[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 6 (Thursday, January 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1620-1622]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00058]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
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appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 6 / Thursday, January 9, 2014 /
Notices
[[Page 1620]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; Oregon; Lower Joseph Creek
Restoration Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: In the Lower Joseph Creek Restoration Project area, decades of
fire suppression and past land management activities have resulted in
overstocked stand conditions, reduced forage productivity, degraded
wetlands and springs, reduced grassland extent, and increased ladder
fuels relative to historic reference and anticipated future conditions.
Dry and moist upland forest types in the project area are showing a
deficit of open stands dominated by large trees of ponderosa pine,
larch, and Douglas-fir. Standing and down dead trees were also an
important component of these stands. The purpose of the Lower Joseph
Creek Restoration Project is to restore, maintain, and enhance forest
and rangeland resiliency to natural disturbances, protect natural
resources at risk to uncharacteristic wildfires and insect and disease
outbreaks, contribute to local economic and social vitality, modify
fire behavior potential, and improve future forest, range, and fire
management opportunities. The USDA Forest Service will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the potential
environmental effects of implementing restoration treatments on
National Forest System lands within the project area.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
by 30 days following the date that this notice appears in the Federal
Register. The draft environmental impact statement is expected July
2014 and the final environmental impact statement is expected December
2014. The comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
will close 45 days after the date the EPA publishes the Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register. A Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) will be published
after all comments are reviewed and responded to. Objections to the
FEIS and draft ROD must be filed 45 days following publication of the
legal notice of the ``opportunity to object''.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to John Laurence, Forest Supervisor,
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, c/o Blue Mountains Restoration
Strategy, 72510 Coyote Rd., Pendleton, OR 97801. Comments may also be
sent via email to: [email protected],
or via facsimile to 541-278-3730 c/o Blue Mountains Restoration
Strategy.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ayn Shlisky, Blue Mountains
Restoration Strategy Team Lead, Umatilla National Forest, 72510 Coyote
Rd., Pendleton, OR 97801; phone 541-278-3762. 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:
Background
The Lower Joseph Creek project area lies adjacent and east of
Oregon State Highway 3 on the northern boundary of the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest (WAWNF), approximately 20 miles north of Enterprise.
The project area is bounded by Cold Springs Ridge to the northeast,
Forest Road 46 to the east, and Elk Mountain to the south. It contains
the upper reaches of the Joseph Creek drainage, including the
watersheds of Lower and Upper Swamp Creek, Peavine Creek, Rush Creek,
Davis Creek, Sumac Creek, Lower and Upper Cottonwood Creeks, Broady
Creek, Horse Creek, Cougar Creek, and Green Gulch.
The area is characterized by deep canyons with very steep, grass-
covered side slopes interspersed with numerous exposed rock (basalt)
layers. Vegetation is generally composed of: (1) Warm/moist forest
communities on steep canyon slopes (42% of forested area), (2) warm/dry
forests on south-facing slopes, in transitional areas with scablands,
and on shallower soils (about 30%), (3) cool/dry forest on gently
rolling uplands with deeper soils (26%), and (4) relatively small
amounts of wet mixed conifer and subalpine fir/Engelmann spruce
forests. Elevations range from about 3600 to 5000 feet.
Purpose and Need for Action
The project takes advantage of effective collaboration between
representatives from environmental organizations, timber industry,
county governments, the general public, and various government agencies
to assess conditions and develop restoration and management strategies
in the Lower Joseph Creek project area. All interested parties will
have an opportunity to provide input on how this project develops,
including the types of treatments, products produced, and monitoring
that occurs.
In general, relative to desired conditions, the Lower Joseph Creek
project area exhibits: (1) A deficit of forest stands with large trees
and open canopies, (2) an overabundance of young open forest stands
with relatively dense tree seedling understories (cold and moist
forests), (3) a surplus of small diameter downed woody fuel and fuel
ladders, (4) reduced understory plant diversity and productivity, (5)
reduced grassland extent due to conifer expansion into grassland
habitat, (6) improving trends in fish habitat quality and connectivity
and opportunities for continued improvement, (7) reduced fire
frequencies, and increased vulnerability to uncharacteristic
disturbance from wildfire, (8) roads with native surface conditions,
and other management impacts to wetlands, springs, riparian areas and
stream channels, and (9) opportunities to contribute to the economic
vitality of the local community.
Tangible products, such as wood, fiber, firewood, watershed
restoration projects, forage, wild edible plants and mushrooms, and
income generated from this project would contribute to the stability of
highly valued forest and range products infrastructure, family wage
earners and local industries. In turn, these products and income will
support other local businesses, hospitals, and services contributing to
the overall economic vitality of Wallowa County and northeast Oregon.
In
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addition, less tangible but valuable results are expected, such as
learning how to build strong working relationships among local
collaborators and the Forest Service, developing effective restoration
plans, and creating NEPA-ready projects that can be quickly
implemented.
The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest is committed to meeting our
Federal Trust Responsibility to consult and coordinate with American
Indian Tribes. Actions analyzed to meet the purpose and need will
address potential effects to treaty reserved rights and cultural
resources.
