[Federal Register: June 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 119)]
[Notices]
[Page 34640-34641]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22jn04-47]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, South
Dakota, Deerfield Project Area Proposal and Analysis
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an environmental impact
statement on a proposal for multiple resource management actions within
the Deerfield Project Area to implement the Black Hills National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan. The Deerfield Project Area covers
about 41,000 acres of National Forest System land and about 5,200 acres
of interspersed private land approximately 11 miles northwest of Hill
City, South Dakota. The proposed action is to conduct vegetation
management within the project area consisting of both commercial and
non-commercial removal of trees, reduction of existing fuels and
created activity fuels, and prescribed burning. Specific actions
proposed for the Deerfield Project Area include the following:
Commercial timber harvest of trees 7 inches or greater in diameter to
thin stand densities, lower the potential for large scale mountain pine
beetle infestations and crown fires, to create a mosiac of tree sizes
and age classes, and to remove pine encroachment from meadows and
hardwoods. These treatments would occur on approximately 14,000 acres.
Non-commercial removal of trees smaller than 7 inches in diameter to
reduce stand densities, eliminate ladder fuels, and improve the health
and vigor of remaining trees would occur on approximately 4,200 areas,
most of which overlap with commercial timber harvest acres. Forest
fuels that currently exist and those created by harvest and thinning
activities would be reduced by actions such as lopping, chipping,
crushing, or piling and burning. Fuel breaks approximately 200 to 300
feet wide would be constructed adjacent to private land to provide some
measure of protection to private land or structures in the event of a
wildfire. These fuel breaks would consist of thinning existing trees of
all sizes on approximately 1,400 acres. Some of these acres may overlap
with other commercial and non-commercial treatments described above.
Prescribed burning would be conducted on approximately 7,000 to 10,000
acres to reduce the continuity and amount of fuels, reduce the
potential for large scale crown fires, and restore fire to its natural
ecological role. Many of these acres will overlap with the vegetation
treatments already described.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis would be most
useful if received by 30-days following the date of this notice.
Comments submitted by individuals and groups during the initial May
2004 scoping period have been incorporated and there is no need to
resubmit comments in response to this NOI. The draft environmental
impact statement is expected to be available for public review by
November 2004 and the final environmental impact statement is expected
to be completed by February 2004.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Robert J. Thompson, District
Ranger, Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, Deerfield
Project Area, 800 Soo San Drive, Rapid City, South Dakota 57702.
Telephone Number: (605) 343-1567. E-mail:
comments-rocky-mountain-black-hills-mystic@fs.fed.us with ``Deerfield'' as the subject.
Electronic comments must be readable in Word, RichText or pdf formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katie Van Alstyne, Project
Coordinator, Black Hills National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, at
above address, phone (605) 343-1567.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The actions proposed are in direct response
to management direction provided by the Black Hills National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). The site specific
actions are designed based on Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines to
move existing resource conditions in the Deerfield Project Area toward
meeting Forest Plan Goals and Objectives. The project areas includes
the Deerfield Recreation Area with Deerfield Lake, Reynolds Prairie,
and Hat and Flag Mountains and lies approximately 11 miles northwest of
Hill City, South Dakota. Anticipated issues include: an increasing
mountain pine beetle (MPB) infestation and pine tree mortality; fire
and fuels hazard reduction; support and opposition to vegetation
treatment such as timber harvest; impacts of vegetation treatment and
multiple forest uses on wildlife habitat.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of and need for the actions proposed in the Deerfield
Project is to: Reduce the potential for large scale MPB infestations,
to break up the continuity of dense timber stands, reduce the potential
for large scale wildfire, and restore hardwoods and meadows. This
project will address Goals 2 and 3 of the Forest Plan--to provide for
biologically diverse
[[Page 34641]]
ecosystems and provide for sustained commodity uses, consistent with
Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines.
Proposed Action
Proposed actions include the following:
Commercial timber harvest of trees 7 inches or greater in
diameter to thin stand densities, lower the potential for large scale
MPB infestations and crown fires, to create a mosiac of tree sizes and
age classes, and to remove pine encroaching on meadows and hardwoods.
These treatments would occur on approximately 14,000 acres.
Non-commercial removal of trees smaller than 7 inches in
diameter to reduce stand densities, eliminate ladder fuels, and improve
the health and vigor of remaining trees. These treatments would occur
on approximately 4,200 acres, most of which overlap with commercial
timber harvest acres.
Reduce forest fuels that currently exist and those created
by harvest and thinning activities. This might include lopping,
chipping, crushing, or piling and burning.
Construct fuel breaks approximately 200 to 300 feet wide
adjacent to private land to provide some measure of protection to
private land or structures in the event of a wildfire. These fuel
breaks would consist of thinning existing trees of all sizes on
approximately 1,400 acres. Some of these acres may overlap with other
commercial and non-commercial treatments described above.
Conduct prescribed burning on approximately 7,000 to
10,000 acres to reduce the continuity and amount of fuels, reduce the
potential for large scale crown fires, and restore fire to its natural
ecological role. Many of these acres will overlap with the vegetation
treatments already described.
Responsible Official
John C. Twiss, Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest,
25041 N. Highway 16, Custer, SD 57730.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether or not to implement the proposed
action or alternatives at this time.
Scoping Process
Comments and input regarding the proposal have been received via
direct mailing from the public, other groups and agencies during the
initial 30-day (plus) public comment period in May 2004. Comments
submitted based on this NOI, will be most useful if received within 30
days from the date of this notice. Response to the draft EIS will be
sought from the interested public beginning in November 2004.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent provides information that the agency will
prepare an environmental impact statement in response to public comment
and feedback during the May 2004 scoping period. Comments submitted by
individuals and groups during the initial May 2004 scoping period have
been incorporated and there is no need to resubmit comments in response
to this NOI. Additional comments received will assist the planning team
to identify key issues and opportunities used to develop project
alternatives and mitigation measures. Comments on the DEIS will be
requested ruing the 45 days comment period following the Notice of
Availability to be published in the Federal Register in November 2004
(See discussion below).
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 for 45 days (beginning around November 1,2 2004) form the date
the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early state, 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 by the close of the 45-day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections 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.
Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21.
Dated: June 16, 2004.
Brad Exton,
Acting Forest Supervisor, Black Hills National Forest.
[FR Doc. 04-14040 Filed 6-21-04; 8:45 am]
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