[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 166 (Monday, August 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50883-50885]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7198]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Iyouktug Timber Sales, Hoonah Ranger District, Tongass National 
Forest

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a proposal to harvest timber in 
the Iyouktug valley on Chicagof Island, Hoonah Ranger District of the 
Tongass National Forest. The Proposed Action is to harvest an estimated 
57 million board feet (MMBF) of timber from approximately 4,430 acres 
of forested land through various small sales, and one or more larger 
sales, offered over a 10-year period. Approximately 5 miles of National 
Forest System road would be constructed, and 12 miles of temporary road 
would be constructed; temporary road would be closed after timber 
management activities have been completed. The Proposed Action would 
include harvest of approximately 2,050 acres and construction of 
approximately 3 miles of National Forest System road and 6 miles of 
temporary road in inventoried roadless areas. The existing Long Island 
log transfer facility will be used as needed. In order to meet Tongass 
Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) criteria for old growth 
reserves, a non-significant Forest Plan amendment to change the 
boundaries of the small old-growth habitat reserves (OGRs) will be part 
of the Proposed Action.

DATES: Opportunities for comment are available throughout the analysis 
process. Those interested in receiving a scoping package should contact 
us at the address below. Comments concerning this stage of the project 
will be most helpful if received by October 2, 2006. Additional 
opportunities for comment will be provided after release of the Draft 
EIS, which is expected to be published September 2007. A 45-day comment 
period will begin the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 
publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The final 
environmental impact statement and decision are expected December 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send or hand deliver written comments to: IDT Leader, Sitka 
Ranger District, Tongass National Forest, Attn: Iyouktug Timber Sales 
EIS, 204 Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835. Send written e-mail comments 
to: [email protected] with ``Iyouktug EIS'' in 
the subject line. In all correspondence, include your name, address, 
and organization name if you are commenting as a representative of an 
organization.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Budke, Acting District Ranger, 
Hoonah Ranger District, P.O. Box 135, Hoonah, AK 99829, phone (907) 
945-3631 or Hans von Rekowski, Team Leader, Sitka Ranger District, 204 
Siginaka Way, Sitka, AK 99835, phone (907) 747-4217.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This EIS will tier to the EIS for the 1997 
Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) that provides 
overall guidance, goals, objectives, standards, guidelines, and 
management area direction to achieve the desired condition for the 
project area.
    The project area is administered by the Hoonah Ranger District of 
the Tongass National Forest, Hoonah, Alaska and occurs in Value 
Comparison Units (VCU) 2080, 2090, and 2100 as designated by the Forest 
Plan. The project area includes approximately 40,650 acres. The 
Iyouktug project area is located northwest of Iyoukeen Peninsula on the 
northeastern part of Chichagof Island about 12 air miles east-southeast 
of Hoonah, Alaska, 30 air miles west of Juneau, Alaska, and 15 air 
miles northeast of Tenakee Springs. The project area lies north of 
Freshwater Bay, west of False Bay and Chatham Strait, and south of Icy 
Strait, along National Forest System Road 8530; it lies within 
the Iyouktug and Suntaheen Creek valleys and includes Whitestone 
Harbor. The project area is in Townships 43-44 South, and Ranges 62-64 
East, Copper River Meridian.

