Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices 9621 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests; 

Idaho; Clear Creek Integrated 

Restoration Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: This is a corrected notice. 

This notice updates the contact 

information that was included in the 

original notice, and extends the 

comment due date to March 1, 2012. 

The original notice was published in the 

Federal Register on January 6, 2012, 

pages 775 and 776. 

The Forest Service gives notice of its 

intent to prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Clear Creek 

Integrated Restoration Project. The 

Proposed action would use a 

combination of timber harvest, precommercial thinning, prescribed fire 

and reforestation to achieve the desired 

range of age classes, size classes, 

vegetative species distributions, habitat 

complexity (diversity) and landscape 

patterns across the forested portions of 

the project area. Road decommissioning, 

culvert replacements and road 

improvements are also proposed to 

improve watershed health. The EIS will 

analyze the effects of the proposed 

action and alternatives. The Nez PerceClearwater Forest invites comments and 

suggestions on the issues to be 

addressed. The agency gives notice of 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) analysis and decision making 

process on the proposal so interested 

and affected members of the public may 

participate and contribute to the final 

decision. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

March 1, 2012. The draft environmental 

impact statement is expected in 

February 2013 and the final 

environmental impact statement is 

expected in November 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Send written or electronic 

comments to Lois Hill, Interdisciplinary 

Team Leader; Kamiah Ranger Station; 

903 3rd Street; Kamiah, ID 83536; FAX 

208–935–4257; Email commentsnorthern-nezperce-moosecreek@fs.fed.us. Include your name, 

address, organization represented (if 

any), and the name of the project for 

which you are submitting comments. 

Electronic comments will be accepted in 

MS Word, Word Perfect, or Rich Text 

formats. 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lois 

Hill, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, 

(208) 935–4258. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The objective of the Clear Creek 

Integrated Restoration Project is to 

manage forest vegetation to restore 

natural disturbance patterns; improve 

long term resistance and resilience at 

the landscape level; reduce fuels; 

improve watershed conditions; improve 

elk habitat effectiveness; improve 

habitat for early seral species; and 

maintain habitat structure, function, and 

diversity. Timber outputs from the 

proposed action would be used to offset 

treatment costs and support the 

economic structure of local 

communities and provide for regional 

and national needs. 

Purpose and Need for the Proposal 

Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat 

Improvement 

Purpose: Trend vegetation species 

composition, structure, and 

distributions toward desired conditions 

described in the Forest Plan. 

Need: There is a need to change tree 

species composition by retaining and 

planting early seral species, such as 

ponderosa pine, western larch and 

western white pine. The project area has 

a high proportion of grand fir/Douglas 

fir habitat. These habitats tend to be 

more susceptible to insects and 

diseases. Grand fir is unlikely to survive 

a wildfire. There is a need to trend the 

area toward a more diverse and resilient 

forest structure by creating a range of 

age classes, size classes, habitat 

complexity (diversity) and disturbance 

patterns that more closely emulate 

natural mixed severity disturbance. 

Increasing early seral species in 

managed areas would help trend the 

area toward, or maintain, desired habitat 

conditions and would make these 

habitats more resistant and resilient to 

change agents such as insects, diseases, 

and fire. 

There is a need to increase diversity 

within previously harvested areas to 

begin restoring long-term habitat quality 

for sensitive and old growth associated 

species. Historic logging practices and 

fire suppression have created a 

landscape that is more highly 

fragmented than would be expected to 

result from natural disturbances. Ladder 

fuels have increased and there has been 

a shift to shade tolerant species. Habitat 

structure and patch sizes of young 

forests are simplified and smaller than 

would be expected to result from 

natural disturbances. Edges of patches 

are straight and even. 

There is a need to increase young 

forest habitats on this landscape. Age 

classes are dominated by middle-aged 

and mature forest habitats. Forest 

management would increase high 

quality early seral wildlife habitats by 

retaining large trees and promoting 

establishment of tall shrubs and 

hardwood tree species by using variable 

retention regeneration harvest. In the 

short term, this would benefit wildlife 

species that use early seral habitats, 

such as neotropical migratory birds, 

resident birds, small mammals, and big 

game species. In the long term, large tree 

retention would help maintain habitat 

structure and complexity needed by old 

growth associated species. 

Goods and Services 

Purpose: To utilize timber outputs 

produced through restoration activities 

to support the economic structure of 

local communities and provide for 

regional and national needs (Forest Plan 

page II–1). 

Need: There is a need to provide a 

sustained yield of resource outputs, as 

directed by the Forest Plan. Much of the 

area consists of grand fir dominated 

stands that have insect and disease 

infestations that are contributing to 

increased tree mortality, or are at risk 

from stand replacing events. Stands 

proposed for treatment are currently 

losing volume and value due to insects 

and diseases. Harvest of the timber 

would provide materials to local 

industries. 

Fire Regime/Natural Disturbance 

Restoration and Fuel Reduction 

Purpose: Reduce ladder fuels created 

by shade-tolerant species and create 

more natural patch sizes by emulating 

mixed severity fire. (Forest Plan page II– 

2) 

Need: There is a need to increase 

patch sizes to shift age and size class 

distributions to increase high quality 

early seral wildlife habitats. Effective 

fire suppression in this area began in the 

1930’s. As a result, there has been a 

vegetative shift to less fire resistant 

species, and an increase in ladder fuels 

that can contribute to the risk of high 

intensity and potentially resource 

damaging wildfire. Some portions of the 

project area have been identified as 

being up to five times outside of their 

normal fire return intervals. Past harvest 

patterns do not emulate natural 

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9622 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices 

disturbance patterns nor do they 

emulate natural habitat structure. 

