[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8151-8154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02918]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 28 / Tuesday, February 11, 2014 / 
Notices  

[[Page 8151]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Beartooth Ranger District, Custer Gallatin National Forest; 
Carbon County, Montana; Greater Red Lodge Vegetation and Habitat 
Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Greater Red Lodge Project is proposed to (1) reduce 
hazardous fuels; (2) maintain and/or improve resiliency of forest 
vegetation and grasslands; (3) enhance aspen habitat; and (4) improve 
water quality. The EIS will consider a no action alternative and three 
action alternatives that propose treatment on 1000-2000 acres depending 
upon the alternative. The project area encompasses approximately 21,871 
acres north and west of the community of Red Lodge, Carbon County, MT 
in the vicinity of Red Lodge Creek (10,275 acres) and Nichols/Willow 
Creek (11,596 acres). The project area is designated Wildland Urban 
Interface (WUI) in the Carbon County Wildfire Protection Plan, and may 
be considered a transition zone between developed areas and Inventoried 
Roadless and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The Nichols Creek 
portion of the project area is part of the West Fork Municipal 
Watershed for the community of Red Lodge. Proposed treatment consists 
of a variety of thinning (including post and pole/teepee pole 
collection), clearcuts ranging from one half acre to 40 acres in size, 
hand cutting and mechanical treatment of small diameter vegetation, and 
broadcast and pile burning to meet the purpose and need. The action 
alternatives also include reconstruction of Nichols Creek Road to 
reduce sedimentation into Nichol Creek, road reconstruction and 
maintenance of existing roads, approximately 4 miles of road 
decommissioning, and 5 to 7.4 miles of temporary road construction 
depending upon alternative. A site specific Forest Plan amendment may 
be needed to address effects to Management Indicator Species (MIS) 
habitat.

DATES: The draft environmental impact statement is planned to be 
released in April 2014 and the final environmental impact statement and 
draft decision is planned for release in July 2014. The project was 
initially released for public scoping June 14, 2012 and February 22, 
2013.

ADDRESSES: Comments are not being solicited at this time because of 
earlier scoping efforts. However, written comments may be sent to Amy 
Waring, Custer Gallatin National Forest, 1310 Main Street, Billings, MT 
59105. Comments may also be sent via email to: [email protected], or via facsimile to 406-255-1499.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Waring, Team Leader, at (406) 255-
1451.
    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

    The Greater Red Lodge Project is proposed to respond to goals and 
objectives in the Forest Plan for the Custer Gallatin National Forest, 
national direction for ecological restoration and resilience (Forest 
Service Manual 2020.2), and the Northern Region Integrated Restoration 
and Protection Strategy. The purpose of proposed management actions 
includes:

1. Reduce Hazardous Fuels

     Reduce high-intensity wildfire within the Wildland Urban 
Interface (WUI) as identified in the Carbon County Community Wildfire 
Fire Protection Plan.
     Provide for a safer environment for the public and 
firefighters should a wildfire occur within the proposed treatment 
areas.
     To provide wildfire managers more suppression options to 
confine future wildfires from spreading beyond NFS lands.
    The project area is located in wildland urban interface, and is 
capable of supporting high intensity wildfires which presents a risk to 
public and firefighter safety. In this transition zone, social 
considerations play a large part in how vegetation is managed. 
Wildfires will continue to be suppressed due to the proximity to 
private lands, homes, ranches, and other infrastructure, and risk to 
public safety. Fire hazard can be reduced through strategic treatments 
that consist of thinning to increase crown spacing or clearcutting 
conifer stands to spatially break up contiguous stands, reducing 
surface fuel loads by mechanical cleanup and/or prescribed fire, and 
maintaining grassland openings through mechanical treatment and 
broadcast burning.

2. Maintain/Improve Resiliency of Forest Vegetation and Grasslands

     Improve and/or maintain the general health, resiliency, 
and sustainability of forested stands and grasslands.
     Reduce the risk of epidemic insect and disease 
infestations within the project area.
    Resiliency to disturbances may be improved by increasing the 
diversity of species (including aspen, limber pine and ponderosa pine), 
and increasing age class diversity (including regeneration of lodgepole 
pine, promoting large diameter Douglas fir stands, and variable 
densities of vegetation to reduce susceptibility to insect and disease 
infestations). Silvicultural treatments may slow or accelerate the pace 
of natural succession and reduce susceptibility and vulnerability from 
large disturbance events including wildfire and insect and disease 
epidemics. Increased landscape heterogeneity and pattern diversity may 
ameliorate the effects of large scale disturbances.

