White/White Project, Clearwater National Forest, Idaho County, ID, 61777-61778 [05-21334]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 206 (Wednesday, October 26, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61777-61778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21334]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 206 / Wednesday, October 26, 2005 / 
Notices

[[Page 61777]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


White/White Project, Clearwater National Forest, Idaho County, ID

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 disclose the environmental effect of timber harvest 
and watershed restoration activities in the White/White project area on 
the Lochsa Ranger District of the Clearwater National Forest. The 
White/White project area is located in the Nevada Creek, Mike White 
Creek, Utah Creek, White Creek, Chamook Creek drainages, a tributaries 
to Lolo Creek, approximately 12 air-miles southeast of the town of 
Pierce, Idaho.

DATES: This project was previously scoped in August 2, 1999 and 
rescoped in May 24, 2001. The comments that were received from the 
White/White EA will be included in the documentation for the EIS. A 45-
day public comment period will follow the release of the draft 
environmental impact statement that is expected in January 2006. The 
final environmental impact statement is expected in April 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and suggestions concerning the scope of 
this project should be sent to Steve Bess (sbess@fs.fed.us), Project 
Leader, Lochsa Ranger District, Rt. 1, Box 398, Kooskia, ID 83539.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Bess (sbess@fs.fed.us), Project 
Leader, Lochsa Ranger District, Phone: (208) 926-4274.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The original White/White analysis was 
documented in an Environmental Assessment, followed by a Decision 
Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact on June 3, 2003. The 
decision was withdrawn on October 17, 2005, in favor of proceeding with 
an Environmental Impact Statement.
    The White/White project area contains approximately 7,000 acres, 
all on National Forest lands. The legal location is in portions of 
Sections 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 32, 33, and 34, 
T35N, R6E; Sections 4 and 5, T34N, R6E; Boise Meridian, Idaho County, 
Idaho. The proposed actions would occur on National Forest lands and 
are all outside the boundaries of any inventoried roadless area or any 
areas considered for inclusion to the National Wilderness System as 
recommended by the Clearwater National Forest Plan or by any past or 
present legislative wilderness proposals.
    Purpose and Need for Action is to: (1) Improve forest health, 
maintain, and/or restore ecological processes, functions, forest 
structure, and composition expected to occur today and in the future 
under natural disturbance regimes by: (a) Emulating the scale of 
natural disturbance patterns through management activities; (b) re-
establishing white pine and larch as a major component of the forest 
ecosystem; (c) reducing vegetative density to allow for increased tree 
vigor and vegetative health; (d) changing the tree species mix to a 
greater percent of early serial intolerant species which are more fire 
adapted and generally more disease resistant and which more closely 
emulates the historic species composition of the landscape; (2) restore 
the aquatic ecosystem to a more natural process and functioning 
condition by: (a) Reducing road density through the decommissioning of 
roads not necessary for future management; (b) replacing inadequate 
culverts that hinder stream connectivity for aquatic organisms; (c) 
placing roads into long-term storage (pulling culverts, waterbarring, 
seeding and fertilizing) that are not currently needed but will be 
needed for future management; and (3) managing the landscape to provide 
for goods and services deemed important to society.
    The Proposed Action would harvest timber through regeneration 
harvest, commercial thinning, and jackpot burning on approximately 
1,215 acres of forestland within the project area. Regeneration harvest 
(510 acres) would leave approximately 15-20 trees per acre as 
individual trees and/or in groups to provide a continued source of 
nutrients and organic material to the soils to maintain site 
productivity and to provide future snags and down woody material for 
wildlife habitat. Commercial thinning (655 acres) would reduce the 
basal area in dense timbered stands down to about 160-180 square feet 
per acre. Jackpot burning on approximately 50 acres would improve the 
stand composition by creating openings that can be planted with seral 
species. There is also an opportunity to precommercial thin 
approximately 1,740 acres of young stands scattered throughout the 
project area. Use of existing, temporary, and permanent roads would be 
needed to access timber harvest areas. An estimated 1.73 miles of 
existing roads would be reconstructed in addition to 0.5 miles of new 
specified road constructed to facilitate timber removal. An estimated 
1.81 miles of temporary roads would be constructed and obliterated 
following completion of sale related activities. Watershed restoration 
activities would consist of an estimated 20.4 miles of roads 
decommissioned and 14.9 miles of existing roads put into intermittent 
storage (self-maintaining). This would reduce motorized access by 35.3 
miles.
    Possible Alternatives the Forest Service will consider including 
the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the proposed activities 
would be implemented. Additional alternatives being considered examine 
varying levels and locations for the proposed activities to achieve the 
proposal's purpose and need, as well as to respond to the issues and 
other resource concerns.
    The Responsible Official is the Forest Supervisor of the Clearwater 
National Forest, 12730 Highway 12, Orofino, ID 83544. The Responsible 
Official will decide if the proposed project will be implemented and 
will document the decision and reasons for the decision in a Record of 
Decision. That decision will be subject to Forest Service Appeal 
Regulations. The responsibility for preparing the DEIS and FEIS has 
been delegated to Cindy Lane, District Ranger, Lochsa Ranger District, 
Rt. 1 Box 398, Kooskia, ID 83539.
    The Scoping Process was initiated with the release of a Scoping 
Letter in August 1999, April 2001 and comments received during the 30-
day comment period of the EA March 2003. Comments received as a result 
of that effort will be included in the

[[Page 61778]]

documentation for the EIS. Additional scoping will follow the release 
of the DEIS, expected in January 2006. This proposal also includes 
openings greater than 40 acres. A 60-day public review period was 
initiated with the scoping of this project on May 16, 2001. Approval to 
exceed the 40-acre limitation was received from the Regional Forester 
on March 21, 2003.
    Preliminary Issues that could be affected by proposed activities 
include aesthetics/scenery; air quality; economics; fuels treatment; 
future management accessibility; heritage resources; old growth; 
retention of live and dead trees; riparian areas; size of openings; 
soil compaction and productivity; threatened, endangered, sensitive, 
and management indicator specifies of wildlife, fish and plants; tribal 
treaty rights; and water quality.
    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, 
533 (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: October 19, 2005.
Thomas K. Reilly,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 05-21334 Filed 10-25-05; 8:45 am]
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