[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7752-7753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3817]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
South Manti Timber Salvage; Manti-La Sal National Forest, Sanpete
and Sevier Counties, Utah
AGENCY: Forest Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental
impacts of proposed actions to salvage harvest dead and dying timber,
build roads, and restock some stands of trees in portions of the Muddy
Creek, Twelvemile Creek, Sixmile Creek, and Ferron Creek Drainages. The
project is located approximately 10 air miles southeast of Manti, Utah.
This analysis is expected to coincide with Forest Service development
of the interim rule ``Administration of the Forest Development
Transportation System: Temporary Suspension of Road Construction in
Roadless Areas'' (Federal Register, Vol. 63, No. 18, p. 4350-4351) and
will consider effects on roadless and undeveloped character of areas
involved and will comply with all policy in effect at the time of
decision.
The need for the proposal is to: reduce the potential for large and
intense wildfire across forested areas (with associated environmental
effects), facilitate rapid reestablishment of Engelmann spruce through
replanting of spruce in Timber Management Emphasis Units identified in
the Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Plan, and recover
some of the economic value of the dead and dying trees. The proposed
action involves harvest of up to approximately 31 million board feet
(MMBF) of dead and dying Engelmann spruce from approximately 6,600
acres within an analysis area of approximately 25,000 acres. Harvest
with both ground based and aerial (helicopter) methods would be used.
Within the analysis area, approximately 10 miles of new road would be
constructed, 20 miles of existing road reconstructed, and 23 miles of
existing road would be used with appropriate maintenance to complete
this harvest. Approximately 8 miles of road used for harvest operations
would be closed and reclaimed following harvest.
The analysis area includes approximately 10,000 acres of Engelmann
spruce-Subalpine fir vegetation type. A spruce bark beetle epidemic has
moved through the area infesting spruce trees. As a consequence, most
spruce trees over eight inches in diameter are dead or dying within the
analysis area. In response to this epidemic mortality, approximately 25
MMBF of Engelmann spruce have previously been sold from approximately
2,450 acres within the analysis area.
Five areas that were identified as roadless during the RARE II
inventory process are adjacent to and partly within the analysis area.
The proposal does not include construction or reconstruction of any
permanent or temporary roads within the RARE II areas. The proposed
action includes harvest of approximately 7 MMBF Engelmann spruce using
ground based and helicopter methods from three of these roadless areas.
DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described
in this Notice should be received on or before March 19, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Manti-La Sal National Forest, 599
West Price River Drive, Price, Utah 84501.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Questions concerning the proposed action and
EIS should be addressed to Don Fullmer, Ecosystems Staff, Manti-La Sal
National Forest, phone (435) 637-2817.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the final EIS for the
Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest
Plan). The Manti-La Sal Forest Plan provides the overall guidance
(Goals, Objectives, Standards, and Management Area Direction) to
achieve the Desired Future Condition for the area being analyzed, and
contains specific management area prescriptions for the entire Forest.
An Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared in 1996 for spruce timber
sales in this analysis area. Six sales were offered and awarded in 1996
based on the analysis contained in the EA. In 1997 a decision was made
to sell an additional 22 MMBF of dead, dying and at risk Engelmann
spruce within the analysis area. That decision was not implemented. As
a result of concerns raised and changes in condition (additional spruce
mortality) which occurred after the EA was prepared, the decision was
made to prepare an EIS for the project.
Scoping and issue development identified the following issues: land
stability; soil erosion and productivity; air quality; water quality
and quantity; riparian/wetlands; aquatic habitat; threatened,
endangered and sensitive aquatic species; Forest health, diversity and
productivity; rangeland vegetation; noxious weeds; threatened,
endangered and sensitive terrestrial plant species; fuel loading and
fire risk; transportation system, visitor safety, access and travel
delays; range allotments and improvements; visual landscape; roadless
character; cultural resources; economics; and energy.
The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from
Federal, State, and local agencies as well as individuals and
organizations who may be interested in, or affected by the proposed
action. The Forest Service invites written comments and suggestions on
the issues related to the proposal and the area being analyzed.
Information received will be used in preparation of the Draft EIS and
Final EIS. For most effective use, comments should be submitted to the
Forest Service within 30 days from the date of publication of this
notice in the Federal Register. Preparation of the EIS will include the
following steps:
1. Define the purpose of and need for action.
2. Identify potential issues.
3. Eliminate issues of minor importance or those that were covered
by previous, relevant environmental analysis.
4. Select issues to be analyzed in depth.
5. Identify reasonable alternatives to the proposed action.
6. Describe the affected environment.
7. Identify the potential environmental effects of the
alternatives.
Steps 2, 3, and 4 will be completed through the scoping process.
Step 5 will consider a range of alternatives developed from the key
issues. One of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative. Other
alternatives
[[Page 7753]]
will consider various levels and locations of harvest, regeneration,
and related road development/improvement in response to the purpose and
need, issues, and other resource objectives.
Step 6 will describe the physical attributes of the area to be
affected by this proposal, with special attention to the environmental
factors that could be adversely affected.
Step 7 will analyze the environmental effects of each alternative.
This analysis will be consistent with management direction outlined in
the Forest Plan. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects of each
alternative will be analyzed and documented. In addition, the site
specific mitigation measures for each alternative will be identified
and the effectiveness of these mitigation measures will be disclosed.
The approximate boundary of the area covered for this analysis will
be from the southern Forest boundary along White Mountain north along
Skyline Drive to the Ferron and Sixmile drainages.
The proposed management activities would be administered by the
Sanpete and Ferron/Price Ranger Districts of the Manti-La Sal National
Forest in Sanpete and Sevier Counties, Utah.
Agency representatives and other interested people are invited to
visit with Forest Service officials at any time during the EIS process.
Two specific time periods are identified for the receipt of formal
comments on the analysis. The two comment periods are, (1) during the
scoping process, the next 30 days following publication of this notice
in the Federal Register, and (2) during the formal review period of the
Draft EIS.
The Draft EIS is estimated to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in May, 1998.
At this time the EPA will publish an availability notice of the Draft
EIS in the Federal Register.
The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will
be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers
notice at this early stage 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 reviewers' position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. versus 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 versus Hodel, 803
F.2d 1016, 1022 (9th Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc.
versus 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 as 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 Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 40
CFR 1503.3, in addressing these points.)
The final EIS is expected to be released August 1998.
The Forest Supervisor for the Manti-La Sal National Forest, who is
the responsible official for the EIS, will then make a decision
regarding this proposal, after considering the comments, responses, and
environmental consequences discussed in the Final Environmental Impact
Statement, and applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The reasons
for the decision will be documented in a Record of Decision.
Dated: February 6, 1998.
Janette S. Kaiser,
Forest Supervisor, Manti-La Sal National Forest.
[FR Doc. 98-3817 Filed 2-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