3. Enhance Aspen Habitat

     Provide for regeneration of aspen stands declining in 
health.
     Stimulate growth in aspen communities declining in health 
and/or abundance.
     Reduce conifer colonization in mixed aspen-conifer stands.
    Aspen is relatively rare in the Beartooth Mountains compared to 
conifer trees, and many aspen

[[Page 8152]]

communities are either progressively converting to a dominance of 
lodgepole pine or Douglas fir, or are declining in health and/or 
abundance. Without disturbance, heavily conifer-colonized and aging 
aspen stands will eventually die and be lost from the landscape. Fire 
suppression will continue within the WUI, which will result in 
continued conifer colonization and additional declines in health and/or 
abundance of aspen stands. Treatments such as prescribed fire and 
mechanical treatment would increase the acreage of healthy aspen 
communities, leading to increased vegetation diversity, a potential 
rise in wildlife abundance, and reduced loss of aspen genetic 
diversity.

4. Improve Water Quality

     Reduce sediment delivery to Nichols Creek, thereby 
improving water quality and aquatic habitat in the West Fork Municipal 
Watershed.
     Decommission roads identified in the 2008 Beartooth Travel 
Management Decision as ``system roads, not needed.''
     Perform maintenance and reconstruction of existing system 
roads to reduce sources of sediment.
    Nichols Creek Road has been poorly maintained and is contributing 
sediment to Nichols Creek, which is part of Red Lodge's municipal 
watershed. Reconstruction of Nichols Creek Road would reduce sediment 
delivery to Nichols Creek, provide for log haul and post and pole/
teepee pole collection, accommodate future recreation needs, and 
management of the National Forest. Additional road decommissioning and 
maintenance/reconstruction of existing roads in the project area would 
further reduce sources of sediment and improve water quality.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action includes the following components:
     Vegetative treatments on approximately 1990 acres of NFS 
lands within the project area, including approximately 1211 acres of 
commercial timber harvest (a combination of thinning, clearcuts, and 
post and pole/teepee pole collection) and 779 acres of mechanical/hand 
noncommercial treatment, including 565 acres of broadcast burning.
     Slash treated through a combination of the following: 
whole tree yarding, lop and scatter, masticating, and/or excavator 
piling. Fuel accumulations at landings are addressed through burning, 
chipping/masticating, and/or removal from NFS lands. Prescribed fire 
treatments include broadcast burning or pile burning.
     Treatment units accessed through an estimated 7.4 miles of 
temporary road construction and 9.3 miles of road easements across 
private (about 1.1 mile) and Montana Department of Natural Resources 
and Conservation (MTDNRC) lands (about 8.2 miles).
     Road decommissioning proposed on an estimated 3.5 miles of 
NFS roads. Road maintenance proposed on an estimated 6.3 miles of NFS 
roads. Road reconstruction proposed on an estimated 6 miles of NFS 
roads, including replacement of an aquatic barrier culvert with a 
bridge on the 2141 Red Lodge Creek Road. Best Management Practices 
(BMPs) implemented on haul routes to meet Timber Sale Requirements.
     Changing the road classification on an estimated 1.11 
miles of existing roads currently classified as ``system road not 
needed'' to Maintenance Level 1 and .039 mile from ``system not 
needed'' to Maintenance Level 2 to provide for future management needs. 
These roads would be closed to public motorized use.
     Reconstruct about 1.25 miles of Nichols Creek Road to 
abate erosion problems (thereby improving water quality), accommodate 
log haul, post and pole/teepee pole collection, future recreation 
needs, and long-term National Forest management. The road prism would 
be approximately 12 feet wide and ditched and/or 14 feet wide and out 
sloped for drainage depending upon site conditions. Road gradient would 
be reduced to a maximum of 12 percent, and road drainage would be 
installed at a maximum of every 200 feet per Montanan State BMP 
Guidelines. The road would be opened to motorized use for about five 
years with timing restrictions for timber harvest and collection of 
post and poles and teepee poles. After timber management activities are 
completed, the route would be closed to public motorized use, and 
retained for non-motorized recreation. The road would remain designated 
as a Maintenance Level 2 Road by the Forest Service, which would 
accommodate any future management needs.
     Harvest activity within Riparian Areas will be conducted 
in compliance with Montana Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) 
regulations. The Forest Service will seek an Alternative Practices 
waiver on up to 33 acres for hand thinning, lop and scattering the 
slash, and broadcast burning within SMZs. Broadcast burning in the SMZ 
would be avoided (no active lighting unless necessary for control 
measures to cleanup fuel pockets). Fire would be allowed to creep into 
the SMZ and self-extinguish or be mopped up when convenient. Some 
temporary road locations may be needed to cross streams.
     All activities comply with the Grizzly Bear Conservation 
Strategy and Lynx Management Direction.

