Swan Flat Proposed Timber Sale; Cache National Forest (Administered by the Caribou National Forest), Bear Lake County, Idaho

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Swan Flat Proposed Timber Sale; Cache National Forest

(Administered by the Caribou National Forest), Bear Lake County, Idaho

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA, Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement to document the analysis and disclose the environmental

impacts of proposed actions to harvest timber, build roads, and

regenerate new stands of trees in the Swan Flat area of the Cache

National Forest in Bear Lake County, Idaho. The proposed project is

located in T.16S., R.42E., Section 23, 24, 25, and T.116S., R. 43E.,

Section 30, Boise Meridian. Implementing the silvicultural

prescriptions under the proposed action will bring these timber stands

to a healthy and productive condition. This would result in reduction

of insect and disease activity, increased growth on regenerated stands,

and provide a more uniform age and size distribution of timber stands.

On July 7, 1997, the Montpelier Ranger District released to the

public, the Swan Flat Environmental Assessment for a 30 day

predecisional review. After reviewing the responses of the

predecisional review, the Montpelier Ranger District determined that an

Environmental Impact Statement would be needed to address entering the

Swan Creek Mountain Roadless Area.

The Montpelier Ranger District of the Caribou National Forest

proposes to harvest an estimated 1.5 million board feet of commercial

timber in 13 stands on 291 acres. A total of 5 acres would be clear

cut. The remaining stands would be partially cut using thinning,

sanitation /salvage, group seed tree, shelterwood and improvement cut.

All stands would be tractor logged. Approximately 1.3 miles of the Swan

Flat Road from the junction of U.S. Highway 89 in Logan Canyon would be

graveled. Approximately 1.5 miles of the Swan Flat Road from the

junction of the Red Sinks Road would be realigned to enhance log

hauling. Four hundred feet of the Swan Flat Road from the Red Sinks

Road junction would be spot graveled. Approximately 0.5 miles of road

construction would be needed within the area designated as located by

the Caribou National Forest Lane and Resource Management Plan. All

newly constructed roads within the goaded area would be obligated at

the completion of the logging operation. Eight of the proposed cutting

units are located in the Swan Creek Mountain Roadless Area. These

cutting units are located on the fringe of the roadless area and

adjacent to the existing Swan Flat Road and Red Sinks Road. Timber

would be skidded to these existing roads. There would be no road

construction in the Swan Creek Mountain Inventoried Road less Area.

The following preliminary issues have been identified:

Regeneration cutting in deer and elk travel routes would

compromise security cover.

Eight of the proposed cutting units are located in the

Swan Creek Mountain Roadless Area. Harvest activities would affect

roadless characteristics.

Regenerations cutting could effect the quality of winter

recreational activities for cross-country skiers now and in the future.

The following alternatives have been developed:

Alternative 1 is the no action alternative.

Alternative 2 is the proposal. Under this alternative an estimated

1.5 million board feet of sawtimber would be removed from 265 acres.

Alternative 3 would address the winter recreation concerns. Under

this alternative 1.1 million board feet of sawtimber would be removed

from 307 areas.

Alternative 4 would address the concerns about wildlife corridors.

Under this proposal 1.5 million board feet of sawtimber would be

removed from 291 acres.

This proposed sale is scheduled to be offered in 2001. For maps of

the proposed project area, please contact the Montpelier Range

District, 322 North 4th Street, Montpelier, Idaho 83254.

DATES: Written comments concerning the scope of the analysis described

in this Notice should be received on or before July 23, 1999. No

scoping meetings are planned at this time. Information received will be

used in preparation of the draft EIS and final EIS.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Caribou National Forest, Montpelier

Ranger District, 322 North 4th Street, Montpelier, Idaho 83254.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Questions concerning the proposed action and

EIS should be directed to Eric Mattson, Caribou National Forest,

Montpelier Ranger District, 322 N. 4th Street, Montpelier, Idaho 83254

(Telephone: (208) 847-0375).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest Service is seeking information

and comments from Federal, State, and local agencies, as well as

individuals and organizations who may be interested in, or affected by

the proposed action. The Forest Service invites written comments and

suggestions on the issues related to the proposal and the area being

analyzed.

The responsible official is Jerry B. Reese, Supervisor, Caribou

National Forest, 250 South Fourth Avenue, Pocatello, Idaho 83254.

The decision to be made is: Whether the proposed stands shall be

brought under management (i.e. change from the management of natural

succession to management activities that would achieve multiple-use

goals) by cutting the sawtimber in each stand? If so, what cutting

methods should be applied to each stand and what mitigation may be

necessary?

The tentative date for filing the Draft EIS is October 1, 1999. The

tentative date for filing the final EIS is January 5, 2000. The comment

period on the draft environmental impact statement will be open for 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 viewers 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

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meaningful and alert an agency to the reviewer's position and

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

(1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the

draft environmental impact statement stage but 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 F2d

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 of the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement 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. Agency representatives and other

interested people are invited to visit with Forest Service officials at

any time during the EIS process.

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. 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. Comments received in response

to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who

comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed

action and will be available for public inspection. Comments submitted

anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, those who submit

anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the subsequent

decision under 36 CFR 215 or 217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR

1.27(d), any person may request the agency to withhold a submission

from the public record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act

(FOIA) permits such confidentiality.

Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that, under

the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only limited circumstances,

such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest Service will inform the

requester of the agency's decision regarding the request for

confidentiality, and where the request is denied, the agency will

return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be

resubmitted with or without name and address within 10 days.

Dated: June 14, 1999.

Jerry B. Reese,

Forest Supervisor, Caribou National Forest, Intermountain Region, USDA

Forest Service.

[FR Doc. 99-15885 Filed 6-22-99; 8:45 am]

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