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Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. LS J> I I C United States Northwest Baranof Departmentof Agriculture Forest Service Timber Sale(s) Tongass ' ' National Forest R10-MB-304c Draft Environmental Impact Statement August1995 I Summary United States Forest Region 10 Chatham Area Department of Service Tongass National Forest 204 Siginaka Way Agriculture Sitka, Alaska 99835 (907-747-6671) Reply To: 1950 Date: July 21, 1995 Dear Reviewer: Enclosed for your review and comment is a copy of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Northwest Baranof Timber Sale(s). If you received a complete set of documents, the following are in the package: Summary 1. 2. Volume I: Draft Environmental Impact Statement 3. Volume II: Appendices 4. Map Packet Ifyou elected to receive onlythe Summary and Map Packet, these are enclosed. Contactthe Planning Team at the address below ifyou only received the Summary and would like to receive the additional volumes. The Planning Team has made an effort to make this a more readable document, and has summarized much oftheir research and analysis. Additional information isfiled inthe project planning record, and is available at the address below. There will be a45 day period duringwhichyou may review and comment onthe Draft EIS. Comments should be written and must be received by October 2, 1995. These comments should be sent to: James Thomas, Team Leader USDA Forest Service - Sitka Ranger District 204 Siginaka Way Sitka, Alaska 99835 The Draft EIS concludesthatthere is a significant possibility of a significant restriction on subsistence use of deer. Therefore, in compliance with Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), a public hearing will be held during the public comment period. This hearing will be held in Sitka the week of September 11, 1995. The date, time, and specific location of the hearing will be announced by future notification in the Daily Sitka Sentinel and in the Federal Register. wantto encourageyoutotakethetimeto reviewand commentonthe Draft EIS, aswell as participate I in the subsistence hearing. Your input will be used in preparation of the Final EIS and the Record of Decision. If you have any questions, please contact James Thomas or any member of the Northwest Baranof Planning Team at (907) 747-6671. Your interest in the management of the Tongass National Forest is appreciated. Sincerely, GARY AT MORRISON Forest Supervisor 950714 1000 IDT2 1950 JMT Summary Project Overview Incompliance with Federal regulations, the USDA ForestServicehas prepared this Draft EnvironmentalImpactStatement (EIS) forproposed timberharvestand related activities in the NorthwestBaranofProjectArea. The NorthwestBaranofProjectArea is located on the Sitka RangerDistrictofthe ChathamArea, Tongass NationalForest (See Figure S-l). This EIS follows the formatestablished in the CouncilonEnvironmentalQuality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508). In this document, we disclose the physical,biological, economic, and socialconsequences offive alternatives, including theno-action alternative. Purpose and Need The purpose and need for the Northwest BaranofProjectis to implement direction contained intheTongass Land Management Plan (TLMP), as amended (USDAForest Service 1979, 1986), tohelp provide a sustained level oftimbersupply tomeetannual and TLMP planningcyclemarket demand, and to provide localemploymentin thewood products industry, consistentwith providing for the multipleuse and sustained yield of allrenewable forestresources. The NorthwestBaranofProjectis expected toprovide between30 and 100 mmbfoftimber, given the guidance in the TLMP. TheTLMPcurrently provides formanagement ofabout38 percent ofthe ProjectArea for intensive resource use and developmentwith anemphasis oncommodityresources such as timber. UnderTLMP, this38 percenthasbeen givenland use designation (LUD) IV. The TLMPprovides formanagement ofthe other62 percentofthe ProjectArea for a variety ofuses, including timberproduction (LUD III). TheTLMP schedules timbersale preparation for allManagementAreas inthe ProjectArea. Acomparison ofthe Desired Future Conditionfor the ProjectArea, as reflected inTLMP direction, with the existing conditionshows theneed to convertsuitable stands ofold growth timber to managed productive stands capable oflong-term timberproduction. Section 101 ofthe TongassTimber ReformAct of1990 LIRA), directs theUSDAForest ( Service "... to the extentconsistentwith