[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 7 (Thursday, January 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1328-1329]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-612]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Moose Post Fire Project, Flathead National Forest, Flathead 
County, Montana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; Intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) for a proposal to manage forest resources within and 
adjacent to the Moose Fire affected area, which burned 70,000 acres in 
August-September of 2001 (approximately 35,000 acres burned on lands 
administrated by the Forest Service). The project area is on the 
Glacier View Ranger District, Flathead National Forest, and is bordered 
on the east by Glacier National Park and the North Fork of the Flathead 
River, on the north by the Coal Creek State Forest, and on the west by 
the Whitefish Divide. The city of Columbia Falls, Montana is located 
about 10 air miles to the southeast.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
in writing on or before 30 days after publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register. The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the 
Environmental Protection Agency and made available for public review in 
May 2002. No date has yet been determined for filing the final EIS.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Jimmy DeHerrera, District Ranger, 
P.O. Box 190340, Hungry Horse, Montana 59919 or call (406) 387-3800.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Draggoo, Planning Team Leader, 
(406) 387-3827.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Moose Fire created a situation that is 
very favorable for the development of spruce beetle and Douglas-fir 
beetle epidemic conditions. The fire severely weakened or killed large 
numbers of spruce and Douglas-fir, and the beetles are well adapted to 
capitalize on such events. Spruce bark beetles were found in endemic 
levels prior to the fire and Douglas-fir bark beetles were building in 
several areas across the Flathead National Forest including in the 
vicinity of the Moose Fire area.
    Beetle numbers can rapidly build when they are suddenly presented 
with abundant food and breeding habitat such as provided by the many 
acres of dead and stressed trees within the Moose Fire area. Once the 
adult beetles emerge from the fire stressed trees, they will search for 
the next nearest source of food. They are capable of flying about five 
miles in search of habitat, thus posing a very real threat to mature, 
larger diameter spruce and Douglas-fir trees outside the fire area.
    Fire killed trees in the Moose Fire area have already started 
falling and will continue to come down over the next 15-20 years. This 
will result in extremely heavy fuel loads adjacent to private property 
and the administrative sites. If a fire does occur in these areas, the 
fuel accumulations, fuel continuity and profile would make the fire 
difficult to contain and control. A large high intensity fire would 
likely again threaten or burn private property, administrative sites 
and valuable forest resources.
    Fire-killed trees also do not typically maintain their 
merchantability as wood products for more than 1 to 3 years, depending 
on their species and size. Sapwood staining, checking, woodborer 
damage, and decay will deleteriously affect volume after that time. 
Smaller diameter trees typically will not be merchantable within a year 
while larger diameter trees can retain their merchantability longer but 
will lose their value as wood products as time goes on. Removing an 
appropriate amount of fire-affected trees while considering ecological 
needs, before they lose their timber value and starting the 
reforestation process helps facilitate meeting desired conditions 
within the Moose Fire Project area.
    The proposed action includes the following resource management 
activities: salvage trees that were burned on approximately 4300 to 
5300 acres; use a combination of pheromone baiting, trap trees, and 
funnel trees to help address existing and future spruce bark beetle and 
Douglas-fir bark beetle concerns; and the reduce fuels in urban/
interface and administrative site areas. Approximately 1000 acres are 
proposed for salvage in inventoried roadless lands. Planting conifer 
seedlings and making sure that best management practices would be 
maintained on roads used for the salvage would also be included in this 
project. Additionally, road access would be changed in two grizzly bear 
subunits to meet the Flathead Forest Plan's Amendment 19 ten-year goals 
and objectives, relative to

[[Page 1329]]

grizzly bear security. Approximately 22 miles of open yearlong/
seasonally open road would be restricted yearlong within the Werner 
Creek and Lower Big Creek grizzly bear subunits. Also, approximately 57 
miles of road would be decommissioned in both grizzly bear subunits.
    The purpose and need for the actions are to: decrease potential 
mortality cause by bark beetles to remaining live Douglas-fir and 
spruce trees within and outside the Moose fire are; recover 
merchantable wood fiber affected by the Moose Fire in timely manner to 
support local communities and contribute to the long-term yield of 
forest products; and to reduce future fire risk and hazard by reducing 
future fuel accumulations caused by the Moose Fire adjacent to private 
property or administrative sites.
    This EIS will tier to the Flathead National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan and EIS of January 1986, and its subsequent 
amendments, which provide overall guidance for land management 
activities on the Flatheads National Forest.
    Preliminary issues and concerns include effects of treatments on 
inventoried roadless lands, effects of treatments on riparian areas, 
effects of treatments on recreational motorized access, and effects of 
treatments on threatened/endangered species such as bull trout and 
grizzly bears.
    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 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 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 impact statement may 
be waived or dismissed by the courts. 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 on 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 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).
    The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Flathead 
National Forest, 1935 3rd Avenue East, Kalispell, Montana 59901. The 
Forest Supervisor will make a decision regarding this proposal 
considering the comments and response, environmental consequences 
discussed in the final EIS, and applicable laws, regulations, and 
policies. The decision and rationale for the decision will be 
documented in a Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to 
appeal under applicable Forest Service regulations.

    Dated: January 4, 2002.
Cathy Barbouletos,
Forest Supervisor--Flathead National Forest.
[FR Doc. 02-612 Filed 1-9-02; 8:45 am]
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