(Kamiah, ID)—Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests Acting Forest Supervisor Molly Ryan is seeking public comment on a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the End of the World Project, a fuel reduction initiative designed to protect communities and ecosystems south of Grangeville, Idaho.
The DEIS incorporates feedback and addresses concerns related to old growth and cumulative effects raised in District Court Judge Candy W. Dale’s unpublished order issued June 24, 2022, which enjoined both the End of the World and Hungry Ridge projects.
The End of the World project encompasses approximately 49,565 acres within the Fish Creek, Cove Creek, and North Fork White Bird Creek watersheds. The area is in the heart of Nez Perce Clearwater Lower Salmon Wildfire Crisis Landscape, the Governor of Idaho’s Priority Landscape Treatment Area, and land recognized as wildland urban interface by Idaho County.
“The primary focus of this project is fuel reduction and decreasing the risk and impacts of high intensity wildfire,” Ryan stated. “This project is of vital importance to many small communities—including Grangeville and Elk City—and dispersed private property and lands in Idaho County.”
The End of the World project proposes a variety of treatments to create a more fire-resilient landscape. These treatments include precommercial thinning on 1,098 acres and timber harvest on 17,269 acres to create healthier forests and reduce fuel loads; prescribed burning on 7,900 acres to mimic natural fire patterns and remove undergrowth; establishing a “shaded fuel break” along Grangeville-Salmon Road for firefighter and public safety; and hand thinning near private property boundaries to minimize wildfire risk.
The project also aims to improve wildlife habitat, restore meadows, and upgrade stream culverts to benefit water quality.
Comments must be received within 45 days of the Federal Register Notice of Availability which was published July 12. Please visit the End of the World Project webpage for additional information, to review the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, and to provide comments (https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/nezperceclearwater/?project=52541).
Questions about the End of the World project can be directed to Jeff Shinn, Salmon River District Ranger ([email protected]), 208-839-2103.
