[Federal Register: June 26, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 123)]
[Notices]
[Page 38007-38008]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26jn03-37]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Bear Hodges Vegetation Project; Wasatch-Cache National Forest,
Cache and Rich Counties, UT
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Supervisor of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest
gives notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement on a proposal to harvest mature dense, large diameter spruce
stands through individual tree removal, small group selection, and
shelterwood with reserves. Much of this proposal takes place in Utah
State University's T.W. Daniel Experimental Forest. This is northern
Utah's Wasatch Mountains about 10 miles south of the Utah-Idaho borders
and about 7 miles west of Bear Lake. The project area is in the upper
reaches of the Little Bear and West Hodges drainages. The proposal
addresses lands located primarily in the drainages located in Township
13 North, Range 4 East, Salt Lake Meridian, in Sections 15, 21, and 22
of the T.W. Daniels Forest and in two other sections of the national
forest (27 and 28) immediately to the south of the land under permit to
the Daniels Forest.
The proposed action was developed to move the vegetation toward
desired future condition by regenerating young spruce. The proposal is
to treat approximately 700-800 acres. Access to the area will require
some new specified and temporary road construction.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
in writing by July 21, 2003. A draft environmental impact statement is
expected to be published in September 2003, with public comment on the
draft material requested for a period of 45 days, and completion of a
final environmental impact statement is expected in February, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Wasatch-Cache National Forest,
Federal building, 125 S. State St., Salt Lake City, Utah 84138, Attn:
Bear Hodges II.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Scott, Environmental Coordinator,
(801) 625-5404.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The spruce-fir in the analysis area are dense, large diameter,
mature to old age and lacking in regeneration and young trees. With
this structural pattern in place the spruce-fir stands become
increasingly susceptible to epidemic levels of insects and disease.
There is a need to restore the health of these ecosystems and move them
towards the desired conditions of biodiversity and viability expressed
in the revised Forest Plan (2003). The purpose of the project is to
restore these systems to regimes more closely resembling natural
patterns of disturbance. A secondary purpose to this project is to work
collaboratively with Utah State University and their experimental
forest to conduct research on silvicultural treatments.
Proposed Action
The proposal is to thin nearly 600 acres of the forest to reduce
the susceptibility to spruce bark beetle mortality. Thinning could
increase the risk of trees being blown down in extremely dense clumps
of forest. In these situations adjustments to the thinning method would
be made to compensate and decrease blow down risks.
About 100 small openings will be created across the project area to
establish spruce regeneration. Openings will not exceed \1/4\ acre in
size, and will be planted with containerized spruce after harvest. A
majority of these openings will be within the thinning units, and the
remainder will be in the research units. Existing small openings will
be used whenever possible.
Clumps of wildlife trees will be retained in all units except the
research units. Clumps will consist of 4-6 trees of all species and
size classes and will be distributed throughout the area.
On about 150 acres several small cutting units will test different
spruce silvicultural strategies, including single-tree selection, small
group selection, and shelterwood with reserves. There would be the same
number of test harvest units for each of the three strategies.
Access to the units will require approximately 2 miles of new
specified road construction, which will be stabilized, gated and
managed as closed to public use traffic following the sale. In addition
to specified road construction, an additional 1.5 miles of temporary
road will be needed, which will be restored to original contour, seeded
and covered with slash or rocks when the project is completed.
Responsible Official
The Responsible Official is Thomas L. Tidwell, Forest Supervisor,
Wasatch-Cache National Forest, 8236 Federal Building, 125 South State
Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84138.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether to implement the proposed
activities listed above.
Scoping Process
The Forest Service invites comments and suggestions on the scope of
the analysis to be included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS). In addition, the Forest Service gives notice that it is
beginning a full environmental analysis and decision-making process for
this proposal so that interested or affected people may know how they
can participate in the environmental analysis and contribute to the
final decision. This notice of intent initiates the scoping process
which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. The
Forest Service welcomes any public comments on the proposal.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement
will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency's
notice of availability appears in the Federal Register. It is very
important that those interested in this proposed action participate at
that time. To be the
[[Page 38008]]
most helpful, comments on the draft environmental impact statement
should be as specific as possible and may address the adequacy of the
statement or the merits of the alternatives discussed.
The Forest Service believes it is important to give reviewers
notice at this early stage 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 by the close of the 45-day comment period so that
substantive comments and objection are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement 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
environmental impact statement 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 at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.) Comments received, including
the names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part
of the public record on this proposal and will be available for public
inspection.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21)
Dated: June 16, 2003.
Faye L. Krueger,
Deputy Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 03-16179 Filed 6-25-03; 8:45 am]
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