United States Forest Service

Idaho Panhandle Colville National Forest

File Code: 1950 NEPA

Date: November 18, 1998

Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

Dear Reader:

The
Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF) and the Newport District of the Colville National Forest are experiencing a serious outbreak of Douglas fir bark beetles. Across the forests, Douglas fir trees are dying and turning red. Entomologists have said the beetle attack is the largest noted in northern Idaho since the 1950s when up to 80% of the mature Douglas fir trees were lost in some stands.

Members
of our staff have evaluated the beetle outbreak and developed the attached proposal to address priority management needs within the beetle infested areas. We recognize that the beetle infestation is so large there is not much we can do to control or stop it. Instead, the infestation has caused us to look more closely at the ecosystem conditions that exist in the hardest hit areas, and what we can do to address some of the problems we are finding.

The
proposal describes our specific objectives and the activities we are proposing to do to meet those objectives. Maps of the project areas are included. Keep in mind that this proposal is a place to begin discussion. It is not a final decision. Your ideas and input are important to us. We strongly encourage you to let us know if you have questions, concerns or other information to share about the proposed areas. Putting your comments in writing helps us to document them, but it is also helpful to speak with you personally or on the phone.

The
proposed activities include removing dead and dying trees in the beetle infested areas. Since these trees will deteriorate rapidly, we must act quickly to effectively accomplish our objectives. A Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published in the Federal Register on November 17, 1998. We plan to have a draft EIS for public review in January. To meet this timeframe we need public input as soon as possible. Therefore, we would like to receive your comments by December 17, 1998. Your comments are welcome at any time while we are conducting our analysis; however, it would be most helpful to receive your input right away. We are in the process of scheduling some meetings for discussions in the form of open houses and/or presentations. Details of those events will be sent out as soon as they are confirmed.

Your
comments, including your name and address, will be part of the public record for this project, and will be available for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered. However, those who submit anonymous comments may not have standing to appeal subsequent decisions on this project.

If
you know of anyone else who may be interested in this proposal, please share this information with them and ask them to stop by or call our office so we can give them a copy of the Project Proposal.

To
save paper and mailing costs, we will not send you any further information on this project unless you let us know that you wish to stay on the mailing list (see attached comment form).

If
you have any questions, or would like to talk about this project, contact Pete Zimmerman, ID team leader, at (208) 263 5111.

Sincerely,

KENT L. DUNSTAN ROBERT L. VAUGHT

District Ranger Forest Supervisor

Priest Lake Ranger District Colville National Forest

Enclosures

PROJECT PROPOSAL

Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

Background of the Douglas fir Beetle Outbreak

Three
factors have led to the current Douglas fir beetle outbreak weather, increased beetle populations, and current conditions of the forest vegetation. During the winter of 1996 and 1997, snow, ice and wind damaged trees in the Idaho Panhandle and Colville National Forests. Beetle populations increased after breeding in trees damaged and weakened by the winter storm. Standing trees were attacked in the spring and summer of 1998. The hot, dry conditions during the summer of 1998 created additional stress to live Douglas fir trees, making them more susceptible to beetle attacks.

Aerial
surveys have revealed thousands of acres of infestation, ranging from individual dead and dying trees to entire stands. Forest workers are noting that for every red needled tree that exists, there are about 1 to 20 green trees that were attacked this year. A typical outbreak of Douglas fir beetles lasts from 2 to 4 years. Additional dying trees are expected before the outbreak subsides. How many more will die depends on future weather conditions and how it affects the beetle populations.

Purpose and Need

Since
the bark beetle outbreak on these national forest lands is so widespread, we recognize there is not much we can do to control or stop it. Instead, the outbreak has caused us to shift our focus of ecosystem restoration to areas where the beetle is causing large amounts of Douglas fir trees to die. As a result, the purpose of this project is to: harvest trees in stands infested with bark beetles and where appropriate, plant ponderosa pine, western larch and western white pine, improve drainage structures on roads, decommission unneeded road segments, reconstruct and relocate identified road segments, removeforest debris and trees that create hazardousfuels, and recover the value of harvested trees to help payfor these activities.

