96-30271. Kootenai National Forest, Northern Region  

  • [Federal Register Volume 61, Number 229 (Tuesday, November 26, 1996)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 60088-60089]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 96-30271]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
    
    Kootenai National Forest, Northern Region
    
    AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
    
    ACTION: Notice of intent to revise the Land and Resource Management 
    Plan (Forest Plan) for the Kootenai National Forest.
    
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    SUMMARY: this notice announces the beginning of the efforts to revise 
    the Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) for the Kootenai 
    National Forest. This is not the Notice of Intent (NOI) for the 
    Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will accompany the Revised 
    Forest Plan. That NOI will be issued at a later date.
        The beginning efforts are to prepare the ``Analysis of the 
    Management Situation'' (AMS) per 36 CFR 219.12(e). This includes 
    analysis of local conditions and consideration of broad scale 
    information from the Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management 
    Project (ICBEMP) EIS. The AMS and ICBEMP EIS will be used to determine 
    the Kootenai National Forest's Need for Change. This information will 
    then provide a basis for the NOI to prepare the EIS, which will begin 
    the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process associated with 
    Forest Plan revision.
        Public involvement is critical and will be requested throughout 
    this effort. The forest is developing a communication strategy to 
    document how the public and government entities may participate in the 
    AMS and revision of the forest Plan. Formal public involvement, 
    associated with the Forest Plan revision, will also be conducted 
    through scoping following the issuance of the EIS Notice of Intent.
    
    DATES: A supplemental notice will be placed in the Federal Register 
    announcing the beginning of formal scoping for the Forest Plan revision 
    DEIS. The notice will provide an opportunity to comment and the 
    expected completion dates. This notice is anticipated to be issued in 
    the winter/spring of 1998.
    
    ADDRESSES: Send written comments concerning this notice, communication 
    strategy and requests to be added to the Forest Plan revision mailing 
    list to Robert L. Schrenk, Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest, 
    506 Highway 2 West, Libby, Montana 59923.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
    Joan Dickerson, Forest Planner, Kootenai National Forest, phone (406) 
    293-6211.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Plan for the Kootenai National 
    Forest was completed in September, 1987 and has guided the management 
    of the Forest since then. Forest Plans are revised on a 10-year cycle 
    or at least every 15 years. It also may be revised whenever the Forest 
    Supervisor determines that conditions or demands in the area have 
    significantly changed (36 CFR 219.10(g)).
        On November 20, 1995 the Chief of the Forest Service issued a 
    decision on an appeal by the Cabinet Resource Group and Montana 
    Wilderness Association regarding the Kootenai Forest Plan. The Chief 
    directed the Regional Forester to:
        (a) Incorporate through Forest Plan amendment or revision the terms 
    and conditions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) July 27, 
    1995 amended Biological Opinion on the Forest Plan relating to road 
    management;
        (b) Incorporate through Forest Plan amendment or revision the terms 
    and conditions of the amended Biological Opinion relating to grizzly 
    bear management and incorporate the Interagency Grizzly Bear Guidelines 
    in their entirety;
        (c) Amend or revise the Forest Plan if a review determines that it 
    is not in compliance with new regulations for oil and gas resources.
        (d) Amend or revise the Forest Plan to correct the ASQ calculation, 
    based on a more accurate method of summarizing the timber inventory 
    data, to bring the analysis into technical compliance.
        In addition to the Chief's direction, monitoring and evaluation of 
    the Forest Plan has shown that many factors affecting land management 
    have changed since the time the Forest Plan was prepared. Therefore, 
    the agency has chosen to revise, rather than amend the Kootenai Forest 
    Plan. Revision will provide opportunity to update the Plan to more 
    adequately account for such changing factors. The Forest's annual 
    monitoring reports describe these factors.
        The Forest Plan, as approved September 14, 1987 and amended through 
    project specific or programmatic amendments, will remain in effect and 
    continue to be implemented as modified by the Chief's November 27, 1995 
    decision (to limit average annual program sales to 150 MMBF).
    
