Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District Saratoga, WY, 19936-19937 [2010-8618]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 73 (Friday, April 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19936-19937]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8618]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 73 / Friday, April 16, 2010 / 
Notices

[[Page 19936]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger 
District Saratoga, WY

    Title: Savery.
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: Epidemic levels of mountain pine beetle continue to spread 
across National Forest System lands in northern Colorado and southern 
Wyoming. It is a priority to restore forest and watershed health to 
these affected areas. In areas managed to produce commercial wood 
products, it is necessary to salvage merchantable timber and regenerate 
these forests. At this large scale, deadfall in beetle-kill areas has 
the potential to slow or prevent forest regeneration; negatively impact 
grazing and recreation; increase fuel loading, fire hazard, and the 
potential for large, high-intensity fires, and create public safety 
hazards.
    The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) to analyze and disclose the environmental effects of implementing 
a variety of proposed actions within the Savery Analysis Area of the 
Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District of the Medicine Bow-Routt National 
Forests within Carbon County, Wyoming. Proposed actions include 
prescribed burning to create conditions that promote regenerating 
forests and rangelands, and commercial timber sales to salvage 
merchantable timber, decrease potential fire hazards, and remove dead 
and dying trees that are posing a public safety hazard in high priority 
areas. The proposal also includes habitat improvement projects, 
recreation improvement proposals, and travel management.

DATES: The draft environmental impact statement is expected to be filed 
with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and available for public 
review during July 2010. At that time, the EPA will publish a Notice of 
Availability (NOA) of the draft EIS in the Federal Register. The 
comment period on the draft EIS will be for a period of not less than 
45 days from the date the EPA publishes the NOA in the Federal 
Register. It is important that those interested in the management of 
this area comment at that time.
    The final EIS is expected to be available in September 2010. In the 
final EIS, the Forest Service will respond to any comments received 
during the public comment period that pertain to the environmental 
analysis. Those comments and the Forest Service responses will be 
disclosed and discussed in the final ElS and will be considered when 
the final decision about this proposal is made.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Brian Waugh, Brush Creek/Hayden 
Ranger District, PO Box 249, Saratoga, WY 82331. Comments may also be 
sent via electronic mail (e-mail) to comments-rocky-mountain-medicine-
bow-routt-brush-creek-haydenfs.fed.us and FAX may be sent to (307) 326-
5250. Please reference the Savery Analysis on the subject line. It is 
important that reviewers provide their comments at such times and in 
such a way that they are useful to the Agency's preparation of the EIS. 
Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of the 
comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's concerns 
and contentions.
    Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names 
and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record 
for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be 
accepted and considered, however.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Waugh, Environmental 
Coordinator, (307) 326-2518, or M. Stephen Best, District Ranger, (307) 
326-5250, Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, PO Box 249, Saratoga, WY 
82331.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the Savery Project is to restore forest health and 
productivity to the area to meet the needs of present and future 
generations by implementing forest management techniques that will 
salvage (beetle-killed) dead and dying trees; reduce hazardous fuels; 
provide forest products; promote forest regeneration; reduce hazard 
trees from high priority areas affecting public safety; improve 
recreational facilities and opportunities; improve wildlife habitat 
diversity; repair soil and water resource damaged areas; and 
decommission, relocate and/or maintain portions of the existing road 
and trail systems that are detrimentally contributing to watershed 
health.
    There is a need to:
     Provide merchantable timber products for sale and to 
salvage and remove dead and dying trees from forested lands classified 
as being suitable in order to keep them in production and positively 
contributing to the Forest's future Allowable Sale Quantity.
     Remove dead and dying trees to promote and enhance 
regeneration opportunities.
     Treat overstocked timber stands to improve growth and 
vigor.
     Reduce the development of large continuous high hazard 
fuel conditions in high timber production areas.
     Maintain and improve aspen stand health and plant 
diversity to enhance wildlife habitat.
     Maintain or enhance Colorado River cutthroat trout.
     Decommission, relocate, maintain, and improve drainage 
along road segments within the analysis area that are contributing to 
degraded resource conditions.
     Restore hillslope hydrology and subsurface flow along 
roads.
     Reduce connected disturbed areas and channel network 
extensions throughout the analysis area to minimize increases in peak 
streamflow.
     Upgrade recreational facilities and improve recreation 
opportunities within the analysis area to meet increasing demand.

