[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9621-9622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3745]
[[Page 9621]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests; Idaho; Clear Creek
Integrated Restoration Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: This is a corrected notice. This notice updates the contact
information that was included in the original notice, and extends the
comment due date to March 1, 2012. The original notice was published in
the Federal Register on January 6, 2012, pages 775 and 776.
The Forest Service gives notice of its intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement for the Clear Creek Integrated
Restoration Project. The Proposed action would use a combination of
timber harvest, pre-commercial thinning, prescribed fire and
reforestation to achieve the desired range of age classes, size
classes, vegetative species distributions, habitat complexity
(diversity) and landscape patterns across the forested portions of the
project area. Road decommissioning, culvert replacements and road
improvements are also proposed to improve watershed health. The EIS
will analyze the effects of the proposed action and alternatives. The
Nez Perce-Clearwater Forest invites comments and suggestions on the
issues to be addressed. The agency gives notice of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis and decision making process on
the proposal so interested and affected members of the public may
participate and contribute to the final decision.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by March 1, 2012. The draft environmental impact statement is expected
in February 2013 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected in November 2013.
ADDRESSES: Send written or electronic comments to Lois Hill,
Interdisciplinary Team Leader; Kamiah Ranger Station; 903 3rd Street;
Kamiah, ID 83536; FAX 208-935-4257; Email [email protected]. Include your name, address, organization
represented (if any), and the name of the project for which you are
submitting comments. Electronic comments will be accepted in MS Word,
Word Perfect, or Rich Text formats. 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,
anonymous comments will not provide the Agency with the ability to
provide the respondent with subsequent environmental documents.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lois Hill, Interdisciplinary Team
Leader, (208) 935-4258.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The objective of the Clear Creek Integrated Restoration Project is
to manage forest vegetation to restore natural disturbance patterns;
improve long term resistance and resilience at the landscape level;
reduce fuels; improve watershed conditions; improve elk habitat
effectiveness; improve habitat for early seral species; and maintain
habitat structure, function, and diversity. Timber outputs from the
proposed action would be used to offset treatment costs and support the
economic structure of local communities and provide for regional and
national needs.
Purpose and Need for the Proposal
Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat Improvement
Purpose: Trend vegetation species composition, structure, and
distributions toward desired conditions described in the Forest Plan.
Need: There is a need to change tree species composition by
retaining and planting early seral species, such as ponderosa pine,
western larch and western white pine. The project area has a high
proportion of grand fir/Douglas fir habitat. These habitats tend to be
more susceptible to insects and diseases. Grand fir is unlikely to
survive a wildfire. There is a need to trend the area toward a more
diverse and resilient forest structure by creating a range of age
classes, size classes, habitat complexity (diversity) and disturbance
patterns that more closely emulate natural mixed severity disturbance.
Increasing early seral species in managed areas would help trend the
area toward, or maintain, desired habitat conditions and would make
these habitats more resistant and resilient to change agents such as
insects, diseases, and fire.
There is a need to increase diversity within previously harvested
areas to begin restoring long-term habitat quality for sensitive and
old growth associated species. Historic logging practices and fire
suppression have created a landscape that is more highly fragmented
than would be expected to result from natural disturbances. Ladder
fuels have increased and there has been a shift to shade tolerant
species. Habitat structure and patch sizes of young forests are
simplified and smaller than would be expected to result from natural
disturbances. Edges of patches are straight and even.
There is a need to increase young forest habitats on this
landscape. Age classes are dominated by middle-aged and mature forest
habitats. Forest management would increase high quality early seral
wildlife habitats by retaining large trees and promoting establishment
of tall shrubs and hardwood tree species by using variable retention
regeneration harvest. In the short term, this would benefit wildlife
species that use early seral habitats, such as neotropical migratory
birds, resident birds, small mammals, and big game species. In the long
term, large tree retention would help maintain habitat structure and
complexity needed by old growth associated species.
Goods and Services
Purpose: To utilize timber outputs produced through restoration
activities to support the economic structure of local communities and
provide for regional and national needs (Forest Plan page II-1).
Need: There is a need to provide a sustained yield of resource
outputs, as directed by the Forest Plan. Much of the area consists of
grand fir dominated stands that have insect and disease infestations
that are contributing to increased tree mortality, or are at risk from
stand replacing events. Stands proposed for treatment are currently
losing volume and value due to insects and diseases. Harvest of the
timber would provide materials to local industries.
Fire Regime/Natural Disturbance Restoration and Fuel Reduction
Purpose: Reduce ladder fuels created by shade-tolerant species and
create more natural patch sizes by emulating mixed severity fire.
(Forest Plan page II-2)
Need: There is a need to increase patch sizes to shift age and size
class distributions to increase high quality early seral wildlife
habitats. Effective fire suppression in this area began in the 1930's.
As a result, there has been a vegetative shift to less fire resistant
species, and an increase in ladder fuels that can contribute to the
risk of high intensity and potentially resource damaging wildfire. Some
portions of the project area have been identified as being up to five
times outside of their normal fire return intervals. Past harvest
patterns do not emulate natural
[[Page 9622]]
disturbance patterns nor do they emulate natural habitat structure.
