Long Rail Project; Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest; Florence and Forest Counties, WI, 33442-33444 [05-11364]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 109 (Wednesday, June 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33442-33444]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11364]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Long Rail Project; Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest; Florence 
and Forest Counties, WI

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, 
Eagle River-Florence Ranger District intends to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental 
consequences of a vegetation and transportation management project. In 
the EIS the USDA Forest Service will address the potential 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed land management 
activities and corresponding alternatives.
    The Long Rail Project Area is approximately 74,800 acres in size 
and is located in Forest and Florence Counties, 17 miles west of 
Florence, Wisconsin. National Forest System lands comprise about 54,300 
acres within the project area boundary. The approximate legal 
description for the area is as follows: T38N R13E Sections 1, 12, 13; 
T38N R14E Sections 1-11, 18; T38N R15E Sections 1-12, 14-17, 20-22; 
T39N R13E Sections 1, 12-13, 24-25, 36; T39N R14E Sections 1-36; T39N 
R15E Sections 4-7, 18-22, 25-36; T40N R13E Sections 25, 36; T40N R14E 
Sections 29-32, 24-26, 35-36; T40N R15E Sections 2-4, 7-11, 14-23, 25-
33; T41N R15E Sections 22-23, 26-27, 34-35 see the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for the purpose and need for the action.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received 
within 30 days following publication of this notice to receive timely 
consideration in the preparation of the draft EIS. The draft EIS is 
expected April 2006 and the final EIS is expected September 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Anne Archie, c/o Christine Brunner, 
NEPA Coordinator, Eagle River-Florence Ranger District, 1247 E. Wall 
Street, Eagle River, WI 54521. Send electronic comments to: comments-
eastern-chequamegon-nicolet-eagle@fs.fed.us.See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for information on how to send electronic comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Kidd, Eagle River-Florence 
Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, USDA Forest 
Service: telephone 715-479-2827. See 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 https://
www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/_click on ``Natural Resources,'' then ``Long 
Rail Project.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Purpose and Need for Action--The overall purpose of the Long Rail 
Project is to implement land management activities consistent with the 
direction in the 2004 Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan (2004 Forest Plan) and to respond to the 
specific needs that were identified during opportunity area and 
transportation system analyses.
    One purpose for this proposal is to maintain or restore upland 
forest

[[Page 33443]]

communities and openings to their desired conditions as described in 
Chapter 3 (Forest Plan Objective 1.4a) by addressing the following 
needs: (1) Improve aquatic ecosystems; (2) maintain short-needled 
conifer habitat; (3) maintain continuous uneven-aged northern hardwood 
forests; (4) maintain forest types; (5) maintain permanent openings; 
(6) improve northern hardwood forest structure; (7) reduce northern 
hardwood and conifer stocking density; and (8) improve aspen age class 
distribution.
    The second purpose for this proposal is to provide an efficient 
road system that meets the long-term transportation needs. This would 
be accomplished by addressing the need to reduce average open and total 
road densities by decommissioning 46.8 miles of open road, closing and 
maintaining 1.5 miles of road, and converting 3 miles of road to 
sections of connecting snowmobile trails.
    Proposed Action--The following actions have been identified to 
address the above needs. (1) Increase the amount of long-lived conifer 
adjacent to Class I and II trout streams by removing the overstory on 
40 acres of balsam fir and aspen to release the white pine understory, 
and underplanting white pine; (2) promote white spruce, balsam fir and 
jack pine understories on 168 acres by removing the overstories to 
maintain short-needled conifer habitat for Regional Forester's 
Sensitive Species; (3) maintain northern hardwood continuity by 
converting 122 acres of mature aspen, balsam fir and paper birch to 
northern hardwood through the use of overstory removal; (4) maintain 
current forest composition within the Forest Plan objective ranges by 
shelterwood harvesting 102 acres of white pine and 15 acres of paper 
birch, and clearcutting 586 acres of aspen; (5) maintain desired levels 
and improve the quality of permanent openings on 549 acres by hand 
brushing, mowing, burning, and planting fruit trees and shrubs along 
northern edges; (6) increase age and size diversity of 6,250 acres of 
northern hardwood through selection harvest; (7) reduce the density of 
red pine, white spruce, and red oak stands by lowering stocking levels 
to the levels described in the Forest Plan by thinning 1,268 acres of 
red pine, white spruce, and red oak; (8) improve aspen age class 
distribution by regenerating 586 acres of aspen (same acres described 
in item 4) in different age classes, converting 243 acres of mature 
aspen to other forest types discussed under items 1-3; and regenerating 
40 acres of balsam fir/aspen to aspen; (9) reduce open and total road 
densities by decommissioning 46.8 miles of open road, closing and 
maintaining 1.5 miles of road, and converting 3 miles of road to 
sections of connecting snowmobile trails.
    Responsible Official--Anne Archie, Forest Supervisor of the 
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is the Responsible Official who 
will make the project-level decisions on the Long Rail Project.
    Nature of Decision To Be Made--The decision will be limited to 
answering the following questions based on the environmental analysis: 
(1) What actions would be used to address the purpose and need; (2) 
where and when will these actions occur; and (3) what mitigation 
measures and monitoring requirements would be required.
    Scoping Process--The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest will scope 
for information by contacting persons and organizations on the 
District's mailing list, by publishing notices in the local newspapers, 
and by holding at least one public meeting in the Long Rail Project 
area. The present solicitation is for comments on this Notice of Intent 
and scoping materials available elsewhere, such as on the Forest's Web 
page.
    Electronic Access and Filing AddressesInformation is available 
electronically on the Forest Web page: https://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/_
click on ``Natural Resources'' and then on ``Long Rail Project.'' Send 
electronic comments to: comments-eastern-chequamegon-nicolet-
eagle@fs.fed.us. When submitting electronic comments, please reference 
the Long Rail Project on the subject line. In addition, include your 
name and mailing address.
    Comment Requested--This notice of intent initiates the scoping 
proces which guides the development of the environmental impact 
statement. Comments in response to this solicitation for information 
should focus on (1) the proposal described in numbers 1-9 of the 
proposed action; (2) possible alternatives for addressing issues 
associated with the proposal, and (3) any possible impacts associated 
with the proposal based on the individual's civil rights (race, color, 
national origin, age, religion, gender, disability, political beliefs, 
sexual orientation, or marital or family status). We are especially 
interested in information that might identify a specific undesired 
result of implementing the proposed action. 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, those 
who submit anonymous comments will not have standing to appeal the 
subsequent decision under 36 CFR parts 215 and 217.
    Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person may request the 
agency to withold a submision 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 FOIA, 
confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances. The 
Forest Service will inform the requester of the agency's decision 
regarding the request for confidfentiality and, should the request be 
denied, return the submission and notify the requester that the 
comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within 90 
days.
    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

[[Page 33444]]

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: May 31, 2005.
Anne F. Archie,
Forest Supervisor, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

    Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the 
Federal Register on June 3, 2005.

[FR Doc. 05-11364 Filed 6-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P