[Federal Register: October 23, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 205)]
[Notices]
[Page 60638-60640]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23oc03-21]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Vail Valley Forest Health Project; White River National Forest,
Eagle County, Colorado
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
in conjunction with planning the Vail Valley Forest Health Project.
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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, White River National Forest, gives
notice of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of commercial and
non-commercial timber cutting and prescribed fire, in conjunction with
designing the Vail Valley Forest Health Project for the Holy Cross
Ranger District of the White River National Forest. These proposed
actions are being considered together because they represent either
connected or cumulative actions as defined by the Council on
Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1508.25). This notice describes the
project area, the purpose and need for the action, the proposed action,
potential environmental issues, information concerning public
participation, estimated dates for filing the environmental impact
statement, and the names and addresses of the agency officials who can
provide additional information.
Project Area
The Vail Valley Forest Health Project area encompasses
approximately 72,000 acres in the Vail Valley on the Holy Cross Ranger
District of the White River National Forest, Eagle County, CO. It
extends approximately 2.5 miles on either side of the I-70 corridor
from Vail Pass on the east to the town of Avon on the west. The area is
located in T6S, R79W, Sec 4-6, 8-10, 15, 16; T5S, R79W, Sec. 5-9, 16-
18, 19-21, 28-30, 32-34; T4S, R79W, Sec 30-32; T5S, R80W, Sec 1-25;
T4S, R80W, Sec 22, 27-34; T6S, R81W, Sec 3, 5, 6; T5S, R81W, Sec 1-36;
T4S, R81W, Sec 25, 30-36; T6S, R82W, Sec 1, 2; T5S, R82W, Sec 1-3, 10-
16, 21-27, 35, 36; and T4S, R82W, Sec 25, 26, 35, 36.
Purpose & Need
The mountain pine beetle population in the Vail Valley is currently
at
[[Page 60639]]
epidemic levels. The large beetle populations are responding to the
homogenous landscape-level forest conditions. The high density of
older, large-diameter lodgepole pine across this landscape provides
ideal conditions for rapid spread of mountain pine beetle. Epidemic
mountain pine beetle populations can be a natural component of
lodgepole pine dominated ecosystems, however, such high levels can kill
50-70% of the mature lodgepole pine over vast areas. High mortality in
the lodgepole pine in the Vail Valley would be detrimental to scenic
quality, recreational opportunities and wildlife habitat in this highly
valued area. As the dead trees begin to fall, the ability to maintain
acceptable fuel loads within the wildland/urban interface is also
compromised.
There is a need to modify the mountain pine beetle activity in this
important setting. Manipulating lodgepole pine stand conditions in
critical areas by creating a mosaic of forested ages, a variety of tree
densities and sizes and increasing the aspen component will work toward
managing future mountain pine beetle risk and wildland fuel hazard.
There is also a need to maintain acceptable fuel loads in the wildland/
urban interface by removing dead, dying, and high-risk trees while they
have some economic value to offset the treatment cost.
Much of the shrublands in the Vail Valley are outside their
historic range of variability due to fire suppression. This has
resulted in homogenous, over-mature shrublands that pose a risk of
higher intensity fires due to the buildup of hazardous fuels.
Creating a mosaic of age and structural classes in the shrublands
will reduce the intensity and severity of wildfires and their
detrimental effects to these mountain communities, such as higher risk
to firefighters, loss of homes, and landslides.
The Project proposes to use a variety of techniques to improve
stand structure and species diversity and consequently the health of
the forest, while protecting the heritage, recreation, visual,
watershed and wildlife resources.
The Proposed Action
Through this proposed action, the White River National Forest
intends to:
Manage the lodgepole pine stands in the Vail Valley south of I-70
for future mountain pine beetle (MPB) risk and wildland fuel hazard by
increasing structural and species diversity using vegetation
treatments. Approximately 1215 acres of vegetation management are
proposed.
[sbull] 871 acres of lodgepole pine stands will be thinned to leave
approximately 50-70% of the basal area. This will open up the stands to
increased sun and wind to disrupt the MPB broods. In areas where the
dbh is 10-11 inches or greater, small patch cuts will be made to remove
the primary MPB host trees.
[sbull] 344 acres of aspen within the lodgepole pine stands will be
enhanced in the wildland/urban interface for forested fuel breaks and
for MPB flight interruption. For patches of aspen, the pine will be
removed within the aspen and for 1-2 tree lengths around the patch.
This area is within an inventoried roadless area as identified by the
2002 White River National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan.
Manage the shrublands and aspen stands north of I-70 to move them
toward their historic range of variability. Mechanical vegetation
treatments and prescribed fire will create a mosaic of age and
structural classes in order to reduce the intensity and severity of
wildfires in the wildland/urban interface. Approximately 1884 acres of
vegetation management are proposed.
