Gallatin National Forest-Hebgen Lake Ranger District; MT; Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management Project 2, 32738-32739 [2010-13729]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32738-32739]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-13729]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Gallatin National Forest-Hebgen Lake Ranger District; MT; 
Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management Project 2

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: This integrated forest vegetation management project is 
designed to achieve the goals of increased firefighter and public 
safety, reduced wildland fire risks to adjacent property and Forest 
Service infrastructure, and to enhance aspen forest communities that 
are in decline. Proposed forest thinning and associated activities 
target the removal of excessive surface, ladder and crown fuel. This 
project begins to address the fire behavior concerns that threaten life 
and property. The scope of action to be addressed in the analysis is 
limited to actions needed to lessen wildfire risks to life and property 
in the identified wildland urban interface/evacuation routes in the 
project area, and whether to implement aspen enhancement.
    A decision for this Project was withdrawn in November 2009 to 
respond to changed conditions related to a district court order 
effectively relisting the grizzly bear as a threatened species under 
the Endangered Species Act in the Greater Yellowstone Area. This new 
analysis will incorporate mitigation and analysis to comply with 
current direction related to the grizzly bear, and new information for 
other resources since 1.5 years have lapsed. Otherwise the proposal is 
the same project analyzed in 2007.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by July 9, 2010. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
July 2010 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
November 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Gallatin National Forest, Attn: 
Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management Project 2, Bozeman Ranger District, 
3710 Fallon St., Ste. C., Bozeman, MT 59730. Comments may also be sent 
via e-mail to: comments-northern-gallatin@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile 
to 406-587-2528. Electronic comments must be submitted in Microsoft 
Word format. 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 specific to the Proposal.
    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: Ten Seth, Team Leader, 406-522-2520 or 
go to the Gallatin National Forest Web page: https://www.fs.fed.us/r1/gallatin/?page=projects/lonesomewood_proposal.
    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., e.t., Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The Lonesome Wood Vegetation Management proposal is an outcome of 
the Hebgen Watershed Risk Assessment. The main concern for this area is 
wildland fuel buildup in the area because there is a high degree of 
wildland urban interface and reliance on a single road for access in 
and out of the area. There are also opportunities to restore highly 
valued aspen habitats.
    Large crown fires with high fire intensity, dangerous flame 
lengths, rapid rates of fire spread and long spotting distances for 
firebrands are expected under the existing conditions. Prescribed burn 
units are fairly open with non-continuous fuels. Over time these open 
areas are slowly being encroached by conifer trees. The encroachment 
reduces the effectiveness of the areas as natural fuel breaks. Aspen 
stands are being encroached by conifers of various age classes. Conifer 
removal and/or prescribed burning are intended to reinvigorate aspen 
clones. The proposed treatments maintain or restore the characteristics 
of ecosystem composition and structure to reduce the risk of 
uncharacteristic wildfire effects in the wildland urban interface.

Proposed Action

    The Gallatin National Forest proposes to reduce wildland fuel and 
aspen forest competition by forest thinning; removal of excessive dead 
and down trees,

[[Page 32739]]

branches and activity related slash, and by slashing and prescribed 
burning. The proposal includes a combination of treatments on 
approximately 2,900 acres along the Hebgen Lake Road (FSR 167) which is 
on the west side of Hebgen Lake. Generally, treatment would remove 
about 50% to 60% of the existing trees per acre in all diameter classes 
with an objective of maintaining approximately 13 feet between tree 
crowns. Forest thinning would be implemented by mechanical and hand 
methods. Activities may include, but are not limited to thinning 
through logging, slashing small trees, whole tree yarding, yarding 
unmerchantable material, hand and machine piling, pile and broadcast 
burning, hauling of commercial material, firewood removal, biomass 
reduction such as chipping, erosion control, construction of and 
rehabilitation of skid trails, landings and temporary roads. An 
estimated 6-6.5 miles of temporary road would be needed to implement 
the proposed action.
    Approximately 370 acres of the proposed treatments are in the 
Lionhead Inventoried Roadless Area. Treatments in the roadless area are 
designed to restore ecosystem processes by removing generally small 
diameter trees. Approximately 295 acres of thinning is limited to 
ladder fuels, which are generally less than six inches in diameter. 
Another 25 acres is proposed for prescribed burning with some slashing 
of small trees as a pre-treatment. About 50 acres is proposed for 
mechanical thinning of generally small diameter trees. No temporary or 
permanent roads are proposed in the inventoried roadless area.
    As proposed, all project work would be completed within 6-9 years, 
once implementation begins after a decision. A decision is expected in 
2010 with implementation to begin in 2011.
    The Project would implement priorities and applicable direction 
from the Gallatin Forest Plan and Federal Fire Policy which includes 
the National Fire Plan, Cohesive Strategy and the 2001 Review and 
Update of the 1995 Federal Wildland Fire Management Policy.

Possible Alternatives

    Three alternatives have been identified: The No Action, Proposed 
Action and an Alternative to reduce impacts to Moose Winter Range.

Responsible Official

    As the Gallatin Forest Supervisor I am the responsible official for 
this decision.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    What, if anything, should be done to reduce wildfire risks to life 
and property in the identified wildland urban interface/evacuation 
route in the Project area? What if anything should be done to enhance 
aspen communities in the project area? What associated activities, 
mitigation measures, restoration actions and monitoring requirements 
would be included in the decision?

Preliminary Issues

    The following issues have been identified as possible decision 
factors or issues of special interest to the public: effects to the 
fire/fuels environment; effects to the inventoried roadless area 
(Lionhead 1-193); effects to habitat for Canada lynx, grizzly bear 
habitat and moose winter habitat.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Two comment 
periods were completed for this Project during the development and 
publication of the Environmental Assessment and Decision/FONSI that 
supported the 2008 Decision. Currently, the Project is listed in the 
Schedule of Proposed Actions. In addition to comments received in 
response to the NOI and forthcoming draft environmental impact 
statement, there will be an open house. The Open house is scheduled on 
Thursday June 24 at the Hebgen Lake Ranger District between 3-7 pm.
    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 during comment periods 
provided so that substantive comments and objections are made available 
to the Forest Service at a time when they can meaningfully consider 
them. To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering 
issues, comments should be specific to concerns associated with the 
proposed wildland fuel and aspen treatments. 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 structuring comments.

    Dated: June 1, 2010.
Mary Erickson,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2010-13729 Filed 6-8-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M