67172 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 249 / Friday, December 28, 2001 / Notices

comments will become a matter of

public record.

Frank Lee,

Acting General Sales Manager, Foreign

Agricultural Service and Acting Vice

President, Commodity Credit Corporation.

[FR Doc. 01–31948 Filed 12–27–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Star Fire Restoration; Eldorado

National Forest, Placer County, CA

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: The Star Fire burned 16,800

acres in August and September, 2001,

on the Tahoe and Eldorado National

Forests. Of the total fire, approximately

2,416 acres burned on the Georgetown

Ranger District of the Eldorado National

Forest. The USDA, Forest Service,

Eldorado National Forest will prepare

an environmental impact statement

(EIS) on a proposal to treat

approximately 1650 acres of fire killed

and damaged trees in the Star Fire

burned area. The fire area is identified

in the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan

Amendment as old forest emphasis and

general forest. The purpose of the

project is to enhance the development of

old forest conditions over the long term

by reducing fuel accumulation and fire

hazard, increasing the ability to

suppress future wildfire, increasing

ground cover to protect soil productivity

and improve watershed condition, and

recovering the value of wood products

to fund reforestation and restoration.

The proposed action is also designed to

contribute to snag and log needs of

wildlife, improve aquatic habitats and

stream channel function, and provide

for public and forest worker safety. It is

believed that watershed condition and

the probability of growing old forest

conditions over the long term will be

improved by this project.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope

and implementation of this proposal

should be received by January 4, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to

Patricia Ferrell, Project Leader, Eldorado

National Forest, 100 Forni Road,

Placerville, CA 95667.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions and comments about this EIS

should be directed to Patricia Ferrell, at

the above address, or call her at 530–

642–5146.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The fire

caused extensive tree mortality. Field

examination indicates that 71% of the

project area currently exhibits >75%

stand mortality by basal area, 2% of the

project area is unburned, 20% of the

project area is non forest (rock and

barren areas) and plantations, and 7% of

the project area currently exhibits 75%

mortality by basal area. Additional

mortality is likely to become evident

next spring and summer as more crowns

begin to brown and bark beetles become

established. As a result of the fire, much

of the project area has reverted from mid

to late seral forest conditions to early

seral forest. Establishment of old forest

requires survival and growth of

individual trees and forested stands

over the next 250+ years without the

occurrence of another stand replacing

fire. Preventing another stand replacing

fire involves a combination of recurring

fuel treatments to modify fire behavior,

and effective suppression. Removal of

dead trees will reduce future fuel

accumulation, improve the ability to

effectively suppress future wildfires,

and increase the ability to maintain low

fuel conditions through prescribed fire.

The process of removing dead trees

would maintain soil productivity for

tree growth by immediately increasing

effective ground cover (limbs, twigs, and

small boles) to reduce soil erosion. The

proposed action would remove dead

trees using ground based, skyline, and

helicopter logging methods. Trees

posing a safety hazard to the public and

forest workers would be removed along

maintenance level 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5

roads. Roads would be reconstructed to

facilitate tree removal and improve

watershed condition. Slash and small

dead trees would be treated to provide

ground cover and reduce long term fuel

loading. Protection would be applied to

sensitive plants, wildlife species, and

cultural resources.

The proposed action is consistent

with the 1989 Eldorado National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan as

amended by the Sierra Nevada Forest

Plan Amendment Record of Decision

(2001).

The decision to be made is whether to

adopt and implement the proposed

action, an alternative to the proposed

action, or take no action to remove fire

killed and damaged trees in the project

area.

Other alternatives will be developed

based on significant issues identified

during the scoping process for the

environmental impact statement. All

alternatives will need to respond to the

specific condition of providing benefits

equal to or better than the current

condition. Alternatives being

considered at this time include: (1) No

Action and (2) the Proposed Action.

Public participation will be especially

important at several points during the

analysis. The Forest Service will be

seeking information, comments, and

assistance from the Federal, State, and

local agencies and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed action. To

facilitate public participation

information about the proposed action

is being mailed to all who have

expressed interest in the proposed

action based on publication in the

Eldorado National Forest Schedule of

Proposed Action and notification of the

public scoping period will be published

in the Mountain Democrat, Placerville,

CA.

Comments submitted during the

scoping process should be in writing

and should be specific to the proposed

action. The comments should describe

as clearly and completely as possible

any issues the commenter has with the

proposal. The scoping process includes:

(a) Identifying potential issues;

(b) Identifying issues to be analyzed in

depth.

(c) Eliminating nonsignificant issues or

those previously covered by a relevant

previous environmental analysis;

(d) Exploring additional alternatives;

(e) Identifying potential environmental

effects of the proposed action and

alternatives.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and to be available for

public review by January 2002. 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 notice

appears in the Federal Register. At that

time, copies of the draft EIS will be

distributed to interested and affected

agencies, organizations, and members of

the public for their review and

comment. It is very important that those

interested in the management of the

Eldorado National Forest participate at

that time.

