[Federal Register: December 6, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 235)]
[Notices]
[Page 72636-72637]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06de02-28]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Idaho Panhandle National Forests, Bonner County, Idaho and Pend
Oreille County, Washington; Chips Ahoy Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Priest Lake Ranger District on the Idaho Panhandle
National Forests will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS)
on a proposal to treat forest vegetation over approximately 980 acres.
The treatments are being proposed to restore forest communities to a
more historical composition and structure and re-introduce fire into
these ecosystems. Treatments include 780 acres of regeneration harvest
and 200 acres of commercial thinning.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received
within 30 days from the date of this notice in the Federal Register and
during the draft EIS period. The draft environmental impact statement
is expected in March 2003 and the final environmental impact statement
is expected June 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Chips Ahoy Project, Attn: Steve
Johnson, Forest Supervisor's Office, 3815 Shreiber Way, Coeur d'Alene,
ID 83815.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Johnson, Project Leader, Idaho
Panhandle Supervisor's Office at the above address, by calling (208)
765-7224, or ssjohnson@fs.fed.us.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The project area is located within Bonner
County, Idaho, and Pend Oreille County, Washington. The project area is
located approximately twenty miles north of the community of Priest
River, Idaho. A past bark beetle outbreak, in combination with root
diseases, other insects and diseases and winter storm damage has left
many of these stands poorly stocked.
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose and need for this action is to restore dry forest
communities to a more natural composition and structure and re-
introduce fire into these ecosystems and increase the amount of wet
forest communities that are dominated by western white pine and western
larch trees.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is separated into three categories, vegetative
treatments, fuel treatments and road treatments. The proposal is to
treat forest vegetation over approximately 980 acres within the project
area. Different types of treatments would be used depending upon the
existing condition of the forest stands. These treatments include
regeneration treatments on 780 acres and commercial thinning on the
remaining 200 acres. After the tree cutting operations are complete,
approximately 930 acres, or 95 percent of the vegetative treatment
areas would be underburned to reduce the fuels, prepare the sites for
reforestation, and to re-introduce fire onto these sites as a natural
process. The remaining 5 percent of the vegetative treatment would not
be burned. In order to access some of the proposed vegetative treatment
areas, approximately 2.5 miles of temporary road would be constructed.
These temporary roads would be recontoured following their use.
Resource protection measures will be included to protect resources such
as
[[Page 72637]]
snags, soils, heritage resources, water quality and wildlife.
Responsible Official
Ranotta K. McNair, Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National
Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The Forest Supervisor of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests will
decide whether or not to implement this project, and if so, in what
manner.
Scoping Process
The agency invites written comments and suggestions on the scope of
the analysis. In addition to this notice, a proposed action letter will
be sent to interested government officials, agencies, groups, and
individuals on the Chips Ahoy mailing list. No public meetings are
currently planned.
Comment Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Specific written
comments on the proposed action will be most helpful.
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 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, 338 (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: November 25, 2002.
Ranotta K. McNair,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 02-30380 Filed 12-05-02; 8:45 am]
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