[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 211 (Wednesday, October 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54702-54704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23826]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Payette National Forest; Idaho; Granite Meadows Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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

SUMMARY: The Payette National Forest will prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) to document the potential effects of the Granite 
Meadows Project. The Granite Meadows Project is located north of New 
Meadows, Idaho and north and west of McCall, Idaho on the Boise 
Meridian, within Adams, Valley and Idaho Counties. The analysis will 
evaluate and disclose the effects of implementing treatments on the 
National Forest to meet the purpose and need for the project. Proposed 
treatments include timber harvest, thinning, prescribed fire, road 
treatments and road decommissioning, watershed improvement and 
restoration treatments, and recreation improvements. Coordination with 
existing permittees on grazing schedules would also be included to meet 
the purpose and need related to fuels reduction.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by December 17, 2018. The draft EIS is expected in late July 2019, and 
the final EIS is expected in December 2019.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Keith Lannom, Forest Supervisor, 
500 N Mission Street, Building 2, McCall, Idaho 83638. Comments may 
also be sent via facsimile to 208-634-0744. Comments may also be 
submitted through the Granite Meadows Project web page at http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54029. To submit comments using the 
web form select ``Comment/Object on Project'' under ``Get Connected'' 
on the right panel of the project's web page.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Phelps, New Meadows District 
Ranger, 208-347-0300, [email protected]. 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. Additional project 
information is available on the project page of the Payette National 
Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54029.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Granite Meadows Project area totals 
approximately 83,000 acres, and includes approximately 70,000 acres of 
National Forest System (NFS) lands within the New Meadows and McCall 
Ranger Districts on the Payette National Forest. Additionally, the 
project area includes approximately 7,000 acres of state land and 6,000 
acres of private land, where proposed treatments would be covered under 
the Wyden Authority (Wyden Amendment, Section 323(A) of the Department 
of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 as included 
in Pub. L. 105-277, Div. A, Section 101(e) as amended by Pub. L. 111-
11, Section 3001). Actions proposed for use under the Wyden Authority 
would meet the intent and requirements of state and federal laws for 
actions on private and/or state lands. The project is located in the 
Hard Creek, Hartsell Creek-North Fork Payette River, Elk Creek-Little 
Salmon River, Lower Meadows Valley-Little Salmon River, Round Valley 
Creek-Little Salmon River, Sixmile Creek-Little Salmon River, Box 
Creek-North Fork Payette River, Fisher Creek, and Payette Lake 
subwatersheds with the Little Salmon and North Fork of the Payette 
subbasins.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Granite Meadows project is a landscape-scale effort to improve 
conditions across multiple resource areas. The need for the project is 
based on the difference between the existing and desired conditions. 
The desired conditions for this project are based upon the Payette 
Forest Plan (USDA Forest Service 2003), and the Watershed Condition 
Framework (USDA Forest Service 2011).
    There is a need to increase the diversity and resilience of the 
landscape with an emphasis on promoting early seral and fire resistent 
species (e.g., ponderosa pine and western larch), and improving 
watershed function and integrity. There is also a need to reduce the 
threat of unnaturally high wildfire intensity, especially in areas 
adjacent to communities. Additionally, there is a need to address the 
potential for user conflict and improve forest user safety, and 
effectively manage areas experiencing detrimental impacts from 
dispersed or unauthorized recreation. There is also a need for economic

[[Page 54703]]