providing forthemultiple use and sustained yield ofall renewable forest resources, seek to provide a supplyoftimberfrom the Tongass NationalForestwhich (1) meets the annualmarket demand fortimberfromsuch forest and (2) meets the market demand fromsuch forestforeachplanningcycle." Section 101 oftheTTRAspecifies that ForestService efforts toseek tomeetmarket demand are subjectto appropriations. National ForestManagementAct (NFMA) requirements, and other applicable law. Providing a timbersupply from theTongass for sustained localwood products industry employmentand related economic and social benefits is an objective oftheTLMP, the Alaska National InterestLands ConservationAct (ANILCA), as amendedby the TTRA, and the Ketchikan Pulp Company (KPC) long-term contract. Northwest BaranofTimberSale(s) Summary • 1 Summary Two indicators ofmarketdemand areused here in furtherdefining theneed. First, the price ofbids for timberin the regionremainshigh. Independent sales continue tosell for more than the appraised value. This reflects thenationwide andworld price and demand for timber. Second, thereis a demonstrated millcapacity in the region toprocess the logs, ifthe supplyoftimberis available. There is also a projected need forthe timber volumebeing considered from this projectarea for the ForestService tocome closer to meetinganobjective ofprovidinga three yearsupply oftimberundercontractto the existing dependentindustry, as ameans ofprovidingforstabilityinrelationto fluctuatingmarketdemand (Morse 1995).There is asubstantialcomponentofthe economy ofSoutheastAlaska thatis dependent on a viable timberindustry. Based on thesefactors, theneed for the projectis clearly indicated. At this time, the timbervolume from thisprojectiscurrentlyscheduled tobemade available tothe independenttimbersaleprogramand notto KPC.AnyKPC long-term contract offerings implemented through this Projectwillhelp meetKPC long-term contracttimbersupplyneeds. The KPC timbersale contract (USDAForestService. 1951. ContractNumberA10fs-1042), includes the following provisions: B0.61 TimberOffering Schedule. Each yearpriortoFebruary 15, ForestService afterconsultationwithpurchasershalldevelop a tentative Offeringschedulebased upontheTongassNationalForestLand and ResourceManagementPlan,whichshall displayOfferingAreas and timbervolumes proposed forharvest, and theexpected NEPAprocess commencementand completiondate formaking anyadditional Offerings under the terms ofthiscontract. To theextent authorizedbylaw. Offering Areasmaybe identified forharvestoutside the SaleArea, asneeded tomeetsale volume requirements. The tentativescheduleshalllistsufficienttimbervolume and schedule commencementofthe NEPA processbyOffering Area orAreas toprovide Purchaser a CurrentTimberSupplysufficientforatleastthree years ofoperations hereunder oruntilthe contract terminationdate, whichever occurs first, adjustingfor the provisions ofBO.63 and B6.36. Indeveloping the schedule. ForestServicewill consider theproductionrequirements ofPurchaser'smanufacturingfacilities. B0.62 Specifying Offerings for Harvest. Based uponthe tentative schedule and NEPAprocess, and consistentwith timbersaleplanning, managementrequirements, and environmental assessmentprocedures forindependentTongassNationalForest timbersales. ForestService afterconsultationwith Purchaser and completionofthe NEPAprocess, shallspecifyand additionalOfferings. ForestService shallseek to specifysufficientOfferings tomaintaina CurrentTimberSupplyinallOffering Areas that totals atleastthreeyears ofoperationshereunder oruntil the contract terminationdate,whichever occurs first, andwhichmeets the production requirements ofPurchaser's manufacturing facilities. Themaximumaverage annualrate peryear atwhich KPC is generallyallowed toharvest is 192.5 MMBF underlongtermcontractsection B0.52. KPC's averageharvest rate, obtained fromcontractrecords, during the five-yearperiod fromMarch 1, 1989 through February 28, 1994was 185.4MMBF peryear. Therefore, a three yearsupply oftimberfor KPC's operations under thecontractis currentlyestimated torange from556.2 to577.5 mmbf. 2 • Summary Northwest BaranofTimberSale(s) Summary As ofJune 1, 1995, KPChad a current timber supply ofapproximately 193MMBF. The maximumvolume oftimber thatcanbe provided toKPC fromwithin thecontract area in the remainderoffiscalyear 1995 is about93 MMBF. Themaximum amount thatcanbe provided to KPC fromwithinthe contractarea during 1996 is expected tobe about 174.1 and during 1997 about 155.9 MMBF. Assuming