Helena Nation Forest: Dalton Mountain Forest Restoration & Fuels Reduction Project, 70955-70956 [2011-29564]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 16, 2011 / Notices ground based only. No aerial treatment activities are proposed. Spot and selective spraying would be the primary method of applying herbicide in order to target individual and groups of invasive plants; however some broadcast herbicide spraying (from trucks or ATV equipment) would occur. Specific design features would be applied to minimize or eliminate the potential for plant treatments to adversely affect non-target plants, animals, human health, water quality and aquatic organisms. Mulching, seeding and planting of competitive, desirable vegetation may occur to restore previously infested sites. In addition to using an IWM approach, the proposal incorporates an adaptive management strategy in order to quickly respond to new NNIP species and new infestations that are located during the life of the project. This quick reaction is known as an Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) and is designed to allow timely control so that new infestations can be treated when they are small in order to reduce costs as well as any detrimental effects of treatment. The adaptive strategy would also allow the use of new treatment tools and methods that are developed during the life of the project. The proposal allows most types of treatments to occur anywhere on Forest Service system lands on the IPNF. However, the use of herbicides in the Salmo-Priest wilderness area would be restricted to trailheads, roads immediately adjacent to the wilderness boundary, and short distances along trails near trailhead locations. Based on current funding levels, it is expected that approximately 3,000 acres would be treated annually across the Forest with the majority of these acres being treated using some form of a ground-based herbicide application method. If a significant amount of additional funding were available and monitoring efforts identify the need, up to an additional 3,000 acres could potentially be treated annually. The proposal would treat a maximum of 5,500 acres annually with herbicides (less than a quarter of one percent of the IPNF). No limit is proposed on the number of acres that may be treated using non-herbicide treatment methods. Most of the treatment activities would occur along travel or utility corridors (e.g. roads, trails, powerline clearings) or other disturbed areas such as campgrounds, trailheads, recent timber harvest areas, gravel pits, ski areas, fire camps, mines, helispots, ranger stations and burned areas. One of the prevention elements incorporated into the proposed action VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:45 Nov 15, 2011 Jkt 226001 includes requiring any hay or straw type products that are stored or possessed on NFS lands be state certified weed free. Where opportunities exist, activities would be planned and implemented in cooperation with other federal, state, and local agencies as well as private individuals. Responsible Official Forest Supervisor, Idaho Panhandle National Forests, 3815 Schreiber Way, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815. Nature of Decision To Be Made Given the purpose and need, the environmental analysis in the EIS and consideration of public comments, the Forest Supervisor will make the following decisions; (1) Whether or not to expand or modify the current efforts to manage NNIP species; (2) whether to use one, or a combination of several methods of control including mechanical, chemical, or biological methods, and if so: (a) When and under what terms and conditions the Forest Service would conduct such activities; (b) what, if any, measures would be needed to meet Forest Plan Goals and Standards; and (c) what mitigation and monitoring measures would be required? Decisions that would not be made based on the analysis are: (1) Changes in land use and Forest Plan direction; (2) changes in the level of wildfire suppression, strategies, tactics, and whether or not to control wildfire; (3) changes in travel management, road use, and forest access; (4) prevention measures that minimize the establishment and spread of NNIP that are already part of Forest Service policy and recent decisions; (5) environmental protection agency established Reference Doses and related EPA toxicological thresholds; and (6) ecological and toxicological conclusions and data included in the Forest Service/Syracuse Environmental Research Associates Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments. Permits or Licenses Required Pesticide application licenses will be required for those implementing this project. Pesticide Use Proposals for wilderness areas would need to be signed by the Regional Forester; otherwise Pesticide Use Proposals are signed by the Forest Supervisor. This project may involve riparian herbicide applications that are subject to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements. If needed, NPDES permits would be acquired prior to project implementation. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 70955 Scoping Process This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments that would be most useful are those concerning developing or refining the proposed action, in particular those that can help us develop treatments that would be responsive to our goal to control, contain, or eradicate NNIP. 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. No public meetings are planned for the scoping effort. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, become part of the public record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered, however. Dated: October 21, 2011. Mary Farnsworth, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 2011–29552 Filed 11–15–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Helena Nation Forest: Dalton Mountain Forest Restoration & Fuels Reduction Project Forest Service, USDA. Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement. AGENCY: ACTION: The Helena National Forest (HNF) is proposing on the Lincoln Ranger District both commercial and non-commercial treatments using mechanical harvesting, pre-commercial thinning, hand felling, and prescriber burning within a project boundary encompassing about 18,240 acres to improve vegetative structure and fuels arrangement; enhance composition of aspen, whitebark pine, and ponderosa pine species; modify fire behavior to enhance community protection while creating conditions to allow reestablishment of controlled periodic fire; and capturing the value of removed trees in an economical approach. DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis and to be most helpful in this due process must be received by SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\16NON1.SGM 16NON1 70956 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 16, 2011 / Notices November 30, 2011. The draft environmental impact statement is expected February 2013 and the final environmental impact statement is expected June of 2013. