Tongass National Forest, Petersburg Ranger District, Alaska; Central Tongass Project Environmental Impact Statement, 39402-39405 [2018-17059]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
• Forest Service

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 154 (Thursday, August 9, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39402-39405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17059]


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Notices
                                                Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 154 / Thursday, August 9, 2018 / 
Notices

[[Page 39402]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Tongass National Forest, Petersburg Ranger District, Alaska; 
Central Tongass Project Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service will 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze a variety of 
resource management actions to implement over the course of 15 years. 
The purpose of the project is to meet multiple resource goals and 
objectives (i.e., needs) identified in the 2016 Tongass Land and 
Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) using an integrated approach. 
Some of the project area needs include improving forest ecosystem 
health, supporting community resilience through economic development 
opportunities within Southeast Alaska communities, providing 
sustainable recreation opportunities to local visitors and the tourism 
industry, and offering a variety of wood products to regional mills and 
local communities. A variety of management activities (the Proposed 
Action) address these needs. Implementation of the management 
activities will often include one or more Supporting Actions, such as 
quarry development or sign installation. At the same time that it would 
approve the proposed project, the Forest Service may approve a project-
specific Forest Plan amendment to ensure the project is consistent with 
the plan. This notices also identifies the substantive provisions of 
the 2012 Planning Rule that are likely to be directly related to a 
proposed forest plan amendment.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by September 24, 2018. The publication date of this Notice of Intent 
(NOI) in the Federal Register is the exclusive means for calculating 
the comment period for this scoping opportunity. If the comment period 
ends on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, comments will be 
accepted until the end of the next Federal working day (11:59 p.m.). 
The draft EIS is expected in April of 2019, and the final EIS is 
expected in May of 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Petersburg Ranger District, c/o 
Carey Case, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, Alaska 99833, Attn: Central 
Tongass Project. Comments may also be hand-delivered to the Petersburg 
Ranger District, 12 North Nordic Drive, Petersburg, Alaska 99833; sent 
via email to [email protected]; facsimile to 
(907) 772-5995; or submitted electronically at https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/CommentInput?project=53098.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Zimmerman, District Ranger, or 
Carey Case, Project Leader, at the Petersburg Ranger District, P.O. Box 
1328, Petersburg, Alaska 99833, or by telephone (907) 772-3871. 
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 Central Tongass project area encompasses 
National Forest System (NFS) lands and lands of other ownership, as 
authorized by other land owners, within the Petersburg and Wrangell 
Ranger Districts (3.7 million acres) to facilitate integrated and 
economical projects across all lands. Other than for invasive 
treatments, Wilderness will not be considered for resource management 
actions. The project area includes, but is not limited to, Mitkof, 
Kupreanof, Kuiu, Wrangell, Zarembo and Etolin Islands and the Alaska 
mainland.

Purpose and Need for Action

    This action is needed to meet Forest Plan goals and objectives, and 
to support local and regional economies. The needs for this project 
have been identified by comparing the existing conditions within the 
project area with the desired conditions (desired long-term landscape 
attributes) defined in the Tongass Forest Plan (Chapter 2). Where 
desired conditions are not being met, a need exists. For this project, 
four categories of needs were identified: Watershed Restoration and 
Improvement, Vegetation Management, Access Management, and Sustainable 
Recreation Management.
    Watershed Restoration and Improvement: A need exists to maintain or 
restore the natural range of habitat conditions in the project area to 
support viable wildlife, fish, and plant populations for subsistence, 
traditional and cultural uses, and to sustain diversity. In some 
watersheds, this need includes riparian ecosystem function improvements 
or enhancements, water quality maintenance and protection, fish habitat 
improvements, and native plant population protection.
    Vegetation Management: A need exists for NFS lands to regularly 
provide forest products, such as saw timber, to support Southeast 
Alaska communities. By providing forest products on a regular basis, 
the Forest Service can better support local employment, increase 
revenue returns, and maintain flexibility and stability in the timber 
sale program. A need also exists for young-growth forest management to 
sustain productive timber stands for future use, and to improve habitat 
for wildlife and fish.
    Access Management: A long-term need exists to design, construct, 
maintain, and manage a cost-effective transportation system that 
supports management activities and provides Forest users access to 
subsistence, recreation and traditional use opportunities.
    Sustainable Recreation Management: Within the project area, a need 
exists to (1) maintain existing recreation sites and facilities to 
provide for the health and safety of all users, (2) construct or 
reconstruct facilities in locations where the needs for the facilities 
are supported by either known use, partnerships for long-term 
maintenance, or repeated safety concerns, or (3) remove facilities that 
are no longer needed or are not affordable (Forest Plan, p. 2-4).
    The purpose of the Central Tongass Project is to meet the 
identified needs to improve forest ecosystem health, support community 
resiliency, and provide economic development opportunities on the 
Petersburg and