Landscape burning and timber harvest 

that mimics natural fire would help 

increase forest resilience, help reduce 

risk of wildfires, and help create high 

quality habitats that would benefit 

neotropical migratory birds, resident 

birds, small mammals, and big game 

species. Fire dependent wildlife species 

would benefit from landscape burning. 

Watershed Improvement 

Purpose: Reduce potential sediment 

inputs into the aquatic ecosystem from 

roads. 

Need: There is a need to drain 

roadside ditchline water away from 

streams by installing cross drain pipes 

near live stream crossings. The cross 

drain pipes collect ditchline water and 

direct it onto the forest floor. There is 

also a need to replace existing 

undersized, damaged, or rusting 

culverts on streams to minimize failure 

potential. 

There are 283 miles of road within the 

project area, 200 of which are needed 

for current and future management. The 

remaining 83 miles of road have been 

cleared for decommissioning under the 

SF/WF Clear Creek Road 

Decommissioning EA (2011). The roads 

needed for management can contribute 

sediment to streams through road 

surface erosion and potential culvert 

failures. Surface erosion occurs during 

spring snowmelt and rain events. Dirt 

coming off roads is diverted into 

ditchlines which are often directed into 

streams. Preliminary surveys show most 

roads in the area are drained by ditches. 

Culvert failures can result from 

undersized, damaged or rusting culverts 

which can plug with debris and then 

fail as water saturates the surrounding 

fill. Failures can contribute large pulses 

of sediment into streams. Surveys 

indicate at least 60 miles of road with 

culverts that are in need of replacement 

or cleaning. There is a minimum of 40 

high or moderate priority culverts in 

need of replacement, and 12 in need of 

cleaning. There are an additional 40 low 

priority culverts in need of replacement 

and 15 in need of cleaning. The 

surveyed roads pose the highest risk to 

streams in the project area. 

The desired condition for roads is to 

have ditchlines that drain road surface 

water away from streams and onto forest 

the forest floor. All culverts at stream 

crossings are appropriately sized to 

allow for the passage of material within 

minimal risk of plugging. 

The Proposed Action would: 

Improve Forest Health, Provide Goods 

and Services, Reduce Fuels and Improve 

Wildlife Habitat 

• Conduct ‘‘variable retention’’ 

regeneration harvest and post harvest 

burning activities on up to 2500 acres to 

create early sucessional plant 

communities and improve wildlife 

habitat while re-establishing long-lived 

early seral tree species. Variable 

retention harvest would include areas of 

full retention (clumps), irregular edges, 

and retention of snags and legacy trees 

to provide structure and a future source 

of woody debris. Openings will likely 

exceed 40 acres. 

• Commercially thin approximately 

7810 acres to reduce stand densities 

improve forest health and reduce the 

chance of crown fire. 

• Apply improvement harvest to 

approximately 311 acres (thin from 

below) to remove encroachment and 

ladder fuels from ponderosa pine 

dominated stands. 

• Construct a minimum temporary 

road system to carry out the proposed 

action. Roads would be 

decommissioned after use. 

• Pre-commercially thin 

approximately 1865 acres to reduce 

stand densities improve forest health 

and reduce fuels. 

• Restore approximately 42 acres of 

bunchgrass communities through 

prescribed burning and revegetation 

with native grasses to improve wildlife 

winter range through reestablishment of 

native grasses and forbs. 

• Apply approximately 1400 acres of 

low and mixed severity prescribed fire 

within the Clear Creek Roadless area to 

restore natural fire regimes, reduce 

fuels, improve wildlife habitat and 

create mosaic forest conditions. 

Proposed activities are consistent with 

Idaho Roadless Rule. There is no timber 

cutting planned within the Clear Creek 

Roadless area. 

Reduce Sediment Production and 

Address Transportation Needs 

• Conduct maintenance on or 

improve 100–130 miles of system roads 

including culvert installation or 

replacement, ditch cleaning, and riprap 

placement for drainage improvement. It 

may also include gravel placement, road 

grading and dust abatement. 

• Additional site specific 

maintenance or improvements would 

occur to improve watershed conditions 

on up to 20 miles of roads outside of 

proposed treatment areas. 

• Decommission 2–5 miles of system 

roads no longer considered necessary 

for transportation needs. 

Possible Alternatives the Forest 

Service will consider include a noaction alternative, which will serve as a 

baseline for comparison of alternatives. 

The proposed action will be considered 

along with additional alternatives that 

will be developed to meet the purpose 

and need for action, and to address 

significant issues identified during 

scoping. 

The Responsible Official is Rick 

Brazell, Nez Perce-Clearwater Forest 

Supervisor, Clearwater National Forest 

Supervisor’s Office, 12730 Highway 12, 

Orofino, ID 83544. 

The Decision To Be Made is whether 

to adopt the proposed action, in whole 

or inpart, or another alternative; and 

what mitigation measures and 

management requirements will be 

implemented. 

The Scoping Process for the EIS is 

being initiated with this notice. The 

scoping process will identify issues to 

be analyzed in detail and will lead to 

the developemnt of alternatives to the 

proposal. The Forest Service is seeking 

information and comments from other 

Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribal 

Governments; and organizations and 

individuals who may be interested in or 

affected by the proposed action. 

Comments received in response to this 

notice, including the names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be a part of the project record and 

available for public review. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A draft 

environmental impact statement will be 

prepared for comment. The second 

major opportunity for public input will 

be when the draft EIS is published. The 

comment period for the draft EIS will be 

45 days from the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

publishes the notice of availability in 

the Federal Register. The Draft EIS is 

anticipated to be available for public 

review in February 2013. 

Dated: January 24, 2012. 

Rick Brazell, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2012–3745 Filed 2–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Applications for 

Watch Duty-Exemption and 7113 

Jewelry Duty-Refund Program 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

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