Timber Harvest, Reforestation, Road Construction and Road Closure Near Buck Creek, Taylor Creek and Eldridge Creek Drainages; Gallatin National Forest, Gallatin County, Montana

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Timber Harvest, Reforestation, Road Construction and Road Closure

Near Buck Creek, Taylor Creek and Eldridge Creek Drainages; Gallatin

National Forest, Gallatin County, Montana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service, will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of timber

harvest, reforestation, and road construction and closure in the

vicinity of Buck Creek, Taylor Creek and Eldridge Creek drainages

(herein referred to as the Taylor Fork Project), located in the Madison

Mountain range, Gallatin National Forest, Hebgen Lake Ranger District,

Gallatin County, Montana. The Taylor Fork project is one of several

projects being proposed on the Gallatin National Forest to contribute

timber volume to facilitate acquisition of approximately 54,000 acres

of lands currently owned by Big Sky Lumber Company (BSL) located within

the proclamation boundary of the Gallatin National Forest. These lands

are checkerboard inholdings that originate as part of the construction

grants given to the Northern Pacific Railway Company by the Federal

Government in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In addition, this

project will contribute toward providing a flow of wood products from

National Forest lands.

The Gallatin National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan

(Forest Plan) provides overall guidance for land management activities,

including timber and road management, within the area. The proposed

actions of timber harvest, reforestation, road reconstruction, road

construction, and road closures are being considered together because

they represent either connected or cumulative actions as defined by the

Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). This EIS will tier

to the Gallatin Forest Plan Final EIS (September, 1987).

DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be on or before June 18,

1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposed

management activities or a request to be placed on the project mailing

list to Stan Benes, District Ranger, Hebgen Lake Ranger District,

Gallatin National Forest, P.O. Box 520, West Yellowstone, Montana

59758.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Julie Shea, EIS Team Leader, Forest Ecology Group, Gallatin National

Forest, Phone (406) 585-1655.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Timber harvest and reforestation is proposed

on approximately 560 acres of forested land in the Taylor Fork project

area, which has been designated as suitable for timber management by

the Gallatin Forest Plan. The timber harvest operations and general

administration of National Forest lands will require construction up to

3.0 miles of new roads and reconditioning up to 12.0 miles of existing

road. The EIS will also analyze a proposal of restoring up to 50 miles

of existing road that currently are not open to public use.

The Gallatin Forest Plan provides the overall guidance for

management activities in the potentially affected area through its

goals, objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area

direction. The primary purpose of this project is to utilize available

timber volume within the Taylor Fork area as one of several federal

exchange assets to be used to facilitate acquisition of approximately

54,000 acres of lands currently owned by BSL located within the

proclamation boundary of the Gallatin National Forest. These lands are

checkerboard inholdings that originate as part of the construction

grants given to the Northern Pacific Railway Company by the Federal

Government in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Another purpose for the BSL/Taylor Fork Timber Sale proposal is to

contribute toward providing a flow of wood products from National

Forest lands identified as ``suitable'' for timber production, as

directed in the Gallatin Forest Plan (Forest Plan, pg. II-1). The

forested areas being considered for harvest are identified as

productive Forest lands available for timber harvest provided grizzly

bear habitat objectives are met. The purpose of road construction and

reconstruction is to access stands of timber to be harvested. All new

roads will be effectively closed to vehicle travel after completion of

post-sale activities.

The purpose of closing roads is to minimize future road maintenance

costs, reduce sedimentation, and to regulate overall open road density

to maintain or improve big game habitat security.

The project area consists of approximately 560 acres of National

Forest land located in T8S, R3E, Sec 22 and 26; and T9S, R3E, Sec 10,

11, 15 and 16, P.M. MT. Road work is proposed across private land in

T8S, R3E, Sec 27 and 35. The majority of the harvesting would occur

within the Taylor Creek and Eldridge Creek area, and south of Buck

Creek located in the Madison Mountain range.

The areas of proposed timber harvest and reforestation would occur

within Management Area 13. Timber harvest would occur only on suitable

timber land. Road construction and reconstruction would occur in this

management area plus Management Area 7 when crossing streams. Below is

a brief description of the applicable management direction.

Management Area 13--This management area consists of forested,

occupied grizzly bear habitat. The productive Forest lands area

available for timber harvest provided grizzly bear habitat objectives

are met. Management goals for MA 13 include: (1) managing vegetation to

provide habitat necessary to recover the grizzly bear; (2) meet grizzly

bear mortality reduction goals as established by the Interagency

Grizzly Bear Committee; (3) allow a level of timber harvest compatible

with Goal 1; and (4) meet State water quality standards and maintain

stream channel stability.

Management Area 7--These are riparian zones or areas where

vegetation

[[Page 27558]]

is present that requires either free or unbounded water or soil

moistures in excess of what is normally found in the area. Lands within

this management area are suitable for timber harvest as long as soil,

water, vegetation, fish, and dependent wildlife species are protected.

These suitable lands must also be adjacent to other management areas

suitable for timber management.

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 would be implemented. Additional alternatives will

examine varying levels and locations for the proposed activities in

response to 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 both private and National Forest lands will be

considered, including the effects caused by recent and past harvesting

and road construction on private lands. 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 will

occur during May 1998. In addition to this initial scoping, the public

may visit 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 issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Eliminate insignificant issues or those which have been covered

by a relevant previous environmental analysis, such as the Gallatin

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 following principle issues have been identified so far:

1. The potential effect of proposed timber harvest and associated

road development on grizzly bear habitat (primarily security and

cover).

2. The potential of proposed timber harvest and associated road

development activities to displace grizzly bears use within the sale

area.

3. The potential for proposed harvest and associated road

development to affect water quality and stream conditions.

Other issues commonly associated with timber harvesting and road

construction include: effects on native fisheries, old growth habitat,

big game species, sensitive wildlife and plant species, cultural

resources, soils, and scenery in the area. This list will be verified,

expanded, or modified based on public scoping for this proposal.

The Draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public review in August of

1998. At that time, the EPA will publish a Notice of Availability of

the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on the Draft

EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA's notice of availability

appears in the Federal Register. It is every important that those

interested in management of the Taylor Fork project area participate at

that time. The Final EIS is scheduled to be completed by mid-November,

1998.

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

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,

533 (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 30-day scoping 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 developing issues and alternatives. To assist the Forest

Service in identifying and considering issues, comments should be as

specific to this proposal 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. My address is Gallatin National Forest, P.O. Box 130,

Federal Building, Bozeman, MT 59771.

Dated: May 6, 1998.

David P. Garber,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98-13287 Filed 5-18-98; 8:45 am]

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