[Federal Register: August 13, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 155)]
[Notices]
[Page 40809-40811]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13au09-30]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington; Forest-Wide Site-
Specific; Invasive Plant Management Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to document and disclose the potential environmental
effects of proposed invasive plant treatments. The Proposed Action is
to apply a combination of herbicide, mechanical, manual, cultural and
biological treatment methods to control invasive plants on
approximately 15,246 acres on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in
Washington. The proposed action includes treatment of invasive species
on 216 acres within congressionally designated wilderness areas on the
Forest. The Proposed Action would also establish criteria for
responding to the spread of infestations into currently unoccupied
areas.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of this analysis must be received
by September 10, 2009. The draft environmental impact statement is
expected January 2010 and the final environmental impact statement is
expected summer 2010.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Jodi Leingang, Naches Ranger
Station, Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, 10237 Highway 12, Naches,
WA 98942 Comments can also be sent via e-mail to okawen_forestwide_
invasives__eis@fs.fed.us or via facsimile to (509) 653-2638,
Attention: Jodi Leingang.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will become part of the public
record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be
accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide
the respondent with standing to participate in subsequent
administrative review or judicial review.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jodi Leingang, Naches Ranger Station,
10237 Highway 12, Naches, WA 98942; 509-653-1450.
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 pm, Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The Wenatchee National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan
(LRMP, 1990) requires that existing populations of invasive species
(termed ``noxious weeds'') be contained, controlled or eradicated as
the budget allows (page IV-89). The Okanogan National Forest Land and
Resource Management Plan (LRMP, 1989) requires that noxious weeds be
controlled to the extent practical with a priority on treatment of new
infestations (LRMP, page 4-45). The Pacific Northwest Region's Invasive
Plant Program for Preventing and Managing Invasive Plants Record of
Decision (PNW ROD, 2005), an amendment to the Wenatchee and Okanogan
LRMPs, directs that invasive plant populations be prioritized for
treatment and a long term strategy be developed for restoring/
revegetating invasive plant sites (PNW ROD, page 20).
Invasive plants on the Forest are compromising the ability for the
Forest Service to manage for healthy native ecosystems. Invasive plants
create a host of environmental and other effects, most of which are
harmful to native ecosystem processes, including: displacement of
native plants; reduction in functionality of habitat and forage for
wildlife and livestock; loss of threatened, endangered, and sensitive
species; increased soil erosion and reduced water quality; alteration
of physical and biological properties of soil, including reduced soil
productivity; changes to the intensity and frequency of fires; high
cost (dollars spent) of controlling invasive plants; and loss of
recreational opportunities.
New and existing invasive plant populations on the Forest require
analysis to implement new or more effective and cost-efficient
treatments, including the Regional EIS updated list of herbicides. The
most recent inventory shows that 15,246 acres are infested on the
Forest. There are likely additional infestations that are not yet
discovered, and these, as well as known sites, will continue to expand
and spread every year without effective treatment. Without action,
invasive plant populations will become increasingly difficult and
costly to control and will further degrade native ecosystems.
The purpose of this action is to provide a rapid and more
comprehensive, up to date approach to control and eradicate invasive
plants on the Forest. The purpose of controlling or eradicating weed
populations is to maintain or improve the diversity, function and
sustainability of native plant communities, and other resources that
depend on them. Specifically, there is a need to: (1) contain and
reduce the extent of invasive plants at existing inventoried sites, and
(2) quickly detect and rapidly respond to new and changing invasive
plant populations.
Proposed Action
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor proposes to treat
currently existing invasive species on 15,246 acres across the
Okanogan-
[[Page 40810]]
Wenatchee National Forest, including approximately 1,712 acres on the
Chelan Ranger District, 1,968 acres on the Cle Elum Ranger District,
2,346 acres on the Entiat Ranger District, 799 acres on the Methow
Valley Ranger District, 3,299 acres on the Naches Ranger District,
4,399 acres on the Tonasket Ranger District, and 723 acres on the
Wenatchee River Ranger District. Infestations that occur on 216 acres
within congressionally designated Wilderness areas would also be
treated. The proposed invasive species treatments would begin in 2010
and span the next 15 years. Under the proposed action those treatment
methods and herbicides analyzed in the Pacific Northwest Region
Invasive Plant Program: Preventing and Managing Invasive Plants, Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) (USDA 2005) would be used, along
with one additional herbicide. Invasive plants would be treated using
one or a combination of manual (e.g. hand-pulling, digging with hand
tools, clipping), mechanical (e.g. mowing, weed whacking, road
brushing, root tilling, steaming, infrared), cultural (e.g. competitive
seeding/planting, mulching, adding soil amendments/fertilizer),
biological, and chemical methods (e.g. spot spraying, wicking, and
limited broadcast application). Proposed herbicide mixtures would
include one or more of the following active ingredients:
chlorosulfuron, clopyralid, glyphosate, imazapic, imazapyr, metsulfuron
methyl, picloram, sethoxydim, sulfometuron methyl, and triclopyr. In
addition to the herbicides analyzed in the 2005 Invasive Plant FEIS,
the proposed action would include application of aminopyralid.
