Thunderbolt Wildfire Recovery, Boise and Payette National Forests, Idaho

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Thunderbolt Wildfire Recovery, Boise and Payette National

Forests, Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Thunderbolt Wildfire burned a total of 27,000 acres of

Boise and Payette National Forest system lands in the fall of 1994. The

Forests intend to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the

Thunderbolt wildfire area to assess and disclose the environmental

effects of opportunities designed to improve long-term fish habitat,

rehabilitate existing sediment sources, improve hydrologic conditions

of affected watersheds, and protect long-term soil productivity. These

objectives would be accomplished through road surfacing, revegetation

of road cut and fill slopes, and drainage improvements on existing

roads; planting of conifers and shrubs; and salvaging dead and dying

trees as a means to finance the preceding opportunities. Timber harvest

would be done by helicopter, and designed to result in minimal ground

disturbance and risk of erosion and no sediment delivery to streams.

All proposals within the Thunderbolt Wildfire Recovery Area would

protect visual resources on river segments eligible for classification

under the Wild and Scenic rivers Act, provide for wildlife habitat, and

improve fisheries habitat.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the fall of 1994, the Chicken,

Thunderbolt, and portions of the Corral and Blackwell wildfires burned

in excess of 150,000 acres in the South Fork Salmon River drainage of

the Payette and Boise National Forests in central Idaho. A broadscale

analysis team and several landscape analysis teams are using an

ecosystem based approach to assess the fires' effects and identify

management opportunities that could be implemented to move the postfire

landscapes toward a desired ecological condition. The Payette National

Forest is currently assessing the impacts and potential opportunities

associated with the Corral, Blackwell and Chicken wildfires which may

result in separate Notices of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement.

The primary management emphasis in the South Fork Salmon River

drainage is restoration of harvestable, robust, self-sustaining

populations of naturally reproducing salmon and trout. The South Fork

Salmon River was historically the single largest producer of summer

chinook salmon in the Columbia River Basin. Since the 1950's this run

has declined significantly, partially due to habitat degradation caused

by management-induced sediment. The species is currently listed as

endangered. Prime spawning habitat occurs within and/or adjacent to the

Thunderbolt wildfire landscape. Numerous road-related sediment sources

continue to deliver sediment to streams. Annual sediment delivery is

expected to increase as a result of the fires.

Burn intensities in the Thunderbolt wildfire area varied

considerably. Within the fire perimeter, approximately 6,000 acres

burned at high intensity, 9,000 acres at moderate intensity, and 4,000

acres at low intensity. Approximately 8,000 acres inside the fire

perimeter did not burn.

There are an estimated 18,000 acres burned within Inventoried

Roadless Areas (IRAs). The IRAs affected are Caton Lake and Meadow

Creek.

The fire burned adjacent to or within the river corridors of

Johnson Creek (eligible for Recreation classification) and South Fork

Salmon River, which are both pending Wild and Scenic River study.

Proposed Action

The objective for the Proposed Action is to improve long-term fish

habitat, rehabilitate existing sediment sources, improve hydrologic

conditions of affected watersheds, protect long-term soil productivity,

promote regeneration of trees on burned acres, and recover the economic

value of fire-killed and imminently dead trees as a means of financing

activities related to the preceding objectives.

The Proposed Action includes the following components:

Activities designed to rehabilitate existing sediment sources.

Johnson Creek Road (#413)--Surface (gravel) 5 miles, surface

(asphalt) at several stream crossings, armor ditchlines, install

culverts, revegetate cut and fill slopes, construct fill structures.

Cabin Creek Road (#467)--Install gates and restrict wet-season

traffic, construct waterbars, install culverts.

Roaring Creek Road (#474E)--Surface (gravel) 1 mile, construct

waterbars, revegetate cut and fill slopes.

Penny Springs Road (#401)--Install gate and restrict wet-season

traffic, revegetate cut and fill slopes, improve drainage, surface

(gravel) at several stream crossings, and obliterate 0.6 miles.

Ditch Creek Road (#410)--Relocate gate and seasonally restrict

traffic for wildlife purposes, improve drainage, and revegetate cut and

fill slopes.

Plant conifers and shrub species on about 4,000 acres of moderate

and high intensity burn areas where natural regeneration is not

expected within the next five to ten years.

Harvest economically feasible fire-killed timber and imminently

dead trees from areas outside of the Riparian Habitat Conservation

Areas (draft PACFISH criteria) and the Wild and Scenic eligible

corridor of the South Fork Salmon River. Large snags would be retained

in varying amounts thoughout the harvest areas for dependent wildlife,

long-term soil productivity, large woody debris recruitment, shade to

assist tree regeneration, and aesthetics. To protect watersheds and

fish habitat, helicopter yarding systems are proposed for use in the

salvage effort of 3,500 acres. Four helicopter landings would need to

be constructed to supplement the existing roads and landings needed to

facilitate harvest activities. No new road construction is proposed.

