J. ROADLESS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK 3. AREA OF ANALYSIS

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1 J. ROADLESS 1. INTRODUCTION The northeast portion of Unit 28 of the Mass Geis project falls within the 8,800 acre North Fork Smith Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA). Proposed treatments within the IRA include introducing and utilizing prescribed fire to reduce conifer encroachment within historic meadow areas and to manipulate fuels and vegetation to enhance the likelihood for wildfire control and provide for firefighter and public safety by reducing hazardous fuels that pose a risk to adjacent private and National Forest System lands. Within the 480-acre unit in the IRA up to 457 acres could be treated with prescribed fire under Alternative 4. The action does not propose road construction, timber harvesting, or other mechanical treatments within the inventoried roadless area, only the use of prescribed fire. 2. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK The original inventory of roadless lands took place in the 1970s through the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE I) process and then again in the late 1970s during RARE II. The RARE process was intended to evaluate the potential for such roadless areas to be included in the wilderness preservation system. This process was completed through development of the Lewis and Clark National Forest Plan (Forest Plan), which made recommendations on whether individual inventoried roadless lands should be considered for wilderness designation. The North Fork Smith was not recommended for wilderness inclusion in the Forest Plan. The Forest Plan also provides management direction for IRAs. Forest Plan direction for this area is to emphasize semi-primitive recreation opportunities, while maintaining and protecting other resource values (Management Area F). Vegetation manipulation is not prohibited, but must meet other management area direction. North Fork Smith IRA is further described in Appendix C (C pages ) of the Lewis and Clark National Forest Plan EIS (USDA Forest Service 1986a). Appendix C contains a site-specific wilderness evaluation of inventoried roadless areas. The 1964 Wilderness Act considered several attributes in determining whether certain lands possessed wilderness characteristics. These attributes included: natural integrity and appearance opportunity for solitude primitive recreation opportunities manageability and boundaries Subsequent evaluations of roadless area qualities included attributes of special features and boundary management (Forest Service Handbook Chapter 70). This analysis includes an evaluation of the proposed vegetation treatment on these roadless characteristics and compares any changes to the current conditions and the effects of the action alternatives. 3. AREA OF ANALYSIS The area considered for direct, indirect, and cumulative effects includes the Mass Geis project area boundary, the North Fork Smith IRA, and un-roaded areas adjacent to the North Fork Smith IRA

2 4. EFFECTS ANALYSIS METHODS Effects analysis methods are based on Forest Plan evaluations and observations of those characteristics within the roadless area and include subsequent changes to the North Fork Smith IRA since development of the 1986 Forest Plan, if any have occurred. The proposed alternative was analyzed in terms of potential effects to roadless characteristics. The following roadless characteristics (Table 3-40) are used as a basis for evaluation of the effects of the alternatives. Many of these characteristics are referenced in this analysis, as well as discussed and analyzed in other resource sections. Please refer to those sections for a more complete analysis for each resource. Table Roadless characteristics. Wilderness Attributes Roadless Characteristics Natural Integrity Apparent Naturalness Remoteness and Solitude Special Features and Special Places or Values Manageability and Boundaries High quality or undisturbed soil, water, and air Sources of public drinking water Diversity of plant and animal communities Habitat for threatened, endangered, proposed, candidate, and sensitive species and for those species dependent on large, undisturbed areas of land Reference landscapes Natural appearing landscapes with high scenic quality Primitive, semi-primitive non-motorized, and semi-primitive motorized classes of dispersed recreation Other locally identified unique characteristics Traditional cultural properties and sacred sites No criteria 3-140

