Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Document Structure
The Forest Service has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Healthy Forest
restoration Act (HFRA) and other relevant Federal and State laws and regulations. This
Draft Environmental Impact Statement discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts that would result from the proposed action and no action
alternatives. All numbers and figures are approximate measures based on known project
conditions. The document is organized into five chapters:
• Chapter 1: Introduction: The section includes information on the history of the
project proposal, the purpose of and need for the project, and the agency’s proposal
for achieving that purpose and need. This section also details how the Forest Service
informed the public of the proposal and how the public responded.
• Chapter 2: Alternatives, including the Proposed Action: This section provides a
more detailed description of the agency’s proposed action. A summary comparison
of the proposed action and no action alternatives is also provided in this chapter.
• Chapter 3: Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences: This section
describes the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and no
action alternatives. This analysis is organized by resource area (i.e. Silviculture,
Wildlife, Recreation). The effects of the No Action alternative provide a baseline for
evaluating and comparing to the proposed action alternative.
• Chapter 4: Consultation and Coordination: This section provides a list of preparers,
and also a list of agencies, groups and persons consulted during the development of
the Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
• Chapter 5: Literature Cited and Glossary
• Index
• Appendices: The appendices provide more detailed information to support the
analyses presented in the environmental assessment.
Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources,
may be found in the project planning record located at the Hell Canyon Ranger District
Office in Custer, South Dakota.
Background
The Vestal project area surrounds the city of Custer, South Dakota, encompassing a large
amount (40%) of private land. The private, or non-Forest Service, lands are concentrated
within the city limits, but occur as scattered parcels throughout the whole project area
(see maps in Appendix A). There are extensive private dwellings, businesses, and
government offices within the project area. These structures also occur throughout the
project area (see Maps 6 and 7 in Appendix A). There are many high-use developed
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