Sierra National Forest
Credit: USDA
Submit comments today on the revised draft environmental impact statement and revised draft land management plans
September 26, 2019 - Sequoia and Sierra National Forests Supervisors announce the following:
Dear Valued Member of the Community,
The Sequoia and Sierra National Forests released their revised draft environmental impact statement and revised draft land management plans earlier this summer, making the documents available for a 90-day public comment period. The comment period started on the date of publication of the Environmental Protection Agency notice of availability in the Federal Register on June 28, 2019. The comment period closes today, Thursday, September 26 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time.
We are interested in hearing your feedback on these documents through formal written comments submitted to the Plan Revision Team. Submitting formal written comments will help us develop the final environmental impact statement and final plans that will guide management of the two national forests for the subsequent 15 years.
Earlier versions of these draft documents were released in 2016. We have since revised the draft documents to address changed conditions across the landscape, including extensive tree mortality, and other concerns brought up through public participation. The revised draft documents are available for review on the project website at: https://tinyurl.com/usfs-r5planrevision (copy/paste into your web browser).
As a reminder, there are three ways to submit formal written comments: By email to r5planrevision@fs.fed.us; by mail to Plan Revision Team Lead, 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo CA 94592; and by electronic comment form at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=3375 (copy/paste into your web browser).
We encourage you to be as specific as possible in your comments and focus on merits of the alternatives or the adequacy of the analysis. The more specific your comments are, the better we can respond to your comments and improve the final environmental impact statement. The most helpful comments provide:
- Modifications or corrections to information in the revised draft environmental impact statement or revised draft forest plans.
- Missing environmental or socioeconomic information not already listed in the revised draft environmental impact statement or revised draft forest plans.
- New information about laws, regulations, or guidance that apply to forest management.
- Missing scientific research or errors in the Forest Service's analysis.
- Points in the analysis that are confusing or hard to understand.
Feedback not related to the revised draft environmental impact statement or revised draft forest plans is not helpful at this time. Statements of personal opinion are also unhelpful in shaping final forest plans. While form letters offer insight to public sentiments, forest plan revisions are note vote-based or by majority rule, so we encourage you to submit comments that are specific to parts of the revised draft environmental impact statement or revised draft forest plans that are confusing or concerning. We encourage you to highlight specific recommendations for changes to the revised draft documents that could address your concerns.
For further information, contact the Team Lead, Fariba Hamedani, at 707-562-9121 or by email to fariba.hamedani@usda.gov. Thank you for your continued interest in public lands.
Sincerely,
Teresa Benson, Forest Supervisor, Sequoia National Forest
Dean Gould, Forest Supervisor, Sierra National Forest
Source: Sierra National Forest
