[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 205 (Thursday, October 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60638-60640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26719]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Vail Valley Forest Health Project; White River National Forest, 
Eagle County, Colorado

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
in conjunction with planning the Vail Valley Forest Health Project.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, gives 
notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of commercial and 
non-commercial timber cutting and prescribed fire, in conjunction with 
designing the Vail Valley Forest Health Project for the Holy Cross 
Ranger District of the White River National Forest. These proposed 
actions are being considered together because they represent either 
connected or cumulative actions as defined by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). This notice describes the 
project area, the purpose and need for the action, the proposed action, 
potential environmental issues, information concerning public 
participation, estimated dates for filing the environmental impact 
statement, and the names and addresses of the agency officials who can 
provide additional information.

Project Area

    The Vail Valley Forest Health Project area encompasses 
approximately 72,000 acres in the Vail Valley on the Holy Cross Ranger 
District of the White River National Forest, Eagle County, CO. It 
extends approximately 2.5 miles on either side of the I-70 corridor 
from Vail Pass on the east to the town of Avon on the west. The area is 
located in T6S, R79W, Sec 4-6, 8-10, 15, 16; T5S, R79W, Sec. 5-9, 16-
18, 19-21, 28-30, 32-34; T4S, R79W, Sec 30-32; T5S, R80W, Sec 1-25; 
T4S, R80W, Sec 22, 27-34; T6S, R81W, Sec 3, 5, 6; T5S, R81W, Sec 1-36; 
T4S, R81W, Sec 25, 30-36; T6S, R82W, Sec 1, 2; T5S, R82W, Sec 1-3, 10-
16, 21-27, 35, 36; and T4S, R82W, Sec 25, 26, 35, 36.

Purpose & Need

    The mountain pine beetle population in the Vail Valley is currently 
at

[[Page 60639]]

epidemic levels. The large beetle populations are responding to the 
homogenous landscape-level forest conditions. The high density of 
older, large-diameter lodgepole pine across this landscape provides 
ideal conditions for rapid spread of mountain pine beetle. Epidemic 
mountain pine beetle populations can be a natural component of 
lodgepole pine dominated ecosystems, however, such high levels can kill 
50-70% of the mature lodgepole pine over vast areas. High mortality in 
the lodgepole pine in the Vail Valley would be detrimental to scenic 
quality, recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat in this highly 
valued area. As the dead trees begin to fall, the ability to maintain 
acceptable fuel loads within the wildland/urban interface is also 
compromised.
    There is a need to modify the mountain pine beetle activity in this 
important setting. Manipulating lodgepole pine stand conditions in 
critical areas by creating a mosaic of forested ages, a variety of tree 
densities and sizes and increasing the aspen component will work toward 
managing future mountain pine beetle risk and wildland fuel hazard. 
There is also a need to maintain acceptable fuel loads in the wildland/
urban interface by removing dead, dying, and high-risk trees while they 
have some economic value to offset the treatment cost.
    Much of the shrublands in the Vail Valley are outside their 
historic range of variability due to fire suppression. This has 
resulted in homogenous, over-mature shrublands that pose a risk of 
higher intensity fires due to the buildup of hazardous fuels.
    Creating a mosaic of age and structural classes in the shrublands 
will reduce the intensity and severity of wildfires and their 
detrimental effects to these mountain communities, such as higher risk 
to firefighters, loss of homes, and landslides.
    The Project proposes to use a variety of techniques to improve 
stand structure and species diversity and consequently the health of 
the forest, while protecting the heritage, recreation, visual, 
watershed and wildlife resources.

