Federal Register: December 8, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 236)
DOCID: fr08de08-23 FR Doc E8-28915
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
NOTICE: NOTICES
DOCID: fr08de08-23
ACTION: Amendment to the 2003 Land and Resource Management Plans:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Correction of notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS).
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests; ID; Amendment to the 2003 Land and Resource Management Plans: Wildlife Conservation Strategy (Forested Biological Community)
DATES: Comments concerning this first proposed environmental analysis must be received within 30 days following the date of publication of this NOI. The draft ETS is expected to be available in spring 2009 for a 45day public comment period. The final EIS and three Records of Decision (RODs), one for each Forest Plan, are expected to be completed by summer 2009.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
On September 14, 2007, the Forest Service published an NOI to
prepare an EIS to disclose the environmental effects of proposed
nonsignificant amendments to the three Southwest Idaho Ecogroup (SWIE)
2003 Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans). The September
2007 NOI noted that amendments to the 2003 Forest Plans for the Boise,
Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests (NFs) will add, and/or modify existing, management direction, as needed, to implement a
comprehensive, Forest Planlevel, wildlife conservation strategy (WCS).
This NOI is being corrected to reflect a delay of more than a year in
filing the draft EIS. This corrected NOI also provides notice of a
change in the approach to the amendment process, in that the amendment
process now has been tentatively divided into four phases, each
supported by its own environmental impact statement.
SUMMARY:
Wildlife Conservation Strategy (Forested Biological Community); Intermountain Region, Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth National Forests; ID,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Separate RODs for revised Forest Plans were issued in July 2003 for the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth NFs. The RODs implemented Alternative 7, as identified in the single 2003 final EIS that disclosed the environmental effects of the seven alternatives. Forest Implementation of the three revised Forest Plans began in September 2003.
On September 14, 2007, the Forest Service published an NOT to prepare an EIS to disclose the environmental effects of proposed nonsignificant amendments to the three SWIE 2003 Forest Plans (Federal Register, Vol. 72, No. 178, pp. 5254052542). In late 2007, following a long summer of wildfire, the Responsible Officials for the proposed amendments recognized that, since the Forest Plans were first implemented in 2003, all three Forests have experienced extensive wildfires that may have substantially changed vegetative conditions in many areas from those that existed in 2003. Because this change could affect the type of amendments needed, the three Forests decided to delay preparation of the proposed Forest Plan amendments and EIS so that vegetation baseline conditions could be updated and incorporated in the WCS and amendment process.
This vegetative baseline update and integration into the WCS analysis processes will be completed in the winter of 2009 and incorporated into the draft EIS for the forested biological community, to be released spring 2009, along with important new information concerning wildlife species and their habitat relationships. Consequently, this NOT is being corrected to reflect a delay of more than a year in filing the draft EIS, which was originally expected to be available in mid to latewinter 2008 (FSH 1909.15, 21.2).
The September 14, 2007, NOT identified that all habitats across major biological communities on each of the three NFs would be addressed in a single environmental analysis. However, because the WCS and related amendments must address many species and associated habitats and, therefore, be extremely complex, the amendment process has now been divided into four phases, each with an individual environmental impact statement. The first phase will address the forested biological community, with subsequent phases slated to address rangeland; unique combinations of rangeland and forest; and riparian/ wetland biological communities. This corrected NOT, which reflects the change in the approach to the amendment process, has been prepared for the EIS addressing the forested biological community in the first phase.
Purpose and Need for Action: Assessments supporting Forest Plan revision in 2003 identified more habitat areas in need of restoration for a variety of species within each planning unit than could be moved toward desired conditions by natural processes or management activities within the 10 to 15year planning period. As a result, the 2003 Forest Plans for the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth NFs identified that maintaining and restoring habitats for species of concern should be prioritized based upon the greatest risks to the persistence of certain species (Boise and Payette Forest Plans, p. 1110 and Sawtooth Forest Plan, p. 119).
To address this need, each Forest Plan included a wildlife objective, WIOB03, to prioritize wildlife habitat to be restored at a mid or Forestscale, using information from sources such as species habitat models and fine scale analyses. The WCS currently being developed includes a prioritization framework for implementation of this forest plan direction that managers can use to help focus limited resources and funds for restoration on areas most important to species of concern.
WCS assessments completed to date indicate that most species of concern associated with the forested biological community are linked to habitats found in lateseral multi or singlestoried montane and lower montane forests, including in some cases ``old forest'' habitat. Historically, these habitats contained an abundance of large diameter trees and snags (>20 inches diameter at breast height [d.b.h.]) with cavities important to species nesting, foraging or both.
Preliminary findings suggest there has been an overall reduction in
the abundance of large trees and snags across most habitats, and the
subsequent quality of these habitats, over the last 100 years. Of particular concern is the
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extent of reductions in singlestoried lateseral and old forest
habitats within the lower montane forests over the last 100 years that
were previously dominated by large ponderosa pine trees and snags.
These changes over the last 100 years are largely due to stand
replacement wildfires, historical timber harvest, fire exclusion and increases in human occupancy and use.
There is a need to reconsider Forest Plan direction in response to new information and changed resource conditions:
Impacts resulting from increases in human occupancy and use in priority habitat areas for species of concern need to be considered.
Proposed Action: The Proposed Action is threefold:
(1) Develop a Forest Plan Wildlife Conservation Strategy (WCS) that
provides the information needed to improve Forest Plan strategies in a
way that focuses limited funds and resources toward the highest
priority habitats and species of concern, while minimizing threats to those species or habitats;
(2) Determine if amendments to Forest Plan management direction
and/or other components of the three Forest Plans are needed to reflect findings and priorities identified in the WCS; and
(3) Update the wildlife assessments pertaining to 36 CFR 219.19
(1982), as needed, to reflect findings in updated analyses supporting
the WCS, as well as outcomes anticipated from implementing the amended Forest Plans.
Responsible Officials: The Responsible Officials are the three Forest Supervisors for the Boise, Payette, and Sawtooth NFs.
Nature of Decision To Be Made: The Responsible Officials will review the final ETS and determine if the 2003 Plan for her respective Forest should be amended and/or modified, or if the current Forest Plan should remain unchanged.
Scoping Process: This corrected notice of intent continues the scoping process, which guides development of the ETS. Written comments must be received within 30 days following publication of this NOI in the Federal Register. Providing comments within this time period ensures that they will be available to the Forest Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them during preparation of the specific proposed amendments and Draft EIS.
Beginning in December 2008, information about and status updates of this amendment process will be available on the Web site, http:// fs.usda.gov/boise (click on ``Wildlife Conservation Strategy'').
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 EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to the close of
the comment period and should clearly articulate the reviewer's
concerns and contentions. The submission of timely and specific
comments can affect a reviewer's ability to participate in subsequent administrative appeal or judicial review.
Dated: December 2, 2008.
Cecilia R. Seesholtz,
Forest Supervisor, Boise National.
[FR Doc. E828915 Filed 12508; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 341011M
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Randall Hayman, Forest Planner, Boise National Forest at the address above. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 18008778339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.