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Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Frazier Mountain Project

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Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Frazier Mountain Project Decision Notice (DN) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact for the Frazier Mountain Project USDA Forest Service Los Padres National Forest Mt. Pinos Ranger District Ventura and Kern Counties, California Introduction The Mt. Pinos Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest has completed a comprehensive analysis process and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Frazier Mountain project in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant laws and regulations. The EA discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts that would result from the alternatives. Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project record located at the Mt. Pinos Ranger District Office in Frazier Park, California. The completed EA, appendices, and color maps are posted on the Los Padres Forest website for viewing and downloading at this link: (http://fs.usda.gov/goto/lpnf/projects). The Frazier Mountain Project would reduce fire hazard risk, maintain health of mature conifer stands and existing conifer plantations, and protect existing facilities from wildfire; including high value recreation areas, campgrounds, trail heads, special-use dwellings and the Mount Pinos Ranger District building and warehouse complex. Thinning and fuels treatments would occur on approximately 2,386 acres of the 2,850-acre project area. The project is on the Mount Pinos Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest. The nearest community is Frazier Park, approximately 4-5 miles northeast. The project is located in Kern and Ventura Counties, California (San Bernardino Meridian). The legal location includes T8N, R19W, Sections 7 and 18; and T8N, R20W, Sections 4, 8, 9 through 16, 22, 23, 27, and 28. This document is the Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Frazier Mountain Project. The Decision Notice identifies the decision and the rationale for selecting or modifying an alternative from the EA. The FONSI shows that the decision does not cause significant impacts on the human environment and explains why an environmental impact statement is not necessary. Decision Notice and Reasons for the Decision Based upon my review of all alternatives, I have decided to select and implement Alternative 3 for this project. This alternative includes: Noncommercial mechanical thinning on approximately 1,281 acres (includes activity fuels treatments on same acres) to improve forest stand conditions and reduce fire hazard risk; Fuel reduction treatments on 282 acres (mastication, thin, hand pile, burn, – lower project area including Chuchupate Campground, trailheads, special use residences and FS facilities). Prescribed Fire Treatments on 822 acres (upper Frazier Mountain), also includes Frazier Mountain Fuelbreak Treatments; Constructing and decommissioning (after use) of 0.8 miles of temporary road to provide 1 Frazier Mt. Project access for noncommercial thinning operations; Construction and rehabilitation of 10 landings for use during noncommercial thinning treatments Implementing project design features and monitoring measures that minimize effects of project activities on resources in the project area; A complete description of Alternative 3 activities and associated project design features and monitoring measures is located in Chapter 2 of the Frazier Mountain EA and is also attached to this decision as Attachment A. I have selected Alternative 3 based on the following rationale: Implementing the Objectives of the Mt. Pinos Communities Wildfire Protection Plan 2006 (CWPP) developed by the Mt. Pinos Communities Fire Safe Council. The Frazier Mountain area is mentioned in the CWPP and the Frazier Mountain Project does implement treatments to meet the objectives of the CWPP. The Mt. Pinos Communities Fire Safe Council is supportive of the Frazier Mountain Project. Alternative 3 reduces fuels risk similarly to Alternative 2 and meets both project objectives and the CWPP objectives for fire hazard risk reduction on the Frazier Mountain area. Addressing the Purpose and Need for Action Alternative 3 addresses the purpose and need for action for fuels and fire hazard risk, and reduces fuels risk similarly to Alternative 2 while still meeting the project objectives. Alternative 3 would reduce flame lengths, fuel loads, and crown fire potential, and allow low to moderate surface fires to take place. Alternative 3 would reduce canopy cover and stand densities while restoring a diverse, uneven- age forest structure that is essential for understory diversity and wildlife habitat. Although Alternative 2 would be more effective in meeting the silvicultural Stand Density Index (SDI) goals for the most acres for the longest time period, it would require the harvest of larger diameter trees and would necessitate a commercial timber sale to implement. This was an issue with the public (see next section). Addressing Public Issues Issues raised for the Frazier Mountain project were identified though public scoping and subsequent field trips, meetings and conference calls. Most issues were addressed through project design features and integration of specific Best Management Practices. An issue brought up by several of the respondents was a concern over the harvest of larger diameter trees and the need for a commercial timber sale to implement Alternative 2 (Proposed Action). The respondents requested the Forest Service develop and study in detail an alternative that included a diameter limit (10 inches) for thinning activities. Alternative 3 was developed to address this issue and includes the 10-inch diameter cap for thinning and would not require a commercial timber sale to implement. Alternative 3 focuses on the removal of smaller diameter trees to accomplish project objectives. It would only allow for thinning of a very limited number of larger trees (> 10 inches diameter) for safety needs around landings or roads during thinning operations. Alternative 3 adequately meets the objectives of the project, and complies with Los Padres National Forest Plan and other applicable Federal and State laws and policies. 2 Decision Notice (DN) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) Other Alternatives Considered In addition to the selected alternative, I considered two (2) other alternatives. A detailed description of these alternatives can be found in section 2 of the EA, pp. 31-42. A comparison of the alternatives is presented in the EA in a tabular format in Table 11, pages 43-45. No Action Alternative 1 Under the No Action Alternative, current management plans would continue to guide management of the project area. No thinning or fuels reduction treatments would occur. The No Action Alternative is provided to present the current conditions and for comparison of the action alternatives. I did not select the No Action Alternative as it would not meet the project objectives. Proposed Action Alternative 2 The Proposed Action-Alternative 2, would provide fire hazard reduction, reduce risk and maintain health of mature conifer stands and existing conifer plantations, and treat vegetation around existing facilities to reduce high risk wildfire, including high value recreation areas, campgrounds, trail heads, special-use dwellings and the Mount Pinos Ranger District building and warehouse complex. Commercial and noncommercial thinning and fuels treatments would occur on approximately 2,386 acres of the 2,850-acre project area. A detailed project proposed action description is in the Alternatives section II of the EA and maps for the proposed action are in the map appendix of the EA. I did not select the Proposed Action Alternative 2 due to public concern about the thinning of large diameter trees and the subsequent need for a commercial timber sale and a commercial log haul down Frazier Mountain road to implement. A commercial timber haul would likely have limited the public’s access to the Frazier Mountain Road during the timber log haul for safety reasons. In addition, the fuels modeling results showed that much of the project fuels objectives would be met with noncommercial thinning with a diameter cap of 10 inches for thinning understory trees. For these reasons I decided to select Alternative 3 instead of the Proposed Action Alternative 2. Collaborative Public Involvement and Scoping This EA and the selected alternative are the result of long term public involvement and collaboration with the local Mt Pinos Fire Safe Council, and other interested citizens and groups. This collaborative effort was aimed at involving the interested public and local community to address local forest health and fire hazard concerns. The Frazier Mountain project was developed to respond to the objectives of the Mt. Pinos Communities Wildfire Protection Plan 2006 (CWPP), developed by the Mt. Pinos Communities Fire Safe Council for land management agencies and private landowners to reduce fire hazards. The CWPP identifies and prioritizes areas for hazardous fuel reduction treatments, and recommends the types and methods of treatment that will protect the communities within the Mt. Pinos CWPP Study Area. The Mt. Pinos CWPP study area is located in Kern, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties within the State of California. The Frazier Mountain project area is identified in the Mt. Pinos CWPP, which notes the Frazier Mountain Project would break up large areas of continuous fuels south of Frazier Park and southeast of Lake of the
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