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USFS seeks comment on Starry Goat Project |
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November 15, 2016 |
The U.S. Forest Service will prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to disclose
the environmental effects of commercial and
non-commercial vegetation management activities,
prescribed burning, watershed and recreation
improvement activities on the Starry Goat
Project in Boundary and Lincoln Counties.
Access management
changes and other design features are included
to protect resources and facilitate management
activities.
The Starry Goat project area is immediately west
of Troy, Montana, and runs from the Kootenai
River west to the boundary between the Kootenai
and Idaho Panhandle National Forests. The
project area encompasses approximately 90,776
acres (48,471 acres in Montana; 42,305 acres in
Idaho, all administered by the Kootenai National
Forest). Callahan Creek, Brush Creek, Ruby
Creek, and Star Creek are the major drainages in
the project area; all flowing into the Kootenai
River at the project area boundary.
The purpose and need for this project is to: (1)
Promote resilient vegetation conditions by
managing towards the 2015 Forest Plan desired
conditions for landscape-level vegetation
patterns, structure, patch size, fuel loading,
and species composition; (2) maintain or improve
hydrologic connectivity, water quality and
native aquatic species habitat; (3) improve big
game winter range conditions and promote forage
opportunities while maintaining secure habitat
for wildlife; (4) provide a variety of wood
products to the American public, and contribute
to the local economy by generating jobs and
income; (5) maintain and improve the recreation
opportunities in the project area; (6) reduce
the potential for high intensity wildfire while
promoting desirable fire behavior
characteristics and fuel conditions.
The proposed action includes timber harvest and
associated fuels treatments, prescribed burning,
recreation improvements and watershed work to
address the purpose and need. The proposed
action includes:
(1) Approximately 1,550 acres of regeneration
harvest and 553 acres of intermediate harvest.
These treatments would be accomplished through
1,846 acres of tractor harvest and 257 acres of
skyline harvest. Pre-commercial thinning is
proposed on 395 acres within the project area.
Approximately 132 acres of the proposed PCT
would occur within the Callahan Lynx Analysis
Unit and treatment would be consistent with
Forest Plan standard FW-STD-WL-01. Pruning may
occur along with PCT or by itself. There are 17
units proposed that would create or contribute
to 14 different openings larger than 40 acres.
This action requires a 60 day public review and
Regional Forester approval. This document serves
as the beginning of the 60 day comment period.
The largest of these treatment units would be
approximately 231 acres in size. Treatments are
proposed within old growth stands in the drier
habitat types in Douglas-fir/ponderosa pine
dominated stands to contribute to their stand
resistance and resiliency. Approximately 136
acres of harvest treatments are proposed within
old growth and 113 acres of treatment within
recruitment potential old growth. There would be
3,351 acres of fuels treatments proposed within
old-growth stands or portions of those stands.
(2) In an effort to return fire to the landscape
and to promote wildlife foraging opportunities
approximately 9,950 acres of prescribed burning
is being proposed. Approximately 3,458 acres in
the WUI are proposed for burning. Approximately
5,870 acres of this burning will occur in the
Inventoried Roadless Areas of which 3,248 acres
is in Idaho and 2,622 acres is in Montana.
(3) Implementation of best management practice
work and road maintenance work would be
implemented on Forest Service timber haul roads.
Approximately 54 miles of National Forest System
road would be improved to meet State BMPs for
water quality.
(4) Approximately 12.6 miles of active road
storage, 4.95 miles of active decommissioning,
and 5.1 miles of passive decommissioning would
be done on roads not currently open for public
motorized travel. Roads identified in the Travel
Analysis as needed for long-term management of
NFS lands would be put into intermittent stored
service. Roads identified as not needed for
future management would be decommissioned. Both
storage and Start decommissioning could have a
range of treatments including simple barrier
installation (passive treatment) where watershed
impacts are not likely, to active treatments
ranging from removing culverts to full
recontouring where risks to watersheds are high.
Non-motorized access would be facilitated with
improved tread on road segments identified by
the public as important for use. In addition,
there are three sites with proposed watershed
actions on existing roads including: Callahan
sediment trap improvement on NFSR 414, Raymond
Creek bridge removal, and Goat Creek road
culvert upgrade.
(5) The district is proposing fuel mitigation
and roadside thinning to facilitate fuels
reduction, safe ingress and egress for the
public in case of a wildland fire and road
maintenance within the project area.
Approximately 779 acres of thinning and 78 acres
of road maintenance are proposed along only the
Forest Service roads open to yearlong motorized
use.
(6) Proposed Starry Goat activities would impact
approximately 1,372 acres of existing grizzly
bear core, nearly all of which is associated
with harvest access and haul on currently
barriered roads. A minor access management
change at the top of Smith Mountain also
contributes to this total. Gated roads that
could be barriered to provide the necessary
in-kind replacement of core have been
identified. These roads currently do not allow
for public motorized use during the bear year.
Once these road are barriered and placed into
core, no motorized use could occur on these
roads during the bear year including
administrative use.
(7) Proposed Recreation Improvements include the
Threemile Mountain Bike Flow Trail and the
McConnell Snowshoe Trail. The bike trail system
consists of both a descent oriented “Flow Trail”
and a “Cross-Country Bike” style loop. The “Flow
trail” would consist of approximately 7 miles of
new construction. The “Cross-Country Bike loop”
would consist of approximately 6 miles of new
trail construction and would be pursued as time
and funding permits. The McConnell Snowshoe
Trail includes approximately 4 miles of new
construction.
(8) The Star Creek Quarry, North Fork 7 Mile
Quarry, Three Mile Quarry and Airport Gravel Pit
are proposed for free use rock picking where the
public would be able to get a personal use
permit (~2 tons per permit). The District
proposes to increase the Airport Pit by
approximately 3 acres and the North Fork 7 Mile
Quarry by approximately one acre over the life
of the pits.
Comments concerning the scope of the analysis
must be received by December 7, 2016. The draft
environmental impact statement is expected in
June 2017 and the final environmental impact
statement is expected in December 2017.
Send written comments to Kirsten Kaiser,
District Ranger, Three Rivers Ranger District,
12858 U.S. Highway 2, Troy, MT 59935. Comments
may be submitted online by
clicking here, by email to
comments-northern-kootenai-three-rivers@fs.fed.us
or via facsimile to (406) 295-7410.
For further information, contact Project Team
Leader Miles Friend, Three Rivers Ranger
District, 12858 U.S. Highway 2, Troy, MT 59935.
Phone: (406) 295-4693. 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. |
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