[[Page 39403]]

Wrangell Ranger Districts. This project will be designed to meet Forest 
Plan goals and objectives, and land use designation goals, objectives, 
and desired conditions using an integrated land management approach. 
Forest-wide goals and objectives this project aims to address include, 
but are not limited to, Local and Regional Economies, Biodiversity, 
Timber, Wildlife, Transportation, Fish, Recreation and Tourism, and 
Young Growth Direction (Forest Plan, pp. 2-2 to 2-6, 5-2 to 5-3, 5-6, 
5-8, 5-13 and 5-14).

Proposed Action

    The Forest Service proposes a multi-year project to implement a 
variety of activities over the next 15 years within the Central Tongass 
project area. The project area includes NFS lands and lands of other 
ownership. Wilderness areas are not included in the land base available 
for proposed activities, with the exception of invasive plant 
treatments. The Proposed Action encompasses a range of management 
activities that address the broader needs identified within the Purpose 
and Need, and seeks to balance commercial and non-commercial 
opportunities and provide and maintain high-quality experiences for all 
Forest users over the long-term, while maintaining or improving land 
and resource conditions.
    The Proposed Action was developed by comparing existing conditions 
within the project area to the Forest's desired landscape attributes, 
and considering best-available science and public input.
    A guide will be developed to ensure the implementation of site-
specific activities is consistent with the Central Tongass Project 
environmental analysis. Conditions such as stand age, use levels, and 
proximity to sensitive habitat will be evaluated before implementation 
may occur. If the effects of implementing a site-specific activity is 
expected to be outside the range of effects disclosed in the 
environmental analysis, the activity will not be implemented as part of 
the Central Tongass Project.
    Individual activity cards will define each activity and guide its 
implementation over the life of the project. Information provided on 
the cards will include objectives and methods of implementation, 
resource-specific guidelines, activity design features, conditions that 
trigger implementation, and integration opportunities to maximize 
shared resources between program areas.

Watershed Restoration and Improvement

    Watershed restoration and improvement activities on all lands 
within the project area include: Stream and floodplain restoration, 
fish habitat improvements, and invasive plant management.
    To restore proper stream and floodplain functioning conditions, the 
Forest Service proposes instream wood placement on up to 700 acres 
(approximately 13 miles of stream) using heavy equipment and/or a 
helicopter, and instream wood placement on up to 1,720 acres 
(approximately 54 miles of stream) using hand tools.
    To sustain the diversity and production of fish and other 
freshwater organisms, the Forest Service proposes fisheries 
improvements such as pool habitat creation, fish pass construction, 
natural instream barrier modifications, stocking and lake fertilization 
on up to 15 sites that collectively include no more than 25 miles of 
stream and 2 lakes.
    The Forest Service proposes to use an integrated pest management 
strategy to treat invasive plant infestations on NFS and neighboring 
lands. Treatments proposed include manual methods such as hand-pulling 
or tarping; mechanical methods such as mowing or torching; and 
herbicide application including wicking/wiping, stem injection, foliar 
spot spray, or broadcast spray. Proposed herbicides include 
aminopyralid or aquatic-approved glyphosate and imazapyr. When deciding 
whether or not to treat an invasive plant, the Forest Service will 
consider the following factors: The target species' Alaska Natural 
Heritage Program invasiveness ranking, the location of the target 
species, its pathway of spread, and the management objective for the 
infestation. If the Forest Service decides to treat, the most cost-
efficient and effective treatment method will be selected. Herbicide 
treatment areas may include terrestrial and emergent (plants rooted in 
water with foliage above the water surface) vegetation. Subsurface 
aquatic plant treatment is not proposed. To provide the flexibility to 
treat new infestations, the Proposed Action also includes a management 
strategy called early detection-rapid response.

