GREEN RIVER - U.S. Forest Service officials want to treat, cut and haul forest timber within the Cottonwood Creek area of the Bridger-Teton National Forest to improve vegetative resources, according to federal officials.

Big Piney District Ranger Greg Clark said the district is beginning an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analysis to determine whether to implement vegetation management activities in the North and South Cottonwood Creek drainages over the next three to five years.

He said the need for the Cotton Wood II Vegetation Management proposal was previously identified in a forest plan and in the Cottonwood/Maki Environmental Assessment conducted from 1999 until 2003.

The Cottonwood Creek watershed is about 25 miles northwest of Big Piney in the Green River drainage and on the east slope of the Wyoming Range, according to a recently-released scoping notice.

The analysis comprises about 41,420 acres within the North and South Cottonwood Creek watershed and includes the tributary creeks of Nylander, Ole, Hardin, Irene, Lander, Eagle and Bare creeks.

The area also includes Lander Peak, Soda Lake and Bare Mountain and is accessed by two forest roads and numerous collector roads. There are approximately 69 miles of open roads.

The project area is used extensively for dispersed camping, hunting, snowmobiling and other recreational pursuits, according to the notice. It includes extensive habitat for elk, deer, moose, Colorado cutthroat trout and other species of wildlife.

There has been approximately 2,064 acres of timber harvest in the area and 600 acres of wildfire disturbance over the last 50 years. In addition, many acres were partially cut in the first half of the 20th century for railroad ties. It also currently comprises multi-storied forest stands.

The notice said the area is in need of some vegetative management work because old-age aspen and conifer forests are in declining growth and health, because tree density in many of the reforested areas is too high and some existing trailheads are not adequate for expected levels of use.

The agency's proposed action includes:

-Treating about 1,150 acres of aspen stands to regenerate healthy aspen trees and removing conifers growing in the aspen stands. Primary treatment would involve prescribed burns.

-Partially cutting trees on approximately 577 acres to thin overstocked conifer forest and leaving the healthiest trees of diverse species, while reducing losses caused by insects and disease.

-Harvesting of trees on approximately 402 acres to provide for regeneration of the declining lodgepole pine and mixed conifer forests, and to enhance age class diversity across the landscape.

-Improving a timber haul road, several stream crossings, numerous culverts and some end-of-road trailheads.

-Re-locating about a mile of the current Nylander Road out of a riparian area to the dry ridge area to the east to reduce sediment into Nylander Creek.

Clark said alternatives to the proposed action, including no action, will be developed primarily from issues generated during the scoping period. He said the public's input is important to the development of the alternatives.

The district is accepting comments concerning the scope of the analysis and important issues through Feb. 3.

Clark said the draft EIS is expected to be available for public review in September and a final EIS is expected to be issued in January 2005.

Written comments should be mailed to the District Ranger, Big Piney Ranger District, PO Box 218, Big Piney, WY 83113.