Forest Service staff and partners

Which national forest is the project on?

Draft a Forest Service scoping letter, CE documentation or EA in your forest's format. Answer four questions; every unconfirmed fact is marked.

Free to read
No sign-up until the draft
Every fact cites its source

ePlan fills in

Forest and ranger district
Wilderness and roadless overlap
Listed species
Streams and wetlands
Fuels

How it works

Scoping letter, from one answer

Pick the forestOne answer starts the project. ePlan names it and looks up the place.
Describe the action and why it's needed3 more questions, each with a "not sure yet" way out.
Read the letter free; download it for $49The draft marks what to check (amber), what to pick (blue) and what to fill in (violet).

What you get

Scoping letter and 3 more documents

The first draft is free to read. Each document after it is drafted from the same confirmed facts.

The first draft

Scoping letter

Letterhead, file code and date
Project name, location and vicinity map
Purpose and need
Proposed action: activities, acres, roads, timing
Design criteria
Anticipated NEPA path and the decision to be made

Modeled on: The district's most recent scoping letters

Next · 2

CE documentation (finding of applicability and no extraordinary circumstances)

Proposed action
Category used under 7 CFR 1b.4 or statute, and how the action fits it
Resources considered under 7 CFR 1b.3(f)
Finding of no extraordinary circumstances
Signature and date

Next · 3

Environmental assessment and draft FONSI

Purpose and need
Proposed action and alternatives
Affected environment and effects by resource
Design criteria and monitoring
Consultation and coordination
Draft FONSI

Next · 4

Mailing list

Adjacent landowners
Tribes
State and local agencies
Permittees
Interested parties from past projects

From public data

What ePlan fills in, and from where

Forest and ranger districtUSDA Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse
Wilderness and inventoried roadless areasUSDA Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse
Listed species that may be presentUSFWS IPaC
StreamsUSGS National Hydrography Dataset
WetlandsUSFWS National Wetlands Inventory
Fuels and vegetationLANDFIRE
Past and current projects on the forest (example: Tahoe NF)USDA Forest Service project pages
Critical habitatUSFWS critical habitat

10 days

to file an objection after a draft FONSI is posted, or 20 days after a draft ROD, under the Forest Service rule effective Nov 12, 2026.
Source: 36 CFR 218.7, final rule 91 FR 64760 (Oct 13, 2026)

Questions

Forest Service NEPA: what people ask

Is scoping still required for a categorical exclusion?

Not under USDA's procedures. The Forest Service rule that required scoping for every proposed action, 36 CFR part 220, was rescinded, and 7 CFR part 1b does not require it for CEs. Some statutory CEs, such as the HFRA insect-and-disease CE, still require public notice and scoping.

Source: federalregister.gov

When can someone object to a Forest Service project?

Under the rule effective November 12, 2026, objections are due 10 days after a draft FONSI is posted and 20 days after a draft ROD. Minimum comment periods are 15 days for EAs and 30 for EISs, and a scoping period counts as one. CE projects are not subject to objection.

Source: federalregister.gov

How long can a Forest Service EA be?

NEPA caps an EA at 75 pages and an EIS at 150, or 300 if extraordinarily complex, not counting citations and appendices. The deadlines are one year for an EA and two years for an EIS.

Source: law.cornell.edu

Can a partner or permit applicant draft it?

Yes. NEPA requires agencies to let a project sponsor prepare an EA or EIS under agency supervision, and the agency must independently evaluate it. The responsible official still signs. ePlan marks every fact it could not confirm so staff can check it.

Source: law.cornell.edu