Medford Aspen Project, 35029-35030 [E7-12314]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 122 (Tuesday, June 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35029-35030]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12314]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Medford Aspen Project

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, 
Medford-Park Falls Ranger District intends to prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) to document the analysis and disclose the 
environmental effects of proposed land management activities, and 
corresponding alternatives within the Medford Aspen project area. The 
primary purpose of this proposal is to implement activities consistent 
with direction in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) and respond to specific needs 
identified in the project area.
    The project area is located on National Forest System land in the 
northern portion of the Medford landbase of the Medford-Park Falls 
Ranger District, approximately 10 miles northwest of Medford, 
Wisconsin. The legal description for the area is: Township 32 North, 
Range 3 West, sections 1,12-13, 24; Township 32 North, Range 2 West, 
sections 3-10, 16-19; Township 32 North, Range 1 West, sections 1-6, 9-
10, 12-14; Township 32 North, Range 1 East, sections 4-9, 16-18; 
Township 33 North, Range 2 West, sections 2-5, 8-11, 13-16, 21-28, 34-
35; Township 33 North, Range 1 West, sections 1-3, 10-12, 13, 18-19, 
28-35; and Township 33 North, Range 1 East, sections 6-7, 31-32; Fourth 
Principal Meridian.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days of publication of this notice to receive timely 
consideration in the preparation of the draft EIS.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Jeanne Higgins, c/o Jane Darnell, 
Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, 850 N. 8th St., Medford, Wisconsin 
54451. Send electronic comments to: jdarnell01@fs.fed.us with a subject 
line that reads ``Medford Aspen Project''.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jane Darnell, Environmental 
Coordinator, Medford-Park Falls Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet 
National Forest, USDA Forest Service: telephone 715-748-4875 (or TTY: 
711, National Relay System), e-mail jdarnell01@fs.fed.us. To mail 
correspondence to Jane Darnell, see information in ADDRESSES. Copies of 
documents may be obtained at the same address. Another means of 
obtaining information is to visit the Forest Web site at: https://
www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/natres/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information presented in this notice is 
included to help the reviewer determine if they are interested in or 
potentially affected by this proposed project. The information 
presented in this notice is summarized. Those who wish to comment on 
this proposal or are otherwise interested in or potentially affected by 
it are encouraged to review more detailed documents such as the 
Proposed Action for the Medford Aspen Project (currently available for 
review) and the draft EIS. See the preceding section of this notice for 
the person to contact for more detailed information about this project.

Project Background

    The Medford Aspen project falls within the area defined in the 
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests 2004 Land and Resource Management 
Plan (Forest Plan) as Management Area (MA) 1A. Guidance in the Forest 
Plan identifies this area to be managed for early successional forest 
communities such as aspen, balsam fir, and paper birch. Forest Plan 
guidance recommends certain percentages of the aspen be within certain 
age categories in order to maintain the aspen type and provide a 
variety of wildlife habitat. Within the project area, about 23 percent 
of the aspen is 45 years old or older. The Forest Plan recommended 
percentage of aspen in this age class is between 5 and 15 percent. 
Aspen is a fairly short lived tree species and as aspen surpasses the 
age of 45, growth and vigor of the trees start to decline. By 60 years 
of age, aspen is declining to the point where it looses the ability to 
regenerate itself. By harvesting aspen

[[Page 35030]]

before it reaches this stage, the aspen forest type can be maintained.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The primary purpose of the Medford Aspen proposal is to implement 
activities consistent with direction in the Forest Plan and to respond 
to specific needs identified in the project area. The primary project-
specific need is to address the older declining aspen, much of which is 
approaching 60 years of age and losing the ability to regenerate itself 
back into productive aspen forest. This need will be met through timber 
harvest. An associated need is to provide a safe and efficient 
transportation system near and within the areas being proposed for 
harvest.

Proposed Action

    The proposed land management activities (proposed actions), include 
the following, with approximate acreage and mileage values:
    (1) The following activity addresses the need arising from an 
abundance of mature, declining aspen in the project area:
    Clearcut regeneration harvest on about 1660 acres of aspen in MA 1A 
has been identified in the proposed action. This even-aged method of 
harvest removes most trees in the area, which encourages natural 
regeneration of aspen and other early successional forest species.
    (2) The following projects address transportation needs for timber 
harvest and for providing a safe and efficient transportation system:
    About 5 miles of temporary road construction and about 1 mile of 
permanent road construction is needed to accomplish harvest activities. 
Temporary logging roads are roads that would be decommissioned and 
revegetated following project completion.
    About 3 miles of existing road would be utilized for the harvest 
activity and then be decomissioned and revegetated. These roads are not 
Forest system roads. They were probably utilized for past harvest 
activity, but since they would not be needed again for many years (20-
40), they will be dropped from our road inventory following 
decommissioning activity.
    About 14 miles of existing road would be used and added to the 
Forest's transportation system. These roads would be maintained to meet 
future access needs.

Preliminary Issues

    Preliminary issues are as follows: Potential effects on some 
federally threatened or endangered species and Regional Forester 
Sensitive Species (RFSS); potential effects on heritage resources; 
potential effects on forest age structure as it relates to forest 
health and wildlife species; potential effects on water, wetlands, and 
soils; and some potential economic and social impacts (such as visual 
quality, recreation).

Possible Alternatives

    Alternatives to the proposed action that are currently being 
considered for display in the draft EIS are as follows: The required No 
Action alternative and an alternative that harvests more or less of the 
mature aspen than the proposal.

Nature of the Decision To Be Made

    The primary decision will be whether or not to implement the 
proposed projects or alternatives of the projects within the project 
area that respond to the purpose and need. The decision may also 
include additional resource protection measures, monitoring, and 
whether Forest Plan amendments are needed to implement the decision.

Responsible Official

    Jeanne Higgins, Forest Supervisor, Chequamegon-Nicolet National 
Forest, 1170 4th Avenue South, Park Falls, WI 54552.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping proces which guides the 
development of the EIS. Comments in response to this solicitation for 
information should focus on (1) the proposal; (2) issues or impacts 
from the proposal; and (3) possible alternatives for addressing issues 
associated with the proposal. We are especially interested in 
information that might identify a specific undesired result of 
implementing the proposed actions.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation and subsequent 
solicitations, including names and addresses of those who comment, will 
be considered part of the public record 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 part 215. See 
the section titled ADDRESSES in this notice for location of where to 
send comments.

Estimated Dates for Filing

    The draft EIS is expected to be filed with the Environmental 
Protection Agency and be available for public review in December 2007. 
A 45-day comment period will follow publication of a Notice of 
Availability of the draft EIS in the Federal Register. Comments 
received on the draft EIS will be used in preparation of a final EIS. 
We expect to file the notice of the availability of the final EIS and 
Record of Decision (ROD) in the Federal Register in April 2008.

Early Notice of the Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent

Environmental Review

    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 draft EIS 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 EIS stage but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final EIS 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 EIS.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft EIS should 
be as specific as possible. It is also helpful if comments refer to 
specific pages or chapters of the draft EIS. Comments may also address 
the adequacy of the draft EIS or the merits of the alternatives 
formulated and discussed in the draft EIS. 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.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21.

    Dated: June 18, 2007.
Jeanne Higgins,
Forest Supervisor.
 [FR Doc. E7-12314 Filed 6-25-07; 8:45 am]
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