Purpose and Need

    The purpose and need for the Iyouktug Timber Sales project is to: 
(1) Maintain and promote wood production from suitable timber lands, 
providing a supply of wood to meet society's needs; (2) Seek to provide 
a stable supply of timber from the Tongass National Forest which meets 
the annual planning-cycle market demand, while managing these lands for 
sustained long-term yields, consistent with sound multiple-use and 
sustained-yield objectives; (3) Seek to provide a long-term, stable 
supply of timber for local sawmills and timber operators; and (4) 
Provide a diversity of opportunities for resource uses that contribute 
to the local and regional economies of Southeast Alaska to support a 
wide range of natural resource employment opportunities within 
Southeast Alaska's communities. The Iyouktug Timber Sales Proposed 
Action is consistent with the 1997 Tongass Forest Plan.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action for the Iyouktug project area is to harvest an 
estimated 57 million board feet (MMBF) of timber from approximately 
4,430 acres of forested land while meeting Forest Plan standards. The 
timber would be offered through various small sales, and one or more 
large sales over a 10-year period following the Record of Decision 
(ROD). It is anticipated that 1 to 5 MMBF (averaging 3 MMBF) of timber 
harvested through ground-based logging systems would be offered 
annually as small sales. The large sale(s) would be composed primarily 
of units harvested through helicopter logging. The larger timber 
sale(s) would be offered concurrently with the small sales.
    Timber harvest would occur on an estimated 4,430 acres of the 9,290 
acres within the entire timber unit pool. Some areas in the timber unit 
pool are not being considered for timber harvest in this Proposed 
Action; however, when other alternatives are developed, we may propose 
harvest in some of the other units in the pool. The Proposed Action 
includes approximately 2,680 acres of helicopter and 1,750 acres of 
ground-based shovel and cable yarding systems. Areas suitable for 
ground-based logging would be harvested either even-aged (clearcut) or 
uneven-aged

[[Page 50884]]

(group or single tree selection) harvest prescriptions depending on 
terrain, tree species, economics, or environmental concerns. Helicopter 
would be uneven-aged harvest with no more than 40% of the harvest-unit 
volume removed. All timber harvest will use silvicultural prescriptions 
suited to meet the standards and guidelines of the Tongass Forest Plan.
    The Proposed Action includes construction of approximately 5 miles 
of National Forest System road and 12 miles of temporary road; it would 
also include reconstruction of 3 miles of existing road. The existing 
Long Island Log Transfer Facility (LTF) will be utilized for these 
sales, if needed.
    Harvest activities are proposed to occur only on land allocated to 
the Timber Production Land Use Designation (LUD); the other LUDs in the 
project area are Scenic Viewshed and Old-growth Habitat.
    The Iyouktug project area includes two small old-growth habitat 
reserves (OGRs) and a portion of a large OGR as designated in the 
Forest Plan. The small OGRs are located in Value Comparison Units 
(VCUs) 2080, 2090, and 2100; the portion of the large OGR is a VCU 
2100. To meet Forest Plan criteria for old-growth reserves, changes to 
the small OGR boundaries will be proposed as part of this project. A 
non-significant Forest Plan amendment will be required to address these 
changes.
    Harvest is proposed in unroaded areas including parts of three 
inventoried roadless areas. Approximately 25,590 acres of the Iyouktug 
project area are in three inventoried roadless areas; the Proposed 
Action would include harvest of approximately 2,050 acres and 
construction of approximately 3 miles of National Forest System road 
and 6 miles of temporary road in inventoried roadless areas.

Preliminary Issues

    Tentative issues identified for analysis in this EIS relate to the 
location and design of small Old-Growth Habitat Reserves and 
connectivity, subsistence use, economics, and timber harvest in 
roadless areas. Resource concerns that will be considered and discussed 
in the analysis include heritage resources, fisheries, karst features, 
steep slopes, threatened, endangered, and sensitive species, scenery, 
and the potential for cumulative watershed impacts in the project area.

