Projects are proposed actions that are analyzed through the NEPA process (EIS, EA, or CE) that involves analyzing different alternatives to the proposed action, requires public notice and comment, and results in a NEPA decision (ROD, DN, or DM) which, subject to an administrative appeals process, and is implemented on the ground. The Forest Projects below are projects that we are analyzing or have analyzed under the NEPA process. Projects that are "Developing Proposal" or "Under Analysis" may have an opportunity for public collaboration and input on the proposed actions and the analysis being conducted.
Developing Proposal
Mt. Bachelor Race Timing Building Replacement
Mt. Bachelor Ski Area proposes to replace an existing race timing building with a new facility in a more suitable location. The 16'X20' building would be constructed on the east side of the Cliffhanger Run and utilities re-routed to it.
Under Analysis
2013 Crescent Ranger District Recreation Residences
Recreation Residence improvements to properties on Odell Lake and Crescent Lake
Bear Wallow Mastication Project
Treatments would create roughly 11 miles of roadside fuel breaks. This area has been previously open to personal use woodcutting under the Bear Wallow Woodcutting area. Most of the standing snags have been felled and removed within 150 feet of either side of the road, leaving small to medium diameter slash on the ground. Project implementation would include use of a machine to masticate or chip down woody debris alongside the road. Mastication could proceed during woodcutting activities, requiring temporary closure of a portion of the Bear Wallow woodcutting area. Chips would be left onsite or removed and used for other projects on the forest if opportunities exist.
Bend Broadband Cable Installation at Skyliner Road
Bend Broadband proposes to install fiber optic cable within the same ditch that will hold the City of Bend's proposed new waterline. A 2" conduit will be placed in the ditch during construction of the waterline. The project length is about 10 miles
Bend Municipal Watershed Fuel Breaks
Thin both snags and green trees within several hundred feet of both sides of a few key roads in the area including: FS road (FSR) 4601370 and 4601. Treatments would create roughly 15 miles of strategic roadside fuel breaks and would also include reducing ladder fuels and down woody debris and brush. Roadside treatment could be accomplished with a variety of tools including forest crews used to masticate down material with a small tracked vehicle, firewood sales, and small commercial bid sales. Project implementation would include thinning of snags and some live green trees to reduce fuels along the selected roads, application of some spot rock in places to allow fire suppression vehicles access during a wildfire event and ladder fuel reduction and mastication of slash generated by tree removal.
Bend Surface Water Improvement Project
The Forest proposes to issue a special use permit to the City of Bend to authorize the City to upgrade the existing Bridge Creek intake facility and replace the aging Bridge Creek water supply pipelines.
Expiring Permit Re-issuances
This project would re-issue existing expring permits for OSU and Gas Transmission Northwest.
Fire Rehabilitation of the Finley 2 Fire and 627 Fire
Reforest two burn area with planting seedlings, cutting dead/damaged trees less than 10", address slash accumulation and prune/girdle dwarf mistletoe trees.
Junction Vegetation Management Project
Commercial thinning, small tree thinning, salvage and overstory removal treatments on about 5,000 acres to help improve forest health and resiliency, contribute forest products, and to reduce fuels.
Marsh
Ecosystem Services based-project designed to maintain and enhance a set of values unique to the planning area, including hunting and recreation opportunities, wildlife and botanical resources, water quality, and scenic views.
Newberry Geothermal Consent to Lease Project
The decision will either allow or deny BLM permission to lease National Forest System lands for geothermal exploration and potential development. Forest is analyzing 11 new parcels.
Pole Creek Fire Danger Tree Abatement
The project would provide for public and employee safety in areas of high public use or concentrated administrative use by Forest Service employees. The area is now exposed to an elevated risk from numerous fire killed trees along roads in the area.
Pole Creek Fire Timber Salvage Project
The project proposes to harvest 13MMBF of fire killed timber from the 2012 Pole Creek fire area. Timber harvest would take place
exclusively in the Matrix land allocation as defined in the Northwest Forest Plan. About 1,051 acres would be harvested.
Prescribed Fire in Wilderness: Scott Mountain and Cascade Lakes Areas, Deschutes and Willamette NF
The project would use prescribed fire in the Three Sisters Wilderness area to modify vegetation and fuels to sufficiently reduce the threats to values at risk outside of Wilderness in order to allow fire to play a more natural role within Wilderness.