One
of the key reasons we have such a serious beetle outbreak is because our ecosystems are out of balance. This imbalance has been reported in research data from An Assessment of the Ecosystem Components in the Interior Columbia Basin (Quigley and Arbelbide, 1997). On a more local level, research on our forests confirms the Columbia Basin data which says that compared to historic conditions our forests are now made up of twice as much Douglas fir than what was historically present. Our findings also show there has been a large reduction in the percent of species such as ponderosa pine, white pine, and larch all species better adapted to the climate and growing conditions of North Idaho. These species decreased due to

Project
Proposal Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project decades of fire suppression, past logging, and white pine blister rust. The lack of diversity of tree species, especially in older forests, has also affected wildlife habitat and the species that depend on it.

Because
Douglas fir is more susceptible to insects and diseases, dying and dead Douglas fir trees have been creating abnormally high fuel levels which have built up during several decades of active wildfire suppression. The trees now dying from the beetle attack are adding to these fuel levels. This is especially of concern in areas where private lands are close to national forest because the intensity of a wildfire would be so severe it would be very difficult to control.

In
many of the watersheds where the beetle infestations are occurring we know from our research that many existing roads in the project areas are affecting wildlife security and fish habitat. In streams, shifts away from channel stability, sometimes caused by roads, have resulted in a decline in the structure and function of stream ecosystems and their dependent fish populations. In some areas, there are so many roads on the landscape, that wildlife security is compromised.

The
trees killed by bark beetle will lose value as sawtimber in about a year or two after the tree fades to red. We can provide economic benefits to local communities while also achieving goals for long term ecosystem restoration in the beetle attacked areas, if we can recover the value of the trees before they become unmerchantable.

Priority Areas

Due
to the extent of current and anticipated infestations we feel that we can realistically deal with a total of approximately 9,000 acres in the Priest Lake Ranger District and 3,500 acres in the Newport Ranger District. We have identified 3 priority areas for activities (2 on the Priest Lake Ranger District and 1 on the Newport Ranger District). These locations will have moderate to high levels of dead trees as a result of the Douglas fir beetle infestation. We ranked these areas according to several factors including the current and anticipated amount of Douglas fir trees killed by beetles, and the types of ecosystem restoration needs that are known in the priority areas.

The
Lower Priest Area lies northward of Priest River to Binarch Creek. It includes the drainages in the Lower, Upper and West Branches of Priest River. This area has epidemic levels of bark beetle activity and a high probability that losses within the area will increase substantially as the beetle outbreak continues. Current and projected infestations considered in the proposed action are approximately 8,000 acres in size. There are concentrated areas of private land in the Priest Lake community and along the lake shore.

Project Proposal Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

The
Lower Priest Area is a high priority for vegetative restoration. The area is a moderate priority for wildlife security and habitat improvement and risk to private lands from wildfire. It is a low priority for aquatic restoration.

The
Watson Area is located northeast of Nordman and lies east of Highway 57, including portions of Lower Granite Creek, Granite Mountain and Watson Mountain. This area also has epidemic levels of bark beetle activity and a high probability that losses within the area will increase substantially as the beetle outbreak continues. Current and projected infestations considered in the proposed action are approximately 990 acres in size. Private land areas are concentrated in the lowlands near Granite Creek and adjacent to the shore of Priest Lake.

The
Watson area is a high priority for vegetative, aquatic and watershed restoration, and to maintain or improve grizzly bear security and big game winter range habitat.

The
Pend Oreille Area (Colville National Forest) is located east of the Pend Oreille River. It currently has high to moderate levels of bark beetle activity and a high probability that losses within the area will increase substantially as the beetle outbreak continues. Current infestations are present in every subdrainage on the east side of the river within the Newport Ranger District boundary. The northern part of the Pend Oreille Area has current timber sales operating within many of the areas of bug kill. Approximately 3,500 acres, from roughly Browns Lake south to the district boundary, are being considered under this proposed action. There is a checkerboard of land ownership throughout the area, with nearly all national forest lands within one mile of other ownerships. Three areas are considered to be urban interface areas: Bead Lake, Marshall Lake, and Conklin Meadows.

