This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

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Notices Federal Register

40874

Vol. 63, No. 147

Friday, July 31, 1998

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Salvage Harvest Due to 1998 Storm

Damage, Daniel Boone National Forest,

McCeary and Pulaski Counties, KY

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 effect of removing trees

damaged by a severe snowstorm that

occurred in February 1998, and severe

wind storms that occurred in April and

May 1998. The areas under

consideration for this proposal include

approximately 3400 acres on the Stearns

and Somerest Ranger Districts within

the Daniel Boone National Forest. Pine

trees that will be removed include trees

that are downed; trees that have 50% or

more of the live crown missing or

damaged; uprooted trees; or leaning and

root sprung trees. Hardwood trees that

will be removed include trees that are

downed, uprooted, leaning and root

sprung. Other damaged standing trees

may be removed for public safety or

logging access.

The proposed method of removal is to

use salvage timber sales which may

include the use of helicopter, cable

yarding, and ground skidding methods.

Skidding methods may use motorized

equipment or animals.

Connected actions include

construction of temporary roads,

maintenance of existing roads, and

erosion control measures to minimize

soil movement.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

of this analysis should be received by

August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments

to Michael B. Kluempke, Daniel Boone

National Forest, 761 South Laurel Road,

London, KY 40744.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Myra Williamson, Silviculturist, Stearns

Ranger District, Daniel Boone National

Forest, P.O. Box 429, US Highway 27

North, Whitley City, KY 42653, or by

calling (606) 376–5323.

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: The Forest

Supervisor for the Daniel Boone

National Forest, located at 1700 Bypass

Road, Winchester, KY 40391, is the

Responsible Official for this action.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Need for the Proposal

On February 3, 1998, a snow storm

dropped approximately two feet of

heavy, wet snow across the southern

half of the Forest. On April 16, 1998, a

tornado, along with strong straight-line

winds, hit the Stearns Ranger District.

On May 31, 1998, a windstorm hit both

the Stearns and Somerest Ranger

Districts.

The February snowstorm impacted a

significant portion of the 191,000 acres

of National Forest System lands on the

Stearns and Somerest Districts. Most

impact occurred within the ridgetop

forest stands. The most heavily

impacted stands were composed

primarily of Virginia pine, most of

which suffered broken stems, were

uprooted or were severely bent over.

Hardwoods and shortleaf pine trees

were generally uprooted, or suffered

some crown damage.

When the April and May windstorms

swept through the western and southern

parts of the Somerset and Stearns

Districts they damaged approximately

3,000 acres of hardwood and hardwoodpine forest. Some of these areas were

also affected by the snowstorm. Within

the the damaged areas, most of the

larger diameter trees were uprooted,

while others were twisted, snapped,

lifted (resulting in root damage), or bent.

In the western part of the Stearns

District these windstorms have left

entire hillsides where all or most of the

trees have been leveled.

The storm damage has resulted in a

substantial increase in fuel loading over

the entire area. This is due to the large

amount of foliage, twigs, limbs and

stems of damaged and fallen trees

greatly increasing the fuels available for

wildfire.

The extent of the fire hazards created

by additional fuel loading is dependent

on the dispersion and the arrangement

of fuels. Heavy fuel accumulations may

occur adjacent to what would normally

be an effective location for control lines.

The height of fuels could create a ladder

for fire to enter into the crowns of trees

and increase the rate of spread.

This vertical and horizontal

arrangement of fuels needs to be

disrupted. The increased fuel loading,

when dry, would increase wildfire

intensity and is a severe impediment of

fireline construction and control of fires.

Because the National Forest land

ownership pattern in the areas affected

by the storm events is highly variable,

conditions on one ownership tend to

also have indirect effects upon

conditions of other ownership. The

excessive fuel loads currently in the

forest increases the potential for severe

wildfires to spread to private lands.

A large portion of the project area is

within the tentative Habitat

Management Area for the Red-cockaded

woodpecker. In order to recover this

species, as well as other rare fireassociated plants and animals, active

management is needed to create and

maintain pine and pine-hardwood forest

types. The current condition of many of

these proposed treatment areas inhibits

the use of prescribed fire and stand

regeneration activities that are necessary

to create and maintain habitat for these

species.

Many of the proposed treatment areas

have been heavily used in the past by

the general public for various

recreational activities such as hunting,

fishing, hiking, camping and bird

watching. The high number of down

trees criss-crossed on the forest floor

present serious obstacles to foot travel,

and trees left hanging or leaning pose

safety risks to users of the general forest.

B. Purpose

The purpose of this action is to allow

for the timely removal of damaged trees

within heavily storm-damaged areas of

the Daniel Boone National Forest to

meet the following general objectives:

1. Reduce current fuel loads and

modify their arrangement where they

present a wildfire hazard to the life and

property on adjacent private land.

2. Reduce current fuel loads and

modify their arrangement to minimize

damage to Forest resources that may

result from a catastrophic wildfire.

