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Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. X2L3 USDA United States Luck Lake Department of Agriculture Forest Service Timber Saies Tongass National Forest R10-MB-384 Draft Environmental March 1999 / Impact Statement J United States Forest Alaska Region 648 MissionStreet Departmentof Service TongassNationalForest Ketchikan,Alaska 99901 FAX: (907)228-6215 phone: (907)228-6202 Agriculture FUe Code: 1950 Date: February 24, 1999 Dear Planning Participant: Enclosed is a copy ofthe Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Luck Lake Timber Sales in the Tongass National Forest. The entire EIS is included in one document, which describes one no-action alternative and five action alternatives ranging from 7.4 to 16.9 million board feet ofharvest. Proposed harvest methods include partial cuts and clearcuts with reserve trees. The comment period on the Draft EIS will be a minimum of45 days from the date ofpublication on the notice ofavailability in the Federal Register, anticipated to be March 19, 1999. The deadline for comments is anticipated to be May 3, 1999. The completion date for the Final EIS is expected to be in summer 1999. Federal court decisions have established that reviewers ofa Draft EIS must structure their participation so that it is meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer’s position and contentions. Environmental objections that could have been raised at the Draft stage may be waived ifnot raised until after completion ofthe Final EIS. This is so 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 EIS. I am the responsible official for this project. As a result, I will be deciding whether or not timber harvest will occur in the Luck Lake project area at this time. Furthermore, iftimber harvest does occur, I will be deciding where and how it occurs, where roads are developed, the access management strategy to be implemented, which strategy to implement for the placement ofthe small old-growth habitat reserves, and what mitigation measures are required. Subsistence hearings will be held in Klawock, Thome Bay, Coffman Cove, Whale Pass, Naukati, and Wrangell following a public meeting. Each subsistence hearing and public meeting will be preceded by an open house to answer any questions you may have. The schedule ofhearings and open houses will be published in the Ketchikan Daily News, the IslandNews, and the Wrangell Sentinel. You are encouraged to review and comment on the Draft EIS, as well as to participate in the subsistence hearings and open houses. Please send written comments to: Steve Kimball, District Ranger or Tom Ford, Team Leader, Attn.: Luck Lake EIS, USDA Forest Service, P.O. Box 19001, Thome Bay, AK, 99919; or to the e-mail address: tford/[email protected] may also call (907) 828-3304 for additional information or ifyou would like additional copies ofthe Draft EIS. Sincerely, CAROL JORGENSEN J. Assistant Forest Supervisor Enclosure CaringfortheLandandServingPeople PrintedonRecycledPaper Luck Lake Timber Sales Draft Environmental Impact Statement Ketchikan Area - Tongass National Forest USDA Forest Service, Alaska LeadAgency USDA Forest Service TongassNational Forest Responsible Official Assistant Forest Supervisor Ketchikan AdministrativeArea TongassNational Forest Federal Building Ketchikan, Alaska 99901 For Further Information Contact SteveKimball, District RangerorTom Ford, Team Leader ThomeBay RangerDistrict TongassNational Forest P.O. Box 19001 ThomeBay, Alaska 99919 (907) 828-3304 Abstract TheUSDAForest Serviceproposesto harvest approximately 18 millionboardfeet(MMBF) oftimberintheLuckLakeProject Area, Thome Bay RangerDistrict, Tongass National Forest. Timbervolumewouldbe sold fromthis project in multiplesales ofvarying sizes. The actions analyzed inthis EIS aredesignedto implement direction containedinthe 1997 Tongass Land and ResourceManagement Plan. TheDraft EIS describes six alternatives whichprovidedifferentcombinations ofresourceoutputs and spatial locations ofharvest units. All actionalternatives proposeadjustingtheboundaries ofonesmall reserve, andthe boundaries andlocation ofanotherto include morehigh-valuewinterhabitatfordeer (lower-elevation old-growthforest). Two adjustment scenarioshavebeen proposed. Alternatives2, 3, 4, and 5 includeonescenario, whileAlternative6 includes theother. The alternatives include: 1) No-action, proposingno newharvest fromthe Project Area atthis time; 2) minimizingpotential effectsto areasofkeywildlife andfishhabitat; 3) harvesting themosttimberwhileminimizingnewroadconstmction; 4) (Proposed Action) maximizing thecontributionto thetimberproducts industry; 5) providing economicallyefficienttimber sales; and 6) maximizingthecontributionto thetimberproducts industry. 3 1 Contents Summary i — Chapter 1 Purpose and Need 1-1 Introduction 1-1 Proposed Action 1-1 Project Area 1-2 Purpose and Need 1-2 Relationship to Forest Plan 1-5 Public Involvement 1-8 Issues 1-8 Federal and State Permits, Licenses, and Certifications 1-10 Legislation and Executive Orders Related to the EIS 1-10 Availability of the Planning Record 1-1 — Chapter 2 Alternatives 2-1 Introduction 2-1 Landscape Analysis 2-1 Development of Alternatives 2-2 Direction Common to All Alternatives 2-3 Alternatives Considered in Detail 2-7 Comparison of Alternatives 2-1 — Map Existing Environment 2-17 — Map Alternative 2 2-19 — Map Alternative 3 2-21 — Map Alternative 4 2-23 — Map Alternative 5 2-25 — Map Alternative 6 2-27 — Chapter 3 Affected Environment & 3-1 Environmental Consequences Introduction 3-1 Biodiversity and Old Growth 3-7 Fisheries Resources 3-17 Karst Resources and Geology 3-21 Recreation 3-25 Scenery 3-29 Silviculture and Timber Management 3-33 Socioeconomics 3-45 Soils 3-47 Subsistence 3-51 Threatened and Endangered Species 3-55 Transportation 3-63 Water 3-69 Wildlife 3-75 1 Contents (continued) — Chapter 4 Lists 4-1 List of Preparers 4-1 Glossary 4-5 Literature Cited 4-28 Distribution List 4-34 Index 4-37 — Appendix A Reasons For SchedulingThe A-1 Environmental Analysis OfThe Luck Lake Project Area — Appendix B Unit Cards B— — Appendix C Road Cards C-1