For maps & more information about this project, visit our Prescribed Fire in Wilderness page.
Renewal Of Existing Special Use Permits: Road Access to a Private Residence
The project would renew expired permits on the Sisters Ranger District. There is a need to make authorizations current and ensure complaince with Forest Service regulations.
Renewal of Existing Special Use Permits: Signs
The project would reissue existing special use permits on the Sisters Ranger District. There is a need to make authorizations current and ensure compliance with Forest Service regulations.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit: Bridge Access
This action is needed to renew an expired permit. There is a need to make authorizations current and ensure complance with Forest Service regulations.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit: Dancing Tree Trust
The project would renew an expired special use permit. This action is needed to make authorizations current and ensure complaince with Forest Serice regulations.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit: Irrigation Pipelines
The project would renew an existing special use permit(s). This action is needed to make authorizations current and ensure compliance with Forest Service regualtions.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit: Oregon Department of Transportation
The project would renew an expired special use permit. This action is needed to make authorizations current and ensure compliance with Forest Service regulations.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit: Road Access to Private Property
The project would renew expired special use permit(s). This action is needed to make authorizations current and ensure complaince with Forest Service regualtions.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit: Willows Ranch Irrigation Water Ditch
The project would renew an existing special use permit. This action is needed to make authorizations current and ensure compliance with Forest Service regulations.
Renewal of an Existing Special Use Permit; Central Electric Cooperative, Inc
The project would renew an experied permit. This action is needed to make authorizations current and ensure complaince with Forest Service regulations.
Rim Butte OHV Jeep Trails
The Rim Butte OHV Jeep Trail Project would designate a motorized Class II trail system as part of the Deschutes National Forest?s strategy for implementing the Forest Service?s National 2005 Travel Management Rule. The Deschutes National Forest proposes to designate approximately 30 miles of Class II OHV trails in the Rim Butte area to provide a loop trail system with a variety of technical challenge levels. Designated routes would be located on areas of existing disturbance, such as roads or skid trails, as much as possible. New trail would be designated in some locations and require minimal construction or vegetative disturbance to define the trail tread. Obstacles would be left to create technical difficulty and minimize safety concerns associated with access by non-Class II motorized vehicles.
Rocket Vegetation Management Project
This project will involve commercial thinning from below, plantation thinning, shrub mowing, and prescribed fire over about 7,000 acres. The project area is primarily black-bark ponderosa pine; & includes a portion of Newberry Nat. Volcanic Monument
Ryan Ranch Wetland Restoration Project
Lower and de-compact appox. 0.3 miles of levee to natural elevation, and excavate 3 inlet/outlet channels to create natural bank conditions and restore hydrology to a section of the Deschutes River. Re-route river trail; provide accessible boardwalk
Shultz Well and Waterline Special Use Permit
Forest Service proposes to issue a special use permit for existing water pipelines traversing 170 feet of NFS land, use and maintenance of an existing government-owned well and pump house, and maintaining existing holder-owned facilities.
Sisters Community Trails
The project would build about 21 miles of paved non-motorized path, single track trail, equestrian trails and a trailhead facility in the vicinity of Sisters, Oregon
Special Use Permit Reissuance: North Unit Irrigation District-Wickiup Dam Facility
Forest proposes to re-issue Special Use Permit to holder North Unit Irrigation District for maintaining facilities for the operation of Wickiup Dam, including a residence, dormitory, gargage, shop, weather station, water and sanitation systems.
Special Use Permit Reissuance: ODFW Hosmer Lake Dam
Special use permit to be re-issued to Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife which authorizes the continued maintenance of a rubble-masonry dam for the purpose of raising the water level of Hosmer Lake for enhancement of fish habitat.
Special Use Permit Reissuance: ODFW Lava Lake Weir
Special Use Permit to be re-issued to Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife which authorizes the continued maintenance of a concrete weir for non-game fish control on Lava Lake.
Special Use Permit Reissuance: Sunriver Environmental LLC Wastewater Pipeline
Special use permit to be re-issued for area covering approx. 1.85 acres (about 1.5 miles long), authorizing operation and maintenance of a 10" treated effluent wastewater pipeline and four conduits for electrical and telemtry cables.
