1951.21
TITLE 1900 - PLANNING
1951.21 - Ketchikan Area Categorical Exclusions
Categorical exclusions are a type of similar actions which do not
individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human
physical or biological environment. The responsible line officer may
determine that circumstances dictate the need to prepare an environmental
document for any particular project which is normally categorically
excluded from EA or EIS requirements. The line officer responsible for
the project has sole discretion in determining whether to categorically
exclude a project. The following categorical exclusion examples may be
used as guidelines:
1. Routine Actions. These are actions done to maintain the status quo which
may or may not Change how something is done but not what is done.
Activities which do not involve a decision to impact the land or human
environment do not need an environmental assessment. Most office
activities including the following are categorically excluded:
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a)personnel actions
b)organizational structure
c)programing, budgeting, and accounting
d)equipment and materials purchasing
e)data assembly and compilation (inventories)
f)economic analysis
g)facility design and drawings preparation
h)warehousing activities
i)map work
Field activities:
a)sign posting
b)inspections or surveillance
c)travel
d)road, trail, cabin, fish passage, and other facility or
improvement maintenance. (Reconstruction or replacement may
require an EA, as does any use of herbicides)
e)stream channel cleanup of material which does not require
channel alteration
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f)fire prevention and suppression activities
g)inventories
h) monitoring
i)surveys (ie. fish stream, wildlife populations)
2. Short term limited magnitude activities. These activities are those which
experience has shown to have impacts on the physical and biological human
environment which individually or cumulatively produce little or no
environmental effects. They include:
a) all activities under the delegation of authority to District
Rangers in FSM Area supplement 2404.13 except certain timber
sales.
b)
helispot construction (not heliports)
c) temporary Forest Service camps with less than a five year life
expectancy, and are minimum investment, low impact camps such as
tent camps or occupying existing improvements.
d)
permits of a year or less for
(1) firewood gathering
(2) collecting plant materials (Scientific collecting)
(3) mountain climbing
(4) river floating
(5) non-commercial temporary camps not in Wilderness areas, and
not requiring State or Corps permits
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(6) renewal of residence permits
(7) mineral exploration and development outside Wilderness
areas which is not motorized or hydraulic
(8) renewal of permits for existing facility use and
maintenance providing that safety and health standards are
enforced.
e) revegetation
f) temporary fish enumeration facilities
g) thinning and pruning projects
h) timber sales or free use permits which meet the following:
(1)do not require road construction
(2)are for salvage of predominantly dead and down material, or
(b) do not involve permanent retention areas or identified
wildlife habitat where specific retention areas have not
been identified.
(3)have a value of less than $2000
i) Other timber sales for less than 2 MMBF, including docks, roads,
rafting, log storage, camps and cutting units which meet the
following:
1) Are in accordance with all manual direction requiring
complete drainage IDT layout and multiple resource planning.
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2) Meet Area Guide policies
3) Do not have development in established retention areas..
4) Include mitigation measures and standard operating
procedures to accomplish "Best Management Practices".
j) temporary logging camps with less than a five year life expectancy.
1951.22 - Project Planning Documentation
All projects which are categorically excluded from environmental
assessment will be documented in the files by a decision letter signed by
the responsible official. The decision letter shall be attached to and be
a part of the project planning and analysis. It will not be signed by the
responsible official until all necessary planning and analysis of all
resources affected by the proposed project have been completed and
assembled into a package normally called a "sale report, Stage II Report,
Project Report, Planning Process Records, Environmental Analysis, etc."
The required degree of planning and analysis of the project is
commensurate with the complexity of the project. Catagorical exclusions
Should normally not be publically announced or submitted to individuals
unless specifically requested.
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