Notice2023-05352
Lolo National Forest; Revision of the Land Management Plan for the Lolo National Forest
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
March 16, 2023
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentForest Service
Abstract
The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is initiating the Land Management Plan (Plan) revision process, pursuant to the 2012 Planning Rule and as directed by the National Forest Management Act, for the Lolo National Forest located in western Montana. This process will result in a revised Land Management Plan which will guide all resource management activities on the Lolo National Forest for approximately 15 years. This notice announces the initiation of the assessment phase, the beginning of plan development, and the preliminary stages of the plan revision process. The assessment will identify and consider relevant and readily accessible material about ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends in the planning area, including best available scientific information. Trends and conditions identified in the assessment will then help describe a need to change the existing plan and inform the revision of the Plan.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 51 (Thursday, March 16, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 51 (Thursday, March 16, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16235-16236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05352]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Lolo National Forest; Revision of the Land Management Plan for
the Lolo National Forest
AGENCY: Forest Service, Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Assessment and Initiate Land
Management Plan Revision for the Lolo National Forest.
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[[Page 16236]]
SUMMARY: The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is
initiating the Land Management Plan (Plan) revision process, pursuant
to the 2012 Planning Rule and as directed by the National Forest
Management Act, for the Lolo National Forest located in western
Montana. This process will result in a revised Land Management Plan
which will guide all resource management activities on the Lolo
National Forest for approximately 15 years. This notice announces the
initiation of the assessment phase, the beginning of plan development,
and the preliminary stages of the plan revision process. The assessment
will identify and consider relevant and readily accessible material
about ecological, social, and economic conditions and trends in the
planning area, including best available scientific information. Trends
and conditions identified in the assessment will then help describe a
need to change the existing plan and inform the revision of the Plan.
DATES: In the winter and spring of 2023, the public has been invited to
engage and participate in the assessment phase of the revision process.
Engagement opportunities are posted on the Lolo National Forest Plan
Revision website, located at <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lolo/planrevision">https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lolo/planrevision</a>. The Lolo National Forest will conduct consultation with
Tribes as part of the assessment phase of revision. Information will
also be shared through electronic mailing lists, social media, and
media outlets. If members of the public are interested in learning
more, please visit the website listed above and select the link to
subscribe to updates on the Lolo Plan Revision. The public can also
sign up by sending an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#8ddec0a3cbdea3c1c3cbdfe8fbe4fee4e2e3cdf8fee9eca3eae2fb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="26756b086075086a68607443504f554f4948665355424708414950">[email protected]</span></a>. The Forest
Service will produce a draft assessment for public review and comment,
expected around May 2023. The Forest Service will review and
incorporate public comments and additional information from tribal
consultation on the assessment and produce a final assessment to inform
plan revision for the Lolo National Forest. The Forest Service may then
initiate procedures pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) to prepare a revised Land Management Plan.
ADDRESSES: For questions about Land Management Plan revision or
comments on initiating the assessment phase of plan revision, please
address mail to: Lolo National Forest Supervisor's Office, Attn: Amanda
Milburn--Lolo Plan Revision, 24 Fort Missoula Rd., Missoula, MT 59804,
or via email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0556482b43562b494b43577760736c766c6a6b45707661642b626a73"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8ebf596feeb96f4f6feeacaddced1cbd1d7d6f8cdcbdcd996dfd7ce">[email protected]</span></a>. All correspondence,
including names and addresses, will be part of the public record. More
information on the planning process can also be found on the Lolo Plan
Revision website at <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lolo/planrevision">https://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/lolo/planrevision</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Milburn, Plan Revision Team
Leader, 406-438-6440.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf and hard
of hearing (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-
8339, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of
1976 requires that the Forest Service develop a Land and Resource
Management Plan, often called a Forest Plan, for every national forest.
Forest Plans provide the strategic direction for management of forest
resources and are amendable as conditions change over time. The Lolo
Forest Plan was adopted in 1986. This notice announces the start of the
first stage of the plan revision process, during which updated
information from the public, Tribes, other government agencies, and
non-governmental parties, will be compiled into an assessment.
Information relevant to these reports typically includes the status and
trends of ecological, social, and economic conditions within the
planning area and across the broader landscape. Federal Regulation 36
CFR 219.6 requires the assessment of (1) Terrestrial ecosystems,
aquatic ecosystems, and watersheds; (2) Air, soil, and water resources
and quality; (3) 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 terrestrial and aquatic ecosytems in the plan area to
adapt to change; (4) Baseline assessment of carbon stocks; (5)
Threatened, endangered, proposed, and candidate species, and potential
species of conservation concern present in the plan area; (6) Social,
cultural, and economic conditions; (7) Benefits people obtain from the
National Forest System planning area (ecosystem services); (8) Multiple
uses and their contributions to local, regional, and national
economies; (9) Recreation settings, opportunities and access, and
scenic character; (10); Renewable and nonrenewable energy and mineral
resources; (11) Infrastructure, such as recreational facilities and
transportation and utility corridors; (12) Areas of tribal importance;
(13) Cultural and historic resources and uses; (14) Land status and
ownership and access patterns; and (15) Existing designated areas
located in the plan area including wilderness and wild and scenic
rivers and potential need and opportunity for additional designated
areas.
During this assessment phase, the Forest Service invites other
government agencies, Tribes, non-governmental parties, and the public
to share information about social, economic, and environmental
conditions of the Lolo National Forest and the broader landscape.
Existing information about conditions on the Lolo National Forest,
supplemented with information gathered through public engagement and
tribal consultation, will be integrated into final resource
assessments. The Forest Service will host public outreach forums to
share progress and gather additional information.
Responsible Official: The responsible official for the revision of
the land and resource management plan for the Lolo National Forest is
Carolyn Upton, Forest Supervisor, Lolo National Forest Supervisor's
Office, 24 Fort Missoula Road, Missoula, MT 59804, phone 406-329-3750.
Dated: March 10, 2023.
Troy Heithecker,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2023-05352 Filed 3-15-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P
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