Recreation Report Kimball Hill Stands Management Gold Beach Ranger District, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest Date: April 27, 2016

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1 Kimball Hill Stands Management Gold Beach Ranger District, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest /s/ Date: April 27, 2016 Lorelei Haukness, Resource Specialist Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA s TARGET Center at (202) (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C ; (2) fax: (202) ; or (3) program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

2 Introduction This report will describe the affected environment in relationship to Kimball Hill s existing recreation use and opportunities and the potential effects from the proposed activities on recreation resources. For a description of the Kimball Hill Stands Management project proposal, refer to Chapters 1 and 2 of the Kimball Stands Management Environmental Assessment. The 1989 Siskiyou National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan), as amended, is the primary planning document used to identify desired conditions related to recreation within the project area. The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) (USDA and USDI 2004 a, b, c) designated the Kimball Hill project area as Late Successional Reserve with objectives to protect and enhance conditions of late-successional and old growth forest ecosystems. The Forest Plan provides standards and guidelines (S&Gs) for recreation resources on pages IV- 21 through IV-23. S&Gs are intended to help managers achieve Forest Service goals and objectives, while staying within constraints prescribed by law and designed to provide environmental safeguards. S&Gs related to the proposed project include the following: Enhance dispersed recreation opportunities where practicable as other management activities are planned (IV-22). Project environmental analysis should consider the potential impact that the proposed activity would have on Recreation Opportunity Spectrum classification and the recreation use capacity of the area (IV-23). Affected Environment The project area is located in the Kimball Hill area of the Gold Beach Ranger District. The project area is the closest Forest Service land to the Pacific Ocean in the lower Rogue River watershed. The Rogue River is located 1.5 miles to the north of the project area. There is mixed ownership in the project area with private property where regular timber harvest and ranching use occurs. The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) was developed by the Forest Service to provide a classification system to portray a range of recreation activities, settings and experiences ranging from a primitive level to an urban level (ROS Book, 1986). The entire Kimball Hill project area is classified as Roaded Natural. The desired future condition for this ROS classification is to provide a naturally-appearing area where there is moderate evidence of the sights and sounds of humans. Modifications are evident and may appear moderate to observers in the area, but from sensitive travel routes alterations would be unnoticed or visually subordinate. Recreational opportunities are associated with developed road systems, as well as compatible fish and wildlife management that support the recreational use of wildlife harvest species (hunting and fishing). Timber harvesting is modified in recognition of recreation values. The Quosatana Creek Watershed Analysis (USDA 1996) noted the effects road building and timber harvest have had on the recreational settings and use of the Kimball Hill project area. Prior to 1960, access to the watershed was limited and hunting, fishing, firewood gathering, and gathering of forest products were the primary recreational uses. Since road development, there has been an increase in road-based, dispersed recreational use of the area. Activities include driving for pleasure, hunting, camping, and road-related winter use (e.g. Christmas tree cutting, 1

