Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Pintler Ranger District; Montana; Flint Foothills Vegetation Management Project, 31932-31933 [2011-13634]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 106 (Thursday, June 2, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31932-31933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13634]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Pintler Ranger District; 
Montana; Flint Foothills Vegetation Management Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Flint Foothills Vegetation Management Project proposes to 
use clearcut salvage logging, commercial and pre-commercial thinning, 
and prescribed fire on 5,709 acres of National Forest System Lands 
affected by a larger, widespread mountain pine beetle infestation 
within the 44,522-acre project area.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by July 5, 2011. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
in April 2012 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
in September 2012.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Beaverhead-Deerlodge National 
Forest, Pintler Ranger District, 88 Business Loop, Philipsburg, MT 
59858. Comments may also be sent via e-mail to comments-northern-beaverhead-deerlodge-pintler@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to 406-859-
3689.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Julie Knutson, Interdisciplinary Team 
Leader at jcknutson@fs.fed.us, 559-920-6646; Karen Gallogly, Project 
Coordinator at kgallogly@fs.fed.us, 406-683-3853; or Charlene Bucha 
Gentry, District Ranger at cbuchagentry@fs.fed.us, 406-859-3211.
    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 and need for the proposal is to (1) salvage harvest 
dead and dying lodgepole pine stands to create managed conditions and 
harvest wood products from forested stands infested or at risk for 
infestation with bark beetles before the value of the wood deteriorate; 
(2) reduce forest densities in low elevation ponderosa pine and 
Douglas-fir stands and some lodgepole pine communities to improve 
resilient forest conditions; (3) use prescribed fire as a disturbance 
agent in dry forest communities that include the mix of Douglas-fir and 
ponderosa pine to maintain forest diversity and structure that are 
resilient to crown fire; (4) create early seral conditions in mid 
elevation lodgepole pine stands where insect infested stands are dead 
or dying; (5) reduce forest densities in young previously harvested 
stands to maintain long term sustained yield; and (6) treat old growth 
to improve the likelihood of retaining old growth in the landscape 
because of the potential mortality from the bark beetle infestation.

Proposed Action

    The Pintler Ranger District proposes to clearcut salvage dead and 
dying lodgepole pine and harvest post and poles on 863 acres, 
commercial thin ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir on 1,007 acres, use a 
combination of clearcut salvage and commercial thin on 703 acres of 
mixed Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine stands, precommercial thin 1,146 
acres of Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine stands, and prescribed burn 
1,990 acres of mixed conifer stands. A total of 5,709 acres would be 
treated within 93 units ranging in size from two to 196 acres. Harvest 
and treatment methods would include ground-based and cable logging 
systems, mechanical slash piling, hand-thinning and piling, and aerial 
and hand-ignition of prescribed fire. Approximately 10 miles of 
temporary roads and 72 miles of existing Forest System roads would be 
used to implement treatment activities. All temporary roads constructed 
for project implementation would be obliterated and rehabilitated upon 
project completion. The project is proposed for implementation 
beginning in 2013 and would take several years to complete.

Responsible Official

    Forest Supervisor for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, 
Dave Myers, 420 Barrett St., Dillon, MT 59725-3572.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    The Responsible Official for this project and will decide whether 
to implement the proposed action or an alternative developed in 
response to specific resource issues and public comments.

Preliminary Issues

    Preliminary issues identified by the interdisciplinary team and the 
public during a previous scoping period in July 2010, include potential 
impacts to populations of westslope cutthroat trout from treatment 
activities; potential to increase runoff and erosion by removing 
vegetation and ground cover; potential to increase noxious weeds 
populations; maintenance of old growth stand

[[Page 31933]]

characteristics where encountered; mitigation of management actions 
around active nests of Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive (TES) bird 
species including great gray owls and Northern Goshawk; maintenance of 
secure habitat to contribute to wildlife linkages for large animal 
movements between the Flint Creek Range and Henderson Mountain/John 
Long Mountains; timing of burning and harvest activities with livestock 
grazing management, dispersed recreation, hunters and outfitters; and 
coordination with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, 
and Liability Act (CERCLA) projects within the project area.
    The Forest Service recognizes this list if issues may not be 
complete and issues will be further defined and refined as scoping 
continues. A comprehensive list of key issues will be determined before 
the range of alternatives is developed and the environmental analysis 
is started.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. The District 
Ranger will mail a scoping letter and map to interested publics, 
Tribes, and Federal, state and local governments. The Forest will 
conduct a public meeting in Drummond, MT, in July 2010, to discuss the 
Proposed Action with interested parties and those who may be affected 
by the proposal. Notice of the meeting will be posted on the Forest's 
Web site and news releases will appear in the Philipsburg Mail and 
other local newspapers.
    This project was scoped in July 2010, when the Forest solicited 
public comment on a proposal to use clearcut salvage logging, 
commercial and pre-commercial thinning, and prescribed fire to harvest 
wood products and restore resiliency on about 5,600 acres of National 
Forest System Lands. After reviewing the comments on the initial 
proposal, combined with internal assessment of the project, portions of 
the project have been redesigned and the Forest Service is again 
seeking public input. Important distinctions between the proposal 
scoped in July 2010 and this proposal are a change in the objectives to 
use prescribed fire, identification of old growth within treatment 
units, a decrease in the number of treatment units, and a slight 
increase in the number of acres treated.
    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.
    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, anonymous comments will not provide 
the Agency with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent 
environmental documents.

    Dated: May 26, 2011.
David R. Myers,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2011-13634 Filed 6-1-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P