[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]
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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.
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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
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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
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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]
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