stimulation for the communities adjacent to and within the project 
area.
    The purpose of the Granite Meadows Project is to:
    A. Move vegetation toward desired conditions defined in the Forest 
Plan with an emphasis on improving wildlife habitat; reducing the risk 
of uncharacteristic and undesirable wildland fire; returning fire to 
the ecosystem; promoting the development of large tree forest 
structures mixed with a mosaic of size classes; improving growth, 
maintaining and promoting seral species composition (e.g., quaking 
aspen, whitebark pine, western larch, ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir), 
and increasing resiliency to insects, disease, and fire.
    B. Support the development of fire-adapted rural communities.
    C. Provide for a safe, sustainable and efficient NFS transportation 
network for administration, utilization, and protection of NFS lands, 
and reduce road-related negative effects to resources.
    D. Move subwatersheds within the project area toward the desired 
conditions for soil, water, riparian, and aquatic resources.
    E. Implement site-specific streambank and wetland restoration 
activities where stream channels, wetlands, or riparian areas are in a 
degraded condition.
    F. Manage recreation use by improving trails, addressing 
unauthorized trails, improving other recreation infrastructure, and 
thus improve soil and water conditions while also minmizing the 
potential for conflicts between users, and addressing the risk to 
forest users.
    G. Contribute to the economic vitality of the communities adjacent 
to the Payette National Forest through improvements to recreational 
opportunities, timber sales, and other removals of forest products, 
which also fosters a resilient, adaptive ecosystem to mitigate wildfire 
risk and strengthen communities.

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action for the Granite Meadows project includes 
vegetative treatments (commerical, non-commerical, prescribed burning, 
and associated actions); watershed improvement and restoration 
treatments; and recreation improvements. Additionally, coordination 
with existing permittees on grazing programs would occur within the 
project area to meet the purpose and need of reducing the risk of 
uncharacteristic and undesirable wildland fire.

Vegetative Treatments

    The Forest Service proposes a combination of commercial treatments, 
non-commerical treatments (NCT) and prescribed burning across the 
project area. Treatments would be designed to improve wildlife habitat 
conditions, increase growth rates and tree vigor, improve stand 
resiliency to natural disturbance, reduce density-related competition, 
reduce the likelihood of extreme fire behavior in thinned tree stands, 
and increase potential for firefighter and public safety through 
reduced fire intensity, if a wildfire should occur. Treatments could 
occur within the outer portions of some riparian conservation areas 
(RCAs) where necessary to meet the purpose and need. Treatments would 
incorporate mitigation measures to address potential effects to soil, 
water, riparian and aquatic resources. Recurrent application of the 
necessary treatments (primarily prescribed fire) every 5 to 20 years 
would maintain the desired condition.
    Commercial Vegetative Treatments: Treatments would occur on 
approximately 25,000 acres and would a incorporate a variety of 
silvicultural systems, including both intermediate and regneration 
treatments, depending on stand conditions and species composition. The 
primary target for commercial treatments are accessible stands where 
removal of commercial sized trees would aid in achieving one or more of 
the following: Maintaining or restoring the desired vegetative 
conditions at the landscape scale; meeting wildland urban interface 
(WUI) objectives (e.g., supports the development of fire-adapted rural 
communities and/or reduces the risk of uncharacteristic and undesirable 
wildland fire); and/or meeting recreation objectives, such as improving 
skier experience and safety at Brundage Ski Resort.
    Non-Commercial Treatments: Non-commercial thinning (NCT) would 
occur on approximately 75,000 acres and would be completed in areas of 
commercial harvest as well as outside of commercial harvest. This would 
consist of trees generally less than ten inches diameter at breast 
height (DBH). Primary target acres for NCT consist of stands within \1/
2\ mile of structures; plantations; high-use recreation areas where 
vegetation management would maintain or enhance recreation objectives; 
areas with forest health concerns due to insect and disease; areas with 
with undesirable competition to early seral species; areas where 
density related stress/mortality is undesirable; and/or roadside 
treatments to improve ingress and egress routes.
    Prescribed Fire Treatments: Prescribed fire treatments would occur 
on approximately 83,000 acres. Nearly all of the project area 
(excluding the Bruin Mountain Reasearch Natural Area and additional 
areas deemed unsuited or critical) would be considered for prescribed 
fire over the next 20 years. Commercial activities would generally be 
completed prior to the application of fire, except where the 
application of fire prior to thinning does not affect commercial 
activities. Approximately 500 to 10,000 acres of prescribed fire would 
be applied annually.
    Associated Actions: Activities associated with implementing the 
above vegetative treaments include road maintenance and use; temporary 
roads, road relocation, rock pits, brush disposal, site preparation, 
and planting.

