[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32738-32739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-13729]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Gallatin National Forest-Hebgen Lake Ranger District; MT;
Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management Project 2
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: This integrated forest vegetation management project is
designed to achieve the goals of increased firefighter and public
safety, reduced wildland fire risks to adjacent property and Forest
Service infrastructure, and to enhance aspen forest communities that
are in decline. Proposed forest thinning and associated activities
target the removal of excessive surface, ladder and crown fuel. This
project begins to address the fire behavior concerns that threaten life
and property. The scope of action to be addressed in the analysis is
limited to actions needed to lessen wildfire risks to life and property
in the identified wildland urban interface/evacuation routes in the
project area, and whether to implement aspen enhancement.
A decision for this Project was withdrawn in November 2009 to
respond to changed conditions related to a district court order
effectively relisting the grizzly bear as a threatened species under
the Endangered Species Act in the Greater Yellowstone Area. This new
analysis will incorporate mitigation and analysis to comply with
current direction related to the grizzly bear, and new information for
other resources since 1.5 years have lapsed. Otherwise the proposal is
the same project analyzed in 2007.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by July 9, 2010. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
July 2010 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
November 2010.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Gallatin National Forest, Attn:
Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management Project 2, Bozeman Ranger District,
3710 Fallon St., Ste. C., Bozeman, MT 59730. Comments may also be sent
via e-mail to: [email protected], or via facsimile
to 406-587-2528. Electronic comments must be submitted in Microsoft
Word format. It is important that reviewers provide their comments at
such times and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's
preparation of the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to
the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the
reviewer's concerns and contentions specific to the Proposal.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be
accepted and considered, however.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ten Seth, Team Leader, 406-522-2520 or
go to the Gallatin National Forest Web page: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/gallatin/?page=projects/lonesomewood_proposal.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD)
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management proposal is an outcome of
the Hebgen Watershed Risk Assessment. The main concern for this area is
wildland fuel buildup in the area because there is a high degree of
wildland urban interface and reliance on a single road for access in
and out of the area. There are also opportunities to restore highly
valued aspen habitats.
Large crown fires with high fire intensity, dangerous flame
lengths, rapid rates of fire spread and long spotting distances for
firebrands are expected under the existing conditions. Prescribed burn
units are fairly open with non-continuous fuels. Over time these open
areas are slowly being encroached by conifer trees. The encroachment
reduces the effectiveness of the areas as natural fuel breaks. Aspen
stands are being encroached by conifers of various age classes. Conifer
removal and/or prescribed burning are intended to reinvigorate aspen
clones. The proposed treatments maintain or restore the characteristics
of ecosystem composition and structure to reduce the risk of
uncharacteristic wildfire effects in the wildland urban interface.
Proposed Action
The Gallatin National Forest proposes to reduce wildland fuel and
aspen forest competition by forest thinning; removal of excessive dead
and down trees,
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branches and activity related slash, and by slashing and prescribed
burning. The proposal includes a combination of treatments on
approximately 2,900 acres along the Hebgen Lake Road (FSR 167) which is
on the west side of Hebgen Lake. Generally, treatment would remove
about 50% to 60% of the existing trees per acre in all diameter classes
with an objective of maintaining approximately 13 feet between tree
crowns. Forest thinning would be implemented by mechanical and hand
methods. Activities may include, but are not limited to thinning
through logging, slashing small trees, whole tree yarding, yarding
unmerchantable material, hand and machine piling, pile and broadcast
burning, hauling of commercial material, firewood removal, biomass
reduction such as chipping, erosion control, construction of and
rehabilitation of skid trails, landings and temporary roads. An
estimated 6-6.5 miles of temporary road would be needed to implement
the proposed action.
Approximately 370 acres of the proposed treatments are in the
Lionhead Inventoried Roadless Area. Treatments in the roadless area are
designed to restore ecosystem processes by removing generally small
diameter trees. Approximately 295 acres of thinning is limited to
ladder fuels, which are generally less than six inches in diameter.
Another 25 acres is proposed for prescribed burning with some slashing
of small trees as a pre-treatment. About 50 acres is proposed for
mechanical thinning of generally small diameter trees. No temporary or
permanent roads are proposed in the inventoried roadless area.
As proposed, all project work would be completed within 6-9 years,
once implementation begins after a decision. A decision is expected in
2010 with implementation to begin in 2011.
The Project would implement priorities and applicable direction
from the Gallatin Forest Plan and Federal Fire Policy which includes
the National Fire Plan, Cohesive Strategy and the 2001 Review and
Update of the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy.
Possible Alternatives
Three alternatives have been identified: The No Action, Proposed
Action and an Alternative to reduce impacts to Moose Winter Range.
Responsible Official
As the Gallatin Forest Supervisor I am the responsible official for
this decision.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
What, if anything, should be done to reduce wildfire risks to life
and property in the identified wildland urban interface/evacuation
route in the Project area? What if anything should be done to enhance
aspen communities in the project area? What associated activities,
mitigation measures, restoration actions and monitoring requirements
would be included in the decision?
Preliminary Issues
The following issues have been identified as possible decision
factors or issues of special interest to the public: effects to the
fire/fuels environment; effects to the inventoried roadless area
(Lionhead 1-193); effects to habitat for Canada lynx, grizzly bear
habitat and moose winter habitat.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Two comment
periods were completed for this Project during the development and
publication of the Environmental Assessment and Decision/FONSI that
supported the 2008 Decision. Currently, the Project is listed in the
Schedule of Proposed Actions. In addition to comments received in
response to the NOI and forthcoming draft environmental impact
statement, there will be an open house. The Open house is scheduled on
Thursday June 24 at the Hebgen Lake Ranger District between 3-7 pm.
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 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 that those
interested in this proposed action participate during comment periods
provided so that substantive comments and objections are made available
to the Forest Service at a time when they can meaningfully consider
them. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering
issues, comments should be specific to concerns associated with the
proposed wildland fuel and aspen treatments. 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 structuring comments.
Dated: June 1, 2010.
Mary Erickson,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-13729 Filed 6-8-10; 8:45 am]
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