The Proposed Action

    Through this proposed action, the White River National Forest 
intends to:
    Manage the lodgepole pine stands in the Vail Valley south of I-70 
for future mountain pine beetle (MPB) risk and wildland fuel hazard by 
increasing structural and species diversity using vegetation 
treatments. Approximately 1215 acres of vegetation management are 
proposed.
    [sbull] 871 acres of lodgepole pine stands will be thinned to leave 
approximately 50-70% of the basal area. This will open up the stands to 
increased sun and wind to disrupt the MPB broods. In areas where the 
dbh is 10-11 inches or greater, small patch cuts will be made to remove 
the primary MPB host trees.
    [sbull] 344 acres of aspen within the lodgepole pine stands will be 
enhanced in the wildland/urban interface for forested fuel breaks and 
for MPB flight interruption. For patches of aspen, the pine will be 
removed within the aspen and for 1-2 tree lengths around the patch. 
This area is within an inventoried roadless area as identified by the 
2002 White River National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
    Manage the shrublands and aspen stands north of I-70 to move them 
toward their historic range of variability. Mechanical vegetation 
treatments and prescribed fire will create a mosaic of age and 
structural classes in order to reduce the intensity and severity of 
wildfires in the wildland/urban interface. Approximately 1884 acres of 
vegetation management are proposed.
    [sbull] 905 acres of shrublands will be broadcast burned. This will 
change the fuel types to reduce future potential wildfire intensity and 
aid firefighters in wildfire suppression.
    [sbull] 521 acres in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness will be broadcast 
burned to maintain and improve aspen stands, reducing future potential 
wildfire intensity and rate of spread. This will create a forested fuel 
break between conifer stands and the town of Vail and will help 
facilitate wildland fire use should a wildfire start in the wilderness 
area.
    [sbull] 231 acres within the wildland/urban interface and outside 
the Eagle's Nest Wilderness will be treated to maintain and improve 
aspen stands, reducing future potential wildfire intensity and rate of 
spread. Dead trees will be cut, piled and burned. The area will then be 
broadcast burned. This will create a forested fuel break between 
confier stands and the town of Vail and will help facilitate wildland 
fire use should a wildfire start in the wilderness area.
    [sbull] 227 acres within the wildland/urban interface will be 
treated to maintain and improve aspen stands, reducing future potential 
wildfire intensity and rate of spread. All conifers will be cut and 
aspen will be patch-cut, piled and burned within 200' of private land. 
This will create a forested fuel break between confier stands and the 
town of Vail.

Project Design and Mitigation Measures

    All proposed treatments and activities would follow the standards 
and guidelines found in the Revised White River Land and Resource 
Management Plan--2002.

Roadless

    No road construction or commercial timber harvest is proposed in 
the inventoried roadless areas designated by the Revised Forest Plan.

Preliminary Issues

    Issues identified to date include: impacts of timber harvesting and 
prescribed burning on visual quality in a recreation setting; the 
impacts of timber harvesting and prescribed burning on water quality; 
the impacts of prescribed burning in a wilderness area; impacts of 
vegetation management in an inventoried roadless area; potential 
impacts to heritage resources; potential spread of noxious weeds; air 
quality impacts from burning; and effects on threatened, endangered, 
sensitive and management indicator species.

Possible Alternatives

    Possible alternatives to the proposed action may include no burning 
within the Eagle's Nest Wildness area, no vegetation management within 
the inventoried roadless area, or a combination of the activities 
described above.

Involving the Public

    Pursuant to Part 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 219.10(g), 
the Forest Supervisor for the White River National Forest gives notice 
of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for 
the Vail Valley Forest Health Project described above. The Forest 
Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance from 
individuals, organizations and federal, state, and local agencies that 
may be interested in or affected by the proposed action (36 CFR 219.6).
    Public participation will be solicited by notifying in person and/
or by mail known interested and affected publics. A legal notice and 
news releases will be used to give the public general notice. Public 
participation activities will include requests for written comments and 
an open house to be held at a local venue. The public is invited to 
help identify issues and define the range of alternatives to be 
considered in the environmental impact statement.
    A reasonable range of alternatives will be evaluated and reasons 
will be given for eliminating some alternatives from detailed study. A 
``non-action alternative'' is required, meaning that

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management will not change the present condition. Alternatives will 
provide different ways to address and respond to public issues, 
management concerns, and resource opportunities identified during the 
scoping process. Scoping comments and existing condition reports will 
be used to develop alternatives.

DATES: Comments concerning the proposed action should be received in 
writing by November 29, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Vail Valley Forest Health Project, 
Holy Cross Ranger District, P.O. Box 190, Minturn, CO 81645.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peech Keller at (970) 468-5400 or Bob 
Currie at (970) 827-5715.

Release and Review of the EIS

    The DEIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public comment in June 2004. At 
that time, the EPA will publish a notice of availability for the DEIS 
in the Federal Register. The comment period on the DEIS will be 45 days 
from the date the EPA 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 
the DEIS 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after 
completion of the Final environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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 FEIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed actions, comments on the DEIS 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 DEIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and 
discussed in the statements. 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.
    After the comment period ends on the DEIS, comments will be 
analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in 
preparing the Final EIS. The FEIS is scheduled to be completed in 
September 2004. The responsible official will consider the comments, 
responses, environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and 
applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making decisions 
regarding these revisions. The responsible official will document the 
decisions and reasons for the decisions in a Record of Decision for the 
revised Plan. The decision will be subject to appeal in accordance with 
36 CFR 217.

Responsible Official

    Martha J. Ketelle, Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest. 
P.O. Box 948, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602-0948. ``As the Responsible 
Official, I will decide which, if any, of the proposed projects will be 
implemented. I will document the decision and reasons for the decision 
in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest 
Service appeal regulations.''

    Dated: October 17, 2003.
Martha J. Ketelle,
Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest.
[FR Doc. 03-26719 Filed 10-22-03; 8:45 am]
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