[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 102 (Friday, May 27, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30690-30691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10640]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Black Hills National Forest, Bearlodge Ranger District, Wyoming, 
Dean Project Area Proposal and Analysis

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact 
statement on a proposal to implement multiple resource management 
actions within the Dean Area as directed by the Black Hills National 
Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. The Dean Project Area covers 
about 12,468 acres of National Forest System land and about 2,256 acres 
of interspersed private land within the Redwater Creek watershed 
directly north of Sundance, Wyoming. Proposed actions would modify the 
structure of forest stands across the planning area to reduce fuel 
loads, potential for uncharacteristically intense wildfire behavior, 
and risk of insect outbreaks; provide for diverse wildlife habitat and 
restore hardwood; and provide a mix of motorized and non-motorized use 
opportunities. This revised Notice of Intent is being issued because of 
a change in the designated responsible official.

DATES: Scoping was conducting as described in the Notice of Intent of 
November 24, 2004 (69 FR 68303). Comments submitted during scoping for 
the proposed action are part of the project record and were considered 
in developing the Draft EIS. The Draft EIS was issued in March 2005 (70 
FR 12211), and the comment period was extended once (70 FR 19951). 
Comments were accepted through May 2, 2005. These comments are being 
considered during completion of the Final EIS. The Final environmental 
impact statement is expected in June 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janis Bouma, Project Coordinator, 
Black Hills National Forest, Bearlodge Ranger District, 121 S. 21st 
Street, Sundance, Wyoming 82729, phone (307) 283-1361.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The actions are proposed in direct response 
to management direction provided by the Black Hills National Forest 
Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The site-specific 
actions are based on Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines to promote 
existing resource conditions in the Dean Project Area toward meeting 
Forest Plan Goals and Objectives. The project area lies in the Bear 
Lodge Mountains in the Black Hills National Forest, directly north of 
Sundance, Wyoming. Issues considered include: Fire and fuel hazard 
reduction; impacts of vegetation treatment and multiple forest uses on 
wildlife and fish habitat; and travel management and recreation.

Purpose of and Need for Action

    There is a need to reduce the potential for uncharacteristically 
intense wildfire behavior and insect infestation, provide diverse 
wildlife habitat, and manage motorized recreation in the Dean Project 
Area. This project will address Forest Plan Goal 2 (providing for 
biologically diverse ecosystems) and Goal 3 (providing for sustained 
commodity uses) consistent with Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines.

Proposed Action

    Actions proposed in the Dean Project Area include:
     Modifying stand structure across the planning area to 
reduce potential for uncharacteristically intense wildfire behavior and 
benefit wildlife. This action includes thinning the forest, removing 
conifers from stands of hardwoods such as aspen, bur oak, and birch, 
and expanding and/or creating meadows.
     Reducing fuel loads by decreasing the volume and 
arrangement of both existing fuels and those resulting from other 
vegetation treatment activities. Treatment could include lopping, 
chipping, crushing, piling and burning, and prescribed burning on up to 
2,971 acres.
     Reducing the density of pine stands on up to 4,840 acres 
to decrease the potential for spreading crown fires, increase tree 
growth and vigor, and lessen the risk of insect infestation and 
disease. This may be done by using commercial timber harvest to thin 
out merchantable trees and using other methods to thin small, 
unmerchantable trees. These actions would provide wood fiber to local 
industry and would require construction of up to 5.7 miles of new 
specified roads.
     Modifying the Forest Plan through a non-significant 
amendment to change Management Area (MA) designation in part of the 
project area to better reflect actual conditions. The entire project 
area is currently in MA 5.4 (Big Game

[[Page 30691]]

Winter Range Emphasis). The lower elevations and south aspects on the 
east side of the project area currently provide appropriate and 
important winter range for deer and elk and are utilized as such. 
However, the remainder of the project area is heavily used by deer and 
elk only during the spring, summer, and fall, including calving and 
fawning periods. Therefore, the Forest proposes to change the 
Management Area designation in a portion of the project area to MA 5.6 
(Forest Products, Recreation, and Big Game Emphasis) to reflect the 
actual utilization and better manage the project area to benefit a 
variety of wildlife, including big game species, and better reflect 
existing non-motorized recreation opportunities. Amendments area also 
proposed to allow reduction of density in certain stands that provide 
big game thermal cover and to allow treatment of three stands in 
goshawk post-fledging family areas.
     Providing a mix of motorized and non-motorized 
opportunities and protecting wildlife in the area by closing the 
project area to off-road motorized travel and restricting ATV use to 
designated routes. Main system routes currently open to motorized 
travel would remain open. Approximately 23.5 miles of roads would also 
be decommissioned.

Alternatives Consider

    Four alternatives were analyzed in detail in the Draft EIS. These 
alternatives were:
     Alternative A, No Action--Proposed actions would be 
deferred at this time.
     Alternative B--Promote late succession habitat and 
increase diversity while reducing fuels and insect infestation risk; 
amend the Forest Plan to allow deviations from thermal cover and 
goshawk standards.
     Alternative C--Proposed Action--Aggressively treat forest 
vegetation to reduce fire and fuels hazards; prohibit off-road 
motorized travel in the project area; amend the Forest Plan to allow 
for a change in management area designation and deviations from thermal 
cover and goshawk standards.
     Alternative D--Focus treatments near private lands and in 
other strategic locations; de-emphasize the use of commercial timber 
harvest and feature broadcast burning and fuel breaks; amend the Forest 
Plan to allow deviations from thermal cover guidelines.
    Alternative C was the preferred alternative in the Draft EIS.

Responsible Official

    Marisue Hilliard, Acting Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National 
Forest, is the responsible official. The address is Black Hills 
National Forest, 25041 N. Highway 16, Custer, South Dakota 57730. The 
telephone is (605) 673-9200.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The decisions to be made are whether or not to implement the 
proposed action or alternatives at this time; and, whether to amend the 
Revised Forest Plan to allow a change in management area designation 
for part of the project area, deviations in guidelines for thermal 
cover, and deviations in goshawk habitat standards.

    Dated: May 23, 2005.
Marisue Hilliard,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-10640 Filed 5-26-05; 8:45 am]
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