Malheur National Forest, Prairie City Ranger District; Oregon; Cliff Knox Project, 34539-34542 [2018-15491]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34539-34542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15491]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Malheur National Forest, Prairie City Ranger District; Oregon; 
Cliff Knox Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Malheur National Forest will prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of 
proposed vegetation and fuels treatments, wildlife habitat 
designations, and road activities in the Cliff Knox project area 
located on the Prairie City and Emigrant Creek Ranger Districts. 
Proposed actions include timber harvest, small diameter thinning, aspen 
and mountain mahogany restoration, landscape underburning, road 
activities to support vegetation and fuels treatments, and road system 
changes. The intent of the project is to restore forest health, reduce 
fuels, increase the forest's resilience to wildfires and other 
disturbance, and enhance fish and wildlife habitats.

DATES: Comments concerning the proposed action in this notice must be 
received by August 20, 2018. The draft EIS is expected in December 2018 
and the final EIS is expected in June 2019.

ADDRESSES: The preferred method to submit comments is via email to: 
[email protected]. You may also 
submit comments via mail to Ed Guzman, District Ranger, Prairie City 
Ranger District, P.O. Box 337, Prairie City, OR 97869; via facsimile to 
541-820-4844; or by hand delivery to the Prairie City Ranger District, 
327 SW Front St., Prairie City, Oregon.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy Schnider, District NEPA Planner, 
327 SW Front St., P.O. Box 337, Prairie City, OR 97869. Phone: 541-820-
3821. Email: [email protected]. Individuals who use telecommunication 
devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., eastern time, 
Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Cliff Knox Project encompasses 
approximately 40,000 acres across the Bluebucket Creek subwatershed 
(10,976 acres) and the Cliff Creek-Malheur River subwatershed (29,342 
acres), and includes the Malheur River Inventoried Roadless Area and 
part of the Malheur River Wild and Scenic River corridor. The legal 
description for the planning area includes Townships 17 and 18 South 
and Ranges 33, 34, and 35 East, Willamette Meridian, Grant County, 
Oregon. The full scoping package is available on the Malheur National 
Forest website: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=50433.
    Purpose and Need for Action
    The project's purpose and need is represented by differences 
between existing and desired conditions based on forest plan management 
direction, other forest service policies, and best available science.
    The purpose of the Cliff Knox Project is to improve forest health 
and increase resilience to drought, fire, insects and diseases, and 
other disturbances by moving the project area toward its historical 
(natural) range of variability in forest structure, tree density, 
species composition, and associated wildlife habitat. Additionally, 
there is an opportunity to contribute to the economic stability of 
local communities that depend on timber resources for their livelihood 
and move the forest transportation system toward a more environmentally 
and fiscally sustainable state.
    Specifically, there is a need in the project area to:
    (1) Increase forest resilience to insect and disease outbreaks and 
uncharacteristic wildfires by moving the landscape toward a more 
historical range of variability for structure, density, and species 
composition. This includes special consideration for the Malheur River 
Wild and Scenic River, the Malheur Inventoried Roadless Area, riparian 
habitat conservation areas, dedicated and replacement old growth 
stands, aspen and mountain mahogany stands, and connectivity corridors.
    (2) Enhance landscape resilience to wildfire by restoring fuel 
profiles to types primarily conducive to surface fire, with special 
attention to lands adjacent to strategic roads and areas identified as 
wildland-urban interface.
    (3) Increase public and firefighter safety in the event of a 
wildfire in the project area.
    (4) Restore and promote open stands dominated by large trees and 
fire-tolerant tree species, which were historically dominant across the 
project area.
    (5) Maintain existing old forest stands and promote old trees 
(greater than 150 years old) to increase their abundance over the long 
term.
    (6) Restore and promote regeneration of hardwoods, including 
quaking aspen, mountain mahogany, and riparian hardwoods.
    (7) Treat vegetation to improve characteristics of the Malheur 
River Inventoried Roadless Area as defined by the 2001 Roadless Area 
Conservation Rule (36 CFR 294.11).
    (8) Increase water availability for native vegetation by 
reestablishing historical openings and grasslands, thinning overstocked 
stands, and removing encroaching juniper and other conifers where they 
did not historically occur.
    (9) Improve quantity and quality of forage for large ungulates, 
especially in big-game winter range management areas.

