30-Day Public Comment Period
Grants Pass, OR March 30, 2023 — The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Slater Fire Road System Risk Reduction and Safety Project (2023), and it is now available for a 30-day review and comment period.
The EA and supporting documents can be found on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest’s project website at www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=62020. Hard copies are available upon request.
The EA analyzes the environmental effects of actions proposed by the Slater Fire Road System Risk Reduction and Safety Project (2023). The project proposes to fall fire-killed and injured trees that may strike Forest System roads affected by the 2020 Slater Fire.
The objective of the project is to reduce the safety risks posed by these trees along important access routes of the 2020 fire-affected road system primarily associated with medium and high tree mortality. A portion of these roads would be used to increase crucial strategic fire attack capabilities. The risks of primary concern in this project include public and forest worker safety, firefighter access, usability of potential evacuation routes, hazardous fuel loads, functionality of roads as potential fire control lines, and road infrastructure damages and failures.
The 2020 Slater Fire burned a total of 157,429 acres of land across private and federal ownership, including 62,293 acres of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. The project’s proposed action would include treatments along about 194 miles of important access routes throughout this area. The project area is in Oregon’s Josephine County and California’s Siskiyou and Del Norte Counties.
Specific written comments should be directly related to and within the scope of the proposed action and must include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official to consider. The Forest Service will accept comments on the EA for 30-days until close of business on April 25, 2023.
Commenters referencing scientific literature should supply the referenced material and discuss its relevancy to the project as part of their comments. The Forest Service reserves the right to request copies from commenters of any literature cited but not provided with comment letters.
Only individuals and entities who submit project-specific comments during this 30-day period will be eligible to file an objection. Issues raised in objections must be based on previously written comments specific to the proposed project, unless the objection concerns new information that arose after the opportunity to comment.
How to Comment: Please sent written comments through the project website or by email, mail, or hand-delivery. Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record for this project and will be available for public review and subject to the Freedom of Information Act (40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 21).
· Project website at https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=62020. Attachments may be in the following formats: plain text (.txt), rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc, .docx), or portable document format (.pdf).
· Email with Slater Fire Road System Risk Reduction and Safety Project in the subject to [email protected]
· Mailed or hand-delivered to Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Grants Pass Interagency Office, 2164 NE Spalding Avenue, Grants Pass, OR 97526. Attn: Slater Fire Road System Risk Reduction and Safety Project (2023). Office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:45am to 4:30pm and closed on federal holidays.
For more project information please contact the Wild Rivers District Ranger at [email protected] or by phone at 541-592-4001.
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