[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 221 (Tuesday, November 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63830-63831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30656]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project; Idaho Panhandle National 
Forests, Bonner County Idaho and Pend Oreille County, Washington; 
Colville National Forests, Pend Oreille 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) to disclose the potential environmental effects of 
proposed activities in forest stands infested with Douglas-fir bark 
beetle. Activities include reducing fuels in urban interface areas, 
restoring historic vegetation patterns in areas of significant 
mortality, and accomplishing other ecosystem restoration opportunities 
to benefit aquatic, watershed and wildlife habitat areas in the 
southern portion of the Priest Lake and the Newport Ranger Districts.

DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before 
December 17, 1998. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and 
available for public review in January, 1999. A Final Environmental 
Impact Statement will be published no sooner than February 16, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposal or 
requests to be placed on the project mailing list to Kent Dunstan, 
Priest Lake Ranger District, 32203 Hwy. 57, Priest River, ID 83856.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pete Zimmerman, Sandpoint Ranger District, 1500 Hwy. 2, Suite 110, 
Sandpoint, ID 83864, (208) 263-5111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Snow, ice and wind during the winter of 
1996-97 damaged trees on the Idaho Panhandle (IPNF) and Colville 
National Forests. These events created a tremendous amount of forest 
debris on the ground in many areas including tops, limbs, and standing 
dead and down trees. Douglas-fir bark beetle populations increased 
after breeding in the winter storm damaged and weakened trees. Standing 
trees were attacked in the spring and summer of 1998. Aerial detection 
surveys conducted in 1998 showed extensive numbers of dead, mature 
Douglas-fir trees on national forest system, state, and private lands, 
especially in areas of past ice and winter storm damage.
    Since the bark beetle outbreak is so widespread, we recognize there 
is not much we can do to control or stop it. There is, however, an 
opportunity to care for the lands affected by the beetle by focusing on 
restoration of the ecosystems where the beetle is causing significant 
amounts of the Douglas-fir trees to die.
    With the amount of downed fuels and high level of public use in 
certain areas, the risk of severe fires is much higher. Fires igniting 
in these areas will be more difficult to control and the increased fuel 
loading is likely to result in more intense fires. Highly used 
recreation areas and areas adjacent to private land are particularly 
vulnerable because the potential for ignition is greater. In areas 
where urban or private values are at risk due to fuel accumulations 
related to the Douglas-fir beetle outbreak, fuels would be treated by 
timber harvest, burning and/or piling so as to reduce the risk of 
losing these values to wildfire.
    In many of the beetle-attacked stands, there is almost twice as 
much Douglas-fir on the landscape than what was historically present, 
and a significant decrease of seral species such as ponderosa pine, 
white pine and larch, which are more resistant to insects and some 
diseases. In these areas, the intent would be to restore stand 
composition and structure to more closely resemble historic vegetation 
conditions. Regeneration harvest activities would be proposed in stands 
of at least five acres in size where greater than 50% of the stand 
within the area is projected to die from the current Douglas-fir beetle 
outbreak. Activities include harvest, site preparation and/or fuels 
hazard reduction with fire or by mechanical methods and tree planting.
    In stands affected by Douglas-fir beetle that do not meet criteria 
for urban interface or vegetation restoration, selective harvest 
treatment activities would be proposed in stands where less than 50% of 
the stand within the area is projected to die from the current Douglas-
fir beetle outbreak and also in areas of special management need or 
where public safety issues are a concern. Activities include harvest 
and fuel hazard reduction by fire or mechanical methods.
    Aquatic, watershed and wildlife restoration activities would 
include closing or obliterating roads for watershed health and wildlife 
security and modifying, by reconstruction, other road elements that 
pose risks to watersheds. These activities may not be associated with 
timber sales. Where activities are associated with timber sales and 
along haul routes, watershed restoration would be achieved when 
practical.
    Prescribed fire use to reduce fuel hazard and to prepare sites for 
regeneration would not be limited to timber harvest areas but may also 
be used where harvest is not practical.
    Pest management techniques, including application of pheromones to 
protect high valued stands, would be used in those areas where such 
treatment would likely be effective.
    As part of the proposed action, timber harvest will not occur in: 
(1) Allocated old-growth that maintains old-growth characteristics, (2) 
Riparian Habitat Conservation Areas, (3) Inventoried Roadless Areas, 
(4) stands where a minimum number of snags cannot be maintained, (5) 
areas of known populations of sensitive plant species, (6) areas where 
they result in a likely to adversely affect determination for 
Threatened or Endangered Species, (7)

[[Page 63831]]

areas where harvest can affect sphagnum peatlands, and (8) proposed or 
designated Research Natural Areas. In addition, no permanent roads will 
be constructed as part of the Proposed Action. Temporary roads may be a 
part of the proposed action.
    Preliminary issues identified are loss of road access, risk of fire 
in untreated areas, loss of timber value, effects on plants, wildlife 
and fish, and amount of ecosystem restoration accomplished.
    The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of 
these will be the ``no action'' alternative, under which there would be 
no change from current management of the Forest. Additional 
alternatives will represent a range of strategies to accomplish the 
goals of this project. The Idaho Panhandle National Forests Land and 
Resource Management Plan and the Colville National Forest Plan as 
amended provide guidance for management objectives within the 
potentially affected area through its goals, objectives, standards and 
guidelines, and management area direction. Inland Native Fish Strategy 
guidelines (USDA Forest Service, 1995) supercede Forest Plan guidelines 
established for riparian areas.
    Public participation will begin with the publication of this 
notice. Comments provided by the public and other agencies will be used 
to develop alternative strategies to this proposal. The public is 
encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials during the analysis 
and prior to the decision. The Forest Service is also 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 actions.
    The draft environmental impact statement 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 environmental impact statement in the Federal 
Register. The comment period on the draft environmental impact 
statement will be 45 days from the date the EPA publishes the Notice of 
Availability in the Federal Register. A final environmental impact 
statement will be published after all comments are reviewed and 
responded to. Two Records of Decision will be published at that time: 
one for the Priest Lake Ranger District and one for the Newport Ranger 
District.
    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, 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 statement 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 them and respond to 
them in the final environmental impact statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns regarding 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 environmental impact 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.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the 
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public 
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and 
considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments may not have 
standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR part 215. 
Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the 
agency ti withhold a submission from the public record by showing how 
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. 
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under the 
FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very limited 
circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service 
will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding the 
request for confidentiality, and where the request is denies, the 
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the 
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a 
specified number of days.
    We are the responsible officials for this environmental impact 
statement and will decide which projects will be implemented. Addresses 
are: Priests Lake Ranger District, 32203 Hwy 57, Priest River, ID 83856 
and Colville National Forest, 765 S. Main St., Colville, WA 99114.

    Dated: November 9, 1998.
Kent L. Dunstan,
District Ranger, Priest Lake Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National 
Forests.

    Dated: November 10, 1998.
Robert L. Vaught,
Forest Supervisor, Colville National Forest.
[FR Doc. 98-30656 Filed 11-16-98; 8:45 am]
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