Compartment 28 (Zulu Smoot) Timber Sales; Kootenai National Forest; Lincoln County, MT

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Compartment 28 (Zulu Smoot) Timber Sales; Kootenai National

Forest; Lincoln County, MT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to analyze and disclose the environmental impacts of a

proposal to harvest timber and construct and reconstruct roads in the

Zulu and Can Creek and South Fork of the Yaak River drainages located

about 18 air miles northeast of Troy, Montana. This EIS will tier to

the Kootenai National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan and EIS,

which provide overall guidance for achieving the desired forest

condition of the area. The purpose of the proposed action is to harvest

dead, dying or high risk (to mountain pine beetle infestation) stands

of lodgepole pine to reduce potential excessive future natural fuel

loadings, increase the health and productivity of stands that are

currently declining in vigor and provide a more balanced distribution

of timber age classes in the Project Area.

DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received no later

than February 28, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to John R. Righter, District Ranger,

Three Rivers Ranger District, 1437 North Highway 2, Troy, Montana,

59935.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Monte Fujishin, Supervisory Forester,

(406) 295-4693.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The timber management activities under

consideration would occur within a 13,234 acre analysis area which

includes 8,000 acres of Inventoried Roadless Area X166, Pink Mountain

(6,400 acres), and portion of 684, Roderick (approximately 1,600

acres).

The proposed action would harvest about 7.2 million board feet from

15 harvest units totalling 706 acres. Approximately six miles of new

specified road would be constructed and 2 miles of existing road would

be reconstructed. Approximately 1.5 miles of temporary road would be

required and approximately .6 miles of constructed skid trail. With

this proposed action, a portion of the roadless areas may be affected.

There are a variety of purposes for timber harvest and

reforestation in the South Fork Yaak area; the primary purposes are:

(1) To improve timber productivity by replacing stands of dead dying or

high risk lodgepole pine with younger, more vigorously growing trees;

(2) to salvage the dead and lodgepole pine; (3) to reduce potentially

future catastrophic wildfire conditions by removal of natural dead or

dying fuels; and (4) to increase the overall health and vigor of other

stands being considered for management. Additionally, the purpose of

road construction and reconstruction is to facilitate access to the

timber stands to be harvested.

The project area consists of approximately 13,234 acres located in

Sections 2-11, 4-22, 28-30, T34N, R31W; Sections 1, 12, 13, 24, 25,

T34N, R32W; Sections 29-34, T35N, R31W; and Section 36, T35N, R32W;

P.M.M., Lincoln County, Montana.

The decision to be made is what, if anything, should be done in the

South Fork Yaak River Project Area to: (a) Increase timber health and

productivity and contribute to the Forest's sustained yield of timber

products, (b) reduce natural fuel loadings of dead and dying lodgepole

pine as a result of past and potential mountain pine beetle

infestations, (c) dispose of slash and reforest harvested lands, (d)

develop and manage the road system to facilitate removal of timber,

reforest stands and maintain or improve wildlife security and (e)

create a situation of better age class distributions of stands within

project area.

The Kootenai Forest Plan provides guidance for management

activities within the potentially affected area through its goals,

objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area direction.

The areas of proposed timber harvest and reforestation would occur

within Management Areas 12, 15, 17 and 14. Timber harvest would occur

only on suitable timber land. Road construction and reconstruction

would occur in these four management areas. Below is a brief

description of the applicable management direction.

Management Area 12--These are areas that contain productive timber

lands which are suitable for timber harvest, provided that big game

summer habitat objectives are met.

Management Area 14--These are areas that contain productive timber

lands which are suitable for timber harvest, provided that grizzly bear

habitat objectives are met.

Management Area 15--These are areas that contain productive timber

lands which are suitable for timber harvest.

Management Area 17--These are areas that contain productive timber

lands which are suitable for timber harvest, viewing objectives are

met.

The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of

these will be the ``no action'' alternative, in which none of the

proposed activities will be implemented. Additional alternatives will

examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to

achieve the proposal's purposes, as well as to respond to the issues

and other resource values.

The EIS will analyze the direct, indirect, and cumulative

environmental effects of the alternatives. Past, present, and projected

activities on National Forest Lands will be considered. The EIS will

disclose the analysis of site-specific mitigation measures and their

effectiveness.

Public participation is an important part of the analysis,

commencing with the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7) which has

already occurred in December of 1991. In addition, the public is

encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials at any time during

the analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service will be

seeking information, comments, and assistance from Federal, State and

local agencies and other individuals or organizations who may be

interested in or affected by the proposed action. No public meetings

are scheduled at this time.

Comments from the public and other agencies will be used in

preparation of the Draft EIS. The scoping process will be used to:

1. Identify potential issues.

2. Identify major issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Eliminate minor issues or those which have been covered by a

relevant previous environmental analysis, such as the Kootenai Forest

Plan EIS.

4. Identify alternatives to the proposed action.

5. Identify potential environmental effects of the proposed action

and alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and cumulative effects).

6. Determine potential cooperating agencies and task assignments.

Preliminary scoping, including public and agency participation, was

initiated in December, 1991, and has continued through this year. Until

recently, an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No

Significant Impact (FONSI) were envisioned. However, it became apparent

to the Interdisciplinary Team that there could be significant effects

on the human environment in Roadless Areas X166 and 684.

The principal environmental issues identified to date are related

to:

1. Impacts on the character of the area of Roadless Area 684 and

X166.

2. Impacts on fish habitat and other beneficial uses due to

potential sediment increase.

3. Impacts on big game security and habitat.

4. Fuels accumulations in terms of potential catastrophic wildfire

situations.

Other issues commonly associated with timber harvesting and road

construction include: effects on water quality, cultural resources,

soils, old growth, and visuals. This list may be verified, expanded, or

modified based on public scoping for this proposal.

Consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been

initiated with regard to listed species. The Montana Department of

Health and Welfare-Division of Environmental Quality, Montana

Department of Fish and Game, and the Kootenai Salish Indian Tribe will

also be consulted.

While public participation in this analysis is welcome at any time,

comments received within 45 days of the publication of this notice will

be especially useful in the preparation of the draft EIS, which is

expected to be filed with the EPA and available for public review in

March, 1994. A 45-day comment period will follow publication of a

Notice of Availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register. The

comments received will be analyzed and considered in preparation of a

final EIS, which will be accompanied by a Record of Decision. The final

EIS is expected to be filed in June, 1994.

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

give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of

draft EISs 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, 513 (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, 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 that substantive comments and objections

are 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 should be as specific as

possible. 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.

I am the responsible official for this environmental impact

statement.

Dated: January 5, 1994.

Robert L. Schrenk,

Forest Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest.

[FR Doc. 94-915 Filed 1-13-94; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M