Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 24, 2014 / Notices 77447 

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 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered, however. 

Dated: December 18, 2014. 

Laurence Crabtree, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2014–30158 Filed 12–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Intermountain Region, Payette National 

Forest, Council Ranger District, Idaho, 

Middle Fork Weiser River Landscape 

Restoration Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Council Ranger District of 

the Payette National Forest will prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) for the Middle Fork Weiser River 

Landscape Restoration Project. The 

Middle Fork Weiser River Landscape 

Restoration Project area is located 

approximately six miles southeast of 

Council, Idaho, primarily in the Middle 

Fork Weiser River watershed. It 

comprises approximately 50,000 acres 

and is within the boundaries of the 

Council Ranger District of the Payette 

National Forest, in Adams County 

Idaho. The project is designed to move 

vegetation toward desired conditions, 

improve wildlife habitat, reduce forest 

fuels, improve watershed conditions 

through a variety of activities including 

commercial and non-commercial 

vegetation management and road system 

modifications and maintenance; 

improve recreation infrastructure and 

opportunities; and improve firefighter 

and public safety by establishing 

fuelbreaks. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by 

January 23, 2015. The draft 

environmental impact statement is 

expected August, 2015 and the final 

environmental impact statement is 

expected February 2016. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Keith Lannom, Forest Supervisor, 500 

N. Mission Street, Building 2, McCall, 

Idaho 83638. Comments may also be 

sent via email to comments-intermtnpayette@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 

208–634–0744. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephen Penny, Project Team Leader, 

208–253–0164, spenny@fs.fed.us. 

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. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose is to: (1) Move vegetation 

toward the desired conditions (e.g., 

canopy closure in large tree class, 

species composition, and size class 

distribution) defined in the Forest Plan 

and consistent with the current science 

for restoration of ponderosa pine, 

Douglas-fir, grand fir, subalpine fir and 

lodgepole habitat types, with an 

emphasis on: (a) Improving habitat for 

specific wildlife species of concern, 

such as the species dependent on dry 

coniferous forests, while maintaining 

habitat for federally-listed and sensitive 

species; (b) Maintaining and promoting 

large tree forest structure, early seral 

species composition (for example aspen, 

western larch, ponderosa pine, and 

Douglas-fir) and forest resiliency to fire, 

insects and disease and climate change; 

(c) Reducing the risk of uncharacteristic 

wildland fire, with an emphasis on 

restoring and maintaining desirable 

plant community attributes including 

fuel levels, fire regimes, and other 

ecological processes; and (d) 

Maintaining and promoting large trees 

where retention is consistent with the 

above objectives. (2) Maintaining and 

promoting legacy ponderosa pine and 

western larch and legacy-like Douglas 

fir; (3) Restore heterogeneous fine and 

landscape scale mosaic patterns by 

establishing varying patch sizes 

consistent with spatial patterns that 

promote forest resilience to disturbance; 

(4) Within dry non-forested habitats, 

maintain and promote native grasses 

and restore desired conditions for age 

and canopy class structure on sagebrush 

and bitterbrush; (5) Decrease the conifer 

encroachment into aspen and nonforested habitats; (6) In order of priority, 

move the Granite Creek subwatershed 

from a Watershed Condition Framework 

(WCF) rating of Class 3 (Impaired) to a 

Class 2 (Functioning at Risk), and move 

Mica Creek, Jungle Creek, and Little Fall 

Creek subwatersheds within the Project 

area toward the desired condition for 

soil, water, riparian, and aquatic 

resources; (7) Manage recreation use in 

the Project with an emphasis on 

hardening primary dispersed recreation 

areas, improving existing trails and 

providing new trail opportunities 

including an OHV loop and a nonmotorized trail; (8) Contribute to the 

economic vitality of the communities 

adjacent to the Payette National Forest; 

and (9) Improve firefighter and public 

safety by establishing strategically 

placed defensible fuelbreaks within the 

Project area. 