[[Page 19937]]

Proposed Action

    The proposed action would salvage approximately 11,755 acres of 
dead and dying beetle-killed lodgepole pine and precommercial thinning 
would occur on approximately 2,528 acres of young overstocked lodgepole 
pine. Prescribed burning would occur on approximately 2,232 acres to 
improve age class diversity and reduce fuel hazards. Fuel breaks are 
planned on approximately 359 acres and are generally located along 
roads and in proposed cutting units. Treatments to improve Colorado 
River cutthroat trout habitat is proposed on approximately 116 acres to 
enhance aspen regeneration and enhance development of pooling habitat. 
Approximately 102 acres of this proposed treatment would occur in the 
Singer Peak Inventoried Roadless Area. The travel management proposal 
would identify the minimal road system needed to meet Forest management 
and recreation needs while addressing ongoing resource damage 
associated with roads and trails by decommissioning approximately 38 
miles of road, constructing approximately one mile, reconstructing 
approximately 1.5 miles, rerouting approximately .75 miles, and 
converting approximately 4.5 miles of existing roads to All Terrain 
Vehicle (ATV) trails. Approximately 12 miles of user created roads are 
proposed to be added to the road system. Recreation proposals include 
development of approximately seven miles of nonmotorized trails along 
with a trailhead facility for the two trail loops near or adjacent to 
the Jack Creek Campground. Reconstruction or enlargement of the Jack 
Creek Campground is proposed to more readily accommodate RV's and 
provide additional campsites. Development of ATV loop trails on 
existing designated routes along with 3.4 miles of new trail 
construction with an emphasis on loops tying back into the Jack Creek 
campground/dispersed camping areas, the Hart Creek trailhead, and onto 
the existing ATV route on National Forest System Road 412 along the 
continental divide. This would add approximately 32.8 miles of 
designated trails to the Wyoming Off Highway Vehicle Trail System and 
would include a combination of open roads, newly proposed ATV trail 
segments, and road to trail conversions. Decommissioning of the Haskins 
Creek Campground would also be implemented with this project.

Responsible Official

    M. Stephen Best, District Ranger, USDA Forest Service, Medicine 
Bow-Routt National Forests, Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, PO Box 
249, Saratoga, Wyoming 82331, is the official responsible for making 
the decision on this action.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official will consider the results of the analysis 
and its findings and then document one or more final decision(s) for 
each proposed action. More than one Record of Decision (ROD) will be 
issued based on this analysis. The decisions will include a 
determination whether or not to implement the proposed action or 
another alternative.

Preliminary Issues

    Natural disturbances (fire, beetle) has resulted in a high 
percentage of many project area watersheds with dead or young trees. 
Measurable increases in water yield are expected in these watersheds, 
with either no action or implementation of the proposed action.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Forest 
Service has listed the project in the Schedule of Proposed Actions that 
is posted on the Web. One meeting will be planned after the draft EIS 
is available. The Forest Service will also respond to information 
requests about the project and add additional public meetings and field 
trips as interest dictates. Comments from scoping efforts will be 
reviewed to identify potential issues for this analysis. While comments 
are welcome at any time, comments received within 30 days of the 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register will be most useful 
for the identification of issues and the analysis of alternatives.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the environmental impact statement. Therefore, comments should be 
provided prior to the close of the comment period and should clearly 
articulate the reviewer's concerns and contentions.

    Dated: April 2, 2010.
Mary H. Peterson,
Forest Supervisor, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests.
[FR Doc. 2010-8618 Filed 4-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M