Public Participation

    Public participation has been an integral component of the analysis 
process and will continue to be especially important at several points 
during the analysis. This Notice of intent (NOI) and the project 
scoping letter initiate the scoping process that guides the development 
of the Environmental Impact Statement. The Forest Service will be 
seeking information, comments and suggestions from Tribal Governments, 
Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as individuals and 
organizations that may be interested in, or affected by, the Proposed 
Action. This process will determine the scope of the project and 
significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the Environmental Impact 
Statement. A scoping letter has recently been mailed to interested 
people and organizations; the scoping letter is available upon request. 
The letter briefly describes the project and project area, the purpose 
and need for the project, the Proposed Action, and invites public 
comment. An open house meeting will be held in Hoonah, Alaska on 
September 6, 2006, at the Hoonah Ranger District Office. The meeting 
will be announced in local newspapers and on local radio stations.
    Through the scoping process the Interdisciplinary Planning Team 
will review comments received during the scoping period to determine 
which issues are significant and within the scope of this project. The 
team will develop a range of alternatives to address the significant 
issues. One of these will be the ``No Action'' alternative, in which no 
additional timber harvest or road construction is proposed. Other 
alternatives will consider various levels and locations of timber 
harvest in response to issues and non-timber objectives. The team will 
then prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that will 
display the alternatives and the direct, indirect, and cumulative 
effects of each alternative. Non-significant issues or those issues 
that have been covered by a previous environmental review will be 
discussed briefly and documented in the EIS or project planning record.
    The DEIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) by September 2007. The comment period on the DEIS will be 
45 days from the date the EPA publishes the Notice of Availability in 
the Federal Register. In addition to commenting on the Proposed Action 
and the DEIS when it is released, agencies and other interested persons 
or groups are invited to write to or speak with Forest Service 
officials at any time during the planning process. Subsistence 
hearings, as provided for in Title VIII, section 810 of the Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), will be conducted 
during the comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
    The Forest Service believes that at this early scoping stage, it is 
important to inform reviewers 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. 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 
comments and objections are made available to the Forest Service at a 
time during which the agency 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 DEIS 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. Comments received, including the names and addresses of those 
who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this 
proposal and will be available for public inspection.
    Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; 
however, those who submit anonymous comments will not have standing to 
appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR part 215. Additionally, 
pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request that the agency 
withhold a submission from the public record by showing how the Freedom 
of Information Act (FOIA) permits such confidentiality. Persons 
requesting such

[[Page 50885]]

confidentiality should be aware that, under the FOIA, confidentiality 
may be granted in only very limited circumstances, such as to protect 
trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform persons requesting 
confidentiality of the agency's decision regarding their request, and 
where the request is denied, the agency will return the submission and 
notify the requester that the comments may be resubmitted with or 
without the name and address within seven days.

Permits or Licenses Required

    The permits listed below are required to implement the project, if 
the Long Island LTF is used. These permits are current and are held by 
Huna Totem Corporation. The Forest Service has a cost-share agreement 
with the Huna Totem Corporation to utilize the LTF under the following 
permits:

1. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

--Approval of discharge of dredged or fill material into the waters of 
the United States under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act;
--Approval of the construction of structures or work in navigable 
waters of the United States under section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors 
Act of 1899;

2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

--Storm water discharge permit/National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 
System review under section 402 of the Clean Water Act (402);
--Review Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan;

3. State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation

--Certification of Compliance with Alaska Water Quality Standards (401 
Certification);
--Solid Waste Disposal Permit;

4. State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

--Authorization for occupancy and use of tidelands and submerged lands. 
In addition to the above permits, the Forest Service is required to 
obtain concurrence from the State of Alaska, Office of Project 
Management & Permitting (in the Department of Natural Resources) on a 
coastal zone consistency determination to proceed with the Proposed 
Action.

Responsible Official

    The Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest, Federal Building, 
648 Mission Street, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901, is the responsible 
official.

Nature of the Decision To Be Made

    The responsible official will decide whether or not to authorize 
timber harvest within the Iyouktug project area, and if so, how this 
timber would be harvested. The responsible official would also 
determine the location of OGR boundaries. The Responsible Official will 
consider the comments, responses, and disclosure of environmental 
consequences displayed in the FEIS, and applicable laws, regulations, 
and policies in making a decision. The Responsible Official will state 
the decision and the rationale for the decision in the Record of 
Decision (ROD).

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21)

    Dated: August 21, 2006.
Forrest Cole,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 06-7198 Filed 8-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M