[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 164 (Tuesday, August 25, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45220-45222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22736]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Upper Charley Subwatershed Ecosystem Restoration Projects
Umatilla National Forest, Garfield County, Washington
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) on a proposed action to implement ecosystem restoration
projects, designed to promote healthy watershed conditions, within the
Upper Charley subwatershed. The project area is located on the Pomeroy
Ranger District approximately 10 air miles southeast of Pomeroy,
Washington.
Proposed project activities consist of in-channel fish habitat
projects, hydrologic stability projects (road obliteration, road re-
alignment/reconstruction), wildlife enhancement projects, range
improvements, noxious weed treatments, recreation opportunities,
landscape prescribed fire, and restoration of forest stand structure/
composition using a variety of silvicultural treatments including
commercial timber harvest. The proposed action is designed to reduce
risks to ecosystem sustainability, prevent further degradation of
forest health, reduce risks of catastrophic wildfire, improve or
maintain aquatic and terrestrial habitat, manage access to protect
wildlife, and provide some economic return to local economies.
The EIS will tier to the 1990 Land and Resource Management Plan
FEIS for the Umatilla National Forest, which provides overall guidance
for forest management of the area.
DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be
received on or before September 24, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions to the Responsible
Official, Monte Fujishin, District Ranger, Pomeroy Ranger District, 71
West Main Street, Pomeroy Washington, 99347.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Walker, Project Team Leader,
Pomeroy Ranger District. Phone: (509) 843-1891.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The decision area contains approximately
7,650 acres within the Umatilla National Forest in Garfield County,
Washington. It is within the boundary of the Upper Charley subwatershed
of the Asotin watershed. The legal description of the decision area is
as follows: Sections 11-14, 22-28, and 33-36 Township 9 North, Range 42
East; and Sections 8, 17-20 and 30 Township 9 North, Range 43 East, and
Sections 3 and 4 Township 8 North, Range 42 East, W.M. surveyed. All
proposed activities are outside the boundaries of any roadless or
wilderness areas.
Fish habitat projects include in-channel restoration, pond
construction, and stabilization of streambanks. Proposed hydrologic
stability projects include 14.04 miles of road obliteration, 13 miles
of road realignment/reconstruction, and revegetation of cut and fill
slopes. Snag creation, construction of cisterns for non-big game
species and prescribed burning for elk habitat are proposed to enhance
wildlife habitat. Noxious weed treatments to help restore biodiversity
and productivity of native plant species are also included in the
proposed action. A variety of silvicultural methods would treat
approximately 4,492 acres within the area. Approximately 4.3 miles of
temporary road construction is proposed to access timber harvest areas
(all temporary roads would be obliterated following completion of sale
activities), and approximately 7.71 miles of existing non-system roads
would be added to the transportation system for future project use.
This proposal also includes prescribed burning within harvest units
(3,554 acres) and outside of harvest units (2,000 acres) to reduce the
potential for future wildfires, prepare sites for regeneration, enhance
wildlife habitat and maintain forest health by bringing fuel levels
closer to their historic levels.
An estimated 18.2 million board feet of timber would be
commercially harvested on approximately 3,554 acres. Proposed
silvicultural treatments are briefly described as follows:
Precommercial Thinned: Saplings would be thinned to a tree per acre
variable spacing to promote growth and provide a sustainable species
composition. This treatment is proposed on 938 acres.
Thin from Below: Thinning of stand to recommended stocking level
(listed by residual square feet of basal area per acre). This would be
accomplished by leaving the largest and healthiest trees on each
microsite. This treatment is proposed on 885 acres.
Uneven-aged Management: Stand densities would be reduced to 60-100
square feet of basal area per acres by removing the least vigorous
trees greater than 7 inches DBH. This treatment is proposed on 2,176
acres.
Shelterwood Group Selection: Windfirm trees favoring western larch
and ponderosa pine would be retained as groups and individuals.
Openings from one-half to four acres would occur in areas of insect and
disease pockets and low vigor fir thickets. This treatment is proposed
on 493 acres.
For all harvest treatments existing snags and large down wood would
be left on site. Ponderosa pine and western larch would be the
preferred species for leave trees. All trees greater than 21 inches DBH
would be left in the ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir biophysical groups
(both are below their historic range of variability). Thinning of
saplings would occur after harvest.
