[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49456-49457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-19904]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest; Wisconsin, Phelps Vegetation
and Transportation Management Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Eagle River-Florence Ranger District intends to prepare an
environmental impact statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental
consequences of proposed land management activities. The Phelps
Vegetation and Transportation Management Project area is approximately
53,055 acres in size; about 24,500 acres of this is National Forest
System land, 19,100 acres are other ownerships, and 9,020 acres are
water. The project area is located in Vilas County, directly south of
the Wisconsin-Michigan border, east of State Highway 45, and north of
County Highway A, Wisconsin. The legal description is T41N, R11E; T41N,
R12E; T42N, R11E; and T42N, R12E. See the
[[Page 49457]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the purpose and need for the
action.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by September 13, 2010. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected January 2011 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected May 2011.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to District Ranger Joel Skjerven,
Eagle River-Florence Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet National
Forest, 1247 East Wall Street, Eagle River, WI 54521. Comments may also
be sent via e-mail to the district ranger through the project leader at
[email protected], or via facsimile to 715-479-6407.
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.
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: Christine Brunner, NEPA Coordinator,
Eagle River-River-Florence Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet
National Forest, 1247 East Wall Street, Eagle River, WI 54521.
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., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
Two major areas of focus were identified for this project--
vegetation and transportation. Based on the Forest Plan desired future
conditions for the area, the following eight needs were identified by
the Interdisciplinary Team: (1) Move northern hardwood stands in MA 2A
toward an uneven-aged condition consistent with the Forest Plan; (2)
promote healthy forests; (3) improve the aspen age class distribution;
(4) improve upland forest type composition; (5) maintain adequate
openings to provide habitat for wildlife species dependent on early
successional forest; (6) reduce hazardous fuels and reintroduce fire as
a disturbance regime in the Wildland Urban Interface west of Lac Vieux
Desert; (7) contribute toward satisfying the demand for wood products;
(8) provide a safe, efficient, and effective transportation system.
Proposed Action
In order to address the vegetation needs identified above,
approximately 8430 acres of various forest types would be harvested
using selection, overstory removal, shelterwood, clearcut, and thin
methods. As a result of clearcutting portions of four contiguous stands
in order to convert them to less fire-prone species, a 44-acre
temporary opening would be created. Other proposed actions include 240
acres of mechanical site preparation for regeneration, 54 acres of
burning for regeneration, 35 acres of planting, and 237 acres of
wildlife opening improvement.
The proposed action includes the following to address need 8 above:
Decommission approximately 31 miles of unauthorized road, close 6 miles
of system road closed, reconstruct 12 miles of road, and construct 0.8
miles of new road.
Possible Alternatives
One alternative to the Proposed Action that was developed in
response to a public comment would result in the following changes:
Approximately 6,455 fewer acres of harvest, 58 fewer acres of opening
improvement, and 8.3 fewer miles of road reconstruction.
Responsible Official
The responsible official is District Ranger Joel Skjerven.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision will be limited to answering the following questions
based on the environmental analysis: (1) Will the proposed action
proceed as proposed, as modified, or not at all; (2) what mitigation
measures and monitoring requirements are needed, if any; (3) will the
decision require a Forest Plan amendment?
Preliminary Issues
The following issues will be analyzed in the EIS: Effects of the
proposed action and alternatives on soil, water, Regional Forester
Sensitive Species, and non-native invasive species.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. The District
began the scoping process for this project as an environmental
assessment during March 2010. Approximately 345 persons and
organizations were sent information packages, and a notice was placed
in the newspaper of record. The project is also listed in the
Chequamegon-Nicolet Schedule of Proposed Actions, and is viewable on
the Forest Web page at http://fs.usda.gov/goto/cnnf/nepa and click on
``View a Listing of all Under Analysis,'' then select Phelps Vegetation
and Transportation Management Project.''
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.
Dated: August 2, 2010.
Paul I.V. Strong,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-19904 Filed 8-12-10; 8:45 am]
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