3 non-commercial collection of special forest products, sledding, skiing, and snowmobiling), primarily along the roads and ridgelines of the watershed. Big game hunting is one of the most popular activities in the watershed and accounts for the majority of fall visitation. There are no designated trails or developed recreation sites within the project area. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use within the watershed has caused visible signs of erosion and road damage, primarily in meadows and prairies and along secondary and spur roads (including barricaded roads). There is local interest in developing a network of mountain biking trails utilizing Maintenance Level 1 roads in the Kimball Hill area. The main road accessing the Kimball Hill project area is Forest Service Road (FSR) , which also provides access to the Francis Shrader Old Growth Trail #1172. National Forest System trails are managed to achieve the Trail Management Objectives (TMOs) identified for each trail (Forest Service Manual ). The Francis Shrader Old Growth Trail is a highlydeveloped, interpretive trail managed for hiker/pedestrian use. It is also one of the more popular trails on the Gold Beach Ranger District because of its old-growth characteristics, interpretive features, and relative accessibility from Gold Beach, OR and Highway 101. Environmental Consequences Alternative 1 (No-Action) Under the No Action Alternative, no management activities within the project area would occur. It is expected that recreational use in the area would gradually increase over time as the local area becomes more populated. Direct and Indirect Effects No direct or indirect effects on recreation opportunities would be expected as the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum classification and the recreation use capacity of the area would not be affected, even with the anticipated increased use over time. Maintenance of the existing road system would depend on appropriated funds and occur based on Forest priorities. Effects Common to Action Alternatives (Alternative 2 and Alternative 3) Direct and Indirect Effects Under both action alternatives (Alternative 2 and Alternative 3), density management activities would occur along FSR (Kimball Creek Road) and FSR (Frog Lake Road). During logging operations, standard operating procedures would be effective at ensuring public safety. Notification procedures, including the use of signage and flaggers along primary haul routes, would provide for the safety of recreationists using the area. All activities would comply with State and Federal Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) codes and direction in Forest Service Handbook (Health and Safety Code Handbook). Also under both action alternatives, approximately 2,800 feet of new, temporary spur roads ranging from 534 to 1,449 feet in length would be constructed to provide access to Units 122, 126, and 130. Temporary roads would be decommissioned when operations are complete. FSR (Kimball Creek Rd.) and FSR (Frog Lake Rd.) would be the primary haul routes and would require normal road maintenance. Improvements to the existing road system would be expected to have an indirect beneficial impact for on-going and future recreation 2

4 access and use of the area. No existing roads would be decommissioned or closed to the recreating public. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use within the Kimball Creek watershed has caused visible signs of erosion and road damage, primarily in meadows and prairies and along secondary and spur roads (including barricaded roads). Stand thinning, skid roads associated with ground-based logging systems, and the creation of temporary spur roads would temporarily improve access for Off- Highway Vehicle (OHV) use to expand and cause additional resource damage. Standard mitigation measures designed for closing and obliterating skid trails, and decommissioning temporary roads, would be implemented to discourage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) access from existing roads. Mitigation measures will include construction of water bars, scarification, scattering of slash and debris within disturbed areas, seeding, and permanently barricading or closing temporary road entrances with native material. These measures should be effective at restricting OHV access and mitigating any potential effects. As there are no known recreational sites within the proposed project area, Alternatives 2 and 3 are expected to have minimal, short-term, effects on recreation. If a new trail or use becomes evident during implementation, the trail or area will be temporarily closed. The improvement of road drainage structures on the existing road system would be expected to have an indirect beneficial impact for on-going and future public use as roads would be repaired and stabilized. Road maintenance activities included within the timber sale contract would help maintain public access at current safety standards and improve recreation access and road-based opportunities (e.g. driving for pleasure). Cumulative Effects Past, ongoing, and foreseeable actions that have affected, and may continue to affect, recreation resources in the project planning area include road construction/maintenance, timber harvest, prescribed fire, and wildfires with associated suppression and rehabilitation activities. Previous road construction and timber harvest have had incremental effects on recreation settings and opportunities within the Kimball Stands project planning area. With the implementation of the standard operating procedures to ensure public safety and reduce the potential for illegal offroad use of temporary roads, there is minimal risk of additional incremental degradation of recreation associated with the action alternatives. Recreation Mitigation Measures Standard operating procedures will be used to ensure public safety. Notification procedures will include the use of signage and flaggers along primary haul routes. All activities will comply with State and Federal Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) codes and direction in Forest Service Handbook (Health and Safety Code Handbook). Standard mitigation measures designed for closing and obliterating skid trails, and decommissioning temporary roads, will be implemented to discourage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) access. Mitigation measures will include construction of water bars, scarification, scattering of slash and debris within disturbed areas, seeding, and permanently barricading or closing temporary road entrances with native material. 3

5 Literature Cited (USFS and BLM) United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management Record of Decision for Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning Documents Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, Portland, Oregon. Available online at: (USFS) United States Department of Agriculture. Forest Service Land and Resource Management Plan, Siskiyou National Forest. Region Six. 4