• We complete edits by 3:00 pm July 24.  
  
• I will open the poll for voting on July 25.  Voting will end July 30 at 3:00 pm. 
  
• If the threshold for consensus is reached, I will work with Dennis to submit the letter (as well as a minority opinion if there is one) the following day using the PFC Steering Team email address.
  

Mr. Keith Lannom, Supervisor Payette National Forest

500 N. Mission Street McCall, ID 83638

Supervisor Lannom:

The Payette Forest Coalition (PFC) has reviewed the DEIS for the Huckleberry Restoration Project.  In general, we find Alternative 2 to most closely align with the PFC Recommendations Report adopted by consensus on August 18, 2016 and submitted to Forest Service November 11, 2016.  The members conclude that the alternative can be improved by addressing the topics below in the FEIS:

• Include the proposed Lynes Point trail and Huntley Gulch loop from Alternative 3.

• Outside of the Lick Creek watershed and Bull trout habitat in the Bear and Indian Creek watersheds, we recommend providing additional seasonal access by incorporating some routes included in Alternative 3 via use of effective seasonal road closures instead of long-term closure, Maintenance Level 1 closure, or road decommissioning where possible.  Determining whether effective seasonal closure is possible should be based upon whether motorized entry can be successfully prevented outside of a roadÂ’s seasonal use.

• We would like to reemphasize the CoalitionÂ’s vegetation treatment recommendations in regard to tree species composition, stand ages, stand structures, fuel loading, and patch size and arrangement on the landscape.  That said, when harvestable insect and disease-infected trees are encountered in Ponderosa pine/larch stands, we recommend that such trees be harvested in favor of leaving smaller, healthy trees.

• We ask that measures be taken to protect whitebark pine seedlings when implementing treatments in and around whitebark pine stands.

• The Coalition recommends that management of white-headed woodpecker habitat in PVGs 1, 2 and 5 be done in a manner consistent with monitoring data (Saab et al, June 2019)[1].

• We support the use of shaded fuel breaks proposed in Alternative 2 as well as strategic use of additional shaded fuel breaks within the project area as long as doing so does not compromise other project objectives.

The Payette Forest Coalition appreciates the work of the Interdisciplinary Team on the design and analysis of this project.  We look forward to successful implementation and monitoring.

[1] White-headed Woodpeckers in the Weiser-Little Salmon CFLRP, June 14, 2019 Payette Forest Coalition Meeting, http://payetteforestcoalition.org/monitoring.html