The need for the Project is based on 

the difference between the existing and 

desired conditions. These differences 

include: (1) Loss of habitat for Family 1 

wildlife species, such as the whiteheaded woodpecker, compared to 

historical conditions; (2) Fewer large 

tree size classes than desired in the drier 

forest types (Potential Vegetation 

Groups 2, and 5), and higher canopy 

cover; (3) Fewer early seral tree species 

(i.e. aspen, ponderosa pine and western 

larch) than desired; (4) Increased stand 

and landscape homogeneity of size 

classes, species diversity, tree 

distributions and canopy closure; (5) 

Increased high canopy closer in the 

large size classes in some vegetation 

types; (6) Increased conifer 

encroachment into aspen and nonforested habitats; (7) Fewer fire resistant 

tree species (i.e., ponderosa pine and 

Western larch) and higher densities of 

non-fire resistant tree species; (8) Higher 

surface fuel loading in those areas that 

have missed one or more fire return 

intervals; (9) Less than desired 

watershed function and integrity, 

including increased sedimentation, 

hydrologic risk from flooding, 

disturbance in RCAs (mainly roadrelated), habitat fragmentation, lack of 

large woody debris in some streams, and 

lack of coarse woody debris in areas of 

past timber harvest; and (10) Trail and 

recreation facilities that do not meet 

current design and accessibility 

standards. 

Proposed Action 

The Proposed Action includes: Up to 

13,002 acres of commercial harvests (a 

combination of Free Thin, Free Thin– 

Patch Cut-Selection Harvest, Aspen 

Restoration, and Mature Plantation 

Harvest). Combined commercial and 

non-commercial vegetation treatments 

include up to 5,280 acres of Meadow 

Restoration and 1,267 acres of 

Restoration of Low Density Timber 

Stands. Non-commercial treatments 

include thinning up to 4,309 acres. 

These acreages include treatments 

designed for and within Riparian 

Conservation Areas (RCAs) and total 

approximately 3,428 acres. Prescribed 

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77448 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 24, 2014 / Notices 

burning would be conducted on up to 

37,000 acres and approximately 13 

miles of shaded fuelbreak would be 

created. 

Currently closed roads used for timber 

harvest would be evaluated for firewood 

retrieval, and could include firewood 

decks made available for public use. 

Watershed improvements proposed 

would improve watershed function and 

resiliency through minimizing the 

impact of the road and trail network 

throughout Middle Fork Weiser River 

watershed, and restoring vegetation and 

soil productivity in riparian areas. 

Treatments include road and trail 

decommissioning, improvements and 

reroutes, improvement to dispersed 

recreation sites within the Middle Fork 

Weiser River RCA, and vegetation 

treatments designed to restore or 

enhance native riparian vegetation 

through mechanical or hand treatment, 

prescribed fire, and planting and 

seeding. 

Forest Service System road treatments 

proposed throughout the project area 

include maintenance and/or 

improvement of Forest Service System 

Roads. This could include graveling, 

reshaping, upgrading and replacing 

culverts, and stabilizing cut and fill 

slopes. Approximately 16.6 miles of 

system road would be placed in longterm closure status. Long-term closure 

treatments include stabilizing the road 

surface and cut and fill slopes, removing 

or bypassing culverts, and blocking the 

entrance. Approximately 16.1 miles of 

system roads and 62.1 miles of 

unauthorized routes would be 

decommissioned. Decommissioning 

treatments proposed range from full 

recontour to spot treating isolated areas 

such as stream crossings on roads that 

have little to no defined prism and have 

recovered. 

Culverts that restrict proper 

hydrologic function and passage of fish 

and other aquatic organisms would be 

replaced. These are: (1) FS System Road 

50186 at the Middle Fork Weiser River 

near the junction with FS System Road 

50245 and (2) FS System Road 50186 at 

Big Creek. 

