USFS issues analysis on project south of Bend
The Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest released an environmental assessment Thursday of a vegetation management project on nearly 23,000 acres south of Bend, including areas of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.
The Rocket Vegetation Management Project Environmental Assessment (EA) is available for a 30 day public comment period, which began yesterday, October 23, 2013 and will end on November 22, 2013.
The project is located about a mile south of the city of Bend in an area of about 22,600 acres, including 10,300 acres within the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The project is proposing treatment, primarily thinning, on approximately 7,000 acres within the project area.
The purpose of the project is to improve the forest’s resiliency to fire, insects and disease disturbances, and to reduce the potential for a large scale loss of the forest in the area. The project also will provide wood products to the local economy.
The EA is available at the Bend-Ft. Rock Ranger District, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, OR 97701 or on the Central Oregon Forest website: http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/project_list.php?forest=110601.
Written, faxed, hand-delivered, oral or electronic comments on the project will be taken for 30 days. Written comments need to be submitted to Forest Supervisor, John Allen, c/o Beth Peer, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, Bend, Oregon, 97701. Faxes should be sent to 541-383-4700.
Hand-delivered comments can be brought to the Bend-Ft. Rock District office between the hours of 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Oral comments can be given by calling Beth Peer at 541-383-4769 or visiting in person during office hours.
