Environmental Impact Statement for the South Lindenberg Timber Sale(s), Tongass National Forest, Alaska

SUMMARY: The proposed action is to harvest approximately 40 million

board feet of timber and build the associated road system. The existing

Tonka log transfer facility would be used. The study area is located

southwest of Petersburg, Alaska, on Kupreanof Island. It encompasses

approximately 65,000 acres at elevations ranging from sea level to

3,000 feet. The area includes VCUs 437 and 439 and portions of 447 and

448. This includes townships 58, 59, 60, and 61 south, and ranges 77,

78, and 79 east, Copper River Meridian.

DATES: Additional comments concerning the proposal to harvest timber in

the South Lindenberg study area should be received in writing by March

15, 1995. Send requests for further information or written comments to

Jim Thompson, Planning Team Leader, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 1328,

Petersburg, AK, 99833 (907) 772-3871.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Purpose and Scope of the Decision

The purpose of the project is to provide approximately 40 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 make timber available for

harvest and improve timber productivity in the South Lindenberg Study

Area while also providing a combination of recreation, fish, water, and

wildlife for the resource uses of society now and into the future. This

decision will be made by Abigail R. Kimbell, Forest Supervisor of the

Stikine Area.

If timber is made available for harvest, the Forest Supervisor will

also decide (a) the volume of timber to make available, (b) the

location and design of the timber harvest units and log transfer

facilities, (c) the location and design of associated mainline and

local road corridors, and (d) appropriate mitigation measures for all

alternatives in the project area.

1a. Public Involvement Process

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 South Lindenberg Timber Harvest project. Public

meetings were held to gather additional information from interested

persons.

1b. Alternatives

Alternatives will include the no action alternative, and are likely

to include three to five action alternatives, all of which will harvest

approximately 40 million board feet of timber. The alternatives will

vary according to the location of units, for example one alternative

may spread harvest units evenly through the study area while another

may concentrate the harvest in a portion of the study area. The road

systems will vary with each alternative accordingly.

1c. Significant Issues

1. Timber Management. How will long-term forest health and

productivity be affected by harvesting and the specific harvest

treatments proposed for the South Lindenberg area?

2. Harvest Economics. Will action alternatives within the study

area include timber harvest that is profitable and meet economic

criteria on the Tongass National Forest?

3. Soils. To what degree will soil erosion and sedimentation

increase as a result of harvest activities and the construction of

roads in the South Lindenberg area?

4. Watersheds. To what degree will timber harvesting affect the

hydrologic balance and water quality of streams in the South Lindenberg

study area?

5. Fisheries. What effects will timber harvest and road

construction have on habitats used by trout and salmon?

6. Wildlife. What effects will timber harvest and related

activities have on wildlife habitat?

7. Threatened and Endangered Species. To what extent will

harvesting and road construction result in impacts to any populations

of threatened or endangered species?

8. Biodiversity. To what extent will timber harvesting associated

with the South Lindenberg Sale affect the biodiversity and old growth

structure of Kupreanof Island?

9. Subsistence. To what extent will each alternative affect

subsistence resources and use within the study area?

10. Recreation. What effect will each alternative have on

recreational opportunities?

11. Visual Appearance. To what extent will each alternative

influence the landscape character of the study area, and to what extent

will harvest designs be mitigated to protect visual guality?

2. Expected Time for Completion

A draft Environmental Impact Statement is projected for issuance

approximately March 1995. Issuance of the Final Environmental Impact

Statement is projected for August 1995.

3. Comments

Interested publics are invited to comment.

The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement will

be 45 days from the date of 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 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 [[Page 5348]] 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 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 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

Draft EIS 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 actions, 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.

The responsible official for the decision is Abigail R. Kimbell,

Stikine Area Forest Supervisor, Petersburg, Alaska.

Written comments and suggestions concerning the analysis and

Environmental Impact Statement should be sent to Jim Thompson, ID Team

Leader, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, AK, 99833, (907) 772-3871.

Dated: January 12, 1995.

Abigail R. Kimbell,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 95-2027 Filed 1-26-95; 8:45 am]

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