3. To restore the ability to manage

these areas towards the objectives

outlined in the Forest Land and
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 147 / Friday, July 31, 1998 / Notices 40875

Resource Management Plan (FLRMP) for

Management Areas 7 and 9.

4. To provide for the safety of forest

users and employees within the project

area.

The Daniel Boone National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan

(FLRMP) provides overall guidance for

management activities in the affected

area where the storm damage has

occurred. Approximately 100 acres are

located in Management Area 9. The

remaining acres are located in

Management Area 7. Forest wide

management goals include (FLRMP IV–

1,2):

1. Protect and enhance habitat for all

threatened and endangered species and

strive towards increasing population

levels to facilitate removal from T&E

status.

2. Manage the Forest in a manner that

is sensitive to economic feasibility.

3. Provide a diversity of plant and

animal communities.

4. Protect, maintain and/or improve

soil productivity and water quality.

5. Provide the habitat requirements of

the management indicator species.

The general management direction for

Management Area 7 (FLRMP IV–119)

includes the following requirements:

1. Otimize growing potential for

yellow and white pine, and upland and

cove hardwoods;

2. Provide a moderate to high degree

of wildlife habitat diversity; and

3. Provide a broad range of

undeveloped recreation opportunities.

The general management direction for

Management Area 9 is to protect and

maintain the scenic quality of the area

while providing dispersed recreation

opportunities and enhance wildlife

(FLRMP IV–135).

Salvage timber sales are proposed to

meet these objectives in the most timely

and efficient manner. The use of salvage

timber sales will allow the objectives to

be accomplished in a short time frame.

Because the recoverable economic value

of forest products from storm damaged

trees will decrease significantly over

time as a result of deterioration, it is

imperative that the material be removed

in the most efficient and timely manner

possible.

C. Proposed Scoping Process

Public participation is an important

part of the analysis. The scoping period

associated with this Notice of Intent will

be thirty (30) days in length, beginning

the day after publication of this notice.

In addition to this scoping, the public

may visit Forest Service officials at any

time during the analysis and prior to the

decision.

The Daniel Boone National Forest is

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 submitted during the scoping

process should be in writing. They

should be specific to the action being

proposed and should describe as clearly

and completely as possible any issues

the commentor has with the proposal.

This input will be used in preparation

of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS). The scoping process

includes:

1. Identifying potential issues.

2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in

depth.

3. Eliminating nonsignificant issues or

those which have been covered by a

relevant previous environmental

analysis.

4. Exploring additional alternatives.

5. Identifying potential environmental

effects of the proposed action and

alternatives.

D. Preliminary Issues Identified to Date

Include

1. Removal of damaged trees and

associated activities may affect

threatened, endangered, and sensitive

plant and animal species and associated

habitat.

2. Ground disturbing activities

associated with the proposed action

may cause soil movement and increase

stream sedimentation which may affect

soil productivity and water quality.

3. The proposed action may impact

the scenic quality adjacent to Rock

Creek, a State Wild River, Marsh Creek,

a proposed Federal Wild and/or

Recreational River, and within Natural

Arch Scenic Area.

E. Possible Alternatives Identified to

Date Include

1. No Action: This alternative will

serve as a baseline for comparison of

alternatives. This alternative will be

fully developed and analyzed.

2. Proposed Action: As described

above, this alternative will remove trees

damaged in three storms. The proposed

method of removal is to use salvage

timber sales which may include the use

of helicopters, cable yarding, ground

skidding methods, or animals.

F. Estimated Data for DEIS and FEIS

The DEIS is expected to be filed with

the Environmental Protection Agency

and to be available for public comment

by November 1998. At that time, the

Environmental Protection Agency will

publish a notice of availability of the

DEIS in the Federal Register. The

comment period on the DEIS will be 45

days from the date the Environmental

Protection Agency publishes the notice

of availability in the Federal Register.

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 DEIS 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 objectives that could be

raised at the DEIS stage but that are not

raised until after the completion of the

Final Environmental Impact Statement

(FEIS) may be waived or dismissed by

the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803

F. 2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and

Wisconsin Heritage, Inc. v. Harris, 490

F. Supp. 1334 (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 45-day 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

the FEIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the DEIS should be as

specific as possible. It is also helpful if

the comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft statement.

Comments may also address the

adequacy of the DEIS or the merits of

the alternatives formulated and

discussed in the statement. Reviewers

may wish to refer to the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations for

implementing the procedural provision

of the National Environmental Policy

Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing

these points.

After the comment period ends on the

DEIS, the comments will be analyzed,

considered, and responded to by the

Forest Service in preparing the FEIS.

The FEIS is scheduled to be completed

in January 1999. The responsible official

will consider the comments, responses,

environmental consequences discussed

in the FEIS, and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies in making a

decision regarding this proposed action.

The responsible official will document

the decision and reasons for the

decision in the Record of Decision. That
40876 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 147 / Friday, July 31, 1998 / Notices

decision will be subject to appeal in

accordance with 36 CFR part 215.

