65356. Additional information 

can be found on the Forest Service 

website for mature and old-growth 

forests at https://www.fs.usda.gov/ 

managing-land/old-growth-forests. 

Thomas J. Vilsack, 

Secretary of Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2023–27875 Filed 12–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Generic Clearance for 

Internet Panel Pretesting and 

Qualitative Survey Methods Testing 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, on or after the date of publication 

of this notice. We invite the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

comment on proposed, and continuing 

information collections, which helps us 

assess the impact of our information 

collection requirements and minimize 

the public’s reporting burden. Public 

comments were previously requested 

via the Federal Register on October 17, 

2023 during a 60-day comment period. 

This notice allows for an additional 30 

days for public comments. 

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Department of Commerce. 

Title: Generic Clearance for internet 

Panel Pretesting and Qualitative Survey 

Methods Testing. 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0978. 

Form Number(s): TBD. 

Type of Request: Regular submission, 

Request for an Extension, without 

Change, of a Currently Approved 

Collection. 

Number of Respondents: 67,600. 

Average Hours per Response: 0.25 

hours. 

Burden Hours: 16,900. 

Needs and Uses: The information 

collected in this program of developing 

and testing questionnaires will be used 

by staff from the Census Bureau and 

sponsoring agencies to evaluate and 

improve the quality of the data in the 

surveys and censuses that are ultimately 

conducted. Because the questionnaires 

being tested under this clearance are 

still in the process of development, the 

data that result from these collections 

are not considered official statistics of 

the Census Bureau or other Federal 

agencies. Data will be included in 


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