Notice2021-24681
Information Collection: Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 12, 2021
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentForest Service
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and organizations on the renewal with revisions of the currently approved information collection, Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean. (OMB #0596-0246).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 216 (Friday, November 12, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 216 (Friday, November 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62775-62776]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24681]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection: Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of
Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the renewal with revisions of the currently approved
information collection, Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of
Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean.
(OMB #0596-0246).
DATES: Comments concerning this notice must be received in writing on
or before January 11, 2022 to be assured of consideration. Comments
received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this information collection should be
addressed to Kathleen McGinley, Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service,
International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), 1201 Calle Ceiba,
R[iacute]o Piedras, PR 00926. Comments also may be submitted via
facsimile to 787-766-6302, or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#761d17021e1a131318581b15111f181a130f360305121758111900"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="93f8f2e7fbfff6f6fdbdfef0f4fafdfff6ead3e6e0f7f2bdf4fce5">[email protected]</span></a>.
Please put ``Comments re: Post-Hurricane Research'' in the subject
line.
Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available
to the public through relevant websites and upon request. For this
reason, please do not include in your comments information of a
confidential nature, such as sensitive personal information or
proprietary information. If you send an email comment, your email
address will be automatically captured and included as part of the
comment that is placed in the public docket and made available on the
internet. Please note that responses to this public comment request
containing any routine notice about the confidentiality of the
communication will be treated as public comments that may be made
available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion of the routine
notice.
The public may inspect the draft supporting statement and/or
comments received at International Institute of Tropical Forestry
(IITF), Jard[iacute]n Bot[aacute]nico Sur, 1201 Calle Ceiba, R[iacute]o
Piedras, PR 00926 during normal business hours. Visitors are encouraged
to call ahead to 787-764-7790 to facilitate entry to the building. The
public may request an electronic copy of the draft supporting statement
and/or any comments received be sent via return email. Requests should
be emailed to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#214a4055494d44444f0f4c4246484f4d445861545245400f464e57"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="caa1abbea2a6afafa4e4a7a9ada3a4a6afb38abfb9aeabe4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information
should be made to Kathleen McGinley, Social Scientist, USDA Forest
Service, by electronic mail to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ff4feebf7f3fafaf1b1f2fcf8f6f1f3fae6dfeaecfbfeb1f8f0e9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c2a9a3b6aaaea7a7acecafa1a5abacaea7bb82b7b1a6a3eca5adb4">[email protected]</span></a> or phone 919-
600-3108. Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800- 877-8339
twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Post-Hurricane Research and Assessment of Agriculture,
Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean.
OMB Number: 0596-0246.
Expiration Date of Approval: February 28, 2022.
Type of Request: Renewal with revisions.
Abstract: In September 2017, two major hurricanes passed through
the Caribbean, causing catastrophic damage to communities,
infrastructure, farms, and forests across Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin
Islands, and many neighboring island nations, significantly
compromising local livelihoods, food security, and economic stability
throughout the region. Through a series of focus groups and interviews
conducted in 2018 and 2019 under OMB Approval #0596-0246, we gathered
extensive information about the wide range of effects and associated
impacts of the hurricanes on agricultural and forest systems and the
varied states of hurricane readiness and resilience across farm and
forest sectors throughout the U.S. Caribbean. Building on this
information and understanding of agricultural and forest systems, USDA
Forest Service seeks a renewal with revisions to continue to collect
information about the recovery of farms, forests, and rural communities
from the effects and associated impacts of hurricanes Irma and Maria
and to collect additional information about agriculture and forest
sector hurricane vulnerabilities, mitigation, adaptation, readiness,
and resilience. Such information is critical to the design and
implementation of ongoing recovery work and to longer-term resilience
and sustainable development efforts in the U.S. Caribbean and in other
regions affected by hurricanes or other major disturbances.
The information to be collected is essential to the Department of
Agriculture mandate to support agriculture and natural resources that
are productive, sustainable, and provide benefits for the American
public under the Rural Development Policy Act of 1980, and to the
Forest Service mandate to provide expert advice and conduct research on
the management of forests outside the National Forest System through
the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978. Additionally, the
importance of gathering, analyzing, and sharing this type of
information is reflected in the National Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, as amended, and the Forest
and Rangeland Renewable Resources Research Act of 1978.
Information will be collected through mixed methods, including
interviews with and surveys of research participants selected
purposively in line with the research objectives. This collection will
be revised to further explore the topics in the original information
collection and incorporate additional lines of inquiry related to the
longer-term recovery of farms, forests, and rural communities and
associated changes in hurricane risk, vulnerabilities, and resilience
since the
[[Page 62776]]
2017 hurricanes. Revisions in this renewal request also include the
development and use of survey tools that incorporate multiple choice
and other closed ended questions that permit quantitative analysis of
the topics of inquiry, in addition to open ended questions, which
produce more detailed data for qualitative analysis. This renewed
collection and its revisions will generate scientifically based, up-to-
date information that can be used to inform ongoing recovery,
resilience, and sustainable development efforts in agriculture and
forest systems in the U.S. Caribbean by USDA, Forest Service, other
Federal agencies, local government, civil society, and the private
sector.
Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Private Sector
Businesses, Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organizations, State or
Local Government.
Estimate of Annual Burden per Response: 15 minutes for surveys, 25
minutes for interviews.
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 250.
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1 response/
respondent.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours on Respondents: 110 hours.
Comment Is Invited: Comment is invited on: (1) Whether this
collection of information is necessary for the stated purposes and the
proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether
the information will have practical or scientific utility; (2) the
accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology. USDA Forest
Service will consider the comments received and amend the information
collection as appropriate.
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 request
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.
Alexander L. Friend,
Deputy Chief, Research & Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-24681 Filed 11-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
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