[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 230 (Wednesday, November 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71087-71088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-30400]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Comet Administrative Study EIS--Klamath National Forest

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) on a proposal to conduct an administrative study on 
1,880 acres of National Forest System land (Matrix land allocation 
only) in the Salmon River watershed near the towns of Sawyers Bar and 
Forks of Salmon in Siskiyou County, California. The purpose of the 
proposal is to conduct the Comet Administrative Study that will examine 
the cause and effect of Klamath National Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plan (Forest Plan) modeled silvicultural prescriptions and 
associated harvest techniques on presence and relative abundance of 
Survey and Manage (SM) mollusks (special survey and manage requirements 
for species that are rare or uncommon).

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
on or before December 29, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Jan Ford, Acting District Ranger, 
Salmon River Ranger District, 11263 N. Highway 3, Fort Jones, CA 96032. 
Electronic mail may be sent to [email protected]. See the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for additional information about 
electronic filing.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue Stresser, EIS Team Leader, (530) 
468-5351.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Administrative Study will be 
accomplished through the following actions:
    1. Collect pre-treatment information and data on mollusks using the 
approved survey strategy for the study.
    2. Test stand treatments as follows:
    (a) Green Tree Retention Prescription (GTR): Thirty-two stands with 
an average size of 15 acres have been chosen. The range of stand sizes 
varies from 4 to 32 acres. Half of these are north facing aspects 
(cool/moist). The remainder are south facing stands (warmer/drier). The 
treatments will be randomly applied with equal frequency (four treated 
and four as control for north aspects and the same for south aspects).
    (b) Commercial Thin Prescription: Thirty-two stands with an average 
size of 18 acres have been chosen. The range of stand sizes varies from 
6 to 69 acres. Half of these are north facing aspects (cool/moist). The 
remainder are south facing stands (warmer/drier). The treatments will 
be randomly applied with equal frequency (four treated and four as 
control for north aspects and the same for south aspects).
    (c) Group Selection Prescription: Thirty-two stands with an average 
size of 26 acres have been chosen. The range of stand sizes varies from 
8 to 50 acres. Half of these will be north facing aspects (cool/moist). 
The remainder will be south facing stands (warmer/drier). The 
treatments will be randomly applied with equal frequency (four treated 
and four as control for north aspects and the same for south aspects).
    (d) No treatments will occur in control stands. Control stands will 
remain untreated through the life of the project (up to 10 years).
    3. Apply logging systems to treatment stands in Item 2 above (see 
Table 1) as follows:
    a. Conventional cable systems on half of the stands (24 total 
omitting the controls), including an equal number of group selection, 
GTR, and commercial thinning stands (half of each on north slopes and 
half on south slopes); and
    b. Helicopter systems on the other half of the stands (24 total 
omitting controls), including an equal number of group selection, GTR, 
and commercial thinning stands (half of each on north slopes and half 
on south slopes).
    4. Apply fuels treatment/site preparation methods to treatment 
stands in Item 2 above, using a combination of the following: hand pile 
and burn, lop/scatter, yard unutilized material, jackpot (burning 
concentrations of slash), and underburn.
    5. Implement a combination of reforestation treatments, including 
planting, gopher baiting, and manual release.
    6. Pre-commercial thin natural regeneration within treatment 
stands.
    7. Implement the following transportation system improvements, 
including construction of temporary spur roads and landings, 
reconstruct portions of existing roads, and conduct road maintenance on 
existing system roads, as necessary for this administrative study.
    8. Collect information and data on presence and relative abundance 
of SM mollusk species post-project, and for up to ten years after the 
completion of the project, according to the approved survey strategy.
    9. Report findings after analysis is completed for each data 
collection.
    This Administrative Study will include a one-time, site-specific 
Forest Plan amendment. Management Recommendations for SM mollusks and 
Del Norte Salamander will be waived in order to examine the effects of 
stand treatments, as described above, on mollusk species.

Purpose and Need

    An important component of the Northwest Forest Plan Record of 
Decision for Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management 
Planning Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl (ROD, 
1994) is the facilitation of research activities to gather information 
and test hypotheses in a range of environmental conditions. Where 
appropriate, some research activities were expected to be exempted from 
the Standards and Guidelines of the ROD (ROD, page 15). The Northwest 
Forest Plan requires, through Standards

[[Page 71088]]

and Guidelines, the management of a number of species of plants and 
animals for which little information was available at the time the plan 
was authored.
    The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of 
implementing Forest Plan modeled silvicultural prescriptions and 
associated harvest techniques on existing mollusk populations. It will 
also analyze long-term impacts, if any, and will study the recovery 
rate of these species if impacts are caused by treatments.
    Many SM mollusks have been found in the Salmon River Watershed on 
the Klamath National Forest as a result of recent project-level and 
strategic surveys. These forested areas have experienced varying levels 
of human and natural disturbance (e.g., timber harvest, wildfire, 
roads). The administrative study will be used to gather information on 
the impacts of various harvest techniques, logging systems, and 
associated treatments on mollusks where very little information exists. 
Completion of this administrative study may assist with the development 
of long-term land management options on the Klamath National Forest.

Decision To Be Made

    Whether the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Klamath 
National Forest will implement this project as proposed, including a 
project-specific amendment to the Forest Plan.

Responsible Official

    Margaret Boland, Forest Supervisor, USDA Forest Service, 1312 
Fairlane Road, Yreka, California 96097 is the Responsible Official for 
making the recommendation whether to implement this administrative 
study or not. She will document her decision and rationale in a Record 
of Decision.

Public Involvement, Rationale, and Public Meetings

    In October 2000, this administrative study was included in the 
Klamath National Forest's Fall 2000 Schedule of Proposed Actions 
(SOPA), which was posted on the Klamath National Forest's internet 
website and mailed to the SOPA mailing list. In November 2000, a 
scoping letter of the proposed administrative study was sent to 
potentially affected individuals and anyone who expressed interest in 
this study. This notice will invite public comment for a period of 90 
days. Comments received will be included in the documentation for the 
EIS. 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, and 
local agencies and other individuals or organizations who may be 
interested in, or affected by, the proposed administrative study.
    While public participation in this analysis is welcome at any time, 
comments received within 45 days of the publication of this notice will 
be especially useful in the preparation of the Draft EIS. A public 
meeting associated with the project will be held to gain a better 
understanding of public issues and concerns. This meeting will be held 
in the late spring of 2001.
    Information from the meetings will be used in preparation of the 
draft and final EIS. The scoping process will include identifying: 
potential issues, significant issues to be analyzed in depth, 
alternatives to the proposed action, and potential environmental 
effects of the proposal and alternatives.

Electronic Access and Filing Addresses

    Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to 
[email protected]. Please reference the Comet 
Administrative Study on the subject line. Also, include your name and 
mailing address with your comments so documents pertaining to this 
project may be mailed to you.

Estimated Dates for Filing

    The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available for public review by 
November 2001. At that time, 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 of EPA publishes the Notice of 
Availability in the Federal Register. It is very important that those 
interested in the management of this area participate at that time.
    The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by February 2002. 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 Reviewers' Obligation To Comment

    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 EISs 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 
objections 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.

Margaret J. Boland,
Forest Supervisor, Klamath National Forest.
[FR Doc. 00-30400 Filed 11-28-00; 8:45 am]
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