80 FR 8055 - Malheur National Forest; Blue Mountain Ranger District; Grant County, Oregon; Magone Project Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 30 (February 13, 2015)

The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of commercial and non-commercial vegetation management activities, prescribed burning, road activities, recreation opportunity improvements, and other restoration activities. Other design criteria are included to protect resources and facilitate management activities. The project is located on the Blue Mountain Ranger District, Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon, approximately 7 miles north of the town of John Day, Oregon.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8055-8057]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03027]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Malheur National Forest; Blue Mountain Ranger District; Grant 
County, Oregon; Magone Project Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to disclose the environmental effects of commercial and 
non-commercial vegetation management activities, prescribed burning, 
road activities, recreation

[[Page 8056]]

opportunity improvements, and other restoration activities. Other 
design criteria are included to protect resources and facilitate 
management activities. The project is located on the Blue Mountain 
Ranger District, Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon, 
approximately 7 miles north of the town of John Day, Oregon.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
within 30 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Dave Halemeier, District Ranger, 
Blue Mountain Ranger District, c/o Sasha Fertig, P.O. Box 909, John 
Day, OR 97845. Comments may also be sent via email to [email protected]; or submitted via 
facsimile to 541-575-3319.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sasha Fertig, Lead NEPA Planner, Blue 
Mountain Ranger District, 431 Patterson Bridge Road, P.O. Box 909, John 
Day, OR 97845. Phone: 541-575-3061. Email: [email protected]. 
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 Magone project planning area encompasses 
approximately 27,000 acres in the Grub Creek and East Fork Beech Creek 
subwatersheds that drain into the Upper John Day River. The legal 
description for the project planning area includes Townships 11 and 12 
South, Ranges 31 and 32 East, Willamette Meridian, Grant County, 
Oregon.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose and need for the Magone Project was developed by 
comparing the management objectives and desired conditions in the 
Malheur Forest Plan to the existing conditions in the project planning 
area related to forest resiliency and function. Comparison of the 
existing and desired condition indicates the specific needs to: (1) 
Restore forest structure, composition, and density toward more 
resilient vegetative conditions given the historical fire regime; (2) 
reduce the fuel loadings by reducing the density and connectivity of 
standing vegetation, surface fuels, and ladder fuels; (3) maintain or 
improve habitat for fish and wildlife species present in the project 
planning area; (4) improve one or more of the nine roadless area 
characteristics within the Nipple Butte inventoried roadless area; and 
(5) provide for a variety of social values and opportunities in the 
watershed, including availability of traditional use plants, a variety 
of wood products, enhanced recreation experiences around Magone Lake, 
and forest management employment opportunities.

Proposed Action

    The Forest proposed action includes silviculture treatments, 
prescribed burning, road activities, recreation opportunity 
improvements, and Magone Lake restoration activities to address the 
purpose and need. These activities would occur over approximately the 
next 10 years. The proposed action includes:
    (1) Commercial thinning (5,500 acres), non-commercial thinning 
(1,200 acres), post and pole removal (400 acres), biomass removal (may 
occur within units designated for commercial and non-commercial 
thinning), and mountain mahongany and bitterbursh enhancement (within 
commercial and non-commercial thinning units). Silviculture treatments 
would help restore forest structure, composition, and density toward 
more resistant and resilient vegetative conditions.
    (2) Prescribed fire on up to 28,500 acres to reduce and maitain 
fuel loadings. Treated stands would see a combination of burning piled 
material and underburning (approximately 5,800 acres). Those stands not 
mechanically treated would be managed exclusively with the use of 
prescribed burning. As conditions and stand characteristics allow, 
natural ignitions within the planning area would be used to meet the 
objectives of prescribed burning. In the project planning area, the 
Grant County Community Wildfire Protection Plan identified 2 county 
roads and the Malheur National Forest identified 4 Forest Service roads 
as potential escape route/safety corridors in the event of a wildland 
fire. Fuel breaks would be created and maintained using a combination 
of mechanical treatments and prescribed burning. Additionally, the 
decreased fuel loadings in strategically placed, shaded fuel breaks 
would afford suppression forces a higher probability of success 
controlling wildfires.
    (3) Approximately 85 miles of road would be maintained for haul and 
9 miles of temporary road would be constructed (and rehabilitated 
following use). The following changes to the road system are also 
proposed: Decommissioning 1.3 miles of road, closing 2.3 miles of 
currently open road, closing currently open roads and co-designating 
those roads as trails (1.3 miles), and converting a road to a trail 
(1.2 miles). These changes would reduce water quality issues, close 
roads that are already effectively closed on the ground, and 
decommission and close roads that are within the Nipple Butte 
inventoried roadless area (IRA).
    (4) A variety of recreation opportunities would be developed to 
enhance recreational experiences in the project planning area. An 
expanded trail system would be centered around the Magone Lake 
developed recreation area. Several connecting trail options would 
provide for longer hikes, varied returns, and a more broad recreation 
experience. New construction of single-track bicycle trails within the 
Nipple Butte IRA would connect with existing bicycle trails and the 
other newly constructed trails. All of the trails would be single-track 
bicycle and hiker trails with measures to prevent any off-highway 
vehicle (OHV) use. Approximately 50 miles of trail would be designated, 
with 42 miles of that being new trail construction. New interpretive 
signs would be placed at Four Corners and the Magone Lake Campground. 
Fishing and recreational boating opportunities would be enhanced with 
expansion of the existing floating boat dock located at the boat 
launch, modifying the existing two piece floating dock adjacent to the 
campground, and placing a new floating fishing dock on the east side of 
Magone Lake.
    (5) The proposed action also includes restoration activities within 
Magone Lake to increase near shore habitat complexity for fish. Fish 
cribs and fish sticks (bunches of 3 to 5 trees) would be placed on the 
ice during winter, to sink into the lake during ice melt.
    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. Corridors 
established for old-growth dependent species in the project planning 
area would allow for big game migratory and dispersal movements, as 
well as providing higher cover rates and forage. The designated 
connectivity corridors are approximately 1,900 acres in size.
    The Magone 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. The 
proposed action

[[Page 8057]]

may also include amendments to the Malheur National Forest Land and 
Resource Management Plan, as amended.

Possible Alternatives

    The Forest Service will consider a range of alternatives. One of 
these will be the ``no action'' alternative in which none of the 
proposed action would be implemented. Additional alternatives may be 
included 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.

Responsible Official

    The Forest Supervisor of the Malheur National Forest, 431 Patterson 
Bridge Road, John Day, OR 97845, is the Responsible Official. As the 
Responsible Official, I will decide if the proposed action will be 
implemented. I will document the decision and rationale for the 
decision in the Record of Decision. I have delegated the responsibility 
for preparing the draft EIS and final EIS to the District Ranger, Blue 
Mountain Ranger District.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    Based on the purpose and need, the Responsible Official reviews the 
proposed action, the other alternatives, the environmental 
consequences, and public comments on the analysis in order to make the 
following decision:
    (1) Whether to implement timber harvest and associated fuels 
treatments, prescribed burning, and watershed work, including the 
design features and potential mitigation measures to protect resources; 
and if so, how much and at what specific locations;
    (2) What, if any, specific project monitoring requirements are 
needed to assure design features and potential mitigation measures are 
implemented and effective, and to evaluate the success of the project 
objectives. A project specific monitoring plan will be developed.

Scoping Process

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process, which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. The 
interdisciplinary team will continue to seek information, comments, and 
assistance from Federal, State, and local agencies, 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.
    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 environmental impact statement. 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.

    Dated: February 6, 2015.
Steven K. Beverlin,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 2015-03027 Filed 2-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-11-P