[sbull] 905 acres of shrublands will be broadcast burned. This will
change the fuel types to reduce future potential wildfire intensity and
aid firefighters in wildfire suppression.
[sbull] 521 acres in the Eagle's Nest Wilderness will be broadcast
burned to maintain and improve aspen stands, reducing future potential
wildfire intensity and rate of spread. This will create a forested fuel
break between conifer stands and the town of Vail and will help
facilitate wildland fire use should a wildfire start in the wilderness
area.
[sbull] 231 acres within the wildland/urban interface and outside
the Eagle's Nest Wilderness will be treated to maintain and improve
aspen stands, reducing future potential wildfire intensity and rate of
spread. Dead trees will be cut, piled and burned. The area will then be
broadcast burned. This will create a forested fuel break between
confier stands and the town of Vail and will help facilitate wildland
fire use should a wildfire start in the wilderness area.
[sbull] 227 acres within the wildland/urban interface will be
treated to maintain and improve aspen stands, reducing future potential
wildfire intensity and rate of spread. All conifers will be cut and
aspen will be patch-cut, piled and burned within 200' of private land.
This will create a forested fuel break between confier stands and the
town of Vail.
Project Design and Mitigation Measures
All proposed treatments and activities would follow the standards
and guidelines found in the Revised White River Land and Resource
Management Plan--2002.
Roadless
No road construction or commercial timber harvest is proposed in
the inventoried roadless areas designated by the Revised Forest Plan.
Preliminary Issues
Issues identified to date include: impacts of timber harvesting and
prescribed burning on visual quality in a recreation setting; the
impacts of timber harvesting and prescribed burning on water quality;
the impacts of prescribed burning in a wilderness area; impacts of
vegetation management in an inventoried roadless area; potential
impacts to heritage resources; potential spread of noxious weeds; air
quality impacts from burning; and effects on threatened, endangered,
sensitive and management indicator species.
Possible Alternatives
Possible alternatives to the proposed action may include no burning
within the Eagle's Nest Wildness area, no vegetation management within
the inventoried roadless area, or a combination of the activities
described above.
Involving the Public
Pursuant to Part 36 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 219.10(g),
the Forest Supervisor for the White River National Forest gives notice
of the agency's intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for
the Vail Valley Forest Health Project described above. The Forest
Service is seeking information, comments, and assistance from
individuals, organizations and federal, state, and local agencies that
may be interested in or affected by the proposed action (36 CFR 219.6).
Public participation will be solicited by notifying in person and/
or by mail known interested and affected publics. A legal notice and
news releases will be used to give the public general notice. Public
participation activities will include requests for written comments and
an open house to be held at a local venue. The public is invited to
help identify issues and define the range of alternatives to be
considered in the environmental impact statement.
A reasonable range of alternatives will be evaluated and reasons
will be given for eliminating some alternatives from detailed study. A
``non-action alternative'' is required, meaning that
[[Page 60640]]
management will not change the present condition. Alternatives will
provide different ways to address and respond to public issues,
management concerns, and resource opportunities identified during the
scoping process. Scoping comments and existing condition reports will
be used to develop alternatives.
DATES: Comments concerning the proposed action should be received in
writing by November 29, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to: Vail Valley Forest Health Project,
Holy Cross Ranger District, P.O. Box 190, Minturn, CO 81645.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Peech Keller at (970) 468-5400 or Bob
Currie at (970) 827-5715.
Release and Review of the EIS
The DEIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and to be available for public comment in June 2004. At
that time, the EPA will publish a notice of availability for the DEIS
in the Federal Register. The comment period on the DEIS will be 45 days
from the date the EPA 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
the DEIS 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 DEIS stage but are not raised until after
completion of the Final environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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 FEIS.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed actions, comments on the DEIS 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 DEIS or the merits of the alternatives formulated and
discussed in the statements. 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.
After the comment period ends on the DEIS, comments will be
analyzed, considered, and responded to by the Forest Service in
preparing the Final EIS. The FEIS is scheduled to be completed in
September 2004. The responsible official will consider the comments,
responses, environmental consequences discussed in the FEIS, and
applicable laws, regulations, and policies in making decisions
regarding these revisions. The responsible official will document the
decisions and reasons for the decisions in a Record of Decision for the
revised Plan. The decision will be subject to appeal in accordance with
36 CFR 217.
Responsible Official
Martha J. Ketelle, Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest.
P.O. Box 948, Glenwood Springs, CO 81602-0948. ``As the Responsible
Official, I will decide which, if any, of the proposed projects will be
implemented. I will document the decision and reasons for the decision
in the Record of Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest
Service appeal regulations.''
Dated: October 17, 2003.
Martha J. Ketelle,
Forest Supervisor, White River National Forest.
[FR Doc. 03-26719 Filed 10-22-03; 8:45 am]
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