Landscape burning and timber harvest that mimics natural fire would
help increase forest resilience, help reduce risk of wildfires, and
help create high quality habitats that would benefit neotropical
migratory birds, resident birds, small mammals, and big game species.
Fire dependent wildlife species would benefit from landscape burning.
Watershed Improvement
Purpose: Reduce potential sediment inputs into the aquatic
ecosystem from roads.
Need: There is a need to drain roadside ditchline water away from
streams by installing cross drain pipes near live stream crossings. The
cross drain pipes collect ditchline water and direct it onto the forest
floor. There is also a need to replace existing undersized, damaged, or
rusting culverts on streams to minimize failure potential.
There are 283 miles of road within the project area, 200 of which
are needed for current and future management. The remaining 83 miles of
road have been cleared for decommissioning under the SF/WF Clear Creek
Road Decommissioning EA (2011). The roads needed for management can
contribute sediment to streams through road surface erosion and
potential culvert failures. Surface erosion occurs during spring
snowmelt and rain events. Dirt coming off roads is diverted into
ditchlines which are often directed into streams. Preliminary surveys
show most roads in the area are drained by ditches. Culvert failures
can result from undersized, damaged or rusting culverts which can plug
with debris and then fail as water saturates the surrounding fill.
Failures can contribute large pulses of sediment into streams. Surveys
indicate at least 60 miles of road with culverts that are in need of
replacement or cleaning. There is a minimum of 40 high or moderate
priority culverts in need of replacement, and 12 in need of cleaning.
There are an additional 40 low priority culverts in need of replacement
and 15 in need of cleaning. The surveyed roads pose the highest risk to
streams in the project area.
The desired condition for roads is to have ditchlines that drain
road surface water away from streams and onto forest the forest floor.
All culverts at stream crossings are appropriately sized to allow for
the passage of material within minimal risk of plugging.
The Proposed Action would:
Improve Forest Health, Provide Goods and Services, Reduce Fuels and
Improve Wildlife Habitat
Conduct ``variable retention'' regeneration harvest and
post harvest burning activities on up to 2500 acres to create early
sucessional plant communities and improve wildlife habitat while re-
establishing long-lived early seral tree species. Variable retention
harvest would include areas of full retention (clumps), irregular
edges, and retention of snags and legacy trees to provide structure and
a future source of woody debris. Openings will likely exceed 40 acres.
Commercially thin approximately 7810 acres to reduce stand
densities improve forest health and reduce the chance of crown fire.
Apply improvement harvest to approximately 311 acres (thin
from below) to remove encroachment and ladder fuels from ponderosa pine
dominated stands.
Construct a minimum temporary road system to carry out the
proposed action. Roads would be decommissioned after use.
Pre-commercially thin approximately 1865 acres to reduce
stand densities improve forest health and reduce fuels.
Restore approximately 42 acres of bunchgrass communities
through prescribed burning and revegetation with native grasses to
improve wildlife winter range through reestablishment of native grasses
and forbs.
Apply approximately 1400 acres of low and mixed severity
prescribed fire within the Clear Creek Roadless area to restore natural
fire regimes, reduce fuels, improve wildlife habitat and create mosaic
forest conditions. Proposed activities are consistent with Idaho
Roadless Rule. There is no timber cutting planned within the Clear
Creek Roadless area.
Reduce Sediment Production and Address Transportation Needs
Conduct maintenance on or improve 100-130 miles of system
roads including culvert installation or replacement, ditch cleaning,
and riprap placement for drainage improvement. It may also include
gravel placement, road grading and dust abatement.
Additional site specific maintenance or improvements would
occur to improve watershed conditions on up to 20 miles of roads
outside of proposed treatment areas.
Decommission 2-5 miles of system roads no longer
considered necessary for transportation needs.
Possible Alternatives the Forest Service will consider include a
no-action alternative, which will serve as a baseline for comparison of
alternatives. The proposed action will be considered along with
additional alternatives that will be developed to meet the purpose and
need for action, and to address significant issues identified during
scoping.
The Responsible Official is Rick Brazell, Nez Perce-Clearwater
Forest Supervisor, Clearwater National Forest Supervisor's Office,
12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544.
The Decision To Be Made is whether to adopt the proposed action, in
whole or inpart, or another alternative; and what mitigation measures
and management requirements will be implemented.
The Scoping Process for the EIS is being initiated with this
notice. The scoping process will identify issues to be analyzed in
detail and will lead to the developemnt of alternatives to the
proposal. The Forest Service is seeking information and comments from
other Federal, State, and local agencies; Tribal Governments; and
organizations and individuals who may be interested in or affected by
the proposed action. Comments received in response to this notice,
including the names and addresses of those who comment, will be a part
of the project record and available for public review.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review: A draft environmental impact statement will be
prepared for comment. The second major opportunity for public input
will be when the draft EIS is published. The comment period for the
draft EIS will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Draft EIS is anticipated to be available for public review in
February 2013.
Dated: January 24, 2012.
Rick Brazell,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2012-3745 Filed 2-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P