[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 133 (Friday, July 11, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37188-37189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18129]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
[3410-11]
Ramshorn Forest Vegetation Management, Shoshone National Forest,
Fremont County, Wyoming
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement on a
proposal to manage forest vegetation in the upper Brent Creek and
Tappen Creek drainages located on the Wind River District of the
Shoshone National Forest within Fremont County, Wyoming. The area
adopted for analysis in the EIS corresponds to the Ramshorn Analysis
Area delineated in the 1986 Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
The proposal includes the use of prescribed fire, timber harvest,
fuelwood sales, aspen stand enhancement measures, and other practices
designed to improve the long term health and diversity of forest
vegetation throughout the analysis area. Optimum use would be made of
small timber sales for the benefit of local businesses and operators.
About 700 acres would be treated in the forest's suited timber base to
partially meet the forest health and diversity objective. About 300
acres would be treated in the forested area outside the suited base to
assist in meeting the vegetation health and diversity goal. High
priority for treatment would include areas where aspen stands are in
danger of being lost, where there is a high degree of wildfire risk,
where there is increased mortality due to insect and disease
infestation and in large stands lacking in species and structural
diversity.
Approximately two miles of new road construction and three miles of
road reconstruction would be necessary to access the suited base
portion of the analysis area. The proposal includes closing all new
roads and existing closed roads opened for the purpose of this project
following completion of the project.
The scope of this analysis offers the possibility of a number of
alternatives that vary the mix of treatment measures for improving
forest vegetation health and diversity within a discrete area.
The primary underlying purpose for this proposal is to improve the
health and diversity of forest vegetation within the Ramshorn analysis
area. The need for doing this is indicated by the imbalance of current
forest conditions and trends with respect to diversity standards in the
forest plan, and by the risks associated with extensive fuel buildups
and insect and disease infestations. THe purpose and need focuses on
the forest plan goal of: Improving tree age class and species diversity
to benefit forest health, recreation experiences, visual quality, and
wildlife habitat (Forest Plan page III-8). Forest vegetation diversity
standards to be exercised in meeting this goal are found in Forest Plan
direction on pages III-19 through 21.
In meeting the primary goal, a number of secondary goals are
addressed. These include: (1) Managing vegetation types to provide
multiple benefits commensurate with land capability and resource demand
(Forest Plan page III-6); (2) Improve the health and vigor of
vegetation types outside wilderness and selected types in wilderness
where necessary (Forest Plan page III-6; (3) Integrate vegetation
management with resource management in functional areas (Plan page III-
7); (4) Adopt visual quality objectives that will maintain or enhance
the characteristic landscapes of the Forest (Plan page III-7); (5)
Improve habitats where vegetation conditions are significantly below
biological potential (Plan page III-8); (6) Maintain or improve habitat
for threatened or endangered species (Plan page III-8); (7)
Rehabilitate lands in declining and unsatisfactory watershed condition
(Plan page III-9); (8) Reduce the accumulation of natural fuels (Plan
page III-8); (9) Reduce damages by insect, disease, and other Forest
pests to acceptable levels through integrated management of vegetation
(Plan page III-10); (10) Provide timber sales of sufficient quantity
and quality to attract investment by the timber industry to accomplish
desired vegetation management (Plan page III-8).
In order to achieve the primary goal in the Ramshorn area,
identified impacts will need to be addressed through mitigation and
application of forest plan standards and guidelines. This includes
attention to cumulative impacts, including roads, and the need to meet
forest plan direction for ``no net increase'' in roads (Forest Plan
Allowable Sale Quantity Record of Decision, pages 5-6, and Amendment
No. 94-001). The area analysis being implemented through this action is
supported by direction to take an ``ecosystem'' or ``landscape''
approach to management (Forest Plan Allowable Sale Quantity Record of
Decision, page 5).
The decision to be made involves the selection of an appropriate
mix of treatment types where the primary goal is improving forest
health and diversity, and where consideration is made within that
context for meeting secondary goals through treatment type, timing, and
design. The decision will also include other specific mitigation
measures where needed to meet resource needs determined through the
analysis of impacts. The area analysis could surface the necessity for
making a nonsignificant amendment to the forest plan, and the decision
would address whether or not to do so. A significant forest plan
amendment is beyond the scope of this analysis.
The Forest Service invites comments and suggestions on the scope of
the analysis to be included in the draft environmental impact statement
(DEIS). In addition, the Forest Service gives notice that it is
beginning a full environmental analysis and decision-making process for
this proposal so that interested or affected people may know how they
can participate in the environmental analysis and contribute to the
final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
in writing by August 8, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Bob Rossman, ID Team Leader, Wind
[[Page 37189]]
River Ranger District, P.O. Box 186, Dubois, Wyoming 82513.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Rossman, Project Interdisciplinary
Team Leader, (307) 455-2466.
Field trip: In response to requests received during earlier
scoping, a field trip to the proposed project area was conducted for
the public on June 24, 1997. Materials developed for participants are
available upon request. Informal public meetings will be scheduled as
needed throughout the analysis process.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the last ten years there has been a
significant amount of effort devoted to developing a consensus on
conducting timber harvest in the Brent Creek area. Public comments were
solicited in 1987 and 1991. Many comments were received from concerned
citizens, environmental groups, and other governmental agencies as a
result of these scoping efforts. Comments received in 1991 were refined
into issues by a Forest Service Interdisciplinary Team, representatives
of other agencies, and several individuals. An alternative formulation
process was begun at this time, but was discontinued due to concern
about violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
Scoping of a timber sale proposal was reinitiated in 1997. The
period ended on May 5, 1997. An Interdisciplinary Team of Forest
Service resource specialists reviewed comments raised during this
period.
Based in part on these comments, on the history of difficult issues
in the Brent Creek area, and on the controversiality of proposed timber
sales, the district ranger reevaluated the purpose and need for action
and concluded that an environmental impact statement should be
prepared. Although scoping is reinitiated through this Notice of
Intent, most comments received during earlier scoping efforts are
considered applicable and will be retained. People who wish to update
their earlier comments, based on the revised purpose and need, are
encouraged to do so. The Forest Service particularly welcomes any
assistance from commenters in identifying sources of impact on and off
the Forest to include in its cumulative effects analysis.
The Deciding Official will be Bob Lee, Wind River District Ranger,
1403 West Ramshorn, PO Box 186, Dubois, Wyoming, 82513, unless the need
for a nonsignificant forest plan amendment is indicated. In that event,
the Forest Supervisor will be the Deciding Official.
The expected publication date of a draft environmental impact
statement is during February of 1998. Following this, a 45 day period
will be allowed for public comment on the draft. This comment period
will commence on the day the Environmental Protection Agency publishes
a ``Notice of Availability'' in the Federal Register. A completed final
environmental impact statement is anticipated in July of 1998.
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 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, 1022 (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 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 at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.) Please note that comments
you make on the draft environmental impact statement will be regarded
as public information.
Note further that comments will be available for public inspection
during the analysis process, and that in most cases the name of the
commenter will not remain confidential. Those who submit anonymous
comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under
36 CFR Parts 215 or 217. Persons requesting such confidentiality should
be aware that under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only
very limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets.
Dated: July 1, 1997.
Rebecca Aus,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 97-18129 Filed 7-10-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M