6580 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 28 / Thursday, February 10, 2000 / Notices

clarity of the information to be

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the

burden of the collection of information

on respondents, including the use of

automated, electronic, mechanical, or

other technological collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology.

Use of Comments

All comments received in response to

this notice, including names and

addresses when provided, will become

a matter of public record. Comments

will be summarized and included in the

request for Office of Management and

Budget.

Dated: February 3, 2000.

Gloria Manning,

Associate Deputy Chief, for Business

Operations.

[FR Doc. 00–3011 Filed 2–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Meadow Tolan Vegetation Management

Project; Bitterroot National Forest,

Ravalli County, MT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to disclose the

environmental effects of management

activities proposed in the MeadowTolan area on the Sula Ranger District

of the Bitterroot National Forest.

Proposed management activities include

management ignited prescribed fire,

timber harvest, reforestation, precommercial thinning, aspen restoration,

and road reconstruction. The MeadowTolan area is located in Ravalli County,

Montana, approximately 40 miles

southeast of Hamilton. The MeadowTolan area includes the Meadow and

Tolan Creek drainages and several other

tributary drainages between them.

A variety of management activities

proposed in the project are being

considered together because they

represent either connected or

cumulative actions as defined by the

Council on Environmental Quality (40

CFR 1508.25). The purposes of the

project are (1) To restore fire and its

associated ecological benefits, (2) to

harvest merchantable timber, (3) to

reduce fuel accumulations, especially in

an area adjacent to a rural subdivision,

(4) to modify forest stand structure and

species composition in order to

maintain or restore ecosystem diversity,

(5) to reduce motorized travel to comply

with Forest Plan standard, (6) to amend

the Forest Plan motorized access

standards in an area where other

resource benefits outweigh the benefits

of restricting travel, (7) to thin young

stands that are overstocked, and (8) to

restore aspen clones that show signs of

deterioration. This project level EIS will

tier to the Bitterroot National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan

(Forest Plan) and Final EIS (September

1987), which provides overall guidance

for all land management activities on

the Bitterroot National Forest.

DATES: Written comments and

suggestions should be received by

March 24, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The Responsible Official is

Rodd Richardson, Forest Supervisor,

Bitterroot National Forest, 1801 North

First, Hamilton MT 59840.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Written comments and suggestions

concerning the scope of the analysis or

a request to be included on the project

mailing list should be sent to John

Ormiston, Acting Resource Team

Leader, Sula Ranger District, Bitterroot

National Forest, Phone (406) 821–3201.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

project area encompasses approximately

45,000 acres of land in west-central

Montana on the Bitterroot National

Forest. The Meadow-Tolan area

includes the Meadow and Tolan Creek

drainages and several other tributary

drainages of the East Fort Bitterroot

River, including Vapor Creek, Swift

Creek, Bugle Creek, Kerlee Creek,

Springer Creek, Mink Creek, and Bruce

Creek. A map and legal descriptions are

available on request.

An analysis of the Meadow-Tolan area

reveals changes in how the forest

vegetation currently looks and functions

compared to the past. Natural patterns

and stand structures have changed,

largely due to the absence of fire during

the 1900’s in this fire dependent

ecosystem. The result is notable changes

in plant species composition and

density, stand structures, fuels, seral

species regeneration, and the health and

vigor of forest stands. The primary

purposes of prescribed fire and timber

harvest in the Meadow-Tolan area is to

maintain or restore ecosystem diversity,

function, and health. There is also an

opportunity to address ecological trends

and at the same time utilize surplus

biomass for forest products. Maintaining

plant community diversity will promote

the range of habitats that native plants

and animals evolved in. Management

prescriptions to promote diversity

include low to moderate intensity

management ignited prescribed fire; and

on some sites prescribed fire in

combination with silvicultural

treatments. Silvicultural treatments

proposed include pre-commercial

thinning, timber harvest, and

reforestation.

Managing fuels using fire and

silvicultural practices would decrease

the risk of uncharacteristically intense

fires and associated undesirable effects.

These activities could also increase the

ability of the Forest Service to allow

more naturally occurring fires to burn in

the adjoining Anaconda-Pintler

Wilderness Area by reducing fuels near

private property at lower elevations.

This would to some degree reduce the

risks to private property from natural

fires allowed to burn in the wilderness.

Vegetation treatments with

commercial timber harvest and

management ignited prescribed fire are

proposed on approximately 2530 acres

and 1430 acres, respectively. Proposed

management ignited fire and harvest

activities focus primarily on low- to

mid-elevations and dry aspects; those

considered at ecological risk due to fire

absence.

The prescribed fire would focus on

the ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir

community, which have been most

altered due to fire absence. Most of

these treated acres will also include

slashing of undesired and

unmerchantable trees.

Big game forage, including some

winter range areas, would be improved

in the areas to be understory burned.

Intermediate harvests will also be

prescribed on about 1100 acres in the

ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir

communities to open forest canopies,

reduce Douglas-fir encroachment,

improve overall productivity and

health. Following harvest, all areas

would be treated with understory

burning in order to reduce fuels, prepare

sites for regeneration, rejuvenate the

shrub component, and maintain fire as

an ecosystem process.

Pre-commercial thinning is also

needed on about 320 acres of densely

stocked submerchantable trees in order

to enhance tree growth and vigor. One

area of approximately 20 acres will be

treated with hand thinning and piling

for the purpose of fuel reduction.

Approximately 1210 acres in the

moist Douglas-fir forest community

would be treated using intermediate

harvests to reduce stand densities,

increase health and vigor of the residual

stand, salvage dead and dying trees from

Douglas-fir bark beetle caused mortality

or root rot, and increase resilience to

other insects and diseases.

