Department of Agriculture Forest Service

These treatments include meadow restoration and enhancement; noncommercial thinning of trees and shrubs less than 7 inches diameter at breast height (DBH), pruning and planting. 7. Recreation related activities include visual treatment of the powerline corridor, enhancement of Short Lake area and around Fox Creek Campground. 8. Thinning and fuels treatments will occur on approximately 802 acres of Riparian Reserves outside of riparian buffers to accelerate and/or improve Aquatic Conservation Strategy Objectives (ACSOs). Additional Riparian Reserve treatments could occur on up to 50 acres within buffers, including diversity thinning in plantations, wood placement in creeks and cutting and leaving conifers in areas of hardwoods to encourage hardwood growth. All treatments will be designed to accelerate and/or improve ACSOs. Nature of Decision To Be Made Given the purpose and need, the scope of the decision to be made by the responsible official will be as follows: • Do the proposed actions comply with all applicable laws governing Forest Service actions? • Do the proposed actions comply with the applicable standards and guidelines found in the Willamette Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP)? • Does the Environmental Impact Statement have sufficient site-specific environmental analysis to make an informed decision? • Do the proposed actions meet the purpose and need for action? With these assurances the responsible official must decide: • Whether or not to select the proposed action or one of any other potential alternatives that may be developed, and what, if any, additional actions should be required. Scoping Process This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of the scoping comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions. We are interested in your comments on the following questions: • Are there alternative ways to meet the purpose of the project other than the proposed action we offer, which you would like the Forest Service to consider and analyze? • Is there any information about the project area, which you believe is important in the context of the proposed activities that you would like the Forest Service to consider? • What specifically are the potential effects of this proposal that you are particularly …