Proposed Carey Creek Timber Sales, Payette National Forest, Idaho County, ID

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Proposed Carey Creek Timber Sales, Payette National Forest, Idaho

County, ID

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Forest Service, USDA will

prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Carey Creek

Timber Sales. The Forest Service proposes to treat approximately 1445

acres using a variety of silvicultural methods and prescribed burning.

Harvest prescriptions include: clearcut with reserve trees (245 acres),

commercial thinning (75 acres), salvage/sanitation (509 acres),

shelterwood (489 acres), and uneven aged (127 acres). The proposed

action includes site preparation and regeneration, emphasizing the use

of natural regeneration where possible. Approximately 13 miles of new

road construction are also proposed. Logging methods include tractor,

skyline, and helicopter systems.

Other preliminary alternatives include No-action and an alternative

that seeks to achieve Forest Plan objectives to maximize timber growth

and yield.

The proposed activities are located in the drainages of Carey and

Fall Creeks, which both flow into the Salmon River. The planning area

is approximately 30 miles north of McCall, Idaho.

The EIS will tier to the final EIS for the Forest Plan, Payette

National Forest (May 1988).

The Payette National Forest invites written comments and

suggestions on the scope of the analysis. These may include issues and

comments regarding the proposed project. The agency also gives notice

of the full environmental analysis and decision making process that

will occur on the proposal so that interested and affected people are

aware of how they may participate and contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this proposal must be received

by April 2, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions concerning the scope

of the analysis to David F. Alexander, Forest Supervisor, Payette

National Forest, P.O. Box 1026, McCall, Idaho 83638.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions about the proposed action and environmental impact

statement to Michael L. Balboni, Payette National Forest. Phone: (208)

634-0629.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The planning area includes approximately

21,000 acres within the Payette National Forest in Idaho County, Idaho.

The planning area is within the drainages of Carey and Fall Creeks. The

legal description of the planning area is: Sections 1-9, 17, 18, 20, 21

of Township 23 North, Range 4 East, Sections 3,9-36 of Township 24

North, Range 4 East, Sections 19,28-33 of Township 24 North, Range 5

East, Idaho County, Idaho.

The proposed activities are within the former Carey Creek Roadless

Area. The area has 3,184 acres remaining as roadless. The planning area

has a very small portion that is contiguous with the Frank Church River

of No Return Wilderness. This area comprises less than 300 acres of the

planning area. The planning area is not within any areas recommended

for inclusion in the National Wilderness System by the Payette National

Forest Plan or by any past or present legislative wilderness proposal.

The Proposed Action is the result of an ecosystem and landscape

analysis of the planning area completed by the Interdisciplinary Team

(IDT). The IDT used the landscape analysis and design process developed

by Diaz and Apostol (1992). This 8-step process used aerial

photographs, research literature, stand data, maps, and site visits.

The process defined the natural range of variation for successional

stages in the planning area using the best information available. The

planning area was broken into four zones. The ponderosa pine zone,

mixed conifer zone, subalpine-spruce/fir zone, and subalpine-lodgepole

pine zone. Using stand data and research done in surrounding areas, the

existing condition and natural range of variation for four successional

stages in the planning area was determined. The IDT found that the zone

with the most deviation from the natural range is the subalpine-

lodgepole pine zone. This zone has 79% mature/oldgrowth; the natural

range for this successional stage is 10-20%. The IDT used this and the

rest of the information gained from the landscape analysis to develop

the proposed action, concentrating on the areas where the ecosystem is

most outside the natural range.

The IDT recognizes the role fire has played. The proposed

activities include some prescribed burning in the ponderosa pine zone

where natural fires were regular and of low intensity.

The purpose of the proposed activity is to improve the existing

silvicultural conditions of the timber stands within the Carey Creek

planning area while improving the health of the ecosystem. The Proposed

Action would increase the long-term health and productivity of the

timber resources, provide some short-term wood products, improve the

over-all health of the ecosystem, and protect other resource values in

the planning area. Treatments would follow the goals and objectives in

the Payette National Forest Plan or amend the Plan where appropriate.

The need for the proposed action is generated by the difference

between existing conditions of the ecosystem and timber stands and the

Desired Future Condition for the area described in the Payette Forest

Plan and the landscape analysis for the planning area.

Failing to treat these areas will allow further deviation from the

natural range of conditions for this ecosystem and raise the risk of

severe impacts from insects, diseases, and wildfires. Failing to treat

this area will also result in the Payette National Forest not fully

implementing the Forest Plan Record of Decision, signed in May of 1988.

Issues

The IDT has identified preliminary issues. These issues are briefly

described below:

1. Effects of road building and timber harvest on water quality,

particularly in the Fall Creek drainage where past fires, timber

harvesting, and road construction have occurred at a high rate over the

past several years.

2. Wildlife: Effects of road building, timber harvest, and access

management on some management indicator species and sensitive species

found in the areas such as goshawk, pileated and white-headed

woodpeckers. Also effects on wildlife corridors that currently exist in

the area.

3. Ecosystem Health: Effects of the no-action alternative on the

health of the ecosystem and the risk of major wildfires and insect/

disease outbreaks.

4. Fisheries: Effects of road building and timber harvest on

threatened, endangered, and sensitive fish, such as the chinook salmon

and bull trout.

Public Participation and Scoping

The IDT is developing a citizen participation plan for the proposed

project.

Public participation will be requested at several points during the

analysis. The IDT will be available to visit and discuss the proposed

project with individuals and organizations at their request.

The Forest Service will be seeking information, comments, and

assistance from Federal, State, local agencies and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in or affected by the proposed

project. This input will be used in the preparation of the Draft EIS.

The Scoping process includes:

--Identifying potential issues.

--Identifying major issues to be analyzed in depth.

--Identifying potential management alternatives addressing the issues

recognized during scoping activities.

--Identifying potential environmental effects of this project (i.e.

direct, indirect, and cumulative effects and connected actions).

The Responsible Official is David F. Alexander, Forest Supervisor,

Payette National Forest.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled to be

completed and available for review in October of 1994 and the Final

Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be completed in August of

1995.

The Responsible Official will document the decision, and reasons

for the decision, in the Record of Decision when the FEIS is completed.

That decision will be subject to Forest Service appeal regulations (36

CFR part 215).

The comment period on the DEIS will be a minimum of 45 days from

the date the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability

appears in the Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important

to give reviewers early 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 that 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 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, 1022 (9th Circuit, 1986) 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.

Dated: February 18, 1994.

David F. Alexander,

Forest Supervisor, Payette National Forest.

[FR Doc. 94-4311 Filed 2-24-94; 8:45 am]

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