Developed and dispersed recreation 

improvements include: 1) Cabin Creek 

Campground—Install and relocate one 

single vault toilet to replace the old 

existing one, add new site markers to 

individual campsites, install a new fee 

tube and information kiosk, install 

accessible tables, and build an 

accessible pathway to the water system, 

gravel the main campground loop road, 

and widen the road and turn at the 

campground access to accommodate full 

size recreational vehicles; (2) Make 

improvements to the Horse Cabin Flat 

dispersed site including installation of 

up to four hitch rails, designation of 

camping sites using boulders, graveling 

and site signs to mark the allowed 

camping locations, add a single vault 

toilet; (3) Harden the crossing of the 

Middle Fork Weiser River at the 

dispersed camping area for stock use 

and to minimize resource damage and 

focus motorized access to the existing 

bridge approximately 300 feet from this 

crossing. Make improvements to the site 

in general (hardening, providing 

physical barriers to direct use) in order 

to minimize impacts to the adjacent 

Middle Fork Weiser River; and 4) Roads 

identified for decommissioning would 

be evaluated for site-specific dispersed 

recreation opportunities, at the 

intersection with FS System open, or 

seasonally open roads, if no resource 

concerns are identified. 

Trail improvements include: (1) 

Establish trailheads with parking and 

hitch rails for the #205 (northeast) and 

the #198 (southwest) trails. Both 

trailheads would require securing 

easements from Potlatch Corporation, 

the private landowner; (2) To 

accommodate continued two-wheel 

motorized access on the entire #198 

trail, change the designation of a short 

section (two miles) of the trail from nonmotorized to two-wheel motorized use; 

(3) Perform trail maintenance (including 

proper signing) on 24 miles of existing 

open designed trail within the Project 

area; (4) Construct and formally 

designate for seasonal use, a motorized 

OHV loop Trail (Trail open to vehicles 

70 inches and less in width) using 

closed road 50166 and closed road 

50485, to provide a motorized trail 

approximately three miles in length. 

This would require 1⁄2 mile of new trail 

construction to complete and close the 

loop; (5) Sign and formally designate the 

former #202 trail as open for nonmotorized use. Complete needed 

switchback construction to mediate the 

steep sections; (6) Relocate the trailhead 

for the #209 ATV trail onto National 

Forest Lands. Change the designation of 

the trail from ‘‘open year round’’ to 

‘‘seasonal’’; (7) Re-route portions of the 

#198 trail near the base of Council 

Mountain to reduce resource impacts 

and improve sustainability. Reduce 

congestion of multiple trail junctions in 

this sensitive upper elevation trail 

network; and (8) Close and rehabilitate 

approximately four miles of 

unauthorized OHV trails throughout the 

project area. 

Proposed actions in the Council 

Mountain and Poison Creek Inventoried 

Roadless Areas include (1) Prescribed 

burning and preparation for prescribed 

burning including associated handline 

and (2) Trail improvement and 

designation changes. There is no 

treatment proposed in the Council 

Mountain Research Natural Area. 

Responsible Official 

The Forest Supervisor of the Payette 

National Forest is the Responsible 

Official. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

Based on the purpose and need for the 

proposed action, the Responsible 

Official will determine whether to 

proceed with the action, as proposed, as 

modified by another alternative or not at 

all. If an action alternative is selected, 

the Responsible Official will determine 

what design features, mitigation 

measures and monitoring requirements. 

Preliminary Issues 

Preliminary issues for this project 

include effects related to the proposed 

activities on water quality, soil 

productivity, wildlife habitat, 

recreation, and access management. 

Addresses 

Additional project information is 

available on the Payette National Forest 

Web site at http://www.fs.usda.gov/

projects/payette/landmanagement/

projects. 

Scoping Process 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process, which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. It is important that 

reviewers provide their comments at 

such times and in such 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 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered, however. 

Dated: December 17, 2014. 

Keith Lannom, 

Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest. 

[FR Doc. 2014–30193 Filed 12–23–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

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