Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, Canal Hoya Timber Sale, Tongass National Forest, Stikine Area, Wrangell, Alaska

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, Canal Hoya

Timber Sale, Tongass National Forest, Stikine Area, Wrangell, Alaska

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent; revision.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will prepare a

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Canal Hoya Timber Sale

located on the Stikine Area of the Tongass National Forest. This Notice

of Intent revises the Notice of Intent published December 23, 1996

(page 67530) by describing changes to the purpose and need and the

schedule for decision. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement is being

prepared to respond to the new management direction and standards and

guidelines of the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management

Plan (Forest Plan) released in May 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments, suggestions or questions concerning the

analysis and Environmental Impact Statement should be sent to Scott

Posner, Canal Hoya Team Leader, Wrangell Ranger District, Stikine Area,

Tongass National Forest, P.O. Box 51, Wrangell, Alaska, 99929, phone

(907) 874-2323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Canal Hoya Study Area includes Value

Comparison Unit 520 and 521 on the mainland in Southeast Alaska,

approximately 30 miles southeast of Wrangell, Alaska.

The Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan of

May 1997 provides the overall guidance (land use designations, goals,

objectives, management prescriptions, standards and guidelines) to

achieve the desired future condition for the area in which this project

is proposed. This revised Forest Plan allocates portions of the study

area to two management prescriptions; Timber Production and Modified

Landscape. The new standards and guidelines in the revised Forest Plan

provide increased protection for riparian areas, beach fringe, brown

bear foraging areas and wetland soils, which affect the assumptions on

which the purpose and need in the original Notice of Intent were based.

The purpose and need for the project is to respond to the goals and

objectives identified by the Forest Plan for the timber resource and to

move the Canal Hoya Study Area towards the desired future condition.

The Forest Plan identified the following goals and objectives: (1)

manage the timber resource for production of saw timber and other wood

products from suitable timber lands made available for timber harvest,

on an even-flow, long-term sustained yield basis and in an economically

efficient manner (Revised Forest Plan page 2-4; (2) seek to provide a

timber supply sufficient to meet the annual market demand for Tongass

National Forest timber, and the demand for the planning cycle (page 2-

4); and 3) maintain and promote industrial wood production from

suitable timber lands, providing a continuous supply of wood to meet

society's needs (page 3-144). The Canal Hoya Timber Sale will be

designed to produce desired resource values, products, and conditions

in ways that also sustain the diversity and productivity of ecosystems

(page 2-1).

The Canal Hoya Timber Sale is now expected to provide a range of

volume to the timber industry from 10 to 17 million board feet. The

range of alternatives to be considered in the Environmental Impact

Statement will be determined during analysis and reflect issues raised

during scoping.

The Proposed Action provides for: (1) construction of approximately

10 miles of specified road and additional temporary road; (2) harvest

of approximately 750 acres of timber; and, (3) construction of a log

transfer facility east of the Canal Creek estuary and another log

transfer facility east of the Hoya Creek estuary. The log transfer

facilities could use a floating, removable structure. This level of

development would result in the harvest of approximately 14 million

board feet of sawlog and utility timber volume.

A number of public comments have been received on this project.

Based on comments from the public and other agencies during the scoping

effort, the following significant issues have been identified. How will

the design of the sale affect:

(1) Harvest economics?

(2) Scenic and tourism values?

(3) Bears that also use the Anan Wildlife Viewing Area?

(4) Wildlife habitat and species conservation?

(5) Freshwater and marine resources?

(6) Forest soils?

These issues were used to design alternatives to the proposed

action and to identify the potential environmental effects of the

proposed action and alternatives. The draft Environmental Impact

Statement is scheduled for publication in January 1998 and the Final

Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision is scheduled for

publication in May 1998.

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

alert reviewers about 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 important that those interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the draft Environmental Impact Statement 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.

No other revisions are made to the original Notice of Intent

published December 23, 1996.

Patricia A. Grantham,

Acting Forest Supervisor, Stikine Area.

[FR Doc. 97-28384 Filed 10-24-97; 8:45 am]

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