Dear Interest Party,
The Decision Memo for the Williams Creek Project is now available on the project web page: http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=45705 . The Williams Creek Project will implement restoration activities to increase forest resiliency on lands west of Highway 55 in Valley County, just north of Banks, Idaho.
On March 31, 2014 Idaho State Governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, submitted a request to the Secretary of Agriculture to designate landscape scale treatment areas on National Forests within Idaho that are at high risk of insect and disease mortality pursuant to Section 8204 of the 2014 Agricultural Act, known as the Farm Bill. As stated in Governor Otter’s letter, “Forest Supervisors and their staffs worked with local collaborative groups, resource committees or other local governments and citizens to select the boundaries of proposed landscape areas.”
On May 20, 2014 the Chief of the Forest Service, Thomas L. Tidwell, sent a letter to Governor Otter designating landscape areas requested in Idaho. The Williams Creek Project area falls within one of the 50 designated landscape areas.
The Williams Creek Project will treat nearly 1,600 forested acres to reduce risk to insect and disease disturbance, while improving wildlife habitat and promoting the development of large trees such as ponderosa pine and western larch. An outcome of these activities will increase forest resiliency while providing approximately 11.5 million board feet of wood products that will help the local economy and create jobs.
This decision utilizes the new categorical exclusion authority and environmental review process for a collaborative restoration project in an insect and disease landscape treatment area established under the Agriculture Act of 2014 (Farm Bill). As discussed in the decision, without remediation, risk rating information predicted that at least 25% of the forest within this project area would die over a 15 year time frame due to insects and disease.
Decisions that are categorically excluded from documentation in an EA or EIS are not subject to an administrative review process (pre-decisional objection process) (Agriculture Act of 2014, Subtitle A, Sec. 8006). Project work could begin as early as this summer.
Additional information about this Project may be obtained by contacting Richard Newton, Emmett District Ranger, at 208-365-7000. Additional information can also be found on the Williams Creek Project web page.
Sincerely,
Randall Hayman
Boise National Forest
Forest Planner/Tribal Liaison
1249 South Vinnell Way, Suite 200
Phone: 208-373-4157
Email: rhayman@fs.fed.us