![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Great Divide Ranger District; WI; Twentymile Restoration Project
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
[Federal Register: December 23, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 246)]
[Notices]
[Page 76904-76906]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23de04-35]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, Great Divide Ranger
District; WI; Twentymile Restoration Project
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The USDA Forest Service, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest,
Great Divide Ranger District intends to prepare an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental consequences of a
vegetation and water resources restoration project. In the EIS the USDA
Forest Service will address the potential environmental impacts
associated with: restoring northern hardwood forests to an uneven-aged
condition, improving the landscape pattern of northern hardwood
forests, reducing the amount of aspen in cold-water stream corridors,
reducing sediment and restoring riparian and stream habitat, improving
upland forest type composition, balancing the age class distribution of
aspen, and providing a safe, efficient, and effective transportation
system; all while promoting healthy forests and providing forest
commodities.
The Twentymile Project Area is approximately 32,000 acres in size
and is located in Bayfield County, approximately 25 miles northeast of
Hayward, Wisconsin. The approximate legal description for the area is
as follows: T44N R6W Sections 1-14 and 23-25; T44N R5W Sections 5-8,
14-23, and 26-35; T43N R5W Sections 1-3, 11, and 12; and T43N R4W
Sections 4-7. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the purpose
and need for the action.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received
within 30 days following publication of this notice to receive timely
consideration in the preparation of the draft EIS. The draft
environmental impact statement is expected May 2005 and the final
environmental impact statement is expected September 2005.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Anne Archie, c/o Deb Sigmund, NEPA
Coordinator; Great Divide Ranger District, P.O. Box 896, Hayward, WI
54843. Send electronic comments to:
comments-eastern-chequamegon-nicolet-great-divide@fs.fed.us. See
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for information on how to send
electronic comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Deb Sigmund, NEPA Coordinator, Great
Divide Ranger District, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, USDA
Forest Service; telephone: 715-634-4821. See address above under
ADDRESSES. Copies of documents may be requested at the same address.
Another means of obtaining information is to visit the Forest Web page
at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/ 
click on ``Natural
Resources'', then ``Twentymile Restoration Project''.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Purpose and Need for Action
The purpose of the Twentymile Restoration project is to implement
land management activities that are consistent with direction in the
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan
(Forest Plan, 2004) and to respond to specific needs and/or problems
that were identified during opportunity area and transportation system
analyses.
The purpose and need for this proposal is to: (1). Restore northern
hardwood forests to an uneven-aged condition (Plan, p. 1-3). These
uneven-aged forests are to be characterized by a variety of tree ages
and sizes, with older age classes well represented. Achieve large
diameter trees (>25'' dbh), and old growth characteristics such as tip-
ups, snags, and coarse woody debris (Plan, p. 3-9). Emphasis for
restoration is to provide a well-developed understory that provides
feeding and nesting habitat for Neotropical birds, nutrient cycling,
and tree seedling establishment (Plant FEIS, p. 3-61); (2.) Improve the
landscape pattern of northern hardwood forests by maintaining or
recreating large northern hardwood patch conditions and allowing early
successional forest patches to succeed or treat them so as to encourage
conversion to long-lived species (Plan, p. 3-8); (3.) Reduce the amount
of aspen in cold-water stream corridors by not regenerating it and/or
converting it to long-lived conifers or northern hardwoods (Plan p. 2-
17); (4.) Reduce sediment deposition and restore riparian and stream
habitat. Maintain or restore streams to provide for the transport of
water and sediments within the natural ranges for the watershed, which
results in stable stream channels (Plan, p. 3-60). Relocate existing
roads and trails out of riparian management zones and eliminate stream
crossings when practicable (Plan pp. 1-3 and 2-2); (5.) Improve upland
forest type composition. Terrestrial ecosystems should be in healthy,
diverse, and productive conditions and support a diversity of plant and
animal communities and tree species (Plan, p. 1-3); (6.) Balance the
age class distribution of aspen in the areas it is desired to promote
diversity for various wildlife species. A long-term sustainable level
of all age classes is needed by wildlife species for dense cover and
forage (Plan, p. 2-4 and 3-11); (7.) Promote healthy forests and
provide forest commodities. Maintain and enhance the growth and vigor
of trees within the project area, while providing a variety of wood
products and species mixes for the different market niches through
commercial timber harvests (Plan, p. 1-6); (8.) Provide a safe,
efficient, and effective transportation system. A desirable
transportation system provide safe access and meets the needs of
communities and forest users; facilitates the implementation of the
Forest Plan; allows for economical and efficient management within
likely budget levels; meets current and future resource management
objective; and has a minimal impact on natural resources. (Plan, pp. 1-
7 and 2-35-38; Twentymile Roads Analysis, p. 4).
