[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26369]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: October 25, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Boise River Wildfire Recovery Project, Boise National Forest,
Idaho
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Rabbit Creek, Bannock Creek and Star Gulch Wildfires
burned a total of 182,000 acres in July, August, and September of 1994.
Approximately 173,000 acres burned within the boundaries of National
Forest System lands. Personnel on the Boise National Forest intend to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to assess opportunities to
salvage the economic value of fire killed and imminently dead trees in
combination with treatments to promote regeneration of trees on
forested areas, maintain or improve hydrologic conditions of affected
watersheds, and protect long-term soil site productivity. These
activities are to occur on 95,000 acres of the Idaho City and Mountain
Home Ranger Districts.
All proposals will provide visual resource needs on river segments
eligible for wild, scenic, or recreational classification under the
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and provide for wildlife and fisheries
habitat.
Past experience with wildfire timber recovery efforts on the Boise
National Forest have proved that prompt action is required to recover
the economic value of fire killed trees. The trees, mostly ponderosa
pine and Douglas-fir, are expected to lose 20 to 80 percent of their
economic value after just one summer season. In addition, there is an
expected benefit to watershed recovery from the slash that is created
by salvage harvest operations.
Proposals for treatment of the area will be based on area burn
intensity, slope characteristics, soil and land types, wildlife habitat
needs, soil erosion and sediment reduction techniques, visual quality
protection, and economics.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are approximately 23,000 acres burned
within Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). The IRAs affected are
Breadwinner, Grand Mountain, Mt. Heinen and Ten Mile/Black Warrior. In
addition, approximately 35,000 acres of an area recommended for
wilderness designation burned. Approximately 30,000 acres burned within
the Sawtooth Wilderness.
Within the burn area are approximately 1,000 acres of the 6,865-
acre Boise Basin Experimental Forest, slightly more than 300 acres of
the 445-acre Bannock Creek Research Natural Area, and approximately 100
acres of the proposed 874-acre North Fork Boise River Research Natural
Area.
Approximately 45 miles of eligible Wild, Scenic and Recreational
River segments (North Fork Boise, Middle Fork Boise, Crooked, and Bear
Rivers) were included in the fire area. Many acres of wildlife and fish
habitat were affected.
Burn intensities in the fire area varied considerably. Within the
fire perimeter, approximately 46,000 acres burned at high intensity,
46,000 acres burned at moderate intensity and 85,000 acres burned at
low intensity. Approximately 5,000 acres inside the fire perimeter did
not burn.
Proposed Action
Treat approximately 95,000 acres of National Forest System lands to
recover the economic value of the timber, promote regeneration of trees
on forested areas, maintain or improve hydrologic conditions of
affected watersheds, and protect long-term soil site productivity.
Approximately 18,000 acres of suitable timber lands are not
expected to regenerating naturally, and will be planted. Of these,
approximately 4,000 acres are within the IRAs. All other suitable
timber acres are projected to reforest naturally and will be monitored
for natural regeneration success.
The fire area includes the Boise Basin Experimental Forest which
will be treated as lands suitable for harvest.
Salvage harvest may occur in the IRAs (Breadwinner, Grand Mtn., Mt.
Heinen, and Ten Mile/Black Warrior outside of Management Area 28).
No harvest will occur within the Recommended Wilderness (Forest
Plan Management Area 28 portion of the Ten Mile/Black Warrior IRA) or
the Sawtooth Wilderness.
No harvest will occur within the Research Natural Areas, or within
the one-quarter mile corridor of river segments eligible for wild or
scenic classification.
In moderate to high intensity burn areas, only dead trees will be
harvested. In low intensity burn areas, dead and imminently dead trees
(those with more than 75 percent of the crown scorched or infested with
bark beetles) will be harvested.
Snags required for wildlife habitat or shade for regeneration will
be left in all areas.
Protection of bald eagle and osprey roost trees will be achieved by
maintaining a strip at least 200 feet wide along the North Fork Boise
River. Trees may be removed for public safety.
Visual quality objectives will be met on river segments eligible
for recreational classification, and on trails and roads.
Cultural resource sites will be protected.
Riparian areas will be protected.
Sensitive plant habitat which remains will be protected.
The Cottonwood drainage is important for elk calving and big game
summer range, and receives high levels of use from people. In
recognition of this, the treatment prescription for this area will
maintain security habitat for big game.
On areas where surplus trees occur, a combination of helicopter,
skyline, jammer and tractor systems will be used in the harvest effort.
To protect watersheds and fisheries habitat, tractor logging will be
limited to slopes less than 30 percent in moderate to high intensity
burn areas, and less than 40 percent in low intensity burn areas.
Harvest trees will be fully suspended from the ground during logging
operations in riparian areas. One end suspension will be allowed in
skyline areas unless analysis shows full suspension is needed to limit
erosion. The Idaho Forest Practices Act and watershed and fisheries
evaluation guidelines will be used to determine protection measures on
streams.
Some temporary road construction will be required to access
helicopter landings. Minor amounts of reconstruction of existing roads
will also be required. No roads or log landings will be constructed in
the IRAs.
Issues
Initial scoping has indicated that a key issue to the Proposed
Action is salvage harvesting in IRAs and the potential effect it may
have on the wilderness attributes of the area.
Alternatives to the Proposed Action
Two alternatives to the Proposed Action have been identified. They
are the No Action alternative and an alternative that would not include
salvage harvesting in the IRAs. Other alternatives may be developed as
issues are raised and information is received.
Decision To Be Made
The Boise National Forest Supervisor will decide the following:
what amount, type and distribution of dead and imminently dead trees,
within the fire areas are needed to maintain post-fire ecological
function, how should dead and imminently dead trees within fire areas,
not needed to maintain ecosystem function be harvested, and still
protect those functions, and what forested acres need to be planted to
aid ecosystem recovery.
Public Involvement Meetings
Open houses have been conducted in Boise and Idaho City, Idaho in
October, 1994. Additional presentations will be made upon request.
Agency/Public Contacts
Contacts have been made with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as
to threatened and endangered species listed for the project area, area
residents, conservation groups, and timber industry. A summary of the
project methodology was mailed to key individuals, groups and agencies
for a response to the Proposed Action and issues identification. This
mailing list consisted of about 350 people who are generally interested
in the Boise National Forest and Idaho City NEPA projects, and people
who were interested in the Boise National Forest's Foothills Wildfire
Timber Recovery Project in 1992.
Schedule
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, November 30, 1994. Final EIS,
January, 1995. Implementation, March, 1995.
Comments
Comments concerning the proposed project and analysis should be
received in writing on or before November 26, 1994. Mail comments to
Terry Padilla, Idaho City Ranger District, Boise National Forest, PO
Box 129, Idaho City, ID 83631, Telephone, (208) 364-4330. Further
information can be obtained at the same location.
The comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact will be 45
days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the
notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
Draft Environmental Impact Statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
Draft Environmental Impact Statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1002 (9th Cir., 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris,
490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court
rulings, it is very important that those interested in this Proposed
Action participate by the close of the 45 day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the Proposed Action, comments on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement should be specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also
address the adequacy of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or the
merits of the alternatives formulated and discussed in the statement.
Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
Responsible Official
Cathy Barbouletos, Acting Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest,
1750 Front Street, Boise, ID 83702.
Dated: October 18, 1994.
Cathy Barbouletos,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 94-26369 Filed 10-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
