[Federal Register: December 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 242)]
[Notices]
[Page 75503-75504]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17de04-36]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Hoosier National Forest, IN; Tell City Windthrow 2004 Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act,
notice is hereby given that the Forest Service, Tell City Ranger
District of the Hoosier National Forest will prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental
consequences of the proposed Tell City Windthrow 2004 Project. On July
13, 2004, a severe storm producing winds at 70 to 80 miles per hour
moved across southern Indiana. Heavy rain and high winds altered the
stand structure of the forest with down and damaged trees. In the EIS,
the USDA Forest Service will address the potential environmental
impacts of salvage harvesting and prescribed burning. See the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the purpose and need of the
action.
DATES: The public comment period will be for 30 days from the date this
notice is published in the Federal Register. Comments and suggestions
concerning the scope of the analysis should be submitted (postmarked)
30 days following this publication to ensure timely consideration. The
draft environmental impact statement is expected in the fall of 2005,
and the final environmental impact statement is expected in the winter
of 2006.
ADDRESSES: Submit written or e-mail comments by: Mail-Tell City
Windthrow 2004 Project, Attn: Mary Schoeppel, Tell City Ranger
District, Tell City, IN 47586 or e-mail r9_hoosier_website@fs.fed.us.
Please note: when commenting by e-mail, be sure to list Tell City
Windthrow 2004 Project in the subject line and include a U.S. Postal
Service address so we may add you to our mailing list.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary J. Schoeppel, project team leader
at 812-547-7051. See the address above under ADDRESSES. Copies of
documents may be requested at the same address. Another means of
obtaining information is to visit the Forest Web page at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hoosier
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The primary purpose of this project is to implement management
direction outlined in the Hoosier National Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan while addressing site-specific needs and opportunities
to move the project from the existing condition towards the desired
condition. The following list describes the ``needs for action'' for
the project to meet the purpose of implementing Forest Plan direction.
--Action is needed to address safety concerns along roads, trails, high
use areas, and property boundaries.
--The risk of a wildland fire has increased as a result of the wind
thrown timber. Many areas have down timber on greater than 50% of the
identified area. Therefore, there is a need to improve public safety by
reducing the potential for high-intensity fires to develop and spread.
This can be accomplished by changing the horizontal continuity of fuels
and reducing the amount of available fuel such as through prescribed
burning.
--There is a need to salvage portions of the damaged area in a timely
manner to capture timber product values that would be lost due to
insect damage and decay with time.
[[Page 75504]]
--Salvage operations and prescribed burning would expedite the
transition toward a more natural appearing landscape and help promote
oak-hickory regeneration on the Forest, thus encouraging diversity of
species.
--There is a need to provide timber to meet people's demand for wood
products such as furniture, paper, fiber, and construction materials.
The Forest Plan identifies areas suitable for timber production.
Proposed Action
The Forest proposes to salvage harvest trees that are recently down
or leaning, severely damaged, or identified as hazard trees throughout
the project area. Trees deemed hazardous are those that adversely
affect public safety, including logging operations and management
activities, facilities, and public visitors using the forest. Trees
would be retained to provide wildlife habitat and long-term snag
recruitment. Salvage activities would occur on approximately 3,100
acres.
This project proposes prescribed burning. General activities to be
undertaken in preparing or executing prescribed fires could include
fire line construction, hazard tree mitigation, and mop-up. Where
possible, roads, trails, and streams would be used as natural breaks to
minimize fire line construction. Any rehabilitation measures for fire
lines would be determined by Forest Service specialists. All proposed
prescribed fires would have a prescribed fire plan prior to the burn.
This activity would occur on approximately 5,590 acres.
Road construction activities are anticipated on approximately 27
miles to facilitate the removal of salvage material and minimize
resource damage. This could include road reconstruction and road
maintenance on existing road corridors. Temporary roads may be built to
minimize resource damage and later decommissioned.
Responsible Official
Kenneth G. Day, Forest Supervisor; Hoosier National Forest; 811
Constitution Avenue; Bedford, Indiana 47421.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision to be made is whether the activities should proceed as
proposed, proceed as modified by an alternative or be deferred at this
time.
Scoping Process
The Hoosier National Forest proposes to scope for information by
contacting persons and organizations on the Hoosier's mailing list and
publishing a notice in the local newspaper. The present solicitation is
for comments on this Notice of Intent and scoping material available
elsewhere, such as on the Forest Web page.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement.
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 publishes the notice of availability in the Federal
Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, 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.
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: December 10, 2004.
Kenneth G. Day,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 04-27591 Filed 12-16-04; 8:45 am]
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