Here's a portion of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

Date: December 4, 2002


GIANT SEQUOIA NATIONAL MONUMENT
Draft Environmental Document Released for 90-Day Public Comment

PORTERVILLE, CA – Sequoia National Forest today released the
Giant Sequoia National Monument (Monument) Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for a 90-day review and public comment period.
The Monument planning process has been underway for eighteen months
and began with a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement on June 8, 2001. “The Monument DEIS is being sent out
to the public for review and comment,” announced Sequoia
National Forest Supervisor Art Gaffrey. “We encourage the
public to attend our public meetings and review the environmental
document during this 90-day public involvement process. Identifying
Alternative 6 as the preferred alternative, shows our commitment to
management of this new national monument. This alternative provides
the greatest opportunity to protect the forest from catastrophic
wildfire and the regeneration of giant sequoia trees.”
Six alternatives are considered in this DEIS.
Alternative 1, the No Action Alternative, would continue current
management, implementing the Presidential Proclamation and the Forest
Plan as amended by the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment
(Framework). Alternative 2 is the Proposed Action as described in the
Notice of Intent published in the Federal Register in June of 2001,
which would protect and restore giant sequoia ecosystems within their
zones of ecological influence. Alternative 3 proposes to move
resources toward desired conditions by emphasizing natural processes,
primarily fire. Alternative 4 would manage the ecosystems
conservatively and encourage recreation. Alternative 5 would manage
groves with a wide range of management strategies to promote
characteristics for giant sequoia regeneration. Alternative 6 is the
preferred alternative. It proposes management of the entire Monument
with the widest range of management strategies

Comment from poster: I did have a tiny bit of work put into this in
transferring points from aerial photos to a GIS layer in several of
the major groves. Maybe some day I'll get to do some GPS fieldwork up
in the groves!

Larry Federal eco-forestry rules!