Approximately 160 acres would be

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 28 / Thursday, February 10, 2000 / Notices 6581

treated with a regeneration harvest

where heavy mortality exists due to the

Douglas-fir bark beetle. Douglas-fir

beetles have been particularly active on

north slopes in the area in the last few

years and have reached epidemic

population levels on the Sula Ranger

District. Because of the uncertainty of

future beetle populations, some of the

area prescribed for intermediate

harvests may require regenerating.

About half the area would be understory

burned following harvest. Activity fuels

in remainder would be limbed and

lopped or yarded to the landing to burn.

Due to the current level of beetle

caused mortality and the expected

future mortality, there are two units

needing regeneration that will exceed 40

acres.

Eleven aspen stands on about 60 acres

have matured and are showing signs of

deterioration in the absence of fire. We

propose to remove encroaching conifers

by girdling or harvest and apply

prescribed fire to restore aspen vigor

and presence on the landscape.

We propose to establish a defensible

perimeter around a cluster of private

dwellings in the Echo Gulch area;

thinning, pruning and prescribing fire to

reduce fuels and therefore the risk of

fire moving rapidly through the

perimeter.

The Bitterroot Forest Plan provides

guidance for management activities

through its goals, objectives, standards,

and management area direction. The

areas of proposed management activities

occur in Management Areas 1, 2, and 3a.

Prescribed burning is proposed on lands

within Forest Plan Management Areas 1,

2, 3a, and 3b. The management

direction for these areas are briefly

described, as follows. Management Area

1 emphasizes timber management,

livestock and big game forage

production, and roaded dispersed

recreation activities. Management Area

2 emphasizes elk winter range habitat,

allows for timber management and

provides roaded dispersed recreation

opportunities. Management Area 3a

emphasizes visual quality, allows

timber management, and provides

roaded dispersed recreation

opportunities. Management Area 3b

emphasizes protection of riparian

habitat and water quality and provides

for water-related recreation.

Public scoping meetings and

opportunities for interested parties to

review and comment on the proposals

for management were provided in Fall,

1998. Comments received have been

retained and will be considered during

the preparation of the Meadow Tolan

EIS. Public participation is an important

part of this analysis, continuing with

additional scoping (40 CFR 1501.7), in

February and March, 2000. In addition,

the public is encouraged to visit with

Forest Service officials at any time

during the analysis and prior to the

decision. The Forest Service will be

seeking information, comments, and

assistance from Federal, State, and local

agencies and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed action.

Comments from the public and other

agencies will be used in preparation of

the Draft EIS. The scoping process will

be used to identify issues and

alternatives to the proposed action.

Some public comments have already

been received in conjunction with

scoping documented in the MeadowTolan Project File. The following issues

have already been identified: 1. What

effects would the proposed timber

harvest, road construction, and

prescribed fire have on the water and

fishery resources in the area? 2. What

effects would the proposed actions have

on ecosystem health, productivity and

forest products. 3. How would road

construction, timber harvesting, and

prescribed burning affect wildlife

species in the area? 4. How would the

proposed actions affect the Tolan

roadless area and adjacent undeveloped

lands? 5. How would the proposed

actions affect recreation and motorized

access opportunities? 6. How would

visual quality be affected? This list may

be verified; expanded, or modified

based on continued public scoping.

The Forest Service will consider a

range of alternatives in the EIS. One of

these will be the ‘‘no action’’ alternative,

in which none of the proposed activities

would be implemented. Additional

alternatives will examine varying levels

and locations for the proposed activities

to achieve the proposal’s purposes, as

well as to respond to the issues and

other resource values. The EIS will

analyze the direct, indirect, and

cumulative environmental effects of the

alternatives. Past, present, and

scheduled activities on both private and

National Forest lands will be

considered. The EIS will disclose the

analysis of site specific mitigation

measures and their effectiveness.

The Draft EIS is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and available for public

review in July, 2000. At that time, the

EPA will publish a Notice of

Availability of the Draft EIS in the

Federal Register. The comment period

on the Draft EIS will be 45 days from the

date the EPA’s notice of availability

appears in the Federal Register. It is

very important that those interested in

management of the Meadow-Tolan area

participate at that time. To be most

helpful, comments on the Draft EIS

should be as specific as possible. The

Final EIS is scheduled to be completed

in December, 2000.

The Forest Service believes, at this

early stage, it is important to give

reviewers notice of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of draft environmental impact

statements must structure their

participation in the Environmental

review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an agency to the

reviewer’s position and contentions.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v.

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,553 (1978). Also,

environmental objections that could be

raised at the draft environmental impact

statement stage but that are not raised

until after completion of the final

environmental impact statement may be

waived or dismissed by the courts. City

of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 1016,

1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin

Heritages v. Harris, 490 F. Supp.–1334,

1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these

court rulings, it is very important that

those interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the scoping

comment period so that substantive

comments and objections are made

available to the Forest Service at a time

when it can meaningfully consider them

and respond to them in developing

issues and alternatives.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues on

the proposed action, comments should

be as specific as possible. Reviewers

may wish to refer to the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for

implementing the procedural provisions

of the National Environmental Policy

Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing

these points.

The responsible official for this

environmental impact statement is Rodd

Richardson, Forest Supervisor,

Bitterroot National Forest, 1801 North

First, Hamilton, MT 59840. He will

decide which, if any, of the proposed

actions will be implemented and will

document the decision and reasons for

the decision in a Record of Decision.

That decision will be subject to Forest

Service Appeal Regulations.

Dated: February 1, 2000.

Rodd Richardson,

Forest Supervisor, Bitterroot National Forest.

[FR Doc. 00–3101 Filed 2–9–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–83–M