[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 12, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1587-1588]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-214]



[[Page 1587]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet National 
Forest, Park Falls Hardwoods Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, 
Medford-Park Falls Ranger District intends to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the 
environmental effects of proposed land management activities, and 
corresponding alternatives within the Park Falls Hardwoods project 
area. The primary purpose of this proposal is to implement activities 
consistent with direction in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests 
Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and respond to specific 
needs identified in the project area. The project area is located on 
the Park Falls unit of the Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, 
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, approximately 13-15 miles 
northeast of Phillips, Wisconsin. The legal description for the area 
is: Portions of the eastern Sections of Township 37 North, Range 3 
East; Township 38 North, Range 3 East; and Township 39 North, Range 3 
East; Fourth Principal Meridian.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days of publication of this notice to receive timely 
consideration in preparation of the draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS). The draft EIS is expected May 2010 and the final EIS 
is expected November 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to District Ranger Bob Heimes, c/o 
Jane Darnell, Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, 850 N. 8th St., 
Medford, Wisconsin 54451. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to 
[email protected] with a subject line that reads ``Park Falls 
Hardwoods Project'', or via facsimile to 715-748-5675.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Darnell, NEPA Coordinator, 
Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet National 
Forest, USDA Forest Service; telephone: 715-748-4875 (individuals who 
use telecommunication devices for the deaf, TDD, may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 
p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday). For a mailing address, see 
above under ADDRESSES. Copies of documents may be requested at the same 
address. Another means of obtaining information is to visit the Forest 
Web page at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/natres/index.html. Click on 
``Park Falls Hardwoods Project'' under the ``Current Proposed Actions'' 
heading.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information presented in this notice is 
included to help the reviewer determine if they are interested in or 
potentially affected by this proposed project. The information 
presented in this notice is summarized. Those who wish to comment on 
this proposal or are otherwise interested in or potentially affected by 
it are encouraged to review more detailed documents such as the 
Proposed Action for the Park Falls Hardwoods project and the draft EIS 
as these documents become available. See the preceding section of this 
notice for contact information.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Park Falls Hardwoods project primarily falls within the area 
defined in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests 2004 Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) as Management Area (MA) 2B. MA 
2B is described in the Forest Plan as having a desired condition as an 
uneven-aged, northern hardwood, interior forest. Guidance in the Forest 
Plan identifies this area to be managed for relatively continuous mid 
to late successional northern hardwood and northern hardwood-hemlock 
forest communities where large patch conditions and a relatively 
continuous canopy is maintained or recreated. The primary purpose of 
the Park Falls Hardwoods proposal is to implement activities consistent 
with direction in the Forest Plan and to respond to specific needs 
identified in the project area. Through an analysis of the existing 
conditions within the project area compared to the desired conditions 
as documented in the Forest Plan, six needs for action have been 
identified (A-F):
    A. Need to Maintain and Improve Forest Health (Forest Plan Goal 
1.4): Nine needs have been identified related to forest health.
    There is a need to understand the processes controlling forest-
atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide and the response of these 
processes to climate change.
    Emerald ash borer (EAB) is an introduced insect that has the 
potential to devastate all native ash species similar to what occurred 
to the American chestnut and American elm. There is a need to identify 
site-specific strategies to control or minimize impacts to ash and the 
forest ecosystem from EAB.
    There is a need to re-establish healthy, vigorous forest in areas 
impacted by disease and wind damage.
    There is a need to restore and expand Canada yew populations within 
the project area.
    Most of the mid to late successional upland forest within the 
project area is well over the stocking levels prescribed in the Forest 
Plan to maintain forest health and productivity. There is a need to 
treat these areas to promote forest health and vigor.
    There is a need to reduce the amount of early successional species 
(primarily aspen) within the project area. For MA 2B, Chapter 3 of the 
Forest Plan has a desired condition for aspen of a maximum of 10% of 
the upland forest. The existing condition is that aspen comprises about 
25% of the upland forest type.
    The majority of the hardwood forest within the project area was 
established 70 to 80 years ago and is comprised of trees that are all 
about the same age. In MA 2B, the Forest Plan describes the desired 
condition for the area as mid to late successional uneven-aged northern 
hardwood forests. There is a need to increase the amount of uneven-aged 
hardwood forest within the project area.
    Much of the hardwood forest within the project area is connected in 
large blocks. There are some instances, particularly in the southern 
portion of the project area, where treatment of early successional 
forest to convert it to later successional species, will increase the 
potential and meet the need for larger patches of the desired forest 
type (hardwoods, spruce, pine, hemlock, oak).
    As described earlier, the 2B management prescription calls for 
upland forest of primarily mid to late successional species. While 
there is an overabundance of early successional species in the project 
area, the early successional species that are present are also 
overabundant in the older age groups, with limited representation in 
the youngest age groups (0-10 years of age).
    B. Need to Maintain and Improve Threatened, Endangered, and 
Sensitive Species Habitats (Forest Plan Goal 1.1): Based on monitoring, 
the habitat for spruce grouse (a sensitive species) as identified by 
the Forest Plan is near the minimum threshold identified for this 
species forest-wide. There is a need to increase the amount of habitat 
for this species where feasible. The project area contains some habitat 
for spruce grouse which could be improved and expanded.

