Ramshorn Forest Vegetation Management, Shoshone National Forest, Fremont County, Wyoming

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[3410-11]

Ramshorn Forest Vegetation Management, Shoshone National Forest,

Fremont County, Wyoming

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest will prepare an environmental impact statement on a

proposal to manage forest vegetation in the upper Brent Creek and

Tappen Creek drainages located on the Wind River District of the

Shoshone National Forest within Fremont County, Wyoming. The area

adopted for analysis in the EIS corresponds to the Ramshorn Analysis

Area delineated in the 1986 Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.

The proposal includes the use of prescribed fire, timber harvest,

fuelwood sales, aspen stand enhancement measures, and other practices

designed to improve the long term health and diversity of forest

vegetation throughout the analysis area. Optimum use would be made of

small timber sales for the benefit of local businesses and operators.

About 700 acres would be treated in the forest's suited timber base to

partially meet the forest health and diversity objective. About 300

acres would be treated in the forested area outside the suited base to

assist in meeting the vegetation health and diversity goal. High

priority for treatment would include areas where aspen stands are in

danger of being lost, where there is a high degree of wildfire risk,

where there is increased mortality due to insect and disease

infestation and in large stands lacking in species and structural

diversity.

Approximately two miles of new road construction and three miles of

road reconstruction would be necessary to access the suited base

portion of the analysis area. The proposal includes closing all new

roads and existing closed roads opened for the purpose of this project

following completion of the project.

The scope of this analysis offers the possibility of a number of

alternatives that vary the mix of treatment measures for improving

forest vegetation health and diversity within a discrete area.

The primary underlying purpose for this proposal is to improve the

health and diversity of forest vegetation within the Ramshorn analysis

area. The need for doing this is indicated by the imbalance of current

forest conditions and trends with respect to diversity standards in the

forest plan, and by the risks associated with extensive fuel buildups

and insect and disease infestations. THe purpose and need focuses on

the forest plan goal of: Improving tree age class and species diversity

to benefit forest health, recreation experiences, visual quality, and

wildlife habitat (Forest Plan page III-8). Forest vegetation diversity

standards to be exercised in meeting this goal are found in Forest Plan

direction on pages III-19 through 21.

In meeting the primary goal, a number of secondary goals are

addressed. These include: (1) Managing vegetation types to provide

multiple benefits commensurate with land capability and resource demand

(Forest Plan page III-6); (2) Improve the health and vigor of

vegetation types outside wilderness and selected types in wilderness

where necessary (Forest Plan page III-6; (3) Integrate vegetation

management with resource management in functional areas (Plan page III-

7); (4) Adopt visual quality objectives that will maintain or enhance

the characteristic landscapes of the Forest (Plan page III-7); (5)

Improve habitats where vegetation conditions are significantly below

biological potential (Plan page III-8); (6) Maintain or improve habitat

for threatened or endangered species (Plan page III-8); (7)

Rehabilitate lands in declining and unsatisfactory watershed condition

(Plan page III-9); (8) Reduce the accumulation of natural fuels (Plan

page III-8); (9) Reduce damages by insect, disease, and other Forest

pests to acceptable levels through integrated management of vegetation

(Plan page III-10); (10) Provide timber sales of sufficient quantity

and quality to attract investment by the timber industry to accomplish

desired vegetation management (Plan page III-8).

In order to achieve the primary goal in the Ramshorn area,

identified impacts will need to be addressed through mitigation and

application of forest plan standards and guidelines. This includes

attention to cumulative impacts, including roads, and the need to meet

forest plan direction for ``no net increase'' in roads (Forest Plan

Allowable Sale Quantity Record of Decision, pages 5-6, and Amendment

No. 94-001). The area analysis being implemented through this action is

supported by direction to take an ``ecosystem'' or ``landscape''

approach to management (Forest Plan Allowable Sale Quantity Record of

Decision, page 5).

The decision to be made involves the selection of an appropriate

mix of treatment types where the primary goal is improving forest

health and diversity, and where consideration is made within that

context for meeting secondary goals through treatment type, timing, and

design. The decision will also include other specific mitigation

measures where needed to meet resource needs determined through the

analysis of impacts. The area analysis could surface the necessity for

making a nonsignificant amendment to the forest plan, and the decision

would address whether or not to do so. A significant forest plan

amendment is beyond the scope of this analysis.

The Forest Service invites comments and suggestions on the scope of

the analysis to be included in the draft environmental impact statement

(DEIS). In addition, the Forest Service gives notice that it is

beginning a full environmental analysis and decision-making process for

this proposal so that interested or affected people may know how they

can participate in the environmental analysis and contribute to the

final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received

in writing by August 8, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Bob Rossman, ID Team Leader, Wind

[[Page 37189]]

River Ranger District, P.O. Box 186, Dubois, Wyoming 82513.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Rossman, Project Interdisciplinary

Team Leader, (307) 455-2466.

Field trip: In response to requests received during earlier

scoping, a field trip to the proposed project area was conducted for

the public on June 24, 1997. Materials developed for participants are

available upon request. Informal public meetings will be scheduled as

needed throughout the analysis process.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Over the last ten years there has been a

significant amount of effort devoted to developing a consensus on

conducting timber harvest in the Brent Creek area. Public comments were

solicited in 1987 and 1991. Many comments were received from concerned

citizens, environmental groups, and other governmental agencies as a

result of these scoping efforts. Comments received in 1991 were refined

into issues by a Forest Service Interdisciplinary Team, representatives

of other agencies, and several individuals. An alternative formulation

process was begun at this time, but was discontinued due to concern

about violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act.

Scoping of a timber sale proposal was reinitiated in 1997. The

period ended on May 5, 1997. An Interdisciplinary Team of Forest

Service resource specialists reviewed comments raised during this

period.

Based in part on these comments, on the history of difficult issues

in the Brent Creek area, and on the controversiality of proposed timber

sales, the district ranger reevaluated the purpose and need for action

and concluded that an environmental impact statement should be

prepared. Although scoping is reinitiated through this Notice of

Intent, most comments received during earlier scoping efforts are

considered applicable and will be retained. People who wish to update

their earlier comments, based on the revised purpose and need, are

encouraged to do so. The Forest Service particularly welcomes any

assistance from commenters in identifying sources of impact on and off

the Forest to include in its cumulative effects analysis.

The Deciding Official will be Bob Lee, Wind River District Ranger,

1403 West Ramshorn, PO Box 186, Dubois, Wyoming, 82513, unless the need

for a nonsignificant forest plan amendment is indicated. In that event,

the Forest Supervisor will be the Deciding Official.

The expected publication date of a draft environmental impact

statement is during February of 1998. Following this, a 45 day period

will be allowed for public comment on the draft. This comment period

will commence on the day the Environmental Protection Agency publishes

a ``Notice of Availability'' in the Federal Register. A completed final

environmental impact statement is anticipated in July of 1998.

The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers

notice at this early stage 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, 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 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.) Please note that comments

you make on the draft environmental impact statement will be regarded

as public information.

Note further that comments will be available for public inspection

during the analysis process, and that in most cases the name of the

commenter will not remain confidential. Those who submit anonymous

comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent decision under

36 CFR Parts 215 or 217. Persons requesting such confidentiality should

be aware that under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only

very limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets.

Dated: July 1, 1997.

Rebecca Aus,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 97-18129 Filed 7-10-97; 8:45 am]

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