[[Page 34540]]

    (10) Reduce road related impacts to the watershed (aquatic and 
terrestrial habitat, and water quality).
    (11) Improve existing road networks to provide access to the forest 
while meeting forest plan standards and guidelines as well as 
regulatory direction.
    (12) Capture the economic value of forest products and other 
resources to support local economies and provide employment 
opportunities.
    (13) Provide safe access to the forest for public health, 
enjoyment, and stewardship.

Proposed Action

    To meet the purpose and need for the Cliff Knox Project and to move 
the project area toward desired conditions, the Malheur National Forest 
is proposing activities including timber harvest, small diameter 
thinning, aspen and mountain mahogany restoration, landscape 
underburning, road activities to support vegetation and fuels 
treatments, and road system changes.
    Approximately 27,000 acres of vegetation and fuel treatments are 
proposed to increase forest resilience to insect and disease outbreaks 
and uncharacteristic wildfires; restore fuel profiles, promote 
development of old stands and trees; and restore quaking aspen, 
mountain mahogany, and riparian hardwoods (related to the need). 
Treatments include stand improvement commercial thinning, biomass 
removal (biomass material may be removed during logging operations, by 
hand, or with small equipment such as all-terrain vehicles or small 
excavators or forwarders), and small diameter thinning where stands are 
above the appropriate management zone for stand density. In areas of 
high tree mortality due to insect infestations, dead lodgepole and 
ponderosa pine trees in excess of wildlife standards for downed and 
dead trees may be salvaged. Additionally, 3 units are identified as 
potential tree tipping units, where large wood could be placed in 
streams. Proposed vegetation and fuel treatments are located across the 
project area to address the purpose and need, including within the 
Malheur Wild and Scenic River, Malheur River Inventoried Roadless Area, 
the wildland-urban interface and adjacent to strategic roads, and 
riparian habitat conservation areas. These treatments would help move 
forest structure, composition, and density toward more resilient 
vegetative conditions.
    Landscape underburning on approximately 40,000 acres is proposed to 
reduce surface fuel loading, reduce ladder fuels, and raise canopy base 
height. Treated stands would see a combination of piled material 
burning and underburning. Those stands not mechanically treated would 
be managed exclusively with the use of underburning.
    The proposed action includes wildlife habitat designations that 
include additions to replacement old growth (108 acres) and pileated 
woodpecker feeding areas (205 acres), establishment of connectivity 
corridors (4,950 acres) and wildlife habitat enhancement openings 
(1,020 acres). Preliminary connectivity corridors have been identified 
between late and old structure stands to allow for movement of old-
growth dependent species. The goal of creating ``connectivity'' is to 
manage stands in corridors at higher canopy densities when compared to 
more intensively managed stands located outside of corridors. Habitat 
enhancement openings are proposed in areas where soil types point to a 
more open canopy in the past to create openings in coniferous forest to 
move areas that would have historically been more open towards desired 
vegetation communities. Most of these units are located in big-game 
winter range and are adjacent to or include existing openings.
    Road activities to support vegetation and fuels treatments are also 
proposed to provide safe access and to reduce road-related impacts. 
Road maintenance and reconstruction for haul would occur on open or 
temporarily opened roads to provide safe access and adequate drainage. 
About 15 miles of temporary roads would be constructed to access some 
timber harvest units; these areas would be rehabilitated following use.
    Multiple changes to the road system are proposed. This includes 
decommissioning about 9.5 miles of road that are not needed for future 
management actions and are either already in an overgrown state or are 
contributing to resource related impacts, such as delivering sediment 
to streams or disturbing wildlife. Also proposed is closing about 14 
miles of currently open roads that may be needed for future management 
actions but are either currently in an overgrown state or contributing 
to resource related impacts, such as delivering sediment to streams or 
disturbing wildlife. Closed roads are to be left in a stable hydrologic 
state and are to be periodically maintained. The proposed action also 
includes confirming the previous administrative closure of 28 miles of 
road and opening about 2.5 miles of currently closed roads that show 
signs of moderate to high use, have little potential for resource 
impacts, and some of which provide access to dispersed camping sites, 
State and Bureau of Land Management lands, and permittee allotments. 
Additionally, the proposed action includes decomissioning and 
relocating about 2 miles of road that are causing unacceptable resource 
damage in their current locations but provide access to essential 
management activities and dispersed campsites.
    The Cliff Knox Project will also include a variety of project 
design criteria that serve to mitigate impacts of activities to forest 
resources, including wildlife, soils, watershed condition, aquatic 
species, riparian habitat conservation areas, heritage resources, 
visuals, rangeland, botanical resources, and invasive plants.