Special User Permit Reissuance: ODFW Cow Camp Cabin
Special use permit to be re-issued to Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife which authorizes the continued maintenance of a cabin at north end of Craine Prairie Reservoir (Cow Camp), includingouthouses and apprtenances for use as training and work center
Welcome Station Trail Connections
Provide additional paved non-motorized trails, designated single-track mountain bike trails, and a trailhead facility on National Forest System lands adjacent to and around the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway Welcome Station.
West Bend Vegetation Management Project
Moving the area toward a more resilient landscape, providing a diversity of habitats, and reducing hazardous fuels. Approximately 14,745 acres of commercial thinning, for a total of 22,000 acres proposed for thinning, mowing, and/or underburning. The project is also part of the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration project area. Read about this at www.deschutescollaborativeforest.org/.
Whychus Floodplain Restoration Project
The project would address the loss of floodplain and flood channel connection to the creek that resulted from berm construction following the 1964 flood.
Analysis Completed
2011 Small Diameter Tree Thinning Project
Thin small trees averaging six inches in diameter on approximately 500 acres of (generally) managed plantations located throughout the District
Bear Valley Creek Fish Passage
The project will improve fish passage by removing a culvert on Bear Valley Creek. In addition, about 1.5 miles of Forest Road 1235-500 will be decommissioned.
Bend Broadband Fiber Opitc Cable Installation
Bend Broadband is proposing to install middle mile fiber infrastructure in Central Oregon (across a variety of jurisdictional land boundaries such as city, BLM, and USFS lands) on existing transmission line structures and in existing transmission line rights of way. This fiber optic line would reduce the amount of fiber and equipment needed overall and provide high speed internet to the communities of Madras, Redmond, Prineville, Bend, Sunriver, and La Pine.
Construction includes the installation of fiber cabinets, aerial fiber installations on existing utility poles, underground fiber installation in existing ROWs and 3 new fiber poles. The Bend to La Pine and Spring Butte line would cross 18.7 miles of FS lands. Approximately 16.9 of these miles will be on overhead existing utility poles and 1.8 miles will be buried in existing utility easements.
This Decision Memo evaluates line installation only occurring on Forest Service lands.
Bend Surface Waterline Improvement (Decision Withdrawn)
The Forest Service is taking action on a Special Use Application from the City of Bend. The proposed Special Use Permit would authorize: Construction of a single, approximately 10-mile long replacement water supply pipeline that would be installed primarily within the Forest Service Road 4603, Skyliners Road, and Forest Service Road 4606-100 corridors. And replacement of the above-grade portions of the Bridge Creek intake building with a new, remotely controllable intake and installation of new fish screens that are compliant with current Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife screening regulations.
Black Butte Lookout Quarters Replacement
The existing lookout cabin will be relocated and replaced and the site restored. The existing network of social trails will be consolidated into a single trail system.
EXF Thinning, Fuels Reduction, and Research Project
Within the Pringle Falls Experimental Forest, thinning, mowing and underburning of aprox. 2,554 acres ponderosa pine to reduce fuel loading and risk of beetle attack. Study plan answers serveral research questions about disturbance in ponderosa pine.
Eyerly Fire Salvage
Recover value of trees killed and damaged during the Eyerly Fire. Project will also analyze hazard tree removal, reforestation, and road system. Emergency Situation Determination requested to allow project to be implemented after decision is signed.
Invasive Plant Treatments
Supplemental EIS for site-specific treatment of invasive plants at approx. 1,892 sites on the Ochoco and Deschutes NF and Crooked River National Grassland. Methods include herbicides, manual, mechanical and cultural.
Please note, Appeal Resolution documents on this website pertain to the 2007 Record of Decision and are not associated with the Supplemental EIS.
Kapka Butte Sno-park
The Forest is proposing to provide high elevation parking for winter recreationists. The proposed parking area would link into existing and new winter recreation trails (snowmobile, non-motorized, and dog friendly trails). The parking area would have parking spaces available for smaller vehicles and vehicle towing trailers. Approximately 70 slots would be designated for trailers and 40 slots for non-trailer vehicles.
Lake Creek Fish Passage
Replace culvert on Forest Road 12, add 2-3 fish screens on Lake Creek, north fork Lake Creek, and south fork Lake Creek
Mt. Bachelor Ski Area Improvements
Proposal includes on-mountain improvements: new chairlift and associated trails, shortening and/or replacement of existing lifts, expanding snowmaking coverage, construction of a lift-served, downhill mtn. bike park, and additions to Nordic trail.