The Forest Service believes it is

important to give reviewers notice at

this early stage of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First,

reviewers of a draft EIS 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, 533 (1978). Also,

environmental objections that could be

raised at the draft EIS stage, but that are

not raised until after completion of the

final EIS may be waived or dismissed by

the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel,

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 249 / Friday, December 28, 2001 / Notices 67173

803f. 2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 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 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 final EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft EIS should be as

specific as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft EIS. Comments

may also address the adequacy of the

draft EIS 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 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 2002. In the final

EIS, the Forest Service is required to

respond to substantive 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

decision regarding this proposal.

John Berry, Forest Supervisor,

Eldorado National Forest is the

responsible official. As the responsible

official he will document the decision

and reasons for the decision in the

Record of Decision. That decision will

be subject to Forest Service appeal

regulations (36 CFR Part 215).

Dated: December 19, 2001.

Susan A. Rodman,

Acting Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 01–31906 Filed 12–27–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Interior Wetlands Environmental

Impact Statement; Hiawatha National

Forest, Chippewa County, MI

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will

prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose

the environmental impacts of proposed

land management activities, and

corresponding alternatives, within the

Interior Wetlands project area. The

project is located on the Sault Ste. Marie

Ranger District, Hiawatha National

Forest, Chippewa County, Michigan,

approximately 35 miles southwest of

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The project

area is approximately 30,600 acres and

management activities are being

proposed on less than 15 percent of the

area.

Jack pine stands experience a cyclical

outbreak of jack pine budworm. Older

trees are more susceptible to defoliation

which can lead to mortality and dead

tops. In the Interior Wetlands project

area much of the jack pine is more than

60 years old. The jack pine in the

project area experienced budworm

defoliation during the 1991/1992

outbreak and is showing some

defoliation during the outbreak that

began in 2001. The Forest Service is

evaluating the options available to

develop a more evenly distributed ageclass and to improve the vigor of jack

pine stands in order to minimize the

impacts of budworm defoliation. In

addition to proposing jack pine salvage

and regeneration in Interior Wetlands,

the Forest Service evaluated some other

management opportunities within the

entire project area to implement the

Hiawatha National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan (Forest

Plan, 1986). The proposed action

includes salvage and regeneration of

jack pine, timber harvesting and

regeneration of other species, changes to

the transportation system, changes to

the old growth system, timber stand

improvement projects, and wildlife and

fisheries habitat improvement projects.

Overall guidance of land management

activities on the Hiawatha National

Forest is provided by the Forest Plan. In

order to meet the objectives and desired

future conditions set forth in the Forest

Plan, the following purpose and need

has been identified for the Interior

Wetlands project area: (1) Reduce the

impacts of the jack pine budworm by

creating a more evenly distributed ageclass structure (which also improves

habitat for sandhill crane, merlin,

northern harrier, and other species),

improving vigor, and increasing growth

rates in jack pine stands. (2) Regenerate

older aspen and mixed balsam fir/

aspen/paper birch stands to maintain

these forest types; provide habitat for

white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse,

snowshoe hare, and other species;

improve vigor, and increase growth

rates. (3) Regenerate older black spruce

stands to improve vigor and to increase

growth rates. (4) Remove some trees in

some jack pine, aspen, balsam fir/aspen/

paper birch, northern hardwoods, paper

birch, black spruce, red pine, white

pine, and cedar to either concentrate

growth on the remaining trees or to

provide space for new trees to become

established. (5) Provide useable wood

products to local markets and improve

timber age-class distribution, vigor, and

growth rates on merchantable stems to

ensure a more even flow of wood

products in the future. (6) Prepare areas

where jack pine and black spruce are

being regenerated by reducing the slash

and exposing mineral soil for a seedbed.

(7) Manage an efficient transportation

system through construction,

reconstruction, maintenance, and

decommissioning of roads. (8) Improve

the quality and survival of some white

pine stems damaged by white pine

weevil and blister rust. (9) Evaluate

stands currently in the old growth

system and other stands to determine if

there is a different arrangement of

stands that could provide better existing

old growth characteristics and better

placement across the landscape. (10)

Adjust wildlife opening system by

creating openings or maintaining

existing openings by removing woody

encroachment to provide habitat for

sandhill crane, black bear, ruffed grouse,

and other species. (11) Improve fish

habitat (primarily brook trout) by adding

log bank cover and placing spawning

gravel. (12) Design projects and/or

develop mitigation measures, as

appropriate, to minimize impacts to the

resources to acceptable levels defined

by laws, regulations, or policies.

A roads analysis for the project area

will be conducted in conjunction with

the EIS. The roads analysis is not a

decision document but is necessary to

make an informed decision. At a

minimum, the roads analysis will

identify: needed and unneeded roads;

road associated environmental and

public safety risks; site-specific

priorities and opportunities for road

improvements and decommissioning;

areas of special sensitivity, unique

resource values, or both; and any other

information that may be needed to

support project-level decisions.

Adjacent landowners, citizens groups,

State, local, and Tribal governments,

and other Federal agencies are invited to

comment on the transportation system.

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) will analyze the direct,

indirect, and cumulative environmental

effects of the alternatives. Past, present,

and projected activities on National

Forest system lands will be considered.

The DEIS will disclose the analysis of

site-specific mitigation measures and

their effectiveness. The DEIS is expected