Possible Alternatives

    A full range of alternatives to the proposed action, including a no 
action alternative, will be considered. The no action alternative 
represents no change and serves as the baseline for the comparison of 
the action alternatives. Alternatives may be developed in response to 
issues raised by the public during the scoping process or due to 
additional concerns for resource values identified by the 
interdisciplinary team.

Forest Plan Amendments

    The proposed action may also include the following amendments to 
the 1990 Malheur National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
(Forest Plan), as amended:
    (1) Designating management area 13 (old growth): Old growth changes 
are needed to maintain consistency with forest plan standards for 
dedicated and replacement old growth.
    (2) Reducing cover below forest plan standards in big-game summer 
range and winter range: Reduction in satisfactory and/or total cover in 
big-game summer range and/or big-game winter range. Vegetation 
management treatments may initially reduce cover levels in some areas; 
however, these treatments would make it possible to achieve desired 
vegetative health conditions that may result in more abundant, higher 
quality cover with reduced insect activity in the future.
    (3) Removal of trees greater than or equal to 21 inches diameter at 
breast height and harvest within late and old structure: Removal of 
trees greater than or equal to 21 inches diameter at breast height 
within specific stands with existing aspen and mountain mahogany is 
proposed to improve the growth of existing aspen and mountain mahogany 
by reducing competition for sunlight and water from large, young nearby 
trees, and to move stands with old forest multi-strata structure toward 
the old

[[Page 34541]]

forest single-stratum structure that is deficient in the project area.
    (4) Not maintaining the current level of connectivity between late 
and old structure and old growth stands: Reduction in connectivity is 
proposed because the southern portion of the project area contains 
pockets of late and old structure stands within areas that developed 
over mollic soils, an indicator that these areas were grasslands and 
meadows within their historical range of variability, but are now 
experiencing encroachment from conifers. Connectivity does not exist in 
these areas, and therefore cannot be maintained.
    When proposing a forest plan amendment, the 2012 Planning Rule (36 
CFR 219), as amended, requires the Responsible Official to provide in 
the initial notice ``which substantive requirements of Sec. Sec.  219. 
8 through 219.11 are likely to be directly related to the amendment 
(Sec.  219.13(b)(5)).'' Whether a rule provision is likely to be 
directly related to an amendment is determined by the purpose for the 
amendment, the beneficial effects or adverse effects of the amendment, 
and informed by the best available scientific information, scoping, 
effects analysis, monitoring data or other rationale. The following 
substantive requirements would likely be directly related to the 
proposed amendments.
    Substantive provisions that relate to all proposed amendments 
include: 219.8(a)(1)(ii) Contributions of the plan area to ecological 
conditions within the broader landscape influenced by the plan area; 
219.8(a)(1)(iv) System drivers, including dominant ecological 
processes, disturbance regimes, and stressors, such as natural 
succession, wildland fire, invasive species, and climate change; and 
the ability of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems on the plan area to 
adapt to change; 219.9(a)(1) Ecosystem integrity; 219.9(a)(2) Ecosystem 
diversity; 219.10(a)(1) Aesthetic values, air quality, cultural and 
heritage resources, ecosystem services, fish and wildlife species, 
forage, geologic features, grazing and rangelands, habitat and habitat 
connectivity, recreation settings and opportunities, riparian areas, 
scenery, soil, surface and subsurface water quality, timber, trails, 
vegetation, viewsheds, wilderness, and other relevant resources and 
uses; 219.10(a)(5) Habitat conditions, subject to the requirements of 
219.9, for wildlife, fish, and plants commonly enjoyed and used by the 
public; for hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering, observing, 
subsistence, and other activities (in collaboration with federally 
recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, other Federal agencies, 
and State and local governments); and 219.10(a)(8) System drivers, 
including dominant ecological processes, disturbance regimes, and 
stressors, such as natural succession, wildland fire, invasive species, 
and climate change; and the ability of the terrestrial and aquatic 
ecosystems on the plan area to adapt to change (219.8).
    Substantive provisions that relate to the proposed amendments for 
reducing cover below forest plan standards in big-game summer range and 
winter range, removal of trees greater than or equal to 21 inches 
diameter at breast height and harvest within late and old structure, 
and not maintaining the current level of connectivity between late and 
old structure and old growth stands include: 219.8(a)(1)(iii) 
Conditions in the broader landscape that may influence the 
sustainability of resources and ecosystems within the plan area; 
219.8(a)(1)(v) Wildland fire and opportunities to restore fire adapted 
ecosystems; 219.8(a)(1)(vi) Opportunities for landscape scale 
restoration; and 219.10(a)(7) Reasonably foreseeable risks to 
ecological, social, and economic sustainability.
    Substantive provisions that relate to the proposed amendments for 
designating management area 13 (old growth), removal of trees greater 
than or equal to 21 inches diameter at breast height and harvest within 
late and old structure, and not maintaining the current level of 
connectivity between late and old structure and old growth stands 
include: 219.9(a)(2)(i) Key characteristics associated with terrestrial 
and aquatic ecosystem types.