The proposed action will tier to the FEIS and Umatilla Forest Plan,
as amended, which provides goals, objectives, standards, and guidelines
for the various activities and land allocations on the forest. In the
project/analysis area there are eight designated management areas
(MAs): A6, A9, C1, C3, C3A, C4, C5 and E2. Management area A6-Developed
Recreation is managed to provide recreation opportunities that are
dependent on the
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development of structural facilities for user convenience (no timber
harvest is allowed). A9-Special Interest Area is managed to preserve
and interpret areas of significant cultural, historical, geological,
botanical, or other special characteristics for educational, scientific
and public enjoyment purposes (no timber harvest allowed). C1-Dedicated
Old Growth is managed to provide and protect sufficient suitable
habitat for wildlife species dependent upon mature and/or overmature
forest stands and promote a diversity of vegetative conditions for such
species (no timber harvest allowed). C3-Big Game Winter Range is
managed to provide high levels of potential habitat effectiveness and
high quality forage for big game species (timber harvest is allowed).
C3A-Sensitive Big Game Winter Range is managed to provide high levels
of potential habitat effectiveness (timber harvest allowed only under
catastrophic conditions). C4-Wildlife Habitat is managed to provide
high levels of potential habitat effectiveness for big game and other
wildlife species with emphasis on size and distribution of habitat
components (timber harvest is allowed). C5-Riparian is managed to
maintain or enhance water quality, and produce a high level of
potential habitat capability for all species of fish and wildlife
within the designated riparian habitat areas while providing for a high
level of habitat effectiveness for big game (limited timber harvest is
allowed). E2-Timber and Big Game is managed to emphasize production of
wood fiber (timber), encourage forage production, and maintain a
moderate level of big game and other wildlife habitat (timber harvest
is allowed). Timber harvest for the proposed action would only take
place in management areas C3 and E2.
The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of
these will be the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the
proposed activities would be implemented. Additional alternatives will
examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to
achieve the proposal's purposes, as well as to respond to the issues
and other resource values.
Preliminary Issues: Tentatively, the preliminary issues identified
are briefly described below:
1. Wildlife Habitat--What effects would timber harvest and
prescribed burning have on big game and non-game habitat?
2. Ecosystem Sustainability--How would the proposed activities
effect ecosystem sustainability and forest health?
3. Air Quality--What effects would landscape prescribed burning
have on air quality?
4. Water Quality/Riparian Habitat--How would water quality, flow,
temperature, timing and riparian habitat conditions be effected by the
proposed activities?
5. Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive (TES) Species--What effect
will the proposed activities have on TES species and what opportunities
exist to improve habitat?
6. Road Management--What opportunities exist to obliterate roads
and reduce road density in the subwatershed?
7. Noxious Weeds--What effects would the proposed activities have
on noxious weed populations?
This list will be verified, expanded, or modified based on public
scoping and interdisciplinary review of this proposal.
Public participation will be especially important at several points
during the analysis, beginning with the scoping process (40 CFR
1501.7). Initial scoping began with the project listing in the 1997
Winter Edition of the Umatilla National Forest's Schedule of Proposed
Actions. A public meeting will be scheduled for September, 1998 to
discuss the project, other meetings will be scheduled as needed. This
environmental analysis and decision making process will enable
additional interested and affected people to participate and contribute
to the final decision. The public is encouraged to take part in the
process and is encouraged to visit with 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, local agencies, and other individuals or organizations who may
be interested in, or affected by the proposal. This input will be used
in preparation of the Draft EIS. The scoping process includes:
1. Identifying potential issues.
2. Identifying major issues to be analyzed in depth.
3. Identifying issues which have been covered by a relevant
previous environmental analysis.
4. Considering additional alternatives based on themes which will
be derived from issues recognized during scoping activities.
5. Identifying potential environmental effects of this project and
alternatives (i.e. direct, indirect, and cumulative effects and
connected actions).
The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available to the public for review by
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 publishes
the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. It is important
that those interested in the management of the Umatilla National Forest
participate at that time.
The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by May, 1999. In the
Final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to comments and
responses received during the comment period that pertain to the
environmental consequences discussed in the Draft EIS and applicable
laws, regulations, and policies considered in making a decision
regarding the proposal.
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 EIS's must structure their participation in the environmental
review of the proposal so that it is meaningful and alerts the 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 EIS stage but that are not
raised until after completion of the final EIS 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 and respond to them in the Final EIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the Draft EIS should
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to
specific pages or chapters of the Draft EIS. Comments may also address
the adequacy of the Draft EIS or 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).
The Forest Service is the lead agency. Monte Fujishin, District
Ranger, is the Responsible Official. As the Responsible Official, he
will decide which, if any, of
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the proposed projects will be implemented. He will document the
decision and reasons for the decision in the Record of Decision. That
decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR
part 215).
Dated: August 17, 1998.
Monte Fujishin,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 98-22736 Filed 8-24-98; 8:45 am]
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