Myrtle-Cascade Timber Sales

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Myrtle-Cascade Timber Sales

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 potential environmental effects of

timber harvest, prescribed burning, mechanical treatments,

precommercial thinning, road reconstruction, and watershed improvement

projects on National Forest lands in the Myrtle and Cascade drainages

of the Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forests.

DATES: Written comments and suggestions should be received on or before

December 29, 1999. The draft environmental impact statement is expected

to be filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and

available for public review in late January 2000. A Final Environmental

Impact Statement will be published no sooner than May 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments and suggestions on the proposal or

requests to be placed on the project mailing list to Elaine Zieroth,

Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Route 4, Box 4860, Bonners Ferry, Idaho

83805-9764, e-mail address: ezieroth/[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Behrens, project leader, Bonners

Ferry Ranger District, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Route 4, Box

4860, Bonners Ferry, Idaho 83805-9764, e-mail address: pbehrens/

[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The existing condition of the forested

vegetation in the project area will be compared to conditions that

occurred historically in the area to determine potential treatment

opportunities (timber harvest, prescribed burning, mechanical

treatments, precommercial thinning, etc.). Many ecological factors have

combined to develop our forests as we see them today. Fire is the

primary ecological factor that influences forest development. Over

seventh years of fire suppression by Federal and State agencies has led

to changes in structure and composition of these forests. Specifically,

the forests are more densely stocked with trees today since fires have

not thinned out the smaller trees. This creates more competition for

water and nutrients and stresses the trees. Consequently, the risk of

severe fire, and insect and disease outbreaks, is greater than it was

historically.

One of the primary objectives of the timber sales will be to

restore composition and structure of the forested ecosystem. In the dry

forest types ponderosa pine and western larch are being overcrowded by

Douglas-fir and grand fir. Treatments would be designed to favor the

development of large, open-grown stands of ponderosa pine and western

larch. In the mixed conifer and subalpine forests there is very little

size and age class diversity. In addition, western white pine, once a

significant component of the mixed confer forests in north Idaho, is

gradually dying out because of white pine blister rust. Some of the

subalpine forests also contain a high percentage of lodgepole pine at

high risk to maintain pine beetle infestation. Treating these stands

prior to a beetle epidemic would significantly reduce fuel loadings and

therefore reduce the risk of severe fire in these forest types.

Preliminary issues include water quality, forest health, timber

supply and demand, Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive wildlife, fish

and plant species.

The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of

these will be the ``no action'' alternative, under which thee would be

no change from current management of the Forest. Additional

alternatives will represent a range of strategies to accomplish the

goals of this project. The Idaho Panhandle National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan provides the guidance for management

objectives within the potentially affected area through its goals,

objectives, standards and guidelines, and management area direction.

Inland Native Fish Strategy guidelines (USDA Forest Service, 1995)

supercede Forest Plan guidelines established for riparian areas. The

public is encouraged to visit with Forest Service officials during the

analysis and prior to the decision. The Forest Service is also seeking

information, comments, and assistance from federal, state and local

agencies and other individuals or organizations that may be interested

in or affected by the proposed actions.

The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and available public

review in late January 2000. At that time, the EPA will publish a

Notice of Availability of the draft environmental impact statement in

the Federal Register. The comment period on the draft environmental

impact statement will be 45 days from the date the EPA publishes the

Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. A final environmental

impact statement will be published after all comments are reviewed and

responded to. A Record of Decision will be published at that time.

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,

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 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.

[[Page 63007]]

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns regarding 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 environmental impact 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.

Public scoping for this project was initiated in April 1997 with a

proposed action to treat roughly 6,600 acres. At this time the project

was titled the Myrtle-Ball Environmental Assessment (EA) and the

assessment area encompassed nearly 49,000 acres. In October 1997 the

assessment area was reduced to 31,000 acres, the proposed treatment

area reduced to 3,700 acres, and the project renamed the Myrtle-Cascade

EA. Based on scoping and changes in Agency direction the Forest Service

believes an EIS is now the appropriate level of documentation. Any

comments received in response to previous solicitations regarding this

project will be considered during the environmental analysis and will

be part of the public record. Anyone on the previous mailing list will

be added to the EIS mailing list.

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 may not have

standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR part 215.

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 very 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 a

specified number of days.

I am the responsible official for this environmental analysis. My

address is Bonners Ferry Ranger District, Route 4 Box 4860, Bonners

Ferry, ID 83805-9764.

Dated: November 10, 1999.

Elaine J. Zieroth,

District Ranger.

[FR Doc. 99-30160 Filed 11-17-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M