The
Pend Oreille Area is a high priority for vegetative and aquatic restoration, and moderate priority for wildlife security improvement and reducing the risk of wildfire to private lands.

The Proposed Action

The
specialists who have been studying the beetle outbreak and its potential effects recommend the following course of management, known as the Proposed Action.

The
intent of the proposed action is to treat priority areas identified in the Outbreak Incident Assessment Report (November, 1998). In areas where urban or private values are at risk due to fuel accumulations related to the Douglas fir beetle outbreak, fuels would be treated (by timber harvest, piling and burning) so as to reduce the risk of losing these values to fire.

As
we looked at possible ways to care for the areas with beetle infestations, we focused on what condition the timber stands are likely to be in after the outbreak runs its course. We are using the extent of dead and dying trees as a guideline for two overall management schemes.

Project Proposal Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

Generally
, in stands of at least five acres in size where greater than 50% of the stands is projected to die from the Douglas fir beetle outbreak, we are proposing to harvest and plant these areas with tree species more representative of the historic vegetative conditions. Related activities would include harvest, site preparation and/or fuels hazard reduction using fire or mechanical methods, followed by tree planting.

Other
selective harvest treatment activities would be proposed in areas where less than 50% of the stand is projected to die from the beetle outbreak and in areas of special management need or where public safety issues are a concern. Activities would include timber harvest and fuels hazard reduction by fire or mechanical methods.

Aquatic
, watershed, and wildlife restoration activities would include closing or obliterating identified roads (for watershed health and wildlife security) and modifying (by reconstruction) certain other road elements that pose risks to watersheds. The watershed portions of the project could include things such as replacing culverts which are under sized or inhibiting fish migration. Wildlife habitat restoration could include reducing road densities, and improving forage areas.

Prescribed
fire would be used to reduce fuels hazard and to prepare sites for planting. The use of prescribed fire would not be limited to timber harvest areas, but could also be used in some situations where harvest is not practical.

Use
of pest management techniques, such as application of traps, attractants or repellents, could be used to protect high valued stands in those areas where such treatment would likely be effective.

Under
the proposed action, no timber harvest would occur in:

Although
temporary roads could be a part of the proposed action, we are not proposing construction of new permanent roads.

Project
Proposal Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

The Next Step

We
have decided to produce one Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Priest Lake and Newport Ranger Districts. We must act quickly to complete our analysis and accomplish the objectives we stated in our purpose and need. A team of specialists, called an Interdisciplinary Team (ID Team), will be analyzing this proposal, public issues, and alternatives before producing the EIS. We plan to have a draft EIS completed by early January. There will then be 45 days for you to review and comment on the draft. Following that time period we will consider comments, make modifications if needed and release a Final EIS in March, 1999. The Priest Lake Ranger District and Colville National Forest will then produce separate Records of Decision for their project areas.

Public Involvement

It
is important that you tell us your ideas, concerns or issues about this project so we can incorporate them into our planning right away. The ID Team will use your comments to verify the most important issues. Based on these issues the ID Team will then develop alternatives to the proposed action that incorporate the ideas, thoughts, and concerns generated from the public and the ID Team.

A
comment form has been enclosed for your convenience; feel free to use the form, to write us a letter, to call, e mail, or visit. Please direct phone calls and e mail to Pete Zimmerman at (208) 263 5111 (e mail address pzimmerman/rl_ipnf~fs.fed.us). Send all other correspondence to:

A
similar project is occuring in the Coeur d'Alene River Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. For information about the Coeur d'Alene Beetle Project EIS, or to be placed on that mailing list, contact Sherri Lionberger at (208) 664 2318 or write to:

Project Proposal Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

Comment Form

Proposed Pend Oreille Priest Beetle Project

After
reviewing the enclosed project proposal, take a moment to write down your thoughts, issues, ideas, or any information you may have relevant to this project. Please be as specific as possible so we can consider ways to modify our proposal to address your comments. Please return this form or call in your comments right away.

Name: Which community sector listed below best describes