Proposed Action
The following actions have been identified to address the above
needs. (1) To address the need for restoration of northern hardwood
forest, approximately, 7,897 acres of predominantly even-aged northern
hardwood stands would be selectively harvested. Approximately 20 acres
of these northern hardwood stands would also be under planted to white
pine. Within approximately 576 acres of these stands, some of the trees
marked for
[[Page 76905]]
removal would be felled and left in place, to move these stands closer
to the desired quantity of coarse wood debris. (2) To address the need
for improvement of the landscape pattern of northern hardwoods,
approximately 249 acres of aspen within or adjacent to existing
hardwood blocks would be treated with an improvement cut to begin
conversion to northern hardwoods. (3) To address the need for reducing
the amount of aspen within cold-water stream corridors, approximately
64 acres of aspen would be converted to northern hardwoods by
improvement cutting to no less than 85-95 square feet of basal area per
acre. (4) To address the need for sediment reduction and riparian
habitat restoration approximately 1 mile of road would be relocated out
of stream floodplains; 1100 feet of Twentymile Creek would be restored
to its original stream channel; 9 intermittent drainages to Twentymile
Creek would be restored; and 230 feet of Twentymile Creek would be
restored through removal of an old culvert, channel braids upstream,
and a large scour pool downstream. (5) To meet the upland forest type
composition objectives need, shelterwood harvests would be conducted on
81 acres of paper birch stands; overstory removals conducted on 146
acres of paper birch stands; pine thinnings conducted on about 364
acres of red pine and 29 acres of white pine stands; clearcuts
conducted on 31 acres of jack pine stands followed by planting to red
pine; and 13 acres of upland openings would be maintained through
mowing, burning, or hand-cutting. (6) The need for balancing the age
class distribution of aspen would be met by clearcutting and
regenerating approximately 413 acres of aspen. (7) The need for
improving forest health and providing forest commodities would be met
through numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 above. (8) The transportation system
needs would be met by eliminating about 29 miles of roads that are in
poor locations and not needed for long-term access to the national
forest; reconstructing about 4 miles of road that are in poor
condition; constructing about 13 miles of new road to provide long-term
access to specific areas of the forest; constructing 1.5 miles of
temporary roads that would be eliminated after use; relocating 2 unsafe
intersections to safer locations; and closing approximately 20 miles of
National Forest System road to vehicles and ATV's to protect resources,
avoid recreation use conflicts, address local government concerns, or
address safety issues.
Responsible Official
Anne Archie, Forest Supervisor; Chequamegon-Nicolet National
Forest, 1170 4th Avenue South, Park Falls, WI 54552.
Nature of Decision To Be Made
The decision will be limited to answering the following three
questions based on the environmental analysis:
1. What actions would be used to address the purpose and need
2. Where and when these actions would occur
3. What mitigation measures and monitoring requirements would be
required
Scoping Process
The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest proposes to scope for
information by contacting persons and organizations on the District's
mailing list, by publishing a notice in the local newspapers, and by
posting flyers at key locations within and nearby the Twentymile
project area. No scoping meetings are planned at this time. The present
solicitation is for comments on this Notice of Intent and scoping
materials available elsewhere, such as on the Forest Web page.
Preliminary Issues
Preliminary or potential issues have been identified from previous
internal and public comments.
1. Timber Harvests may result in short-term impacts to soils,
understory vegetation, wildlife, visuals, and recreational uses of the
forest.
2. Long-term reductions of aspen may occur as a result of
conversions, affecting the species that relay on them for food and cover.
3. Road decommissioning and closures may reduce the number of roads
and miles of roads previously available for public and tribal access,
for uses such as hunting, gathering, etc.
4. Road Reconstruction and Construction may disturb and impact new
corridors, while creating access and use where access was previously
not available.
5. Road Relocations may disturb and impact new corridors.
Relocations may also improve watershed health and motorist safety.
6. Watershed Improvement projects may result in short-term
increases in turbidity and sedimentation.
Electronic Access and Filing Addresses
Information is available electronically on the Forest Web page:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/ click on ``Natural Resources''
and then ``Twentymile Restoration Project''. Send electronic comments to:
comments-eastern-chequamegon-nicolet-great-divide@fs.fed.us. When
submitting electronic comments, please reference the Twentymile
Restoration Project on the subject line. In addition, include your name
and mailing address.
Comments Requested
This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides
the development of the environmental impact statement. Comments in
response to this solicitation for information should focus on (1.) The
proposal as described in numbers 1-8 of the Proposed Action, (2.)
possible alternatives for addressing issues associated with the
proposal, and (3.) any possible impacts associated with the proposal
based on an individual's civil rights (race, color, national origin,
age, religion, gender, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, or marital or family status). We are especially interested
in information that might identify a specific undesired result of
implementing the proposed action. Comments received in response to this
solicitation including names and addresses of those who comment will be
considered part of the public record on this proposed action and will
be available for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will
be accepted and considered; however those who submit anonymous comments
will not have standing to appeal the subsequent decisions under 36 CFR
parts 215 or 217.
Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any persons may request
the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by showing
how the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) permits such confidentially.
Persons requesting such confidentiality should be aware that under FOIA
confidentiality may be granted in only very limited circumstances, such
as to protect trade secrets.
The Forest Service will inform the requester of the agency's
decision regarding the request for confidentiality and, should the
request be denied, return the submission and notify the requester that
the comments may be resubmitted with or without name and address within
90 days.
Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent
Environmental Review
A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement
will be 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency
[[Page 76906]]
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of
draft environmental impact statements must structure their
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRCD, 435 U.S. 519,
553 (1978). Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the
draft environmental impact statement stage but that are not raised
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d
1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986), and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris,
490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980). Because of these court
rulings, it is very important that those interested in this proposed
action participate by the close of the 45 day comment period so that
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to
them in the final environmental impact statement.
To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the draft
environmental impact statement should be as specific as possible. It is
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the draft
environmental impact statement or the merits of the alternatives
formulated and discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer
to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at
40 CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook
1909.15, Section 21)
Dated: December 10, 2004.
Anne F. Archie,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 04-28098 Filed 12-22-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-M