3 5. EXISTING CONDITION The existing condition descriptions below are based on those attributes evaluated in the 1986 Forest Plan, in addition to other changes which have occurred under the Little Belt, Castle, and Crazy Mountains Travel Management Plan and Record of Decision (USDA Forest Service 2007e). a. Natural characteristics Natural Integrity and Appearance: Generally the landscape appears natural and unchanged by development within the IRA. However, the northwest portion of the IRA has two, 2-track roads entering the IRA. These roads are predominately used during big game hunting season and also receive some use during winter snowmobile season. The October 2007 Travel Plan and Record of Decision closed and will decommission road 6366 to all wheeled motorized use. Additionally road 6465 will be seasonally restricted to all wheeled motorized use. These two closure efforts will further enhance the natural integrity of the IRA. Road noise from US Highway 12 can be heard from the southern boundary of the IRA, and noise from adjacent Forest roads which boarder the IRA penetrates some of the area, but mainly along the fringes and boundaries which can disturb the natural integrity and appearance of the IRA. A fire in 1960 burned approximately 107 acres along the western edge of the IRA, but is generally unrecognizable by the general Forest user. Two fires at the beginning of this decade burned approximately 1747 acres within the northern portion of the IRA outside of the analysis area. These recent fire events have changed approximately 2 percent of the stand structure of the IRA and are generally in line with long-term ecological processes common to the area. Other changes in ecological process over the decades, such as fire suppression, insect and disease outbreaks, and fuel build-up, continue to affect the natural integrity of this area. The sheep grazing allotment which was historically active within the IRA is currently inactive, and there are no immediate or current proposals to activate and restock the allotment. Opportunity for Solitude: Because of its small size and adjacency to roads, opportunities for solitude are limited. However, the steep drainages do offer some screening from roads located along the exterior of the unit. Since the IRA is only 4 miles across at its widest point, it can be easily traversed in one day. There is little opportunity for solitude in the project area of the IRA due to its proximity to private land and adjacent roaded National Forest lands. Primitive Recreation Opportunities: Primitive recreation opportunities are limited by the area s small size and topography. Most all recreational use is day use hunting and viewing along the areas roaded boundaries. There are no mountains or rugged terrain which is a major challenge to the recreationist. No system trails or developed recreation sites occur within the area. Manageability and Boundaries: The boundaries along the northwestern, northeastern, eastern, and southern boundaries are defined by on-the-ground roads, power lines, or private surveyed land lines. Overall there has not been extensive unauthorized motorized access within the IRA, with the exception of the northwestern boundary where exiting roads in the IRA and the expansive open park complex make controlling access difficult, especially during hunting season. Past and current efforts to post and sign potential intrusion access points have been moderately successful

4 b. Human influence When viewed from a distance from US Highway 12 and along adjacent roads, human influence appears minimal across the North Fork Smith IRA landscape. Once one enters into the private land-forest Service land interface, the general area surrounding the IRA has the appearance of being influenced by human activity. Little residential development has occurred adjacent to the IRA along the southern border on private lands, and what little development has occurred is generally not seen by the general Forest user. Past timber harvesting, past and present firewood gathering, cattle grazing, and dispersed recreational camping is evident along most routes adjacent to and outside the IRA. The general forest area west of the IRA is well roaded, and much evidence of past timber harvesting exists. When within the IRA, little evidence of human development or influence is observed. The North Fork Smith Roadless Area has a Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) setting of semi-primitive non-motorized. The surrounding analysis area has a ROS setting of roaded natural. No system trails exist within the North Fork Smith IRA, and minimal evidence exists of unauthorized use by Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs). Efforts to adequately sign and discourage use of areas known to have experienced illegal OHV traffic have been mostly successful. Summer vehicular travel on designated system roads, dispersed camping, and firewood gathering adjacent to the IRA along the boundaries are the main recreational activities occurring throughout much of the year. The area is popular during the big game archery and rifle seasons and is the period when the IRA receives the majority of its use from hunters and hunter camps located along the periphery. During the winter, snowmobiling continues to be the predominant motorized activity along the Higgins Park area where a groomed snow trail follows along the northwest border of the IRA. Some snowmobile use occurs within the meadow complex located in the Higgins Park area along the northwest portion of the IRA. c. Desired condition The area should offer a range of recreational opportunities with emphasis on semi-primitive non-motorized recreation, big game hunting, or other game species hunting opportunities. The IRA should display the roadless characteristics critical to maintaining the areas natural integrity, apparent naturalness, and opportunity for remoteness and solitude. Existing routes should continue to offer limited access and provide access for hunting, sightseeing, or similar activities. No new developed recreation facilities or system trails are planned within or adjacent to the IRA. Winter snowmobiling will continue to be a major activity around and adjacent to the IRA along designated routes. 5. EFFECTS COMMON TO ALL ALTERNATIVES The following discussion outlines indirect, direct, and cumulative effects to roadless characteristics in the North Fork Smith Roadless Area. a. Area of Analysis The area of analysis consists of the North Fork Smith Roadless Area. b. Analysis Methods The effects are measured against the roadless area values and characteristics found within the Forest Plan for the North Fork Smith Roadless Area. The effects to these attributes from conducting prescribed fire to reduce fuels and bring about other ecological changes within the IRA were analyzed. The roadless characteristics analyzed include natural integrity, 3-142