Additional road reconstruction may be identified during analysis as

necessary to improve watersheds or fish habitat.

Salvage harvest would occur in the Caton Lake and Meadow Creek

IRAs.

Visual quality objectives would be met on trails, the South Fork

Salmon River and Johnson Creek roads, and the Wild and Scenic River

eligible Johnson Creek and South Fork Salmon River corridors.

Cultural resource sites, riparian areas, and sensitive fish, plant,

and animal habitats would be protected.

Protection measures for streams would be based on the science

utilized to develop the interim direction contained in the draft

PACFISH EA. The direction issued with the final PACFISH EA and Decision

Notice would be incorporated as necessary.

Methodologies, rationale and findings associated with the landscape

analysis and site specific environmental analysis would be reviewed by

a proposed panel of experts elected from Forest Service research and

system branches, and other federal agencies. Recommendations made by

this panel could be used by line officers in directing the

environmental analysis, formulating alternatives, disclosing

environmental consequences, developing a monitoring plan and making the

final decision. This may include the option of not moving ahead with

any or part of the action alternatives if conclusive information shows

that the action would be damaging to anadromous fish.

Forest Plan Amendment

The Boise and Payette National Forest Land and Resource Management

Plans have specific management direction for the South Fork Salmon

River Area. The overall goal is to restore harvestable, robust, self-

sustaining populations of naturally reproducing salmon and trout. The

Thunderbolt Wildfire Recovery Proposed Action is designed to improve

fish habitat and is consistent with the objectives and goals of both

Forest Plans. Prior to making a NEPA decision, a thorough examination

of all standards and guidelines of both Forest plans would be completed

and if necessary, plan amendments would be addressed in the EIS.

Preliminary Issues

Anticipated concerns with the Proposed Action are; (1) Ground

disturbing activities may increase sediment delivery to streams and

degrade fish habitat, and (2) salvage harvesting in IRAs and the

potential effect it may have on the wilderness attributes of the area.

Possible Alternatives to the Proposed Action

Two alternatives to the Proposed Action have been identified. A No

Action alternative, and an alternative that would exclude salvage

harvesting in the IRAs. Other alternatives may be developed as issues

are raised and information is received.

Decisions To Be Made

The Boise and Payette National Forest Supervisors will decide the

following:

What amount, type, and distribution of sediment reduction projects

and riparian habitat conservation measures would be implemented,

If Forest Plan amendments are necessary to proceed with the

proposed actions within the Thunderbolt Wildfire Recovery project area,

Should dead and imminently dead trees within fire areas, not needed

to maintain ecological functions, be harvested and if so how, and

What burned areas need to be planted.

Public Involvement Meetings

Scoping meetings will be held in McCall (Smokejumper Loft, Dec. 12,

1994, 7:00 PM), Boise (Red Lion Inn, Downtowner, Dec. 13, 1994, 7:00

PM), and Cascade (Ranger District Office, Dec. 14, 1994, 7:00 PM).

Additional presentations will be made upon request.

Agency/Public Contacts

A summary of the Proposed Action and methodologies to be used in

the analysis, will be mailed in early December to key individuals,

groups and agencies for comments and issue identification. This mailing

list will include about 350 people who are generally interested in the

Boise and Payette National Forests' NEPA projects, and people who were

interested in the Boise National Forest's Foothills Wildfire Timber

Recovery Project in 1992.

Schedule

Draft Environmental Impact Statement, February, 1995. Final EIS,

April, 1995. Implementation, July, 1995.

Past experience with wildfire timber recovery efforts on the Boise

and Payette National Forests have proven that prompt action is required

to recover the economic value of fire-killed trees. The trees, mostly

Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine, are expected to lose

more than half of their economic value by the fall of 1995. Recovered

timber values would be used to finance beneficial watershed improvement

projects designed to improve fish habitat.

Comments

Comments concerning the proposed project and analysis should be

received in writing on or before January 13, 1994. Mail comments to

Cindy Tencick, Cascade Ranger District, Boise National Forest, PO Box

696, Cascade, ID 83611; Telephone, (208) 382-7400. Further information

can be obtained at the same location.

The comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 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

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, 1002 (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 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 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 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.

Responsible Officials

Cathy Barbouletos, Forest Supervisor, Boise National Forest, 1750

Front Street, Boise, ID 83702; and Dave Alexander, Forest Supervisor,

Payette National Forest, 106 West Park, McCall, ID 83638.

Dated: December 6, 1994.

Cathy Barbouletos,

Boise Forest Supervisor.

Dated: December 6, 1994.

David F. Alexander,

Payette Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 94-30548 Filed 12-12-94; 8:45 am]

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