Vegetation Management

    Vegetation management activities include: Old-growth and young-
growth commercial harvest and silvicultural intermediate treatments 
(young-growth pre-commercial thinning treatments, and wildlife habitat 
improvement treatments). Old-growth and young-growth activities will 
occur in 10 timber analysis areas (TAAs) within the project area. These 
analysis areas have developed road systems and encompass the majority 
of the suitable lands for timber harvest, as defined under the Forest 
Plan. Consequently, TAAs are a primary factor in determining where to 
plan timber harvest for this project. The TAAs are located on Mitkof, 
Kupreanof, Kuiu, Wrangell, Zarembo and Etolin islands, and at Thomas 
Bay on the Alaska mainland.
    The Forest Service proposes to commercially harvest up to 9,500 
acres (approximately 150 million board feet [MMBF]) of old-growth 
timber, and up to 4,000 acres (approximately 80 MMBF) of young-growth 
timber from stands on suitable lands within the project's 15-year 
timeframe. Timber harvest methods include even-aged and two-aged 
management prescriptions (conventional ground-based logging methods), 
and uneven-aged management prescriptions (helicopter yarding). 
Commercial harvest of old-growth and young-growth timber includes 
microsale and large, small, and salvage sale opportunities.
    The Forest Service proposes to treat up to 3,000 acres of young-
growth stands annually, or 45,000 acres total over the next 15 years 
that are approaching, have reached, or are in the stem exclusion stage 
of stand development. Young-growth treatments (activities) include pre-
commercial thinning for timber stand improvement and wildlife and 
riparian habitat improvement (such as to create or maintain wildlife 
gaps, openings, corridors and trees; girdle and prune trees; and treat 
slash).

Access Management

    Access management activities include (1) new NFS road construction, 
(2) NFS road reconstruction, (3) temporary road construction, (4) 
aquatic organism passage and fish habitat connectivity, and (5) 
construction, reconstruction, decommissioning and maintenance of marine 
access facilities, such as log transfer facilities, docks, mooring 
buoys, boat ramps and boat launches. Road storage and decommissioning 
are Supporting Actions.
    The Forest Service proposes approximately 24 miles of NFS road 
construction, 63 miles of NFS road reconstruction, and 88 miles of 
temporary road construction for timber harvest and other resource 
management activities.
    The Forest Service proposes to replace, remove, or improve up to 
150 stream crossing structures where fish

[[Page 39404]]

passage is inhibited (``red pipes'') using heavy equipment, hand tools, 
or explosives to rectify fish migration or movement barriers and 
provide effective flood resiliency.
    The Forest Service proposes up to 33 new stream crossing 
structures, such as culverts and bridges, to support proposed 
vegetation and access management activities.
    The Forest Service proposes to maintain or improve 14 existing 
marine access facilities (MAFs), and construct up to 4 MAF sites for 
log transfer and public access within the Central Tongass project area. 
Additionally, up to 69 marine access facility sites, such as docks, 
boat ramps and floats, may be maintained, constructed, or improved for 
public access. These sites are typically not associated with a road 
system, but used for access to shoreline or inland water facilities 
such as cabins, shelters, or trailheads.

Sustainable Recreation Management

    Proposed recreation activities on NFS and neighboring lands include 
maintenance, improvements, new construction, and decommissioning of 
some existing recreation facilities. Recreation facilities include 
cabins, shelters, picnic areas, campgrounds, dispersed camping sites, 
outhouses, viewing areas and platforms. Trail construction, 
reconstruction, decommissioning, and maintenance may also occur, and 
includes pedestrian trails, motorized trails, snow trails, canoe and 
kayak portages, and conversion of existing trails from boardwalk to 
gravel.
    Recreation management activities including trail building will be 
prioritized during implementation based on the following conditions (1) 
health and safety concerns for recreation users, (2) availability of 
internal or external funding sources, (3) current and projected use 
levels and degraded resource conditions from human use such as 
vegetation trampling, site hardening, soil erosion, and (4) feasibility 
due to topography.
    The Forest Service proposes constructing up to 6 new cabins, 30 day 
use/picnic areas, 6 platforms for interpretative or wildlife viewing 
use, and 10 dispersed camp sites (including tent platforms). The Forest 
Service also proposes decommissioning up to 15 cabins, constructing up 
to 10 new shelters and/or converting cabins to shelters, and 
constructing or replacing up to 75 outhouses. The Forest Service 
proposes up to 300 miles of pedestrian trail construction (this 
includes new construction and/or converting existing boardwalk trail to 
gravel trail), up to 60 miles of new motorized trails, and up to 105 
miles of winter trails.

Supporting Actions

    Supporting Actions will be implemented, as needed, in support of 
the management activities described above. They include actions such as 
road maintenance and reconditioning, road decommissioning, road 
storage, sign installation, quarry development, soil restoration, cone 
collection, and timber stand establishment (planting and 
interplanting).

