Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments regarding (a) whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques and other forms of information technology.

Comments regarding this information collection received by July 25, 2014 will be considered. Written comments should be addressed to: Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), New Executive Office Building, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503. Commentors are encouraged to submit their comments to OMB via email to: OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov or fax (202) 395-5806 and to Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250-7602. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling (202) 720-8681.

An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to respond to the collection of information that such persons are not required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

Forest Service

Title: Commercial Use of Woodsy Owl Symbol—36 CFR part 272.

OMB Control Number: 0596-0087.

Summary of Collection: Part 272 of Title 36 CFR authorizes the Chief of the Forest Service to approve commercial use of the Woodsy Owl symbol and to collect royalty fees for such use. An individual or corporation may apply for a Woodsy Owl license by contacting Forest Service personnel by telephone, fax, and email or by writing. The Forest Service National Symbols Coordinator will evaluate the data to determine if an individual corporation, or organization, requesting a license to use the Woodsy Owl symbol commercially should be granted a license or, if currently licensed, to determine the royalty fee the licensed entity must pay to the agency based on a percentage of the licensee's total sales and whether the licensed entity has met its stated objectives.

Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect information to determine how long the individual, corporation, or organization has been in business; the products the individual, corporation, or organization sells or plans to see; the geographical location from which the products will be sold; the projected sales volume; and how the individual, corporation, or organization plans to market the products. If information is not collected royalty fees would not be collected in keeping with federal cash management policies, and quantity of merchandise objectives would not be effectively monitored.

Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 21.

Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: Quarterly.

Total Burden Hours: 114.

Forest Service

Title: Generic Information Collection and Clearance of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery.

OMB Control Number: 0596-0226.

Summary of Collection: Executive Order 12862 directs Federal agencies to provide service to the public that matches or exceeds the best service available in the private sector. Improving Forest Service (FS) programs requires ongoing assessment of service delivery, by which we mean systematic review of the operation of a program compared to a set of explicit or implicit standards, as a means of contributing to the continuous improvement of the program.

Need and Use of the Information: The information collection activity will garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative feedback we mean information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between FS and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management.

Feedback collected under this generic clearance will provide useful information, but it will not yield data that can be generalized to the overall population. This type of generic clearance for qualitative information will not be used for quantitative information collections that are designed to yield reliably actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting program performance. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that address: The target population to which generalizations will be made, the sampling frame, the sample design (including stratification and clustering), the precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non-response bias, the protocols for data collection, and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken prior fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence, the results are likely to have such collections may still be eligible for submission for other generic mechanisms that are designed to yield quantitative results.

Description of Respondents: Farms; Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit Institutions and State, Local or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 3,500,000.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 875,000.