Environment Impact Statement, Shamrock Timber Sale(s), Tongass National Forest, AK

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Environment Impact Statement, Shamrock Timber Sale(s), Tongass

National Forest, AK

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will issue a supplemental Draft EIS for the

Shamrock Timber Sale(s). The supplement will include an additional road

and unit, minor road changes, designation of retention areas, a new

Forest Service list of sensitive species, a change in subsistence

findings, and a change in the range of timber volume in the Proposed

Action and Purpose and Need. This revised Notice of Intent (NOI)

updates and replaces the December 1991 Notice.

The proposed action changes from 10-40 to 10-52 million board feet

of commercial timber within the Shamrock area, and as before, to

construct the associated road system. The timber would be sold in one

or more timber sales beginning in September 1995.

The study area includes Value Comparison Units 436, 438, and 429 on

Kupreanof Island in southeast Alaska. This area, encompassing

approximately 108,000 acres, has been allocated by the Tongass Land

Management Plan to Land Use Designation IV, in which management

emphasis is primarily on commodity or market resources.

The original NOI was published on page 66428 of the 12/23/91

Federal Register. Notice of the draft EIS was published on page 45338

of the 10/27/93 issue, and the comment period of the Draft EIS was

extended on page 59033 of the 11/5/93 issue.

The purpose of this project is to provide 10-52 million board feet

of timber for harvest according to direction described in the Tongass

Land Management Plan, to meet the Federal obligation to make timber

volume available for harvest by timber operators, and to improve the

timber productivity of the project area by harvesting mature stands of

timber and replacing them with faster growing stands of second-growth

timber.

The decision to be made is whether to harvest 10-52 million board

feet of timber from the Shamrock Study Area, and if so, in which

locations and under what conditions. This decision will be made by

Abigail R. Kimbell, the Stikine Area Forest Supervisor.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Public scoping began in April 1992 and has been ongoing

since that time. Interested publics are invited to comment. The comment

period on the supplemental Draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability appears in the

Federal Register.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

The Shamrock analysis is being conducted by EA Engineering, Science and

Technology under contract to the Petersburg Ranger District. Questions

and comments can be directed to Ron Bockelman, EA Engineering, Science

and Technology, 8520 154th Avenue NE., Redmond, WA 98052, phone (206)

869-2194.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A public scoping letter was sent to all

persons who indicated an interest in the project by responding to the

Stikine Area Project Schedule, or who otherwise notified the Stikine

Area that they were interested in the Shamrock Timber Sale(s).

Alternatives include the no-action alternative and four action

alternatives that would harvest form 20-52 million board feet of timber

from 1,066-2,592 acres and construct 22-40 miles of specified road.

Yarding systems would include shovel, highlead, skyline, and

helicopter.

The following issues have been identified:

1. Transportation: What effect will road construction and

subsequent maintenance following harvest have on access to and within

the Shamrock Area?

2a. Timber Resources: How will long-term forest health and

productivity be affected by harvesting and the specific harvest

treatments in the Shamrock area?

2b. Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants (TES); Wetlands:

Will harvesting and road construction result in adverse impact to any

populations of TES plants? What are the expected losses of wetland area

and functional value under each harvest alternative?

3. Wildlife: What effects will timber harvest and related

activities have on wildlife habitat?

4. Fish: What effects will timber harvest and road construction

have on habitats used by trout and salmon?

5. Biodiversity: How will timber harvesting associated with the

Shamrock area affect the biodiversity and old growth structure of

Kupreanof Island?

6. Watershed: Will timber harvesting adversely affect the

hydrologic balance and water quality of streams in the Shamrock area?

7. Floodplains: Will harvest activities and road construction in

the Shamrock area affect the conveyance of floodwater or result in an

increase in potential flood damage?

8. Soils: To what degree will soil erosion and sedimentation

increase as a result of harvest activities and the construction of

roads in the Shamrock area?

9. Minerals: Will timber harvest and road building in the Shamrock

area affect mining activities?

10. Air Quality: Are there potential air quality impacts due to

burning, road construction, or harvest activities?

11. Subsistence: To what extent will each alternative affect

subsistence resources and use within the study area?

12. Cultural Resources: Would cultural resources, particularly

Native American sites, be impacted by harvesting in the Shamrock area?

13a. Recreation Opportunities: What effects will the proposed sale

or sales in this area have on recreational opportunities?

13b. Wild and Scenic Rivers: What effects will each alternative

have on streams eligible or suitable for Wild and Scenic River

designation?

14. Visual Resources: To what extent will each alternative

influence the landscape character of the analysis area, and to what

extent will harvest designs be mitigated to protect visual quality?

15. Economics: To what extent will action alternatives within the

Shamrock area include timber sale(s) that are profitable and meet

economic criteria for timber harvest in the Tongass National Forest?

The supplemental Draft EIS is scheduled for publication in December

1994 and the Final EIS in September 1995.

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 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 have been raised

at the Draft EIS stage may be waived if not raised until after the

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, 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 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 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

helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the draft

environmental impact statement. Comments may also address the adequacy

of the draft environmental impact statement 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 in 40 CFR 1503.3 while addressing these points.

The responsible official for the decision is the Abigail R.

Kimbell, Forest Supervisor, Stikine Area of the Tongass National

Forest, Alaska Region, Petersburg, Alaska.

Dated: August 10, 1994.

Abigail R. Kimbell,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 94-20392 Filed 8-18-94; 8:45 am]

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