The purpose and need for action is consistent with the 1990
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, as
amended (Forest Plan). It is supported by differences between existing
and desired ecosystem conditions, as determined from the Forest Plan,
local policy recommendations for desired ranges of variation in
vegetation conditions, local landscape assessments (e.g., Lower Joseph
Creek Watershed Assessment (2013)), collaboration with the Wallowa-
Whitman Forest Collaborative and other publics, other agencies,
consultation with Tribes, and field reviews. The purpose and need is
also driven by goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management
Strategy (2011), particularly goals to restore and maintain landscape
resiliency to fire-related disturbances, and reduce risk of wildfire to
human communities and infrastructure. The purpose and need is also
consistent with the Endangered Species Act for the protection and
restoration of Snake River steelhead as well as the Clean Water Act for
protection of water quality and waterways in the project area.
Proposed Action
The Forest Service proposes to implement activities across the
approximately 98,561 acre Lower Joseph Creek project area. Silviculture
treatments would provide a diversity of forest structures that are more
in line with desired conditions, and more resilient to anticipated
future environmental conditions. Thinning, and mechanical fuel
treatments across approximately 20,000 acres would encourage the
development of large tree structural characteristics, understory plant
diversity, forage productivity, and resilience to disturbances such as
wildfire. Thinning of largely younger trees across an additional 5,000
acres, which are in the process of recovery after stand replacement
disturbance, would encourage the development of spatial heterogeneity
and increase the proportion of early seral tree species. Silvicultural
treatments would generally retain and protect large trees of early
seral species and trees with old growth physical characteristics
consistent with historical reference conditions. Prescribed burning of
hazardous fuels, where ecologically appropriate, on up to 90,000 acres
would reduce fuel loads, increase understory productivity and
diversity, allow fire to perform its natural ecological role, and
reduce uncharacteristic disturbance from wildfire, insects, and
disease.
Restoration of wetlands and springs would allow these landscape
components to play their natural role in providing for effective
grazing management, wildlife habitat, and high quality drinking water.
Restoration of some riparian areas would protect and restore watershed
function. Riparian and flood plain restoration may include road closure
or modification, channel reconstruction, fencing, planting, conifer
removal, instream structure placement, and bank stabilization.
The transportation system would be managed through road
construction, reconstruction, use of temporary roads, and seasonal or
permanent closures, as needed to support public access, proposed forest
management activities, wildlife habitat quality, and aquatic habitat
connectivity. The majority of road-related activities would make use of
the existing system road network. A roads analysis will be conducted to
assess the transportation system and the appropriate actions needed to
meet project and administrative needs, public access, forest plan
standards and guidelines, future needs, and consultation guidance for
federally listed fish. Approximately 1.5 miles of new system road would
be constructed; 24 miles of system road would be reconstructed; and 26
miles of new temporary roads would be constructed. Of the roads that
have already been identified for seasonal or permanent closure under
past decisions, or that have been naturally closed, 40 miles would be
seasonally closed, and approximately 45 miles would be permanently
closed or decommissioned, as determined in the roads analysis and an
evaluation of each segment's status, future need, and impact on other
resources. Roads proposed for any type of closure will focus on
resource damage to water quality, fish habitat and wildlife habitat.
Where possible, detrimental soil impacts from roads would be mitigated.
In the interest of landscape learning and streamlining NEPA, two
Research Natural Areas, which have been proposed for establishment in
the WAW Forest Plan (Horse Pasture Ridge (338 acres) and Haystack Rock
(425 acres)) would be established and serve as untreated baseline study
areas. The establishment of the two RNAs will require no changes in
current land management allocations, except for any necessary
adjustments to RNA boundaries mapped in the current Forest Plan to
facilitate management or correct mapping errors.
Additional benefits of implementation of the proposed action
include maintenance and enhancement of culturally significant
resources, settings, viewsheds, and sensitive plant and animal species
habitat, including those of interest to the Tribes. A monitoring
strategy will be developed to support adapting management strategies
and sharing lessons learned through time. Input from interested parties
and the most current, applicable science will be used to guide this
monitoring.
Connected actions that would be included in the analysis include
road maintenance, and hazard tree cutting or removal. Fuels associated
with silvicultural treatments (activity fuels) would be treated with a
suite of available tools including, but not limited to, mastication,
removal, pile and burn, cutting and scattering limbs, or prescribed
fire.
Project design elements and site specific mitigation measures would
be developed during the analysis of individual activity areas to reduce
or eliminate unwanted effects, including those affecting tribal
resources and cultural values. Mitigation measures may include seasonal
operating restrictions, snag creation, and/or soil amendments (e.g.,
adding biochar) on compacted or detrimental soils.
Forest Plan Amendments
1. The Forest Service proposes to amend the forest plan in some
areas to allow for the removal of trees greater than 21'' in diameter
at breast height. To ensure conservation of old trees, the project
would adopt scientifically-derived guidelines, such as the ``Van Pelt
guidelines'' (2008), to assess tree age regardless of the diameter of
individual trees.
2. The Forest Service may need to amend the forest plan, if
necessary, to allow tree harvests that restore old growth
characteristics, natural ecological processes, or habitat for old
growth dependent species in Old Growth Preserves (Forest Plan
Management Area 15).
3. The Forest Service may need to amend the forest plan in some
areas where restoration activities would not
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meet visual quality objectives in the short-term.
Responsible Official
The responsible official is the Wallowa-Whitman Forest Supervisor.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest will
decide whether to implement the action as proposed, whether to take no
action at this time, or whether to implement any alternatives that are
proposed. The Forest Supervisor will also decide whether to amend the
1990 Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan,
if an action alternative is chosen.
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Issues that are
raised with the proposal may lead to alternative ways to meet the
purpose and need of the 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 periods 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.
Dated: December 20, 2013.
John Laurence,
Forest Supervisor, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
[FR Doc. 2014-00058 Filed 1-8-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P