[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 127 (Thursday, July 2, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36208-36209]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17666]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Clearwater Ecosystem Management and Timber Sale Projects; Seeley
Lake Ranger District, Lolo National Forest, Missoula County, Montana
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of timber
harvest, reforestation, temporary road construction, road access
changes including closures, and prescribed and ecosystem management
burning in a 7,000 acre project area approximately 12 miles northeast
of Seeley Lake, Montana.
DATE: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before
August 3, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed
management activities or a request to be placed on the project mailing
list to Timothy G. Love, Ranger District, Lolo National Forest, HC 31,
Box 3200, Seeley Lake, MT 59868.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sharon Klinkhammer, EIS Team Leader, District Silviculturist, Lolo
National Forest, Phone (406) 677-3925.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The responsible official who will make
decisions based on this EIS is Charles Wildes, Forest Supervisor, Lolo
National Forest, Building 24, Fort Missoula, Missoula, MT, 59804. He
will decide on this proposal after considering comments and responses,
environmental consequences, applicable laws, regulations, and policies.
The decision and rationale for the decision will be documented in a
Record of Decision.
The Forest Service proposes to harvest 3 million board feet of
timber from 550 acres. Approximately 300 acres will be in openings
ranging from 5-100 acres. Openings will retain approximately one-third
of the trees growing on the site. Trees in these openings will then be
burned to create fire-killed dead and the areas regenerated. To
accomplish this, approximately 2 miles of temporary road will be built.
An estimated 6.5 miles of road will be obliterated after harvest and
additional road closures put into effect. In addition, ecosystem
management burning on approximately 250 acres to improve wildlife
Habitat is planned. Area affected is within the Upper and East For
Clearwater River Drainages approximately 12 miles northeast of Seeley
Lake, MT.
The purpose of this proposal is to carry out the goals and
direction stated in the Lolo National Forest Plan using ecosystem
management principles. The objectives are to:
Reduce road densities in order to meet inter-agency access
standards for grizzly bear.
Reduce the risk of mature lodgepole stands to mountain
pine beetle mortality, to maintain the health and vigor of seral
species stands, and to contribute to the forest plan expectations for
timber production through harvesting.
Reduce existing sources of sediment to water and fisheries
resources caused by existing roads.
Reintroduce and simulate low and moderate intensity fires
in fire-dependent ecosystems in order to create fire-killed dead trees
on the landscape and improve wildlife habitat.
Treat noxious weeds.
Create vistas of Swan mountains along the Clearwater Loop
Road
Precommercially thin young stands to achieve desired
species composition and density.
Public scoping was conducted on most elements of this proposal
during June, 1997. Since then the proposal has been reduced in scale
and modified. Issues and comments identified during this earlier
scoping process will be carried forward and addressed in this analysis.
The following key issues were identified and will be used to
develop alternatives and assess environmental consequences:
1. The project area has high value grizzly bear habitat, important
bull trout spawning habitat, sensitive soils, and high value water
quality. The current density of roads is high enough to result in
adverse effects on those resources. The density of open and closed
roads exceeds the inter-agency standard for grizzly bears. Culverts and
drainage features on many of the roads in the project area are
inadequate for the high volume run-off typical to the area. To meet
current resource standards, roads in the project area need: (1) an
overall reduction in density; (2) removal or upgrade of roads or
culverts most at risk of failing during high run-off events; and (3) an
upgrade of drainage features to reduce sediment during run-off events.
2. Management of the project area is subject to a number of laws,
standards, interim regulations, and special allocations. The area is
within occupied, essential grizzly bear habitat (USDI, 1993). Road
densities exceed the standard for grizzly bear habitat. While the
Clearwater River is not a ``Water Quality Limited'' segment as
determined by Montana State in the current 305(b) Report, Seeley Lake,
approximately 12 miles down-stream is identified as Water Quality
Limited. The USDI Fish, Wildlife Service made a decision to list
bulltrout as a threatened species within the Columbia River Basin in
early June, 1998. Current road densities and past management activities
have resulted in a decrease in large woody debris and an increase in
sediment within streams of the analysis area.
[[Page 36209]]
3. As a result of past management activities, including fire
suppression, there has been a shift in fire regime, forest structure,
species composition and patch size across the landscape. Of particular
concern is the extent of mature lodgepole pine stands at risk to
mountain pine beetle mortality. Some level of vegetative treatment
could stabilize stands, reduce risks to insect and disease mortality,
and maintain vigor. Reintroduction of fire to simulate natural
processes and patterns is desirable to improve wildlife habitat.
4. Recreational values and demand are high and need to be
considered. At present the Clearwater area abounds with recreation
opportunities such as driving the Clearwater Loop Road, hunting,
fishing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, berry-picking and hiking.
Unique and outstanding opportunities include scenic drives and canoeing
on pristine Clearwater Lake. Management actions should not detract from
the existing opportunities.
5. The area east of Clearwater Loop Road is in RARE II area 01485.
The boundary of the RARE II area 01485 coincides with portions of Road
4370. Portions were precommercially thinned and roaded about 30 years
ago. The roads are currently over-grown with brush and undrivable. Past
wilderness proposals included areas above 5800 feet but did not include
this area. Any treatments proposed within the RARE II area will be
analyzed to determine impacts on roadless character and will be
consistent with agency regulations and policies.
In addition to these key issues, secondary issues include:
treatment of noxious weeds to curtail spread, the effects of treatments
on old growth stands and the species that use them, effects of
treatments on management indicator species or sensitive plan and
wildlife species, biodiversity, fragmentation and corridors, cultural
resources and precommercial thinning of young stands.
The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. Other
alternatives will examine varying levels and locations for activities
in response to issues and other resource values. In addition to the
proposed action, one of these will be the ``no action'' alternative--in
which none of the proposed activities would be implemented. Another
alternative, in addition to the treatments in the proposed action, will
address the impacts of commercial thinning from existing open roads.
This concept is further broadened in an alternative that adds areas
that can only be accessed from existing road and must be logged during
the winter using snow roads.
Public participation is an important part of the analysis,
commencing with the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7) which will
occur during July, 1998. In addition to this initial scoping, the
public may visit Forest Service officials at any time during the
analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service will be seeking
information, comments, and assistance from Federal, State, and local
agencies and other individuals or organizations who may be interested
in, or affected by, the proposed action. Consultation with the USDI
Fish, Wildlife Service on grizzly bear and bulltrout will occur. No
public meetings are scheduled at this time.
The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in January,
1999. At that time, the EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of
the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the Draft
EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA's notice of availability
appears in the Federal Register. It is very important that those
interested in management of the Clearwater project area participant at
that time. The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by April, 1999.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several count 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 statements stage buts that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Agoon 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 30-day scoping 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 developing issues and alternatives. To assist the Forest
Service in identifying and considering issues, comments should be as
specific to this proposal as possible. 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.
Dated: June 23, 1998.
Charles C. Wildes,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 98-17666 Filed 7-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M