Benjamin T. Worthington,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98–20227 Filed 7–30–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Big Bend Ridge Vegetation

Management Project, Targhee National

Forest, Fremont County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Forest Supervisor of the

Targhee National Forest gives notice of

the agency’s intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement for the

Big Bend Ridge Vegetation Management

Project. After conducting a Properly

Functioning Condition (PFC)

assessment and a Landscape

Assessment, Forest Service personnel

found several concerns with various

ecosystems that comprise the Big Bend

Ridge Project Area. These included:

• Presence of dense stands of mature

Douglas-fir trees that are susceptible to

insect, disease and fire outbreaks. These

dense stands are losing their crowns.

• Consistent lack of Douglas-fir

seedling establishment.

• Lack of rejuvenation of bigtooth and

mountain maple plant communities.

• Lack of rejuvenation and the

decline in seral aspen plant

communities.

• Decline in potential forage values

for big game.

• Increased risks associated with

wildfire along the adjacent and

expanding urban interface.

An interdisciplinary team developed

a proposal to address these concerns.

The Big Bend Ridge Vegetation

Management Project proposes to:

• Commercially thin (thinning from

below—larger diameter trees would be

left) approximately 2,500 acres (about 9

million board feet) of densely stocked

Douglas-fir stands (thinning would also

regenerate seral aspen communities that

occur in these treatment areas).

Approximately 70% of the harvest

would be done with cable or helicopter

yarding methods; the remainder being

done with crawler tractors or rubbertired skidders.

• Establish a 200 acre demonstration

area to test and monitor the use of

prescribed fire and mechanical

treatments in establishing Douglas-fir

seedlings.

• Use prescribed fire and hand

methods, as a demonstration project, to

treat and monitor rejuvenation of 100

acres of big tooth and mountain maple

plant communities.

• Use prescribed fire to rejuvenate

aspen and reduce fuels and fire hazards

along the wildland urban interface on

700 acres of mixed conifer and seral

aspen plant communities.

• Use prescribed fire to improve 900

acres of big-game range (treatment areas

would also benefit urban interface

considerations).

Areas treated silviculturally, 3.3 miles

of non-system road reconstruction and 3

miles of non-system road construction.

Big Bend Ridge Project Area is located

5 miles north of Ashton, Idaho and

contains 30,000 acres of National Forest

lands on the Ashton/Island Park Ranger

District, Alternatives to this proposal,

including No-Action, will be developed

by an interdisciplinary team to respond

to significant issues generated during

the scoping process. A more detailed

description of the proposed action is

available from the Ashton/Island Park

Ranger District; see address below.

DATES: Send written comments and

suggestions on the issues concerning the

proposed action by August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Adrienne Keller, District Ranger,

Ashton/Island Park Ranger District, P.O.

Box 858, Ashton, ID 83420.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Melissa Jenkins, phone (208) 558–7301

or Duane Monte, phone (208) 624–

3151—Interdisciplinary Team Leaders.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Revised Forest Plan (RFP) for the

Targhee National Forest was approved

in 1997. Management direction for the

Big Bend Ridge Project Area is primarily

for timber management with emphasis

on big game security (Management

Prescriptions 5.1.4[a] & 5.2.4[c]).

Management on the remainder of the

project area is governed by prescriptions

2.2—Research Natural Areas; 2.8.3—

Aquatic Influence Zone; 5.1[c]—Timber

Management; and 5.2.1—Visual Quality

Improvement.

Initial public involvement will

include mailing a project description

and maps to interested parties to solicit

comments on the proposal. Preliminary

issues include: Access management, elk

security/vulnerability, visuals, urban

interface, and forest health.

Additional opportunity to comment

on the project will occur on the draft

Environmental Impact Statement (draft

EIS). The draft EIS is expected to be

filed with the Environmental Protection

Agency and available for public review

in mid December 1998.

The comment period on the draft EIS

will be 45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency’s

notice of availability appears in the

Federal Register. At the same time,

copies of the draft EIS will be

distributed to interested and affected

agencies, organizations, tribes, and

members of the public for their review

and comment. It is very important that

those interested in the proposed action

participate at that time.

The Forest Service believes, at this

early stage, it is important to give

reviewers notice of several court rulings

related to the 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

reviewers’ position and contentions.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v.

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

environmental objections that could

have been raised at the draft stage but

that are raised until after completion of

the final environmental impact

statement may be waived or dismissed

by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel,

(9th Circuit, 1986) and Wisconsin

Heritages, Inc. 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 45

day comment period so that substantive

comments and objections are made

available to the Forest Service at a time

when it can meaningful consider them

and respond to them in the final

environmental impact statement.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft environmental

impact statement should be as specific

as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft statement.

Comments may also address the

adequacy of the draft environmental

impact statement. 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 final EIS is scheduled to be

completed in March 1999. In the final

EIS, the Forest Service is required to

respond to comments received during

the comment period that pertain to the

environmental consequences discussed

in the draft EIS and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies considered in

making the decisions on this proposal.