[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 131 (Wednesday, July 9, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40900-40901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-17300]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Lower Tucannon Ecosystem Maintenance Project, Umatilla National 
Forest, Columbia County, WA

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 environmental effects of watershed 
restoration and ecosystem maintenance actions in the Little Tucannon 
sub-watershed of the Upper Tucannon watershed located on the Umatilla 
National Forest. The Lower Tucannon analysis area is located 
approximately 12 air miles southwest of Pomeroy, Washington. Proposed 
Actions include: landscape prescribed fire, commercial timber harvest, 
and native plant species re-vegetation to promote and improve ecosystem 
sustainability, reducing fuels to historic levels in dry forest types, 
through mechanical methods and prescribed fire; move dry and moist 
forest types, in the analysis area, closer to historic vegetative 
stocking levels and species composition; and conduct road obliteration, 
road reconstruction, and construction of temporary roads. The Proposed 
Actions are being considered together because they represent either 
connected or cumulative actions. This EIS will be consistent with the 
1990 Umatilla National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest 
Plan) for the, which provides overall guidance for forest management of 
the area. All activities associated with this proposal will be designed 
for maintenance or improvement of the forest ecosystems, watersheds, 
vegetation, wildlife, and fisheries resources.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be 
received by August 30, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions to Monte Fujishin, 
District Ranger, Pomeroy Ranger District, 71 West Main, Pomeroy, 
Washington 99347.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Randall Walker, Project Team Leader, 
Pomeroy Ranger District. Phone: (509) 843-1891.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area contains approximately 
16,300 acres within the Umatilla National Forest in Columbia County, 
Washington. It encompasses an area of the Upper Tucannon watershed from 
San Sousi Spring along the Little Tucannon and Tucannon Rivers north to 
the National Forest Boundary. Legal description is as follows: portions 
of Sections 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, and 14 of Township 8 North, Range 40 
East; Sections 5 and 6 of Township 8 North, Range 41 East; Sections 24, 
25, 26, 35, and 36 of Township 9 North, Range 40 East; Sections 2, 3, 
4, 9-24, and 26-35 of Township 9 North, Range 41 East, W.M. surveyed. 
All proposed activities are outside the boundaries of any wilderness 
area. Approximately 7,360 acres of the analysis area are within 
Inventoried Roadless Areas (Willow Springs (6,100 acres) and Meadows 
Creek (1,250 acres)).
    Purpose and Need for Action. Findings from the Tucannon Watershed 
Assessment identify that past fire suppression activities, selective 
harvest, and recent drought conditions have contributed to the ongoing 
degradation of forest ecosystem sustainability in the watershed. These 
past activities and climate conditions have transformed the ecosystem 
processes and altered stand structure, tree species composition, and 
the tree stocking levels of forest stands in the watershed to non-
historic levels, and have directly contributed to increased fuel 
loading. The purpose of this project is to develop and analyze a 
combination of actions that best responds to the recommendations of the 
responsible official and the findings of the Tucannon Watershed 
Assessment. The need for prompt action emphasizes implementation of 
ecosystem management projects to promote healthy watershed conditions. 
To promote ecosystem based management there is a need to provide 
direction to encourage and sustain long-term vegetation enhancement, 
wildlife habit improvements, long-term recreation use planning, and the 
maintenance and/or improvement of sustainable fish and wildlife 
habitat.
    Propose Action. The Proposed Action will be consistent with the 
Forest Plan, as amended, which provides goals, objectives, standards, 
and guidelines for the various activities and land allocations on the 
forest. The following acres of various land allocations located within 
the analysis area will be affected: A3-Viewshed 1 (54 acres); A6-
Developed Recreation (7 acres); C1-Dedicated Old Growth (508 acres); 
C3-Big Game Winter Range (8,847 acres); C4-Wildlife Habitat (4,256 
acres); C5-Riparian and Wildlife (523 acres); C8-Grass-Tree Mosaic 
(1,280 acres); and E2-Timber and Big Game (775 acres). The total 
analysis area is 16,251 acres. Timber management (harvest) for the 
project is only proposed in management area C3, C4, and E2. Fuels 
treatment for this project are proposed in all management allocations. 
The Forest Service proposes to reduce conifer stocking levels on 
approximately 10,000 acres of forested land (5,000 acres of which are 
within roadless) by removing diseased, overstocked, or high risk trees 
through manual thinning and prescribed burning. Approximately 4,500 (no 
acres within roadless) of the above 10,000 acres may be commercial 
thinned, yielding approximately 20 million board feet of timber. 
Approximately one half of these commercial acres would require 
helicopter yarding. Less than two miles of temporary road construction 
would be needed to access timber harvest areas. All temporary roads 
would be obliterated following completion of sale activities. No road 
construction or reconstruction is being proposed within the roadless 
areas. An additional 3.5 miles of existing roads that are no longer in 
use could be obliterated by natural or mechanical methods. The 
obliteration method used would be based on site-specific conditions. 
Some of the proposed road to be obliterated is located within the 
roadless areas. An estimated 17.5 miles of road resurfacing/
reconstruction would be needed to haul timber and accomplish other 
treatments. This proposal also includes prescribed burning of 4,500 
acres within harvest units and 5,500 acres of forested land outside of 
harvest units. Approximately 5,000 acres of non-forested grasslands are 
also proposed for prescribed burning.