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    C. Need to Maintain and Improve Coldwater Fisheries (Forest Plan 
Goal 1.5): There is a need to reduce the amount of aspen adjacent to 
streams within the project area, particularly cold water streams. 
Beaver activity (primarily feeding or utilization of aspen close to 
these streams) results in lack of shade trees adjacent to the stream 
and potentially leads to increases in water temperature, making it 
unsuitable for cold water species.
    D. Need to Maintain or Enhance the Quality of the Recreation 
Experience (Forest Plan Goal 2.1): The Fould's Creek spring ponds have 
long been utilized as a recreational fishery. Also, there are currently 
no designated non-motorized trails within the project area. Some of the 
project area is designated for non-motorized public access, so public 
access is limited to foot travel. There is a need to provide adequate 
foot travel access within the project area which would improve the 
quality of the recreational experience.
    E. Need for Supplying Wood Products (Forest Plan Goal 2.5): The 
harvest activities being proposed to meet the needs for action would 
result in the availability of wood products, including pulpwood, 
sawtimber, and biomass products. Environmentally sound harvest through 
commercial timber sales would meet this need.
    F. Need to Develop and Maintain Capital Infrastructure (Forest Plan 
Goal 3.1 Transportation Systems): Based on a roads analysis, there is a 
need to provide an adequate, safe, and efficient transportation system 
in the project area. More specifically, total road densities are 
slightly above the desired road density in portions of the project 
area, some roads are in areas susceptible to resource damage, other 
roads are located in areas where there are no foreseeable access needs, 
and some areas lack access.

Proposed Action

    The proposed land management activities (proposed actions) to meet 
the needs of the area include the following:
    A. The following tree harvest activities address the needs to 
maintain or improve forest health in the project area: (1) Selection 
harvest on about 14,500 acres; (2) Improvement harvest on about 1,400 
acres; (3) Thinning harvest on about 150 acres; (4) Shelterwood harvest 
on about 380 acres; (5) Overstory removal harvest on about 160 acres; 
and (6) Clearcut harvest on about 450 acres. Selection, thinning, and 
improvement harvest are types of harvest activities that remove only a 
portion of the existing trees to encourage regeneration of an 
understory, to encourage age-class development, or to encourage growth, 
health and vigor in the remaining trees. Other proposed projects 
related to forest health include restoration of about 2 acres of Canada 
yew by supplemental planting and fencing and restoration of desired 
tree species (conifer and oak for example) through supplemental 
planting within a portion of the proposed harvest areas.
    B. The following project addresses the need to maintain or improve 
Regional Forester Sensitive Species habitat (spruce grouse habitat): 
Supplemental planting and retention of spruce on about 50 acres.
    C. The following project addresses the need to maintain or improve 
coldwater fisheries: Retention of shade trees and discouragement of 
aspen adjacent to 12 miles of coldwater streams.
    D. The following project addresses the need to provide and enhance 
recreation opportunities: Designation of about 6 miles of walking 
trails.
    E. The following project addresses the need for supplying wood 
products: Proposed harvest activities will be conducted through 
commercial timber sales with an estimated 91 million board feet of 
pulpwood and sawtimber products, and potentially 14,000 dry tons of 
tree top material which could be utilized for biomass.
    F. The following projects address transportation needs for timber 
harvest and for providing a safe and efficient transportation system to 
meet administrative and public access needs: (1) New permanent road 
construction of about 12 miles; (2) New temporary road construction of 
about 1 mile; (3) Road reconstruction of about 43 miles; and (4) Road 
decommissioning of about 29 miles. In addition, the proposal includes 
designation of about 16 miles of road that would be open to public 
highway vehicle use and another 14 miles that would also be open to OHV 
(off highway vehicle) use.

Possible Alternatives

    Alternatives to the proposed action that are currently being 
considered for display in the draft EIS are as follows: The required No 
Action alternative. Other alternatives will be developed as the 
analysis progresses.

Responsible Official

    Bob Heimes, Medford-Park Falls District Ranger, Chequamegon-Nicolet 
National Forest.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The primary decision will be whether or not to implement the 
proposed projects or alternatives of the projects within the project 
area that respond to the purpose and need. The decision will also 
include resource protection measures as identified in the applicable 
Forest Plan standards and guidelines. The decision may also include 
monitoring requirements and whether Forest Plan amendments are needed 
to implement the decision.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments in 
response to this solicitation for information should focus on (1) the 
proposal; (2) issues or impacts from the proposal; and (3) possible 
alternatives for addressing issues associated with the proposal. We are 
especially interested in information that might identify a specific 
undesired result of implementing the proposed actions.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such maimer that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered, however.

    Dated: January 4, 2010.
Jeanne M. Higgins,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-214 Filed 1-11-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M