[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 144 (Wednesday, July 28, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40813-40814]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-19233]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Chalk Creek Timber Sales, Willamette National Forest, Lane 
County, Oregon

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 Proposal Action to harvest and regenerate timber 
and thin young stands created by past regeneration harvest. The 
proposal also calls for the construction, reconstruction, and 
decommissioning of roads within the Chalk Creek, McKinley Creek, and 
Hamner Creek drainages of the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the 
Willamette River watershed. The planning area is bounded by the North 
Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River on the east, Alpine 
River to the west and north (the watershed boundary between the North 
Fork and the Fall Creek watershed) and an unnamed ridge to the south 
which separates Hamner Creek and High Creek. The area is approximately 
40 air miles east of the City of Eugene and 12 air miles northeast of 
the City of Oakridge. The Forest Service proposal will be in compliance 
with the 1990 Willamette National Forest Land and Resource Management 
Plan as amended by the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan, which provides the 
overall guidance for management of this area. These proposals are 
tentatively planned for implementation in fiscal year 2001 and 2002. 
The Willamette National Forest invites written comments and suggestions 
on the scope of the analysis. The agency will also give notice of the 
full environmental analysis and decision-making process so that 
interested and affected people are made aware as to how they may 
participate and contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope and implementation of the analysis 
should be received in writing by September 1, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning the 
management of this area to Rick Scott, District Ranger, Middle Fork 
Ranger District, Willamette National Forest, P.O. Box 1410, Oakridge, 
Oregon 97463.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct questions about the proposed 
action and the scope of analysis to Kristie Miller, Planning Resource 
Management Assistant or Tim Bailey, Project Coordinator, Middle Fork 
Ranger District, phone 541-782-2283.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Chalk Creek Planning area is entirely 
within the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River 
watershed, which is designated as a Tier 2 Key watershed by the 
Northwest Forest Plan (ROD, C-7). Tier 2 Key watersheds contain 
important sources of high quality water. A Watershed Analysis was 
completed for the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River 
in September, 1995.
    The purpose of this project is to harvest timber in a manner that 
implements the management objectives, and to implement various resource 
restoration activities to meet Key Watershed objectives.
    The proposed actions include harvesting timber in one to several 
commercial thinning timber sales over the next five years, and one 
regeneration harvest timber sale to be sold in the year 2001. Both 
thinning and regeneration timber sale proposals involve temporary road 
construction, system road reconstruction, and system road 
decommissioning. This analysis will evaluate alternative ways of 
addressing the Forest Service proposal to harvest approximately 15 
million board feet. Approximately 3 million board feet would be from 
thinning about 600 acres of young stands created by past clearcut 
harvest. Approximately 12 million board feet would from regeneration 
harvest on about 200 acres. All the above proposed harvest would 
require some temporary road construction and reconstruction of existing 
system roads.
    The Chalk Creek planning area comprises about 9,500 acres, all of 
which is National Forest System lands. Of the 9,500 acres about 4,200 
acres (44%) have been previously harvested and regenerated. Of the 
remaining acres, approximately 1,450 acres (15%) is in a late-
successional stand condition [ranging in ages from 80 to 170 years], 
and 3,500 acres (37%) is in an old-growth stand condition [stand ages 
exceeding 200 years]. The planning area contains about 200 acres (2%) 
of non-forest vegetation types. Management areas that provide for 
programmed timber harvest are Scenic (11c) and General Forest (14a). 
Other land allocations in this planning area are Late-Successional 
Reserves, Riparian Reserves, Wild and Scenic River Corridor, Special 
Wildlife Habitats, and one Old-Growth Grove.
    Preliminary issues identified for this analysis include water and 
stream quality, habitat fragmentation, economic benefit, reduction of 
habitat considered critical for the northern spotted owl, and road 
management.
    The Forest Service will be seeking information, comments and 
assistance from Federal, State, local agencies, tribes, and other 
individuals or organizations who may be interested or affected by the 
proposed project. This information will be used to determine the issues 
significant to the development and analysis of alternatives, to 
determine the appropriate range of alternative ways of implementing the 
proposed action, and to guide the analysis of effects. This input will 
be used in preparation of the draft EIS.

[[Page 40814]]

    The scoping process will include the following:
     Identification of potential issues;
     Identification of issues to be analyzed in depth;
     Elimination of insignificant issues or those which have 
been covered by a relevant previous environmental process;
     Exploration of alternative ways to implement the proposed 
actions based on the issues identified during the scoping process; and
     Determination of environmental effects of the proposed 
action 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 for public review by 
December 1, 1999. 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.
    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, a reviewer of 
a draft EIS 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 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 
objectives are made available to the Forest Service at a time when it 
can meaningfully consider them 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 statement. Comments may also 
address the adequacy of the draft EIS 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).
    The final EIS is scheduled to be completed in November, 2000. 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 the decision 
regarding this proposal. Rick Scott, District Ranger, is the 
responsible official and as responsible official, he will document the 
chalk Creek Timber Sales project decision and rationale in a record of 
Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal 
Regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

    Dated: July 12, 1999.
Rick Scott,
District Ranger.
[FR Doc. 99-19233 Filed 7-27-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M