Salvage Harvest Due to 1998 Storm Damage, Daniel Boone National Forest, McCeary and Pulaski Counties, KY

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Salvage Harvest Due to 1998 Storm Damage, Daniel Boone National

Forest, McCeary and Pulaski Counties, KY

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effect of removing trees

damaged by a severe snowstorm that occurred in February 1998, and

severe wind storms that occurred in April and May 1998. The areas under

consideration for this proposal include approximately 3400 acres on the

Stearns and Somerest Ranger Districts within the Daniel Boone National

Forest. Pine trees that will be removed include trees that are downed;

trees that have 50% or more of the live crown missing or damaged;

uprooted trees; or leaning and root sprung trees. Hardwood trees that

will be removed include trees that are downed, uprooted, leaning and

root sprung. Other damaged standing trees may be removed for public

safety or logging access.

The proposed method of removal is to use salvage timber sales which

may include the use of helicopter, cable yarding, and ground skidding

methods. Skidding methods may use motorized equipment or animals.

Connected actions include construction of temporary roads,

maintenance of existing roads, and erosion control measures to minimize

soil movement.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this analysis should be

received by August 31, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments to Michael B. Kluempke, Daniel Boone

National Forest, 761 South Laurel Road, London, KY 40744.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Myra Williamson, Silviculturist,

Stearns Ranger District, Daniel Boone National Forest, P.O. Box 429, US

Highway 27 North, Whitley City, KY 42653, or by calling (606) 376-5323.

RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL: The Forest Supervisor for the Daniel Boone

National Forest, located at 1700 Bypass Road, Winchester, KY 40391, is

the Responsible Official for this action.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Need for the Proposal

On February 3, 1998, a snow storm dropped approximately two feet of

heavy, wet snow across the southern half of the Forest. On April 16,

1998, a tornado, along with strong straight-line winds, hit the Stearns

Ranger District. On May 31, 1998, a windstorm hit both the Stearns and

Somerest Ranger Districts.

The February snowstorm impacted a significant portion of the

191,000 acres of National Forest System lands on the Stearns and

Somerest Districts. Most impact occurred within the ridgetop forest

stands. The most heavily impacted stands were composed primarily of

Virginia pine, most of which suffered broken stems, were uprooted or

were severely bent over. Hardwoods and shortleaf pine trees were

generally uprooted, or suffered some crown damage.

When the April and May windstorms swept through the western and

southern parts of the Somerset and Stearns Districts they damaged

approximately 3,000 acres of hardwood and hardwood-pine forest. Some of

these areas were also affected by the snowstorm. Within the the damaged

areas, most of the larger diameter trees were uprooted, while others

were twisted, snapped, lifted (resulting in root damage), or bent. In

the western part of the Stearns District these windstorms have left

entire hillsides where all or most of the trees have been leveled.

The storm damage has resulted in a substantial increase in fuel

loading over the entire area. This is due to the large amount of

foliage, twigs, limbs and stems of damaged and fallen trees greatly

increasing the fuels available for wildfire.

The extent of the fire hazards created by additional fuel loading

is dependent on the dispersion and the arrangement of fuels. Heavy fuel

accumulations may occur adjacent to what would normally be an effective

location for control lines. The height of fuels could create a ladder

for fire to enter into the crowns of trees and increase the rate of

spread.

This vertical and horizontal arrangement of fuels needs to be

disrupted. The increased fuel loading, when dry, would increase

wildfire intensity and is a severe impediment of fireline construction

and control of fires.

Because the National Forest land ownership pattern in the areas

affected by the storm events is highly variable, conditions on one

ownership tend to also have indirect effects upon conditions of other

ownership. The excessive fuel loads currently in the forest increases

the potential for severe wildfires to spread to private lands.

A large portion of the project area is within the tentative Habitat

Management Area for the Red-cockaded woodpecker. In order to recover

this species, as well as other rare fire-associated plants and animals,

active management is needed to create and maintain pine and pine-

hardwood forest types. The current condition of many of these proposed

treatment areas inhibits the use of prescribed fire and stand

regeneration activities that are necessary to create and maintain

habitat for these species.

Many of the proposed treatment areas have been heavily used in the

past by the general public for various recreational activities such as

hunting, fishing, hiking, camping and bird watching. The high number of

down trees criss-crossed on the forest floor present serious obstacles

to foot travel, and trees left hanging or leaning pose safety risks to

users of the general forest.

B. Purpose

The purpose of this action is to allow for the timely removal of

damaged trees within heavily storm-damaged areas of the Daniel Boone

National Forest to meet the following general objectives:

1. Reduce current fuel loads and modify their arrangement where

they present a wildfire hazard to the life and property on adjacent

private land.

