Decision Memo for the City of Detroit Root Rot Timber Sale Project

Transcription

1 Decision Memo for the City of Detroit Root Rot Timber Sale Project USDA Forest Service Detroit Ranger District Willamette National Forest Marion and Linn Counties, OR T.10S., R.5 E., Section 2, Willamette Meridian Purpose and Need The purpose of this project is to provide for public health and safety by removing Douglas-fir trees infected with laminated root rot on approximately one acre adjacent to private property and homes in the City of Detroit Oregon. The need for the project is to protect private property and homes. The laminated root rot infected area is adjacent to homes in the City of Detroit, and lies between the homes and the lake. The root rot was discovered when a tree failed, falling on, and destroying a garage. Laminated root rot is a native disease which kills the roots of infected trees. There is no treatment available to save the trees once infected with laminated root rot and the only management tool is to switch species to a species that is resistant to the disease. Proposed Action The proposal is to cut Douglas-fir within 1.5 trees lengths of the property line between the private property and Detroit Lake. Any other conifers presenting a safety hazard would also be cut. The merchantable trees would be offered in a small timber sale. The trees would be harvested during dry weather this fall. Trees would be hauled across the lake bed during low pool to FS road 061 which accesses the log corral. There will be a small landing in between the two gates where the log trucks would be loaded. Hauling out of timber on lake bed will require full log suspension, placement of slash bed in non-vegetated areas, pre-haul meeting on site with Hydrologist or Fish Biologist to inspect route and slash, and monitoring. Hauling shall not occur on the shoreline banks or when soils are saturated. equipment will be used on the lake shoreline, defined as the lake shoreline at normal full pool, and ground based equipment will be kept a minimum of 20 feet from the banks and 30 feet from the unstable bank in the NW corner. Stumps will be low cut, less than 4 inches. Following harvest, slash will be piled and burned, chipped and/or end hauled, with full clean up completed winter or early spring. Operations will occur during weekdays as much as possible. Disturbed areas such as skid trails and landings will 1

2 be seeded with Willamette seed mix and/or blue wild rye. The area will be planted with root rot resistant trees such as western white pine and/or western redcedar within two years following harvest. Shrubs such as vine maple will also be planted to restore visual quality. Scoping and Public Involvement A public meeting was held on site with the homeowners and other interested parties on June 13, Two Forest Service pathologists, Holly Kearnes and Kristen Chadwick, attended the meeting to explain the root rot and to assist homeowners in determining if they had affected trees on their property. The project has been listed on the Forest SOPA since July, 2015 and can be viewed at The proposed action was available for comments from August 14 through August 31, One comment was received asking for definition of low stumps and clarification of timing for slash treatments and tree planting. These comments were incorporated into the final proposed action. During internal scoping, Detroit Ranger District resource specialists raised no issues and found no extraordinary circumstances in relation to implementing this proposed action. All supporting documentation is located in the project file available at the Detroit Ranger District. Categorical Exclusion Criteria Decisions may be categorically excluded from documentation in an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment when they are within one of the categories identified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 7 CFR part 1b.3 or one of the categories identified by the Chief of the Forest Service in Forest Service Handbook (FSH) sections or 32.2, and there are no extraordinary circumstances related to the decision that may result in a significant individual or cumulative environmental effect.. The specific category for this project is found in Forest Service Handbook (FSH) , Chapter 30, Section 14. This category covers the commercial and non-commercial sanitation harvest of trees to control disease not to exceed 250 acres, requiring no more than ½ mile of temporary road construction, and includes removal of infected trees and adjacent live uninfected trees as determined necessary to control the spread of disease. The proposed action may include incidental removal of live or dead trees for landings, skid trails, and road clearing. (36 CFR 220.6(e)(14)) The table below evaluates whether there are extraordinary circumstances that would cause the proposed action to have significant environmental effects. 2

