Lemolo Watershed Projects, Diamond Lake Ranger District, Umpqua National Forest, Douglas County, Oregon

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Lemolo Watershed Projects, Diamond Lake Ranger District, Umpqua

National Forest, Douglas County, Oregon

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) for a variety of connected resource projects within the

Lemolo watershed planning area of the Diamond Lake Ranger District.

These projects were developed according to direction in the Umpqua

National Forest Plan, as amended, and in response to recommendations in

the Diamond Lake/Lemolo Lake Watershed Analysis. They are intended to

restore, to the extent possible, the desired vegetation patterns in the

planning area by approximating natural disturbance processes while

providing economic benefits to the local economy. The projects being

proposed include several timber sales, the construction of temporary

and system roads, site preparation, planting, the burning of natural

fuels, road decommissioning, and soil restoration. These projects are

proposed for implementation in the year 2000 and 2001. The planning

area is located approximately 80 miles east of Roseburg, Oregon. The

agency gives notice of the full environmental analysis and decision-

making process that will occur on the proposal so that interested and

affected people may become aware of how they can participate in the

process and contribute to the final decision.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received

in writing by May 21, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning this

proposal to J. Dan Schindler, District Ranger, Diamond Lake Ranger

District, 2020 Toketee Ranger Station RD, Roseburg, Oregon 97447-9704.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct questions about the proposed

action, or EIS to Pat Williams, ID Team Leader/Timber Sale Planner,

Diamond Lake Ranger District, 2020 Toketee Ranger Station RD, Idleyld

Park, Oregon 97447-9704, or (541) 498-2531.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The area being analyzed in the Lemolo

Watershed Projects EIS encompasses approximately 71,800 acres of

National Forest land on the Diamond Lake Ranger District. The planning

area include all or portions of sections 24 through 28 and 33 through

36, T25S, R5\1/2\E; sections 30, 31 and 32, T25S, R6E; sections 32

through 36, T25\1/2\S, R6E; sections 31, 32 and 33, T25\1/2\S, R6\1/

2\E; sections 10 through 15, 22 through 25 and 36, T26S, R5E; sections

1 through 36, T26S, R6E; sections 4 through 9, 15 through 21 and 27

through 35, T26S, R6\1/2\E;

[[Page 18400]]

sections 1, 12 and 13, T27S, R5E; sections 1 through 28 and 33 through

36, T27S, R6E; sections 3 through 10, 17, 18, 19 and 30, T27S, R6\1/

2\E; and sections 1, 2, 3, 10, 11 and 12, T28S, R6E, Willamette

Meridian, Douglas County, Oregon.

This proposal is based on the need to achieve several objectives

for matrix lands within Management Areas 5 and 10 of the planning area.

These objectives are described in the 1990 Umpqua National Forest Land

and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) and page B-1 of the Record of

Decision (ROD) for Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land

Management Planning Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted

Owl. The focus for Management Area 5 is managing the Oregon Cascades

Recreation Area (OCRA) consistent with the intent of the Oregon

Wilderness Act. Toward this end, the proposed action includes the

decommissioning of approximately two miles of roads in the OCRA. The

focus of Management Area 10 is the supply of timber to local and

regional economies on a cost efficient, sustainable basis. The ROD

states that the production of timber and other commodities is an

important objective for the Matrix. The ROD states further that one of

the objectives of matrix is to provide ecological diversity at the

landscape scale in the form of early-successional habitat through

commercial timber harvest.

The Diamond Lake/Lemolo Lake Watershed Analysis recommends that

harvest prescriptions in the analysis area should create a high level

of vegetative diversity in both structure and pattern by replicating

natural disturbance processes. Towards this end, the priority in the

Lodgepole Pine Type is to conduct regeneration harvests in overstocked

lodgepole pine stands older than 70 years to reduce the potential for

mountain pine beetle epidemics. There is also an opportunity to reduce

stand densities to a more desired condition around Lemolo Lake by

commercially thining some of those stands.

From a total planning area of 71,800 acres, the proposed action

identifies a need to harvest approximately 1,670 acres under several

different silvicultural treatments that include approximately 940 acres

of commercial thinning, approximately 490 acres of regeneration

harvests, and approximately 240 acres of partial cutting. As proposed,

this harvest may be accomplished via three to six timber sales. In

conjunction with the sales, implementation of the proposed action will

necessitate the construction of 5.4 miles of system roads, the

reconstruction of 33.2 miles of existing roads, the construction of 3.5

miles of temporary roads with subsequent obliteration, the

decommissioning of 10 miles of road, the construction of two permanent

helicopter landings, the expansion of an existing rock pit by two

acres, and the burning of natural fuels on approximately 530 acres.

Some of the areas prescribed for harvest will require a helicopter

yarding system, others will require a skyline yarding system, and

others can be harvested with ground-based equipment. The 1,670 acres

proposed for harvest are estimated to yield 31.0 million board feet of

timber. To put this estimated yield in a perspective that is easier to

visualize, the lumber derived from this proposal could build

approximately 3,100 low-income family dwellings and provide other wood

products, such as chips and fiber, for the regional economy.

As part of the analysis process under the National Environmental

Policy Act, the Umpqua National Forest has begun the scoping process

for this project. Preliminary issues identified to date include the

following:

Potential effects on the Northern Spotted Owl and it's

habitat.

Potential effects on Wolverine habitat.

The harvest of timber in a visually sensitive area.

Potential effects on Lynx habitat.

One of the purposes of this notice of intent is to solicit input

from the public. At this very early stage of the analysis process,

there are no alternatives to the proposed action other than the No

Action Alternative. The scoping is intended to identify issues which

may lead to the development of alternatives to the proposed action.

In addition to this notice, the public has been notified of the

environmental impact statement through the Umpqua National Forest's

April, 1999, Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA). Scoping for this

project will also include an open house in Roseburg, Oregon, on April

21, 1999. Based on the preliminary issues, the Responsible Official has

determined that it is appropriate to proceed with an environmental

impact statement.

Public comments are appreciated throughout the analysis process.

The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and be available for public review by October, 1999. The

comment period on the draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the EPA

publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register. The final

EIS is scheduled to be available in December, 1999.

The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers

notice of this early stage of public participation and of several court

rulings related to public participation in the environmental review

process. First, reviewers of a draft EIS 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 Corps. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519,

553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could have been raised

at the draft stage may be waived or dismissed by the court if not

raised until after completion of the final EIS. 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 substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest

Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider and respond to them

in the final EIS.

To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues

and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS 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 EIS 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 of

40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.)

In the final EIS, the Forest Service is required to respond to

substantive comments and responses received during the comment period

that pertain to the environmental consequence discussed in the draft

EIS and applicable laws, regulations, and policies considered in making

a decision regarding the proposal. The Responsible Official is Don

Ostby, Forest Supervisor for the Umpqua National Forest. The

Responsible Official will document the decision and rationale for the

decision in a Record of Decision. The decision will be subject to

appeal under 36 CFR part 215.

Dated: April 5, 1999.

Marty Santiago,

Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 99-9275 Filed 4-13-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-11-M