[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]
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