Possible Alternatives

    In addition to No Action (Alternative 1) and the Proposed Action 
(Alternative 2), the Draft EIS will consider two additional action 
alternatives that were developed in response to public comments made 
during the scoping comment period. Both of these alternatives reduce 
the size and scope of proposed treatment compared to the proposed 
action. Compared to the proposed action, Alternative 3 reduces the 
amount of treatment by about 300 acres, and Alternative 4 reduces the 
amount of treatment by about 1000 acres.
    Alternative 3 proposes treatment on 1706 acres (927 acres 
commercial, 779 acres noncommercial). It includes 4 acres of 
noncommercial treatment in Inventoried Roadless, which would be 
accessed by an existing road. Treatment would involve hand cutting 
small diameter lodgepole pine by chainsaws and lopping and scattering 
the slash to increase tree spacing, which will improve growth and vigor 
of the stand and reduce fire hazard. Compared to the proposed action, 
Alternative 3 adds more No Treatment ``skips'' in between treated areas 
to maintain wildlife habitat, and drops or modifies proposed treatment 
units based on perceived impacts to wildlife, water quality, and 
scenery.
    Alternative 4 proposes treatment on 1054 acres (670 acres 
commercial, 384 acres noncommercial). Alternative 4 also responds to 
public comment to avoid log haul as much as possible on the NFSR 21415 
road which is an important recreational route for some members of the 
public, and proposes alternative temporary road access instead.
    Alternatives 3 and 4 both reconstruct about 1.25 miles of Nichols 
Creek Road to reduce sedimentation into Nichols Creek (a municipal 
watershed), but the road would not be reconstructed to accommodate log 
haul or post and pole/teepee pole collection. Vegetation treatments 
along Nichols Creek are dropped under Alternatives 3 and 4.
    Under all action alternatives, commercial harvest would be 
accomplished via tractor logging and whole tree yarding during the 
summer under dry soil conditions, or in the

[[Page 8153]]

winter on frozen ground or over snow. Noncommercial treatment would be 
done by hand (chainsaws) or mechanically, and may include pile or 
broadcast burning. All action alternatives require various levels of 
temporary road construction (about 7.4, 6.7, and 5 miles for 
Alternatives 2, 3, and 4 respectively), and about 6 miles of road 
maintenance, 6 miles road reconstruction, and 4 miles of road 
decommissioning. No road construction or maintenance would occur in 
Inventoried Roadless.

Forest Plan Amendment

    The Custer Forest Plan standard for Management Indicator Species 
(MIS) is to maintain and improve the habitat. The northern goshawk is 
MIS for old growth forest. Two occupied goshawk nest sites are present 
in the project area, located on Forest Service lands in close proximity 
to lands managed by the State of Montana Department of Natural 
Resources and Conservation (MT DNRC). NEPA requires analysis of past, 
present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions that could 
contribute to cumulative effects. That state of Montana recently 
approved a decision to harvest state lands adjacent to the Greater Red 
Lodge Project Area, which will include clearcutting nest and post 
fledgling area (PFA) habitat. The Greater Red Lodge Project proposes a 
relatively small amount of treatment in PFA habitat, but does not 
propose treatment in the nest stands. The cumulative effects to these 
two goshawk territories may include short term effects that may not 
fully be consistent with the Forest Plan standard to ``maintain and 
improve'' habitat. Therefore a site specific Forest Plan Amendment is 
being considered to acknowledge that there may be effects to old growth 
species under all action alternatives.