[[Page 40901]]

    A primary result of these activities would be a reduction of 
accumulated down fuel loadings, which would dramatically decrease the 
potential for future high intensity wildfires and improve the chance to 
keep fires that do start to a smaller size. Furthermore, it would 
prepare the sites for regeneration, enhance wildlife habitat and 
maintain forest health by bringing fuel levels closer to historic 
levels. Some thinning of saplings would occur to reduce excessive 
ladder fuels and lower the risk of crown fire and catastrophic wildfire 
while allowing residual trees to grow at a sustainable rate. The only 
ground disturbing activity proposed is the obliteration of 3.5 miles of 
existing road. Ladder fuel reduction using chainsaws and prescribed 
fire is proposed for those areas that have become overgrown with 
smaller diameter trees thus creating a fuel profile that acts as a 
``fire ladder'' to the crowns of the dominant overstory trees.
    Issues. The following are the preliminary issues identified: 
Wildlife habitat; Fuels/Catastrophic Wildfire Risk; Ecosystem 
Sustainability; Air Quality; Water Quality/Riparian Habitat; 
Threatened; Endangered and Sensitive (TES) Species; Road Management; 
Noxious Weeds; Recreation; and Urban interface. This list will be 
verified, expanded, or modified based on public scoping and 
interdisciplinary review of this proposal.
    Alternative. The Forest Service will consider a full range of 
alternatives. One of these will be the ``no action'' alternative in 
which no active management activities would take place. Another 
alternative will examine restoration involving no commercial timber 
harvest. Additional alternatives will examine varying levels, 
locations, and methods for the proposed activities to achieve the 
proposal's purposes, as well as to respond to the issues and other 
resource values. The Forest Service has begun discussions with the 
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife with the objective of 
looking at all watershed activities in a concerted cooperative process 
for comprehensive watershed restoration between ownerships.
    Scoping Process. Public participation will be especially important 
at several points during the analysis, beginning with the scoping 
process. 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 fall 2003, to discuss 
the project and 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 that may 
be interested in, or affected by the proposal. This input will be used 
in preparation of the draft EIS.
    Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review: The draft EIS expected to be filed with the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and to be available to the public 
for review February 2004. The comment period on the draft EIS will be 
45 days from the EPA publishes the notice of availability in the 
Federal Register. The final EIS is scheduled to be released September 
2004.
    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 and made available to the Forest Service at a time when it 
can meaningful 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 specified 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.)
    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 at the draft EIS and 
applicable laws, regulations, and policies considered in making a 
decision regarding the proposal.
    The Forest Service is the lead agency. Monte Fujishin, Pomeroy 
District Ranger, is the responsible official. The responsible official 
will decide which, if any, of the proposed projects will be 
implemented. The decision and reasons for the decision will be 
documented in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to 
Forest Service Appeal Regulations (36 CFR part 215).

    Dated: June 27, 2003.
Jeff D. Blackwood,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-17300 Filed 7-8-03; 8:45 am]
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