Tobacco Root Vegetation Management Plan, Madison Ranger District, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Madison County, Montana

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Tobacco Root Vegetation Management Plan, Madison Ranger District,

Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Madison County, Montana

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; intent to prepare environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the environmental

impacts of a proposed action to designate wildlife security blocks and

treat 18,167 acres of vegetation. The project area is located in the

southern Tobacco Root Mountains northwest of Ennis, Montana.

Designation of the wildlife security blocks would require an

amendment to the Beaverhead National Forest Land and Resource

Management Plan (Forest Plan). This amendment would identify 29

wildlife security blocks ranging in size from 220 to over 10,000 acres.

These areas lie at least a quarter mile from a road or trail open to

motorized use during the general hunting season. Guidelines limiting

timber harvest and road construction in these security blocks would

replace existing Forest Plan wildlife standards.

Over the next 10 years, the proposal would maintain open, park-like

stands of Douglas-fir on 3,613 acres by thinning these stands using

Stewardship Contracts, paying contractors or Forest Service employees

to complete the work, or through commercial timber harvest and

underburning. Primarily, posts and poles would be harvested on another

671 acres of stagnated lodgepole pine stands. An additional 1,423 acres

of old harvest units would be thinned. These activities would require

the construction of about 25 miles of temporary roads which would be

obliterated after project completion. Aspen stands would be invigorated

by cutting competing trees and burning to stimulate new growth from the

aspen roots. To reestablish grasslands, an additional 12,460 acres

would be treated using prescribed fire.

DATE: Initial comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be

received in writing no later than March 5, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The responsible official is Deborah L.R. Austin, Forest

Supervisor, 420 Barrett St., Dillon, MT 59725. Send written comments to

Deborah L.R. Austin, Forest Supervisor, c/o Mark Petroni, District

Ranger, 5 Forest Service Road, Ennis, Montana 59729.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jan Bowey, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Madison Ranger District, P.O.

Box 428, Sheridan, MT 59749, or phone: (406) 842-5432.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public participation is important to this

analysis. Part of the goal of public involvement is to identify

additional issues and to refine the general, tentative issues. A

scoping notice describing the project was mailed to those who requested

information on activities on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

Three public field trips have been held to review the proposed

activities. Additional public meetings are not planned. Montana Fish,

Wildlife and Parks has been involved in the development of this

proposal and will be consulted through the analysis and decision making

process. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service will be consulted

concerning effects to threatened and endangered species. Montana

Department of Environmental Quality will be consulted concerning

effects to Water Quality Limited Stream Segments.

Preliminary issues identified by Forest Service specialists include

effects to vegetation, wildlife habitat, and the undeveloped character

of inventoried roadless areas. No timber harvest or road construction

is proposed in an inventoried roadless area. While proposed management

activities affect over 18,000 acres, the proposal analyzes all

reasonably foreseeable activities in the next ten years over the entire

114,000 acre southern Tobacco Root Mountains. Potential alternatives

include management activities without temporary road construction and

management activities that focus on commodity production, rather than

ecosystem restoration.

People may visit with Forest Service officials at any time during

the analysis and prior to the decision. Two periods are specifically

designated for comments on the analysis: (1) During the scoping process

and (2) during the draft EIS period.

During the scoping process, the Forest Service is seeking

additional information and comments from Federal, State and local

agencies and other individuals or organization who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed action. The agency invites written comments

and suggestions on this action, particularly in terms of identification

of issues and alternative development.

The draft EIS should be available for review in March, 1999. The

final EIS is scheduled for completion in June, 1999.

The comment period on the draft EIS 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

draft environmental impact statements must structure their

participation in the environmental review of the proposal so it is

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

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. 3NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,

553 (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 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 those interested in this proposed action

participate by the close of the 45-day comment period so 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.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft

environmental

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impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is also helpful

if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the draft 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 CFR 1503.3 in

addressing these points.

The Beaverhead-Deerlodge Forest Supervisor is the responsible

official who will make the decision. She will decide on this proposal

after considering comments and responses, environmental consequences

discussed in the final EIS, and applicable laws, regulations, and

policies. The decision and reasons for the decision will be documented

in a Record of Decision.

Dated: February 11, 1999.

Deborah L.R. Austin,

Forest Supervisor, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

[FR Doc. 99-4223 Filed 2-19-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M