To submit an appeal of the Record of Decision, until further notice please use the following email address, as our appeal inbox is not functioning properly (as of April 1, 2013): danderson01@fs.fed.us
Ogden Landscape Vegetation Management Project
Final EIS and Record of Decision now available. Proposal includes commercial and precommercial thinning, shrub mowing, and prescribed burning across approx. 14,600 acres of the 26,500-acre project area to reduce tree densities, encourage LOS development, break up fuel continuity; 2 plan amendments
Opine Vegetation Management
Proposes to restore the resiliency and sustainability of vegetation communities from catastrophic events such as fire,insects and disease,through the use of prescribed fire,mowing,and the thinning of trees to reduce fuel loadings and stocking levels.
Rim Paunina Project
A 40,000 acre watershed on the southern end of Crescent Ranger District whose goal is to utilize forestry techniques that disturb the forest at appropriate levels to create and maintain a diversity of habitats closer to what historically occurred.
Sunriver to Lava Lands Visitor Center Paved Path
The Deschutes National Forest proposes to pave a ten foot wide path from the community of Sunriver to Lava Lands Visitor Center and Benham East Day Use Area. This path would serve non-motorized visitors including bicyclists and pedestrians. The path and associated facilities would be engineered to be compliant with Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines (FSTAG), Forest Service Outdoor Recreation Accessibility Guidelines and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA), mobility devices that meet the definition provided in 36 CFR 212.1 may use this path. The paved path would be designed to allow for emergency vehicle access. Where feasible, the trail would be located in areas that have already experienced disturbance.
TSID Dam Fish Passage and Channel Restoration
Restore fish passage and habitat for resident and anadromous fish above the Three Sisters Irrigation Diversion (TSID) dam.
TSID Main Canal Project
The project will replace 3.8 miles of open irrigation canal with high density polyethylene pipe, reducing irrigation water needs by 6 cfs. The 6 cfs will be returned to Whychus Creek through the Department of Water Resources Conserved Water program.
Three Trails OHV System
Proposal to designate approximately 200 miles of trail systems and staging areas near Boundary Springs, Two Rivers, and Crescent Lake Junction. Also would rehabilitate user-created trails. A Deschutes National Forest Plan Amendment would be needed.
USGS Volcanic Monitoring Stations
The USGS will install eight volcanic monitoring stations on the flanks of Newberry Volcano, each consisting of a seismometer, a GPS, and a digital radio. Impact of each site 80 square feet or less.
Walker Mountain Communication Site (AT &T/ Walker Range) EA
To evalute issuance of a communication lease to authorize AT &T Mobility to redevelop an existing communication facility (and partner with an existing and senior leaseholder Walker Range Patrol Association) at the Walker Mountain Comm. Site.
Welcome Station Powerline Installation
Power and data access are to be provided to the Welcome Station site located on the north side of the Cascade Lakes Highway opposite junction with Forest Road 41. The line will be a combination of buried and overhead and cross the highway once.
West Tumbull HFRA
Fuel reduction within the Wildland Urban Interface in the area of the Skyliner subdivision and Tumalo Falls area. Activities include commercial and non-commercial thinning, commercial salvage, mowing and underburning within 4,587 acre project area.
Whychus Creek Wild and Scenic River Plan
Resource Assessment completed in 2005. Preparation of Management Plan and Environmental Assessment to prepare management guidance for protection of outstandingly remarkable values on Whychus Creek. Will involve a Forest Plan Amendment.
Winter Backcountry Huts and Guide Service Special Use Permit
Issue a special use permit through a competitive prospectus to allow for winter backcountry guide services.
On Hold
Popper Vegetation Management Project
About 6,000 acres of the project area has been impacted by the 2012 Pole Creek fire. The district is in the process of evaluating the effects of the fire on the existing condition to determine the viability of the project as currently designed.
Sugar Pine Butte Tower Replacement
Western Radio Services is planning to replace the existing communication tower on Sugar Pine Butte with a similar tower in the same location. The existing concrete footing would be replaced with new concrete.
Cancelled
Union Pacific Railroad Fiberoptic Installation
Union Pacific Railroad requests a Special Use Permit to install fiberoptic cable conduits on the Middle Fork RD (Willamette NF) and Crescent RD (Deschutes NF).