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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)