    (1) Preparation of the ICBEMP
    
        In addition, another planning effort is currently ongoing that 
    involves the Kootenai National Forest. This effort is the Interior 
    Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project (ICBEMP) EIS, which will 
    address issues relevant to the Kootenai National Forest and likely 
    result in changes in the Forest Plan. Notice of this effort and 
    supporting information was previously published in the Federal Register 
    on December 4, 1994. The purpose of the ICBEMP is to ``* * * develop 
    and analyze a
    
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    scientifically sound, ecosystem-based strategy for management of lands 
    administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 
    Forest Service.* * * The strategy will modify existing Forest Plans and 
    will focus on forest, rangeland, and aquatic/riparian ecosystem health 
    and the sustainability of threatened, endangered, and sensitive 
    species.''
        Direction from the Record of Decision for the ICBEMP EIS is assumed 
    to be in place for 10 years. Forest Plan direction that is specific to 
    the Kootenai National Forest (such as standards applicable to 
    particular areas) will be revisited at the time of Forest Plan 
    revision. Direction that applies to multiple units (such as broad scale 
    objectives) will remain in place to guide forest plan revision. It is 
    the intent that the Kootenai Forest Plan revision will be designed to 
    achieve this ICBEMP broad scale direction. Therefore, the revision 
    schedule for the Kootenai National Forest Plan will be coordinated with 
    the information and decisions produced by the ICBEMP EIS.
    
    (2) Beginning of the Forest Plan Revision Effort
    
        This notice announces that the Kootenai National Forest is 
    beginning the effort to revise the Land and Resource Management Plan. 
    The forest is in the process of preparing the AMS, one of the first 
    steps in the revision process. This step includes defining the current 
    situation, reviewing new information, reviewing monitoring and 
    evaluation results, estimating supply capabilities and resource 
    demands, and determining the Need for Change (36 CFR 219.12(e)(5)).
        As part of the AMS a communication strategy is being developed. The 
    purpose of this strategy is to document how the public and government 
    entities may participate in the AMS and revision of the Forest Plan on 
    an ongoing basis. Suggestions on the formation of the communication 
    strategy are welcome. In addition, the Forest Plan mailing list is 
    being updated. Send a letter to the address above to add your name to 
    the mailing list.
        Another critical element in describing the need for change is 
    determining the concerns and expections of National Forest constituents 
    and getting public input on how well the current forest plan is 
    working. A social assessment for the Kootenai Forest was completed in 
    July 1995. The assessment provides the initial information about how 
    people in surrounding communities perceive the resources of the 
    Kootenai Forest and their management. This assessment is one 
    information source for describing the need for change. Additional 
    information will be requested as portions of the AMS are assessed.
    
    (3) Relationship Between the AMS and the Notice of Intent to Prepare 
    the Environmental Impact Statement
    
        In the past, a ``Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental 
    Impact Statement'' was issued at the beginning of the forest planning 
    process, and before the development of the AMS. This time, we are first 
    defining the current situation and an initial need for change in a 
    Draft AMS, and will issue a NOI to prepare an EIS prior to developing 
    alternatives. The draft AMS is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 
    1998. The NOI to prepare an EIS would be issued after this date. The 
    NOI to prepare an EIS will include (1) a proposed action and purpose 
    and need; (2) preliminary issues and; (3) preliminary alternatives. 
    Scoping to receive public comments on the proposed action and 
    alternatives will follow the publication of the NOI. These public 
    comments will be used to further refine the proposed action and the 
    alternatives, to possibly identify additional alternatives, and to 
    finalize the AMS and the need for change. It will also start the formal 
    NEPA process of preparing the EIS that will accompany the Revised Land 
    and Resource Management Plan.
    
    (4) The Responsible Official
    
        The responsible official is Richard M. Bacon, Deputy Regional 
    Forester, Northern Region, 200 East Broadway, PO Box 7669, Missoula, 
    Montana 59807.
    
        Dated: November 20, 1996.
    Richard M. Bacon,
    Deputy Regional Forester.
    [FR Doc. 96-30271 Filed 11-25-96; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
11/26/1996
Department:
Agriculture Department
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of intent to revise the Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) for the Kootenai National Forest.
Document Number:
96-30271
Dates:
A supplemental notice will be placed in the Federal Register announcing the beginning of formal scoping for the Forest Plan revision DEIS. The notice will provide an opportunity to comment and the expected completion dates. This notice is anticipated to be issued in the winter/spring of 1998.
Pages:
60088-60089 (2 pages)
PDF File:
96-30271.pdf