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Clearwater National Forest, Northern Region

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Clearwater National Forest, Northern Region



[Federal Register: March 8, 1995]







DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

 


Clearwater National Forest, Northern Region



AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.



ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
and revise the land and resource management plan (forest plan) for the 
Clearwater National Forest.






SUMMARY: The current Forest Plan for the Clearwater National Forest was 
completed in September, 1987 and has guided the management of the 
Forest since then. Forest Plans shall ordinarily be revised on a 10-
year cycle or at least every 15 years. It also may be revised whenever 
the Forest Supervisor determines that conditions or demands in the area 
have significantly changed.

    In January of 1993, two lawsuits were filed against the Forest 
Service alleging violations of the National Forest Management Act, 
National [[Page 12734]] Environmental Policy Act, and the 
Administrative Procedures Act. The lead plaintiffs were the Sierra Club 
and the Wilderness Society, representing nine co-plaintiffs. A 
Settlement Agreement was signed on September 13, 1993 and the U.S. 
District Court has issued an order directing implementation of the 
Settlement Agreement.

    The key component of the Settlement Agreement was a commitment by 
the Forest Service to begin the process of revising the Clearwater 
Forest Plan within 18 months of the settlement agreement being signed 
to provide long-term resolution between the parties. The settlement 
agreement was signed on September 13, 1993.
    The Settlement Agreement also states that the current Forest Plan 
will remain in effect during the revision process but implementation 
would be modified using four interim measures. These interim measures 
provide additional direction related to the implementation of projects 
and activities in certain roadless areas, timber harvest, old growth 
and water quality.

    Following the settlement agreement, the Clearwater National Forest 
began gathering background information necessary to begin the revision 
process. However, since September 1993, several other related Forest 
Service planning efforts have been initiated that involve the 
Clearwater National Forest. Most notable is the ``Upper Columbia River 
Basin, Environmental Impact Statement'' (UCRB), which will address 
issues relevant to the Clearwater National Forest and likely result in 
changes to Forest Plans in the UCRB. Notice of this effort and 
supporting information was previously published in the Federal Register 
on December 4, 1994.

    The purpose of the Upper Columbia River Basin, EIS is to ``* * * 
develop and analyze a scientifically sound, ecosystem-based strategy 
for management of lands administered by the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service. * * * The strategy will modify 
existing Forest Plans and will focus on forest, rangeland, and aquatic/
riparian ecosystem health and the sustainability of threatened, 
endangered, and sensitive species.'' Clearly this effort will have a 
profound influence on the revision process for the Clearwater National 
Forest. Therefore, the revision schedule for the Clearwater National 
Forest is designed to coordinate with the information and decisions 
produced by the UCRB, EIS. As part of the revision schedule separate 
notices will go out for scoping, comments on the DEIS, and comments on 
the FEIS.

    During the next 12-18 months, while the UCRB, EIS is in 
preparation, the Clearwater National Forest will continue to gather 
data and information, and conduct assessments of resource conditions to 
better frame the revision process. Tribal governments, state or federal 
agencies or the public are invited to send comments regarding their 
ideas concerning information or data that the Clearwater National 
Forest can be gathering and assessing during this 12-18 month period.



DATES: Comments concerning resource assessments or data gathering in 
support of the Clearwater Forest Plan revision, should be received in 
writing by 90 days following the publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register. A supplemental notice will be placed in the Federal 
Register announcing the beginning of formal scoping for the DEIS with 
an opportunity to comment following completion of the UCRB, EIS.



ADDRESSES: Send written comments concerning this proposal to James L. 
Caswell, Forest Supervisor, Clearwater National Forest, 12730 US 
Highway 12, Orofino, Idaho 83544.



FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Doug Gochnour, Forest Planning Staff Officer or Harry Jageman, Acting 
Revision Team Leader, 12730 US Highway 12, Orofino, Idaho 83544, phone 
(208) 476-4541.



SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Preliminary tasks that have been identified 
for assessment and data gathering include: Land type descriptions, 
social/economic, old growth, watersheds, recreation, forest health and 
fire history. In general, these assessments will be conducted at a 
smaller, more localized scale than will occur for the entire UCRB.
    Revision scoping meetings are tentatively planned for Moscow, 
Lewiston, Orofino, and Kooskia, in Idaho and Missoula Montana. Specific 
dates, times and locations will be announced in local newspapers of 
general distribution. These scoping meetings will begin following the 
completion of the UCRB, EIS presently scheduled for summer, 1996. The 
projected dates for the DEIS and FEIS will be posted in the Federal 
Register at a later date.

    The alternatives considered in the revision of the Clearwater 
Forest Plan will be consistent with decisions made in the UCRB, EIS. 
The purpose and need, preliminary issues, and the scope of the 
Clearwater Forest Plan revision, will be further described in a 
separate Federal Register notice at a later date.
    The responsible official for the revision of the Clearwater Forest 
Plan will be the Regional Forester, Northern Region, P.O. Box 7669, 
Missoula, Montana.

David F. Jolly,

Regional Forester.

[FR Doc. 95-5567 Filed 3-7-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M

 
 

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