Forest Plan Amendment

    A project-specific Forest Plan amendment may be proposed to allow 
the project to proceed in a manner that fulfills the project's stated 
purpose and need while being consistent with the Plan. The amendment 
would be to relax the Scenic Integrity Objectives (SIOs) (Forest Plan, 
p. 4-54) on portions of the TAAs on Mitkof, Zarembo, and Wrangell 
Islands, and Portage Bay located on Kupreanof Island, to improve timber 
sale economics for the commercial timber sales undertaken as part of 
this project only. If this Forest Plan amendment is included in the 
Central Tongass Project, the 2012 Planning Rule (36 CFR 219.13(b)(2)) 
requires the Responsible Official to identify which substantive 
requirements of the Rule are likely to be directly related to a 
proposed land management plan amendment. At this time, the Responsible 
Official believes the following requirements of the Rule are likely to 
apply: 36 CFR 219.8(b)(2); 36 CFR 219.10(a)(1); and 36 CFR 
219.10(b)(1)(i).

Possible Alternatives

    Other alternatives will be developed based on any significant 
issues identified in public comments and from internal Forest Service 
considerations. A no action alternative, which represents no change and 
serves as the baseline for the comparison among the action 
alternatives, will be analyzed as well.

Responsible Official

    The Responsible Official for the decision on this project is M. 
Earl Stewart, Forest Supervisor, Tongass National Forest, Federal 
Building, 648 Mission Street, Ketchikan, Alaska 99901.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    Given the purpose and need of the project, the Responsible Official 
will review the no action, the proposed action, other alternatives, and 
the environmental consequences to make decisions that include: (1) 
Whether to select the proposed action or another alternative; (2) 
mitigation measures and monitoring requirements; (3) the range of 
treatments or activities to be authorized including commercial and pre-
commercial timber treatments, restoration activities, invasive plant 
treatments, habitat improvement, road construction and reconstruction, 
and recreation development or decommissioning opportunities; (4) 
whether a project-specific Forest Plan amendment related to Scenery 
Integrity Objectives is necessary; and (5) whether there may be a 
significant restriction of subsistence uses.

Permits or Licenses Required

    All necessary permits would be obtained prior to project 
implementation, and may include the following:
    (1) State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation 
(DEC), Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES):
     General permit for Log Transfer Facilities in Alaska;
     Review Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plan;
     Certification of Compliance with Alaska Water Quality 
Standards (401 Certification) Chapter 20;
     Storm Water Discharge Permit/National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System review (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act);
     Solid Waste Disposal Permit.
    (2) U.S. Army Corp of Engineers:
     Approval of discharge of dredged or fill material into the 
waters of the United States under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act;
     Approval of the construction of structures or work in 
navigable waters of the United States under Section 10 of the Rivers 
and Harbors Act of 1899.
    (3) State of Alaska, Division of Natural Resources (DNR):
     Authorization for occupancy and use of tidelands and 
submerged lands.
    (4) State of Alaska, Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G)
     Fish Habitat Concurrence (Title 16).

Scoping Process

    This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the EIS. The Forest Service is seeking information, 
comments, and assistance from Tribal Governments; Federal, State, and 
local agencies; and individuals and organizations interested in or 
affected by the proposed activities. There will also be public meetings 
and subsistence hearings held in Kake, Petersburg, and Wrangell, 
Alaska. In addition to this

[[Page 39405]]

Notice of Intent, a legal notice will be placed in the Ketchikan Daily 
News, the official newspaper of record for this project. Courtesy 
notifications will be placed in the Petersburg Pilot and the Wrangell 
Sentinel, local community newspapers. Project information, updates, and 
documents will be provided throughout the process on the project web 
page at https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/tongass/landmanagement/projects/?cid=fseprd568085. Individuals may also provide comments and sign up to 
be on the electronic mailing list at that site.
    The Central Tongass Project is an activity implementing the Forest 
Plan and is subject to the notification requirements and objection 
procedures of 36 CFR 218, subparts A and B, which states that only 
individuals or entities who submit timely and specific written comments 
about this proposed project during this or another public comment 
period established by the Responsible Official will be eligible to file 
an objection. If a Forest Plan amendment is included in the Central 
Tongass Project, it would only apply to the Central Tongass Project; 
therefore, the notification requirements of 36 CFR 219 are not 
required.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such a manner to be 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, anonymous commenters will not gain 
standing to object as defined in 36 CFR 218.2.

    Dated: July 23, 2018.
Chris French,
Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2018-17059 Filed 8-8-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3411-15-P