Responsible Official

    The Forest Supervisor of the Malheur National Forest, 431 Patterson 
Bridge Road, John Day, OR 97845, is the Responsible Official. The 
Responsible Official decides if the proposed action will be implemented 
and documents the decision and rationale for the decision in the record 
of decision. Responsibility for preparation of the draft EIS and final 
EIS has been delegated to the District Ranger, Prairie City Ranger 
District.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    Given the purpose and need of the project, the Responsible Official 
will review the proposed action, other alternatives, and the 
environmental effects analysis in order to determine: (1) Which 
alternative, or combination of alternatives, should be implemented; (2) 
the location and treatment methods for all proposed activities; (3) the 
design features, mitigation measures and monitoring requirements; and, 
(4) consistency with the forest plan and the need for amendments.
    Decisions by the Forest Supervisor to approve project-specific plan 
amendments are subject to the Project-level Predecisional 
Administrative Review Process of 36 CFR 218 Subpart A, in accordance 
with 36 CFR 219.59(b). The term ``project specific'' refers to 
amendments that would only apply to the proposed project and would not 
apply to any future management actions.
    Per 36 CFR 218.7(a)(2), this is a project proposing to implement a 
land management plan and is not authorized under the Healthy Forests 
Restoration Act (HFRA). Therefore, it is subject to both subparts A and 
B of 36 CFR 218.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the EIS for the Cliff Knox Project. The 
interdisciplinary team will continute to seek information and comments 
from Federal, State, and local agencies, in addition to Tribal 
governments and other individuals or organizations that may be 
interested in, or affected by, the proposed action. There is a 
collaborative group in the area that the interdisciplinary team will 
interact with during the analysis process.
    Public meetings will occur in Prairie City and Burns, Oregon, 
during the scoping period for the purposes of discussing and gathering 
comments on the proposed action. Times and locations of scheduled 
meetings will be advertised through local media outlets and posted on 
the Malheur National Forest website. The intent of this comment period 
is to provide those interested in or affected by this proposed action 
with an opportunity to make their concerns known. Written, hand-
delivered, electronic, and facsimile comments concerning this proposed 
action will be accepted. We invite you to provide any substantive 
comments you might have regarding the proposed action for the Cliff 
Knox Project; substantive comments are within the scope of the project 
and the decision to be made, are specific to the proposed activities 
and the project area, and have a direct relationship to the project. 
Please provide supporting reasons for us to consider. If you cite or 
include references with your comments, you need to state specifically 
how those references relate to the proposed action. Please include a 
copy of or an internet link for any references you cite.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in

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such manner 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 become part of the public 
record for this proposed action, and may be released under the Freedom 
of Information Act. However, comments submitted anonymously will also 
be accepted and considered.

    Dated: June 6, 2018.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2018-15491 Filed 7-19-18; 8:45 am]
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