South Fork Yaak EIS; Kootenai National Forest; Lincoln County, Montana

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact

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

Proposed Action in the South Fork Yaak Physiographic Area located about

24 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 Proposed Action was developed in response to the major fire

events that burned over 3,000 acres in the Pink Mt. and Fowler Creek

areas in August 1994. The proposal is to salvage timber, construct and

reconstruct roads, reduce fuel concentrations, improve riparian and

wildlife habitat, reforest timber stands, and improve wildlife

security. These are being considered together because they represent

either connected or cumulative actions as defined by the Council on

Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). Part of the proposed project's

activities lie within an Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA), Zulu #166.

The Proposed Action was developed using various principles of

Ecosystem Management. In doing so, the post-fire conditions were

characterized at a broad scale with consideration to natural processes

that historically shaped this ecosystem. A Forest Plan exception to

certain Management Area standards may be needed to implement this

alternative.

DATES: Writen comments should be received on or before March 9, 1995.

ADDRESSES: The Responsible Official is Robert L. Schrenk, Forest

Supervisor, Kootenai National Forest. Send written comments and

suggestions on the proposed management activities or a request to be

placed on the project mailing list to Michael L. Balboni, District

Ranger, Three Rivers Ranger District, Kootenai National Forest, 1437

North Highway 2, Troy, Montana, 59935.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jack Zearfoss, South Fork Yaak EIS Team Leader, Three Rivers Ranger

District (406) 295-4693.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The timber salvage activities under

consideration would occur within the 45,197 acre South Fork Yaak

Physiographic Area. The specific areas considered are the Fowler Creek,

Zulu Creek, and Clay Mt. areas. Primary salvage activities would occur

in two specific fire-affected areas: the Fowler Fire (2,589 acres) and

the Pink Mt. Fire (475 acres). Previous planning efforts (Zulu Smoot

Environmental Impact Statement) have identified other salvage

opportunities outside of the fire-affected areas which are included in

this Proposed Action.

The project area lies within all or portions of T35N, R31W,

Sections 10, 11, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 33, and 34, T34N, R31W,

Sections 3 and 4, T35N, R32W, Sections 36, T34N, R32W, Sections 1, and

12 and Sections 6, and 7 T43N, R31W, PMM, Lincoln County, Montana.

The Proposed Action would harvest about 16.2 million board feet.

Ninety-seven percent of this would be dead or high-risk trees. Three

percent would be live trees. Conventional cable and ground-based

logging systems would be utilized for harvest operations. This would

occur from 33 harvest units totalling 1156 acres. Fuel reduction

accomplished in conjunction with harvest includes grapple piling and

prescribed burning. Reforestation is proposed on approximately 1383

acres of which 227 are burned plantations. Approximately 3.51 miles of

new road would be constructed and 6.99 miles of existing road would be

reconstructed. Road maintenance would occur on about 25.61 miles of

existing road. Planting for wildlife forage would occur on 94 acres.

Revegetation in riparian areas would occur on 35 acres. Placement of

large woody debris would occur along 5.0 miles of stream channel.

Existing roads would be rehabilitated through a variety of methods

including the removal of approximately 25 in-stream culverts,

recontouring of 3.44 miles of road, ripping and seeding of 22.65 miles

of road and seeding of 3.12 miles of road.

Approximately 218 acres proposed for harvest lie within the Zulu

#166 IRA. Approximately 1.41 miles of road construction would occur

within the area.

The primary purposes of the Proposed Action are:

(1) To revegetate the fire-affected areas as quickly as possible

(2) To reduce the potential for future high intensity wildfires

(3) To salvage fire and insect killed trees

(4) To contribute to the supply of timber to local mills

(5) To facilitate watershed recovery

(6) To accelerate the recovery of some wildlife habitat.

The purpose of road construction and reconstruction is to facilitate

access to the areas to be harvested and treated.

The decision to be made is, what action (if any) should be taken in

the South Fork Yaak Physiographic Area to:

(1) Recover the fire affected areas using Ecosystem Management

principles

(2) Provide goods and services to the local economy and U.S.

citizens

(3) Reduce the risk for high-intensity wildfire in the future

(4) Develop and manage the road system to facilitate the removal of

timber, post harvest treatments, reduce sedimentation, restore stream

channel equilibrium, and maintain or improve wildlife habitat.

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 activities would occur within Management Areas

12, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 19. Timber harvest would occur in all Management

Areas. Road construction would occur in Management Areas 12, 13, 14,

15, and 17. Below is a brief description of the applicable management

direction.

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

[[Page 7158]] lands which are suitable for timber harvest, provided

that big game summer habitat objectives are met.

Management Area 13.--These are areas that contain special habitat

characteristics which are allocated as Old-Growth. Local road

construction is permitted, providing that they are restricted following

use to protect snag characteristics.

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 while providing for other

resource values.

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

lands which are suitable for timber harvest while achieving scenery

management objectives in major travel routes.

Management Area 19.--These are areas that contain steep slopes

requiring only activities which minimize surface disturbance and

maintain a health vegetative cover.

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 desired conditions, 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. It will

start with the initial scoping process (40 CFR 1501.7) which will begin

with the publication of the notice. 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. Public meetings are

scheduled for February 28th in Troy, Montana, and March 1st at the

Upper Ford Work Center on the Kootenai National Forest. 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

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.

The principle environmental issues identified to date are related

to:

1. Revegetation for wildlife habitat and watershed recovery.

2. Security for Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive species.

3. Reallocation of designated Old-Growth.

4. Protection of fish habitat and water quality.

5. Sustaining natural processes.

6. Entry into Roadless areas.

Other issues commonly associated with salvage harvesting and road

construction include: heritage resources, soils, and scenery

management. The 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

ongoing with regard to listed species. The Montana Department of Health

and Welfare-Division of Environmental Quality, Montana Department of

Fish and Game, and the Kootensai Salish Indian Tribe will also be

consulted.

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

comments received within 30 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

June, 1995. 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 the filed in September, 1995.

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 EIS's 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 30 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 have the final authority for issuing a decision regarding this

proposal. I have delegated the responsibility of preparing the EIS to

Three Rivers District Ranger, Michael Balboni. My address is Kootenai

National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 506 Hwy 2 West, Libby, MT 59923.

Dated: January 30, 1995.

Robert L. Schrenk

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 95-2953 Filed 2-6-95; 8:45 am]

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