3 Table 1: Management Allocations Extraordinary Circumstance to be Evaluated Federally listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat, species proposed for Federal listing or proposed critical habitat, or Forest Service sensitive species Floodplains, wetlands, or municipal watersheds Congressionally designated areas such as wilderness, wilderness study areas or national recreation areas Inventoried Roadless Areas or potential wilderness areas Research Natural Areas American Indians and Alaska Native religious or cultural sites Archaeological sites, or historic properties or areas Present? Yes Yes Is project causing Significant Effect on this Resource? T and E species - Upper Willamette Spring Chinook are present. There will be no effect if full suspension is implemented. Critical habitat - no critical habitat present Sensitive species none present effects if BMPs are implemented. Based on the information in the table above, I find that no extraordinary circumstances exist for this project. Decision and Rationale for Decision Based on my review of the information presented in this document and the supporting documents in the project record, I have decided to implement the proposed action as described above. The action addresses the purpose for the project and the need to protect public health and safety by removing trees infected with laminated root rot on land adjacent to private property. Through past experience and review of similar projects, I have concluded that this project is not a major Federal action. It will have limited context and intensity (40 CFR ), individually or cumulatively, to the biological, physical, social, or economic components of the human environment. It does not pose a violation of Federal, State, or local law requirements imposed for the protection of the environment. The action that I have selected falls within a category established by the Forest Service that normally does not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment and no extraordinary circumstances exist that would cause the proposed action to have any significant environmental effects. Therefore this action is excluded from documentation in an environmental impact statement or environmental assessment, so neither will be prepared. 3

4 Findings Required by Other Laws and Regulations I find that this project complies with all laws, regulations and policies regarding timber harvest for disease control. The table below outlines the major laws, regulations and policies with respect to this project and displays how this project complies with those laws. Table 2: Compliance with Other Laws, Regulations, and Policies Year Enacted Title Summary How applied in this project 1897 Organic Act This Law is the foundation for multiple use and Forest Service management of National Forest System Lands 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) 1976 National Forest Management Act (NFMA) Creates the environmental impact statement (EIS) and environmental assessment (EA) as instruments of environmental policy. Requires public participation. Council on Environmental Quality regulations allow federal agencies to exclude certain categories of actions from documentation in EA or EIS. Provides broad protection for species of fish, wildlife and plants that are listed as threatened or endangered in the U.S. or elsewhere. Provisions are made for listing species, as well as for recovery plans and the designation of critical habitat for listed species. The Act outlines procedures for federal agencies to follow when taking actions that may jeopardize listed species, and contains exceptions and exemptions. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to assess forest lands, develop a management program based on multipleuse, sustained-yield principles, and implement a resource management plan for each unit of the National Forest System. It is the primary statute governing the administration of national forests. Implementation of this project follows direction in this law for the Forest Service to manage National Forest System Lands. Scoping was conducted as required by NEPA. This project follows FSH Chapter 30 requirements for categorically excludable activities. The project is in compliance with the Endangered Species Act. Applicable procedures were followed with respect to threatened and/or endangered species. Surveys for Red Tree Voles was completed on 4/29/15, no potential nests were located. osprey or other raptor nests were located. Consultation is not needed. This project was developed in full compliance with NFMA via compliance with the Willamette National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 1990, as amended. The project follows appropriate standards and guidelines and management direction for the Management Allocations in the project area - 11f retention foreground. Opening is less than 2 acres and will not exceed opening size for the management allocation. 4

5 Administrative Review Effective March 5, 2014, the Forest Service will no longer offer notice, comment and appeal opportunities for categorically excluded projects pursuant to 36 CFR Part 215. On February 7, 2014, the President signed into law the Agricultural Act of 2014, Pub. L (i.e., Farm Bill). Section 8006(a) of the 2014 Farm Bill repealed the Appeals Reform Act, Pub. L , 106 Stat (1992). Section 8006(b) directs that the pre-decisional objection process established in Section 428 of division E of the Consolidated Appropriation Act of2012, Pub. L , shall not be applicable to categorically excluded projects or activities. The Forest Service will continue to offer public involvement opportunities for categorically excluded projects as provided for in the agency's NEPA Procedures, see 36 CFR (d) (SOPA) and 36 CFR 220.4(e) and 220.6(c) (scoping). Implementation Date Plans are to begin implementation of this project this fall. Contact Information For further information, please contact Grady McMahan, at the Detroit Ranger District, rth Santiam Highway, Detroit OR (503) Approved by: /S/ Dani Pavoni for GRADY MCMAHAN 9/1/2015 Date District Ranger Detroit Ranger District Willamette National Forest 5

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