Treatments on Private and State Lands Within the Project Area

    Through agreements between the USDA Forest Service, willing private 
landowners, county governments, and Idaho Department of Lands (i.e., 
those identified within the project area boundary), treatments would 
seek to meet the purpose and need for the project and could include 
non-commercial thinning, prescribed fire, brush disposal, planting and 
seeding of native vegetation, watershed improvements (e.g., culvert 
replacements and stream stabilization), and road repair. Actions 
proposed as part of this project would comply with all laws applicable 
to management of state and private land. Agreements under the Wyden 
Authority would not restrict or preclude these land owners from 
managing or implementing other additional activities on their lands. 
Funding for activities outside the scope or purpose authorized under 
the Wyden Authority would have to be funded by other sources.

Watershed Improvement and Restoration Treatments

    These activities would include NFS road treatments, unauthorized 
route treatments, streambank and wetland restoration activities, and 
fish passage improvements. Road management actions for this project 
would utilize the McCall and New Meadows Ranger District Travel 
Analysis recommendations (completed in 2014 and 2015, respectively). 
Unauthorized routes not needed for future management would also be 
evaluated for some level of restoration treatment as required by Forest 
Service Manual 7734.01. and 7734.02. Site-specific

[[Page 54704]]

streambank and wetland restoration actions would occur in Sater 
Meadows, Mud Creek, or other areas across the project area where stream 
channels, wetlands, or riparian areas are in a degraded condition. 
Actions to improve stream channels, riparian habitat, and wetlands may 
include: Streambank stabilization, minor channel re-alignment, fence 
reconstruction, and planting native vegetation. These actions may also 
include placement of instream or streambank structures such as, but not 
limited to, rock, large woody debris, beaver dam analogs (BDAs), and 
barriers to prevent unauthorized motorized travel in sensitive areas. 
Road-crossing improvements have been identified in the project area to 
improve fish passage and hydrologic connectivity, including crossings 
in the Round Valley Creek Little Salmon River subwatershed, the Sixmile 
Creek Little Salmon River subwatershed, and in the Upper Goose Creek 
subwatershed.

Recreation Improvements

    To meet the purpose and need for the project, recreation 
improvements would include:
    (A) Improving the existing trail system by establishing user-
created (unauthorized) trails as system trails where appropriate, 
converting some roads to trails, and removing user-created trails that 
negetatively impact watershed and soil health;
    (B) replacing or repairing existing facilities, including restrooms 
and lake amenities;
    (C) addressing dispersed recreation issues by enhancing sites, 
hardening sites, closing some sites, and/or sign installation;
    (D) managing roads (including relocation), posting signage and/or 
considering closure orders (temporary and/or permanent) to address 
public safety in areas where conflicting use occurs; and
    (E) improving skier experience and safety through vegetative 
treatments within the Brundage Mountain Resort's ski area.
    More detailed information on the purpose and need for the project 
as well as the Proposed Action can be found on the project page of the 
Payette National Forest website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54029.

Responsible Official

    The Forest Supervisor of the Payette National Forest is the 
Responsible Official.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will decide whether or not, and in what 
manner, lands within the Granite Meadows project area would be treated 
to best meet the purpose and need. The decision will be based on a 
consideration of the environmental effects of implementing the proposed 
action or alternatives. The Responsible Official may select the 
proposed action, any alternative analyzed in detail, a modified 
proposed action or alternative, or no action. If an action alternative 
is selected, the Responsible Official will determine what design 
features, mitigation measures and monitoring requirements are included 
in the decision.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which helps 
guide the development of the environmental impact statement. It is 
important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in 
such a manner 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 project. Comments submitted anonymously however will also be 
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide 
the Agency with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent 
information concerning the project.

    Dated October 11, 2018.
Allen Rowley,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2018-23826 Filed 10-30-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P