the maximumannualaverageharvest rate of 192.5 MMBF, a timbersupply of93.5 MMBFwouldbe available at the end of1995, 75.1 MMBFat the end of 1996, and 38.5 MMBF at the end of1997. These levelswould fall wellshortofmeeting the objective ofspecifyinga three-yearsupply for operations under the contract, consideringon-goingharvestateither themaximumorhistoricratesnoted above. Therehavebeensuggestions thatlayoutand otheractions couldbe expedited toincrease the amounts available from the contract area through 1997. However the current assessmentis thatfurtherexpediting layoutisnotfeasible, evenwith significant increased funding,while maintaininga reasonable assurance ofqualitywork. The Forest Servicehas made efforts to accelerate the preparationofnew offeringswithin the contract area. Atpresent, about852.7MMBF innew timberprojects arebeingplannedwithinthe contract area overthe duration ofthe contract,beyondwhatis projected inthe 1995 - 1997figures presented above. However,because ofthe amountoftime required to prepare new offerings inaccordancewith applicable laws,none ofthis volumeis projected tobe availableuntil after fiscalyear 1997. Itremains tobe seenhowmuchof the volume inpreparationwillbe cleared through theNEPAprocess and whenitwillbe available. Consequently, additional timberfrom outside the KPC contractarea isneeded inorder to meet the three-year timbersupply objective. Sale offerings currentlyscheduled, undergoingNEPA evaluation, or atsome otherstage in the preparationprocess are projected tobe needed tohelp meetthe KPC long-termcontractand independentsale program's three-yearsupplyobjectives. Ifanycurrentlyplanned independentsales were converted to KPC contractofferings, equivalentvolume currentlyplanned forKPC contractofferingswould thenneed tobe substituted as independentsale offerings. The firstofferings from theNorthwestBaranofProjectArea couldbe made available in1996 tohelp meeteither three-yearsupplyobjective. Project Area The Northwest BaranofProjectArea is located intheTongassNationalForest atthe northwestend ofBaranofIsland. Itlies approximately fivemilesnorth ofSitka, Alaska and encompasses 156,003 acres. The ProjectArea includes themajorwatersheds of RodmanCreek, Fish Bay Creek, and Nakwasina River. Italso includes the lands on BaranofIslandborderedbyNakwasina Sound,Nakwasina Passage,NevaStrait, and PerilStrait (Figure S-l). Northwest BaranofTimberSale(s) Summary • 3 Summary Background The ProjectAreawas, untilrecently, part ofthe Alaska Pulp Corporation (APC) long- term timbersale contractarea. In 1956, the ForestServiceentered into acontractwith the Alaska Lumber and Pulp Company (laterrenamed Alaska Pulp Corporation) forthe sale and harvest oftimber inSoutheastAlaska fora 50-yearperiodbeginning in 1961 and ending in2011. OnSeptember30, 1993, APC ceased operationofits Sitka pulp mill, whereuponthe ForestService officially terminated the long-termtimbersalecontract with APC onApril 14, 1994.Terminationofthe APC contractshifted thefocus formaking timber available in the ProjectArea fromAPC long-termtimbersalecontractofferings to competitive independent timbersales.Since the terminationoftheAPC contract, the ForestService has continued to assessmarket demand for timberinSoutheastAlaska as partofits independenttimbersale program.Thismarketassessmentcontinues toaffirm marketdemand fortimbervolume inSoutheastAlaska. Inaddition to the independent timber sale program, the terminationoftheAPC long- termcontracthas alsoresulted in timber thatwaspreviouslycommitted to the APC contractbeing available forKetchikan Pulp Company (KPC) underit'slong-term contract. KPC operates a pulp milland a sawmillinKetchikanand a sawmill in Metlakatla. TheKPC operationwas a resultofa50-yearcontractbetween the Forest Service and KPC forsale and harvest oftimberinSoutheastAlaskabeginningin 1954and endingin2004. In 1994, thescheduling ofanumberoftimbersaleprojects was adjusted inorder to maintainoptions foraddressingnew resource managementissues.The ForestService updated KPC's long-termcontract tentative offering schedule toreflectending issues concerning wildlife species viability and potential species listingunder the Endangered Species Act. Some ofthe original volume scheduled for the Alaska Pulp Corporation long-termcontractisnowbeingscheduled for the KPC contract.The ForestService projects thatofferings to KPC scheduled in 1994 and 1995 fromtheStikine and Chatham Areaswillbeneeded tohelp meetsalevolume requirements. 4 • Summary Northwest BaranofTimberSale(s)