[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]
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