[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 205 (Tuesday, October 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-26369]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: October 25, 1994]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

 

Boise River Wildfire Recovery Project, Boise National Forest, 
Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Rabbit Creek, Bannock Creek and Star Gulch Wildfires 
burned a total of 182,000 acres in July, August, and September of 1994. 
Approximately 173,000 acres burned within the boundaries of National 
Forest System lands. Personnel on the Boise National Forest intend to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to assess opportunities to 
salvage the economic value of fire killed and imminently dead trees in 
combination with treatments to promote regeneration of trees on 
forested areas, maintain or improve hydrologic conditions of affected 
watersheds, and protect long-term soil site productivity. These 
activities are to occur on 95,000 acres of the Idaho City and Mountain 
Home Ranger Districts.
    All proposals will provide visual resource needs on river segments 
eligible for wild, scenic, or recreational classification under the 
Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and provide for wildlife and fisheries 
habitat.
    Past experience with wildfire timber recovery efforts on the Boise 
National Forest have proved that prompt action is required to recover 
the economic value of fire killed trees. The trees, mostly ponderosa 
pine and Douglas-fir, are expected to lose 20 to 80 percent of their 
economic value after just one summer season. In addition, there is an 
expected benefit to watershed recovery from the slash that is created 
by salvage harvest operations.
    Proposals for treatment of the area will be based on area burn 
intensity, slope characteristics, soil and land types, wildlife habitat 
needs, soil erosion and sediment reduction techniques, visual quality 
protection, and economics.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: There are approximately 23,000 acres burned 
within Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs). The IRAs affected are 
Breadwinner, Grand Mountain, Mt. Heinen and Ten Mile/Black Warrior. In 
addition, approximately 35,000 acres of an area recommended for 
wilderness designation burned. Approximately 30,000 acres burned within 
the Sawtooth Wilderness.
    Within the burn area are approximately 1,000 acres of the 6,865-
acre Boise Basin Experimental Forest, slightly more than 300 acres of 
the 445-acre Bannock Creek Research Natural Area, and approximately 100 
acres of the proposed 874-acre North Fork Boise River Research Natural 
Area.
    Approximately 45 miles of eligible Wild, Scenic and Recreational 
River segments (North Fork Boise, Middle Fork Boise, Crooked, and Bear 
Rivers) were included in the fire area. Many acres of wildlife and fish 
habitat were affected.
    Burn intensities in the fire area varied considerably. Within the 
fire perimeter, approximately 46,000 acres burned at high intensity, 
46,000 acres burned at moderate intensity and 85,000 acres burned at 
low intensity. Approximately 5,000 acres inside the fire perimeter did 
not burn.

Proposed Action

    Treat approximately 95,000 acres of National Forest System lands to 
recover the economic value of the timber, promote regeneration of trees 
on forested areas, maintain or improve hydrologic conditions of 
affected watersheds, and protect long-term soil site productivity.
    Approximately 18,000 acres of suitable timber lands are not 
expected to regenerating naturally, and will be planted. Of these, 
approximately 4,000 acres are within the IRAs. All other suitable 
timber acres are projected to reforest naturally and will be monitored 
for natural regeneration success.
    The fire area includes the Boise Basin Experimental Forest which 
will be treated as lands suitable for harvest.
    Salvage harvest may occur in the IRAs (Breadwinner, Grand Mtn., Mt. 
Heinen, and Ten Mile/Black Warrior outside of Management Area 28).
    No harvest will occur within the Recommended Wilderness (Forest 
Plan Management Area 28 portion of the Ten Mile/Black Warrior IRA) or 
the Sawtooth Wilderness.
    No harvest will occur within the Research Natural Areas, or within 
the one-quarter mile corridor of river segments eligible for wild or 
scenic classification.
    In moderate to high intensity burn areas, only dead trees will be 
harvested. In low intensity burn areas, dead and imminently dead trees 
(those with more than 75 percent of the crown scorched or infested with 
bark beetles) will be harvested.
    Snags required for wildlife habitat or shade for regeneration will 
be left in all areas.
    Protection of bald eagle and osprey roost trees will be achieved by 
maintaining a strip at least 200 feet wide along the North Fork Boise 
River. Trees may be removed for public safety.
    Visual quality objectives will be met on river segments eligible 
for recreational classification, and on trails and roads.
    Cultural resource sites will be protected.
    Riparian areas will be protected.
    Sensitive plant habitat which remains will be protected.
    The Cottonwood drainage is important for elk calving and big game 
summer range, and receives high levels of use from people. In 
recognition of this, the treatment prescription for this area will 
maintain security habitat for big game.
    On areas where surplus trees occur, a combination of helicopter, 
skyline, jammer and tractor systems will be used in the harvest effort. 
To protect watersheds and fisheries habitat, tractor logging will be 
limited to slopes less than 30 percent in moderate to high intensity 
burn areas, and less than 40 percent in low intensity burn areas. 
Harvest trees will be fully suspended from the ground during logging 
operations in riparian areas. One end suspension will be allowed in 
skyline areas unless analysis shows full suspension is needed to limit 
erosion. The Idaho Forest Practices Act and watershed and fisheries 
evaluation guidelines will be used to determine protection measures on 
streams.
    Some temporary road construction will be required to access 
helicopter landings. Minor amounts of reconstruction of existing roads 
will also be required. No roads or log landings will be constructed in 
the IRAs.

Issues

    Initial scoping has indicated that a key issue to the Proposed 
Action is salvage harvesting in IRAs and the potential effect it may 
have on the wilderness attributes of the area.

Alternatives to the Proposed Action

    Two alternatives to the Proposed Action have been identified. They 
are the No Action alternative and an alternative that would not include 
salvage harvesting in the IRAs. Other alternatives may be developed as 
issues are raised and information is received.

Decision To Be Made

    The Boise National Forest Supervisor will decide the following: 
what amount, type and distribution of dead and imminently dead trees, 
within the fire areas are needed to maintain post-fire ecological 
function, how should dead and imminently dead trees within fire areas, 
not needed to maintain ecosystem function be harvested, and still 
protect those functions, and what forested acres need to be planted to 
aid ecosystem recovery.

Public Involvement Meetings

    Open houses have been conducted in Boise and Idaho City, Idaho in 
October, 1994. Additional presentations will be made upon request.

Agency/Public Contacts

    Contacts have been made with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as 
to threatened and endangered species listed for the project area, area 
residents, conservation groups, and timber industry. A summary of the 
project methodology was mailed to key individuals, groups and agencies 
for a response to the Proposed Action and issues identification. This 
mailing list consisted of about 350 people who are generally interested 
in the Boise National Forest and Idaho City NEPA projects, and people 
who were interested in the Boise National Forest's Foothills Wildfire 
Timber Recovery Project in 1992.

Schedule

    Draft Environmental Impact Statement, November 30, 1994. Final EIS, 
January, 1995. Implementation, March, 1995.

Comments

    Comments concerning the proposed project and analysis should be 
received in writing on or before November 26, 1994. Mail comments to 
Terry Padilla, Idaho City Ranger District, Boise National Forest, PO 
Box 129, Idaho City, ID 83631, Telephone, (208) 364-4330. Further 
information can be obtained at the same location.
    The comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact will be 45 
days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the 
notice of availability in the Federal Register.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice 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, 1002 (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 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 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.

Responsible Official

    Cathy Barbouletos, Acting Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest, 
1750 Front Street, Boise, ID 83702.

    Dated: October 18, 1994.
Cathy Barbouletos,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 94-26369 Filed 10-24-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M