Herbicide treatments would be part of the initial prescription for
currently identified sites on 15,246 acres. On many sites, the use of
herbicides would be expected to decline in subseuqent entries with
manual, mechanical, biological and cultural methods becoming the common
control measure over time. Therefore, within the 15,246 acres
identified for chemical treatment; other treatments could also occur
including; 450 acres of manual treatment, 350 acres of mechanical
treatment, 1,750 acres of cultural treatment, and 3,500 acres of
biological treatment. In other cases, although herbicide use would
would continue as the preferred treatment method through time, the
amount of herbicide applied would greatly diminish as the infestation
is brought nearer to eradication. Infested acres would be treated with
an initial prescription, and retreated in subsequent years, until
control objectives are met. Site-specific treatment prescriptions would
be developed based on the ability to eradicate, control, contain,
suppress or tolerate an infestation. Selection of treatment methods and
prioritization of sites would follow amended LRMP direction, and take
into account the biology of the particular invasive species, its
proximity to water and other sensitive resources (values at risk), and
the size of the infestation.
The Proposed Action would also allow for treatment of infestations
that are not currently inventoried through an early detection/rapid
response (EDRR) strategy and annual implementation planning. To these
ends, this EIS will include analysis associated with the treatment of
currently documented infestations (sites) as well as areas where
invasive species are not currently present but are most likely to
spread and establish over time. The EIS will include analysis of
approximately 16,448 additional acres of treatment associated with
EDRR. Ongoing inventories would continually locate and confirm
infestation locations. Treatment recommendations for presently
uninventoried infestations would be similar to that described for known
infestations, in that, herbicides would be part of the initial
prescription; with manual, mechanical, biological and cultural methods
becoming the common control measure over time. Treatment prescriptions
for these presently undocumented sites would be strict enough to ensure
that adverse effects are minimized to remain within the scope of
effects analyzed in this EIS, and still be flexible enough to adapt to
changing conditions over time (i.e. adaptive management).
The total number of acres of invasive species treatment that would
be approved in this document and decision for known and EDRR is 31,694
acres; 15,246 acres of presently known infestation and 16,448 acres
under the early detection rapid response strategy. The number of acres
treated in any given year would not exceed this total. However,
provided the recent history of funding available to accomplish this
work, it is very unlikely that we would treat the total in any given
year. Monitoring would evaluate the effectiveness of past treatments
and direct adaptive management needs over time.
A connected action of the Proposed Action is the restoration of
treatment sites with desirable vegetation to prevent re-infestation.
The restoration objectives may be passive (allowing native plants to
fill in a site) or active (any combination of seeding, mulching, or
planting). Some sites will require active re-vegetation to achieve the
desired future condition.
In 2002, the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest adopted an invasive
weeds prevention strategy which includes best management practices for
the prevention of weed spread and introduction. These practices would
continue to be an important part of the Forest's invasive species
management strategy under the proposed action described above.
This project does not include herbicide application directly to
water, use of any pesticides other than herbicides, treatment of
aquatic invasive plants (floating and submerged), or treatment of
native vegetation.
Possible Alternatives
The No Action alternative will serve as a baseline for comparison
of alternatives. Under the No Action alternative, the Okanogan-
Wenatchee National Forest would continue to treat invasive plant
species as authorized under existing National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) documents including; current noxious weed, dry forest
restoration, and other site-specific projects. Additional action
alternatives may be developed to respond to significant issues, if any.
Responsible Official
The responsible official for this project is the Okanogan-Wenatchee
National Forest Supervisor Rebecca Lockett Heath.
Nature of the Decision To Be Made
The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest Supervisor will decide
whether or not invasive species will be treated on the Forest, and if
so, what mitigation measures and monitoring requirements will be
required for implementation.
Preliminary Issues
Several analysis efforts related to the treatment of invasive
species on National Forests in Washington and Oregon (Region 6) have
been completed or are currently on-going at this time. Preliminary
issues identified during the scoping process associated with these
efforts have included: Human health/public and worker exposure to
herbicides, effects of herbicide on native and non-target vegetation
including threatened, endangered and special status plants, and the
effects of herbicide on wildlife including threatened, endangered and
special status animals and aquatic organisms, including special status
fish.
[[Page 40811]]
Scoping Process
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. To assist the
Forest Service in identifying and considering issues and concerns about
the proposed action, public comment opportunities will continue to be
provided throughout the EIS process. In addition to taking written
comments, the Forest Service will hold a series of public meetings
across the Forest during the late summer/early fall of 2009 to ensure
that those who are interested have every opportunity to provide
additional information or comments and to identify any issues or
concerns they may have relative to the proposed action.
It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times
and in such a way that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of
the EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's
concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and specific
comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent
administrative review or judicial review.
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names
and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the
public record on this proposed action and will be available for public
inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and
considered; however, respondents who submit anonymous comments will not
be granted standing to appeal the subsequent decision under 36 CFR Part
215 or judicial review. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any
person may request the agency to withhold a submission from the public
record by showing how the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits
such confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be
aware that, under the FOIA, confidentiality may be granted in only very
limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest
Service will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding
the request for confidentiality, and where the request is denied; the
agency will return the submission and notify the requester that the
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within a
specified number of days.
Dated: August 7, 2009.
Stuart Woolley,
Acting Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E9-19451 Filed 8-12-09; 8:45 am]
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