[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 26 (Tuesday, February 8, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-2584]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: February 8, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Butch Creek Timber Sale; Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Pend
Oreille County, Washington.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the draft environmental impact
statement for proposed activities in the Butch Creek project area.
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DATES: The comment period on this draft environmental impact statement
expires March 28, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to District Ranger, Priest Lake Ranger
District, HCR 5, Box 207, Priest River ID 83856.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action and environmental impact statement
should be directed to Kent Dunstan, District Ranger; David Cobb, the
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, or David Asleson, the District Planning
Staff Officer, Priest Lake Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests, HCR 5 Box 207, Priest Lake ID 83856. Phone: (208) 443-2512.
SUMMARY: The notice is hereby given that the Forest Service has
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) documenting the
environmental effects that proposed timber harvesting and watershed
improvement activities would have in the Butch Creek project area. The
area is located approximately 15 air miles northwest of Priest River,
Idaho, and is approximately 7,270 acres in size.
Public participation is important. People may visit with Forest
Service officials at any time prior to the decision, however, it is
very important that public comment be made available to the Forest
Service during review of this Draft EIS. After a 45-day public comment
period, the comments received will be analyzed and considered by the
Forest Service in preparing the Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS). The FEIS is scheduled to be completed by June, 1994. The Forest
Service will respond to the comments received from the DEIS in the
FEIS.
The District Ranger is the responsible official for this EIS, and
will make a decision regarding this proposal considering the comments
and responses, environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and
applicable laws, regulations, and policies. The decision and reasons
for the decision will be documented in a Record of Decision.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A very specific proposed action was
developed for the area that includes timber harvest, reforestation and
watershed rehabilitation activities. The proposed action and
alternatives to the proposed action were developed within the framework
of Ecosystem Management. This approach considers the management of all
resources on large land areas with emphasis on sustaining the
ecological systems present.
Five alternatives were developed, including a No-Action
Alternative. Alternative C is the alternative preferred by the Forest
Service. Under Alternative C, approximately 4.5 million board feet of
green, dead and dying timber would be harvested within 23 harvest
units. Harvest methods include commercial thinning, overstory removal,
group selection, individual tree selection, sanitation/salvage,
shelterwood with reserves and seed tree with reserves. Skyline and
tractor yarding methods would be utilized to harvest trees within these
areas. In addition to these timber management activities, approximately
69 acres would be precommercially thinned.
Access to these proposed harvest areas would require 0.9 mile of
new road construction, 8.7 miles of road reconstruction and 0.8 mile of
road reconditioning. All of these roads would be closed, either
immediately following the timber harvesting or after the post sale
activities (such as slash burning and planting) have been completed.
The majority of the newly constructed roads would be obliterated
immediately after the timber is harvested while the majority of the
reconstructed roads would be closed following the post sale activities.
In addition to these road activities, improvements to the existing
Forest Service Road 305 would be made over an 8-mile stretch within the
project area to reduce the amount of sediment reaching the adjacent
stream. To further improve the watershed conditions, structures would
be placed into some headwater streams.
Management activities would be administered by the Priest Lake
Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests in Bonner
County, Idaho. This DEIS will tier to the Forest Plan (September 1987)
which provides the overall guidance (Goals, Objectives, Standards and
Guidelines, and Management Area direction) in achieving the desired
future condition for this area.
HOW TO RESPOND: The agency invites written comments and suggestions on
the issues and management opportunities in the area being analyzed. To
ensure that these comments are considered in the final decision,
comments must be postmarked or received within 45 days from the date
that this notice is published in the Federal Register. Commenters
should include: (1) Name, address, telephone number, organization
represented, if any; (2) title of the document on which the comment is
being submitted (Butch Creek DEIS); and (3) specific concerns and
supporting reasons for the District Ranger to consider. Copies of the
Record of Decision will be mailed to those people who have submitted
comments either before or during the comment period and to those who
request a copy.
Dated: January 25, 1994.
Kent L. Dunstan,
District Ranger, Priest Lake Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests.
[FR Doc. 94-2584 Filed 2-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
