[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 3, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46721-46722]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19493]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 149 / Wednesday, August 3, 2011 / 
Notices  

[[Page 46721]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Salmon-Challis National Forest, ID; Upper North Fork HFRA 
Ecosystem Restoration Project Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The North Fork Ranger District, Salmon-Challis National 
Forest, is proposing an integrated hazardous fuels and forest 
restoration project in the Upper North Fork drainage. The approximately 
41,000 acre planning area is being considered for treatments consisting 
primarily of prescribed burning and mechanical thinning. The drainage 
area includes the communities of Moose Creek Estates, Royal Elk Ranch, 
Lost Trail Ski Area, Gibbonsville and North Fork which have widespread 
private land resources, and have been identified as ``at-risk'' 
communities by Lemhi County and the State of Idaho. Lemhi County's 
Wildfire Prevention Plan has designated the North Fork drainage as high 
priority for hazardous fuel reduction, an essential criteria allowing 
the use of authorities and expedited environmental analysis under the 
Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003. A collaborative process 
was used to obtain suggestions and input on restoration needs and 
potential activities for this project area to improve the health of the 
ecosystem and reach the desired future condition.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by September 2, 2011. The draft environmental impact statement is 
expected in November, 2011 and the final environmental impact statement 
is expected in March, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Russell Bacon, North Fork District 
Ranger, Attn: Upper North Fork HFRA Ecosystem Restoration Project EIS, 
P.O. Box 180, 11 Casey Rd., North Fork, ID 83466. Comments may also be 
sent via e-mail to [email protected], 
or via facsimile to (208) 865-2738.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maggie Milligan, Project Team Leader, 
at (208) 865-2711 or visit the Forest Web site http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/projects/. 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action

    Existing forest stand structure and forest vegetation have created 
the potential for large-scale, high-intensity wildfires that threaten 
human life, property, and natural resources. Quaking aspen stands 
provide substantial habitat value for wildlife and contribute to 
landscape habitat diversity. However, many historic aspen stands in 
Central Idaho have been lost, and many others are either regenerating 
poorly or are otherwise in decline. Likewise, whitebark pine is being 
considered as the first tree species in the Northwest to be listed as 
endangered because of a lethal combination of blister rust and mountain 
pine beetle. Historic logging practices and fire suppression have 
contributed to a decline in ponderosa pine, known to be more fire 
resilient. In essence, the rich biodiversity in the project area is at 
risk.
    This area contains the State Highway 93 transportation corridor and 
scenic byway, private lands, residences and a winter recreation ski 
facility classified by Lemhi County as wildland urban interface (WUI). 
The purpose is to reduce hazardous natural fuels, restore plant 
communities and improve fish and wildlife habitat diversity while 
returning resilient conditions to this fire adapted landscape. This 
proposal is necessary to compliment other existing, on-going and 
planned fuels treatments surrounding ``at-risk'' communities within the 
North Fork drainage, and to address forest health conditions that are 
reaching crucial stages towards non-desired change.
    Private developments, such as Moose Creek Estates, have responded 
to these needs and have already completed planning and hazard reduction 
treatments necessary to gain enrollment as a ``Fire-Wise Community'' in 
the State of Idaho.

Proposed Action

    Hazardous fuels treatments and associated opportunities have been 
identified by the Salmon-Challis National Forest for this project 
through extensive discussions, focused site visits and numerous 
exchanges of ideas with the Lemhi County Forest Restoration Group and 
other local community members. Three Idaho Roadless Areas are in the 
project area. Ladder fuel reduction along road corridors, shaded fuel 
break creation in strategic locations adjacent to private land and 
other developments, restoration treatments for mountain meadow and 
aspen and whitebark pine communities, old growth stand protection, re-
establishing landscape fire resilience through prescribe burning, fish 
habitat and passage restoration are activities proposed for the 
project. Integrated and adaptive invasive weed management would be an 
integral activity with all the proposed treatments and restoration 
actions.
    The proposed action includes commercially thinning from below to 
reduce the understory on approximately 5,123 acres of the project area; 
2,687 acres of tractor logging, 1,332 acres of skyline logging and 
1,104 acres of helicopter logging. All emphasis would be to retain 
large trees; whole tree skidding to facilitate use of tree tops and 
slash as biomass or for pile burning. All slash piles would be left 
onsite for 1 year for possible biomass utilization. Pre-commercial 
thinning would occur within the commercial units and in 1300 additional 
acres. All thinning (commercial/precommercial) units would receive a 
follow-up prescribed burning treatment.
    The project would use the existing transportation system except for 
the construction of approximately 14 miles of new temporary road of 
which 2.8 miles are proposed within Idaho Roadless Areas. All new roads 
or other roads currently closed would be rehabilitated and closed 
following use. Additionally, 53 miles of non-system roads in the 
project ara would be decommissioned.
    Two site-specific Forest Plan Amendments are proposed in 
association with this project to change

[[Page 46722]]

current requirements and prescriptions which limit treatments and 
activities needed to attain the desired future condition in the project 
area. Proposed Site Specific Amendment 1--Wildland Fire 
Management would more closely align with Federal Wildland Fire policy 
by allowing for the use of unplanned ignitions to meet project 
objectives. Proposed Site Specific Amendment 2--Big Game 
Winter Range would change direction regarding cover to forage ratios 
within management area (MA) 4A in order to achieve fuels reduction 
objective in this HFRA project.

Responsible Official

    Regional Forester, Intermountain Region, 324 25th St., Ogden, UT 
84401.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    An environmental impact statement (EIS) that discloses the 
environmental consequences of implementing the proposed action and 
alternatives to the proposed action will be prepared. A separate Record 
of Decision (ROD) will explain the Regional Forester's decision 
regarding whether or not to implement some level of fuels reduction and 
other proposed activities on all, part, or none of the area analyzed, 
given the consideration of multiple-use goals and objectives.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments that 
would be most useful are those concerning developing or refining the 
proposed action, in particular are site specific concerns and those 
that can help us develop treatments and activities that would be 
responsive to our goal to reduce hazardous fuel conditions, risks to 
communities from uncharacteristic high-intensity wildfires and 
landscape restoration needs in the project. It is important that 
reviewers provide their comments at such times and in such manner that 
they are useful to the agency's preparation of the environmental impact 
statement. Therefore, we ask that input be timely and clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions. Section 104(e) of 
the HFRA requires agencies to provide notice of the project and conduct 
a public meeting when preparing authorized hazardous-fuel-reduction 
projects. A public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 18th, 2011 
at 6:30pm at the Gibbonsville Improvement Association Building. 
Additional public meetings are anticipated to be held following 
publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
    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, anonymous comments will not provide 
the Agency with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent 
environmental documents.

    Dated: July 26, 2011.
Frank V. Guzman,
Forest Superviser.
[FR Doc. 2011-19493 Filed 8-2-11; 8:45 am]
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