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Amber Kamps, Helena National Forest, 1569 Hwy. 200, Lincoln, MT 59639. Comments may also be sent via email to comments-northern-helena@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to (406) 362–4253. Please indicate ‘Dalton Scoping’ on the subject line. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposal. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amber Kamps at (406) 362–7000 or Jan FauntLeRoy at (406) 449–5201. 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: The Forest Service, using agency data, has implemented a collaborative approach in the preliminary development of this proposed action. Involved in this due process was the Lincoln Restoration Committee (LRC) of the Montana Forest Restoration Committee (MFRC). The MFRC is a collaborative group with representatives from diverse interests who came together in 2007 to help address stewardship issues. The LRC is a group of private citizens with diverse community interests and was formed in 2008 with the purpose of working within the framework developed by the MFRC and developing recommendations for restoration projects on the Lincoln Ranger District, HNF. Please go to the Web site https:// www.montanarestoration.org for further information regarding this group. The HNF has been working collaboratively with this group in compliance with Executive Order 13352–Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Purpose and Need for Action Forest restoration and fuel reduction in the Dalton Mountain area is needed to move toward the goals of the HNF, Forest Plan, specifically II.A.14: Provide a fire protection and use program which is responsive to land and resource management goals and objectives; II.A.17: Coordinate Forest management activities with the land and resource management efforts of other Federal agencies, state and local governments, and adjacent private landowners; and II.A: Provide sustained timber yield that VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:45 Nov 15, 2011 Jkt 226001 is responsive to local industry and national needs. Much of the area’s current condition is a mixed-severity fire regime that is dominated by lodgepole pine. Tree mortality from a mountain pine beetle epidemic is extensive. This area lacks the desired forest structure and species diversity. Some other tree species native to the area including aspen, whitebark pine, and ponderosa pine do not occur in the numbers desired and as envisioned by the HNF, Forest Plan. The specific needs for this proposal are: • Improve vegetative structure and fuels arrangement resulting in diversity of structure, patterns, and patch sizes across the landscape. • Enhance composition of aspen, whitebark pine, and ponderosa pine species and their habitats. • Modify fire behavior to enhance community protection while creating conditions that may allow the reestablishment of fire as a natural process on the landscape. • Utilize economic value of trees with economic removal. Proposed Action The Forest Supervisor on the HNF is proposing forest restoration and fuels reduction on the Lincoln Ranger District about five miles southwest of Lincoln, Montana. The actions in this proposal include mechanical harvesting, pre-commercial thinning, fuels reduction by hand felling, and prescribed burning. About 6.4 miles of road would be built to facilitate commercial removal, then would be obliterated following implementation of this project. This proposal also includes treatments within the boundaries of Ogden Mountain and Nevada Mountain Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRA). These treatments include about 1,815 acres of prescribed burning and non-commercial hand slashing in the Nevada Mountain IRA and about 4,906 acres of fuels reduction by hand felling and prescribed fire with non-commercial hand slashing applied in the Ogden Mountain IRA. No commercial removal or road construction would occur within these IRAs. This proposed action also includes ‘control’ units along with managed units with the purpose to compare their results in treating or not treating similar sites. Studying these results would strengthen the learning and collaborative adaptive management of restoration in the mixed severity fire regime. PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 Responsible Official Helena National Forest Supervisor. Nature of Decision To Be Made Whether or not to implement the proposed action or an alternative to the proposed action, what monitoring would be appropriate to evaluate implementation of this project, and whether a Forest Plan amendment would be necessary as a result of the decision for this project. Preliminary Issues • Proposed activities reducing wildlife habitat e.g. lynx. • Configuration of treatment and control units that effectively meets or moves the project area toward the purpose and need for this project. Scoping Process This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides the development of the environmental impact statement. A scoping package has been mailed to interested publics, tribes and other agencies in October of 2011. A community open house conducted by the Lincoln Restoration Group and supported/participated by the Forest Service was held in early November 2011. Pertinent project information and more detail is also posted on the Helena National Forest Web site at https://www.fs.fed.us/r1/ helena. Please provide comments specific to the actions proposed to meet the purpose and need for this project. 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: November 9, 2011. Kevin T. Riordan, Forest Supervisor. [FR Doc. 2011–29564 Filed 11–15–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–P E:\FR\FM\16NON1.SGM 16NON1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70955-70956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29564]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Helena Nation Forest: Dalton Mountain Forest Restoration & Fuels 
Reduction Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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