No Action Alternative

    The No Action alternative represents the existing condition in the 
Greater Red Lodge Project Area. Under this alternative, none of the 
activities proposed for the Greater Red Lodge Project would occur. 
Ongoing activities, such as recreation, public firewood gathering, fire 
suppression, and normal road maintenance would continue.
    No treatment does not mean that the forest will stay the same as it 
is now. Forests are dynamic ever-changing biological systems that 
experience and respond to catastrophic events such as fire, wind 
storms, and insects and disease, and continually grow, develop, mature, 
die, and start anew. As forest succession proceeds, aspen stands, open 
meadows, and riparian areas will continue to be colonized by conifers. 
In the absence of wildfire or vegetation treatments, the diversity of 
forest vegetation and stand structure in the project area will likely 
become more homogenous, with increases in understory ladder fuels. As 
existing stands age or deteriorate as part of natural succession, 
increased susceptibility to insect attacks, disease, windthrow, or 
competition mortality will occur. Stands will continue to experience 
increasing surface fuel loads and, when combined with already tight 
crown spacing, will be more capable of supporting high intensity 
wildfires. Under the no action alternative, no treatment would occur in 
the wildland urban interface. Predicted fire behavior under typical 
large fire development conditions could preclude wildfire suppression 
operations during initial attack. Ingress and egress for firefighting 
and emergency equipment and personnel, as well as residents and 
visitors become difficult under this scenario. Furthermore, high 
intensity fire behavior due to existing vegetation conditions in the 
wildland urban interface could limit suppression options, increasing 
the threat to nearby values at risk both on and off national forest 
lands.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official is Mary C. Erickson, Forest Supervisor, 
Custer Gallatin National Forest, 1310 Main Street, Billings, MT 59105.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    Based on the purpose and need for the proposed action, the 
Responsible Official will determine whether to proceed with the action 
as proposed, as modified by another alternative or not at all. If an 
action alternative is selected, the Responsible Official will determine 
what design features, mitigation measures and monitoring to require.

Preliminary Issues

    The Interdisciplinary Team reviewed scoping comments and identified 
significant issues that led to the development of alternatives to the 
proposed action, and analysis issues. Significant issues included (1) 
concerns about the size and scale of the project and the cumulative 
effect of the Greater Red Lodge Project and the MT DNRC Palisades 
Timber Sale, (2) concerns about impacts to wildlife habitat for mature 
forest species, (3) concerns about impacts to scenery, (4) concerns 
about impacts to recreation and transportation, and (5) a myriad of 
issues related to reconstruction of Nichols Creek Road, including water 
quality, economics, and cultural resources.
    Additionally, the EIS will consider a number of analysis issues to 
evaluate how the purpose and need for action will be met (including 
changes to wildfire and beetle hazards), and impacts to specific 
resources including, but not limited to Threatened/Endangered Species, 
big game, water quality, soil productivity, aquatic species, range, 
noxious weeds, and sensitive plants.

Permits or Licenses Required

    The following permits may be required prior to project 
implementation in order to ensure Federal and State laws are met: (1) 
Montana Streamside Protection Act (SPA 124 Permit); (2) Federal Clean 
Water Act (Section 404 Permit); (3) Short-Term Water Quality Standard 
for Turbidity (318 Authorization); and (4) Alternative Practices Waiver 
from MT DNRC to remove trees in a streamside management zone to 
maintain wet meadows.

Scoping Process

    The Beartooth District provided information to the public and asked 
for comments in 2012 and 2013, and provided numerous opportunities for 
public input as the proposed action and alternatives were developed. On 
June 14, 2012, the District scoped a preliminary purpose/need and 
general proposed action (i.e. unit boundaries identified, but 
treatments not assigned), and conducted a public field trip and meeting 
on June 28, 2012. As a result, the purpose and need was refined and 
clarified, and comments were considered as the proposed action was 
developed.
    On February 22, 2013, the District scoped a detailed purpose and 
need and proposed action, and received about 36 comments. A public 
meeting was held on March 14, 2013, and field trips were held on June 6 
and 28, 2013. The Forest Service also participated in numerous other 
meetings to discuss the project. As alternatives to the proposed action 
were developed, the District held additional field trips and reviewed 
draft alternatives with the public to provide information, discuss 
issues of concern, provide an opportunity for the public to interact 
with resource specialists, and provide an additional opportunity for 
people to provide comments on the alternatives before they were 
finalized. Throughout this process, the district also met with local 
government and interest groups to share information.

[[Page 8154]]

Comments Requested

    Given that scoping and public meetings have been conducted, 
comments are not being requested at this time. The Draft EIS will be 
published in April 2014 and include a 45-day comment period.

    Dated: February 4, 2014.
Mary C. Erickson,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2014-02918 Filed 2-10-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411-15-P