2. Reduce current fuel loads and modify their arrangement to

minimize damage to Forest resources that may result from a catastrophic

wildfire.

3. To restore the ability to manage these areas towards the

objectives outlined in the Forest Land and

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Resource Management Plan (FLRMP) for Management Areas 7 and 9.

4. To provide for the safety of forest users and employees within

the project area.

The Daniel Boone National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan

(FLRMP) provides overall guidance for management activities in the

affected area where the storm damage has occurred. Approximately 100

acres are located in Management Area 9. The remaining acres are located

in Management Area 7. Forest wide management goals include (FLRMP IV-

1,2):

1. Protect and enhance habitat for all threatened and endangered

species and strive towards increasing population levels to facilitate

removal from T&E status.

2. Manage the Forest in a manner that is sensitive to economic

feasibility.

3. Provide a diversity of plant and animal communities.

4. Protect, maintain and/or improve soil productivity and water

quality.

5. Provide the habitat requirements of the management indicator

species.

The general management direction for Management Area 7 (FLRMP IV-

119) includes the following requirements:

1. Otimize growing potential for yellow and white pine, and upland

and cove hardwoods;

2. Provide a moderate to high degree of wildlife habitat diversity;

and

3. Provide a broad range of undeveloped recreation opportunities.

The general management direction for Management Area 9 is to

protect and maintain the scenic quality of the area while providing

dispersed recreation opportunities and enhance wildlife (FLRMP IV-135).

Salvage timber sales are proposed to meet these objectives in the

most timely and efficient manner. The use of salvage timber sales will

allow the objectives to be accomplished in a short time frame. Because

the recoverable economic value of forest products from storm damaged

trees will decrease significantly over time as a result of

deterioration, it is imperative that the material be removed in the

most efficient and timely manner possible.

C. Proposed Scoping Process

Public participation is an important part of the analysis. The

scoping period associated with this Notice of Intent will be thirty

(30) days in length, beginning the day after publication of this

notice. In addition to this scoping, the public may visit Forest

Service officials at any time during the analysis and prior to the

decision.

The Daniel Boone National Forest is 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. Comments submitted during the scoping process

should be in writing. They should be specific to the action being

proposed and should describe as clearly and completely as possible any

issues the commentor has with the proposal. This input will be used in

preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The

scoping process includes:

1. Identifying potential issues.

2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in depth.

3. Eliminating nonsignificant issues or those which have been

covered by a relevant previous environmental analysis.

4. Exploring additional alternatives.

5. Identifying potential environmental effects of the proposed

action and alternatives.

D. Preliminary Issues Identified to Date Include

1. Removal of damaged trees and associated activities may affect

threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant and animal species and

associated habitat.

2. Ground disturbing activities associated with the proposed action

may cause soil movement and increase stream sedimentation which may

affect soil productivity and water quality.

3. The proposed action may impact the scenic quality adjacent to

Rock Creek, a State Wild River, Marsh Creek, a proposed Federal Wild

and/or Recreational River, and within Natural Arch Scenic Area.

E. Possible Alternatives Identified to Date Include

1. No Action: This alternative will serve as a baseline for

comparison of alternatives. This alternative will be fully developed

and analyzed.

2. Proposed Action: As described above, this alternative will

remove trees damaged in three storms. The proposed method of removal is

to use salvage timber sales which may include the use of helicopters,

cable yarding, ground skidding methods, or animals.

F. Estimated Data for DEIS and FEIS

The DEIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection

Agency and to be available for public comment by November 1998. At that

time, the Environmental Protection Agency will publish a notice of

availability of the DEIS in the Federal Register. The comment period on

the DEIS will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection

Agency publishes the notice of availability 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

DEIS 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 objectives that

could be raised at the DEIS stage but that are not raised until after

the completion of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) may

be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.

2d 1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and Wisconsin Heritage, Inc. v. Harris,

490 F. Supp. 1334 (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 FEIS.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the DEIS should be as

specific as possible. It is also helpful if the comments refer to

specific pages or chapters of the draft statement. Comments may also

address the adequacy of the DEIS 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 provision of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.

After the comment period ends on the DEIS, the comments will be

analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in

preparing the FEIS. The FEIS is scheduled to be completed in January

1999. The responsible official will consider the comments, responses,

environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and applicable laws,

regulations, and policies in making a decision regarding this proposed

action. The responsible official will document the decision and reasons

for the decision in the Record of Decision. That

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decision will be subject to appeal in accordance with 36 CFR part 215.

Benjamin T. Worthington,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98-20227 Filed 7-30-98; 8:45 am]

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