SUMMARY: The Helena National Forest (HNF) is proposing on the Lincoln 
Ranger District both commercial and non-commercial treatments using 
mechanical harvesting, pre-commercial thinning, hand felling, and 
prescriber burning within a project boundary encompassing about 18,240 
acres to improve vegetative structure and fuels arrangement; enhance 
composition of aspen, whitebark pine, and ponderosa pine species; 
modify fire behavior to enhance community protection while creating 
conditions to allow reestablishment of controlled periodic fire; and 
capturing the value of removed trees in an economical approach.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis and to be most 
helpful in this due process must be received by

[[Page 70956]]

November 30, 2011. The draft environmental impact statement is expected 
February 2013 and the final environmental impact statement is expected 
June of 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Amber Kamps, Helena National 
Forest, 1569 Hwy. 200, Lincoln, MT 59639. Comments may also be sent via 
email to comments-northern-helena@fs.fed.us, or via facsimile to (406) 
362-4253. Please indicate `Dalton Scoping' on the subject line. 
Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and 
addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record for 
this proposal.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amber Kamps at (406) 362-7000 or Jan 
FauntLeRoy at (406) 449-5201.
    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: The Forest Service, using agency data, has 
implemented a collaborative approach in the preliminary development of 
this proposed action. Involved in this due process was the Lincoln 
Restoration Committee (LRC) of the Montana Forest Restoration Committee 
(MFRC). The MFRC is a collaborative group with representatives from 
diverse interests who came together in 2007 to help address stewardship 
issues. The LRC is a group of private citizens with diverse community 
interests and was formed in 2008 with the purpose of working within the 
framework developed by the MFRC and developing recommendations for 
restoration projects on the Lincoln Ranger District, HNF. Please go to 
the Web site https://www.montanarestoration.org for further information 
regarding this group. The HNF has been working collaboratively with 
this group in compliance with Executive Order 13352-Facilitation of 
Cooperative Conservation.

Purpose and Need for Action

    Forest restoration and fuel reduction in the Dalton Mountain area 
is needed to move toward the goals of the HNF, Forest Plan, 
specifically II.A.14: Provide a fire protection and use program which 
is responsive to land and resource management goals and objectives; 
II.A.17: Coordinate Forest management activities with the land and 
resource management efforts of other Federal agencies, state and local 
governments, and adjacent private landowners; and II.A: Provide 
sustained timber yield that is responsive to local industry and 
national needs.
    Much of the area's current condition is a mixed-severity fire 
regime that is dominated by lodgepole pine. Tree mortality from a 
mountain pine beetle epidemic is extensive. This area lacks the desired 
forest structure and species diversity. Some other tree species native 
to the area including aspen, whitebark pine, and ponderosa pine do not 
occur in the numbers desired and as envisioned by the HNF, Forest Plan.
    The specific needs for this proposal are:
     Improve vegetative structure and fuels arrangement 
resulting in diversity of structure, patterns, and patch sizes across 
the landscape.
     Enhance composition of aspen, whitebark pine, and 
ponderosa pine species and their habitats.
     Modify fire behavior to enhance community protection while 
creating conditions that may allow the reestablishment of fire as a 
natural process on the landscape.
     Utilize economic value of trees with economic removal.

Proposed Action

    The Forest Supervisor on the HNF is proposing forest restoration 
and fuels reduction on the Lincoln Ranger District about five miles 
southwest of Lincoln, Montana.
    The actions in this proposal include mechanical harvesting, pre-
commercial thinning, fuels reduction by hand felling, and prescribed 
burning. About 6.4 miles of road would be built to facilitate 
commercial removal, then would be obliterated following implementation 
of this project. This proposal also includes treatments within the 
boundaries of Ogden Mountain and Nevada Mountain Inventoried Roadless 
Areas (IRA). These treatments include about 1,815 acres of prescribed 
burning and non-commercial hand slashing in the Nevada Mountain IRA and 
about 4,906 acres of fuels reduction by hand felling and prescribed 
fire with non-commercial hand slashing applied in the Ogden Mountain 
IRA. No commercial removal or road construction would occur within 
these IRAs.
    This proposed action also includes `control' units along with 
managed units with the purpose to compare their results in treating or 
not treating similar sites. Studying these results would strengthen the 
learning and collaborative adaptive management of restoration in the 
mixed severity fire regime.

Responsible Official

    Helena National Forest Supervisor.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    Whether or not to implement the proposed action or an alternative 
to the proposed action, what monitoring would be appropriate to 
evaluate implementation of this project, and whether a Forest Plan 
amendment would be necessary as a result of the decision for this 
project.

Preliminary Issues

     Proposed activities reducing wildlife habitat e.g. lynx.
     Configuration of treatment and control units that 
effectively meets or moves the project area toward the purpose and need 
for this project.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. A scoping 
package has been mailed to interested publics, tribes and other 
agencies in October of 2011. A community open house conducted by the 
Lincoln Restoration Group and supported/participated by the Forest 
Service was held in early November 2011. Pertinent project information 
and more detail is also posted on the Helena National Forest Web site 
at https://www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena. Please provide comments specific to 
the actions proposed to meet the purpose and need for this project.
    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: November 9, 2011.
Kevin T. Riordan,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2011-29564 Filed 11-15-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P

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