5 apparent naturalness, opportunities for solitude, and opportunities for primitive recreational experiences. 7. EFFECTS BY ALTERNATIVE a. Alternative 1 - No Action The no action alternative would have no additional immediate effects to the existing roadless character within the project area. However, the no action alternative, by not manipulating fuels and other vegetation, limits the opportunities for wildfire suppression and does not address long-term maintenance of grassland parks to enhance wildlife foraging habitat within the IRA. Chances for catastrophic, uncharacteristic wildfire would continue to be moderate to high under the no action alternative. The lack of surface fire over the last 80 years has allowed succession to advance with the establishment of shade tolerant conifer species within the project area in the IRA. Conifer encroachment is evident along the edges and scattered throughout grasslands and sagebrush meadows, thus reducing both the natural meadow acreage and biological diversity within the IRA. 1. Direct and Indirect Effects Effects to Natural Integrity: Natural integrity is the extent to which long-term ecological processes are intact and operating. Impacts to natural integrity are measured by the presence and magnitude of human-induced change to an area. Fire suppression has resulted in an unnatural build-up of fuels, encroachment into grasslands by conifers, and timber stands that are denser than they might be if fire played an active role over the last 100 years. This can lead to a change in vegetative composition that could be different under conditions in which fire was allowed to play a larger role. Forest visitors might not be cognizant of these changes, but over time, long-term ecological processes may be affected to the point that Forest users would notice (i.e. large-scale insect/disease infestation, poor health of heavily stocked stands, change in species composition, large scale catastrophic fire). The no action alternative trends toward eliminating the role which fire plays in maintaining a healthy ecosystem and its natural integrity. Long-term negative effects in terms of unnatural ecological conditions are a likely result if no action is taken. Effects to Apparent Naturalness: Apparent naturalness means that the environment looks natural and provides scenic quality for Forest visitors to the area. It is a measure of importance of a visitor s perceptions of human impacts to an area. Even though some of the long-term ecological processes of an area may have been interrupted, the landscape of the area generally appears to be affected by the forces of nature. If the landscape has been modified by human activity, the evidence is not obvious to the casual Forest user, or it is disappearing due to natural processes. Personal values may lead Forest visitors to feel that prescribed burning is an unnatural process which affects naturalness within a roadless area. But others feel that natural fire may also affect the apparent naturalness of an area. In either case, it is difficult to distinguish the effects to apparent naturalness from natural fire from those created through the use of prescribed fire. The no action alternative has no immediate effect to the apparent naturalness of the area, but would tend to continue to move the area toward large scale catastrophic fire if no action is taken to manipulate fuels and vegetation to increase the opportunities and likelihood of successful wildfire suppression and control

6 Effects to Opportunities for Solitude, Remoteness and Primitive Recreation Experience: Solitude is a personal, subjective value defined as isolation from sights, sound and presence of others, and human development. Remoteness is a perceived condition of being secluded, inaccessible, and out of view. A primitive recreation experience includes opportunities for isolation from evidence of man, a vastness of scale, feeling a part of the natural environment, having a high degree of challenge and risk, and using outdoor skills characterized by meeting nature on its own terms without comfort or convenience of facilities. Opportunities for solitude and sense of remoteness are primarily affected by actions that increase human presence in an area, such as road development, development of recreation sites, changes in types of uses, such as allowing motorized vehicular use in an area that was previously nonmotorized. Sights of human civilization can also affect remoteness or opportunities for solitude and primitive and unconfined recreational experiences. There is some sense of remoteness in the IRA, but only when within the interior. Due to its small size, the duration of time one can feel remote is limited. The no action alternative would continue the existing opportunities for solitude, remoteness and primitive recreation experience. Special Features: No special features have been identified in the North Fork Smith IRA. Manageability and boundaries: No changes to the boundaries of the IRA are proposed nor will the boundaries be reduced or altered under the no action alternative. Opportunities to expand the boundaries are limited due to the existing network of system roads and past logging activities to the north and west of the IRA, the existing Great Falls - Two Dot 150 KV powerline along the northeast boundary of the IRA, and private lands to the south of the IRA. There are no continuous large blocks of unroaded area surrounding the IRA. 2. Cumulative Effects Past wildfires in 2000, 2001, and 2003 stand-replaced approximately 1747 acres in the North Fork Smith IRA and 3865 acres in the adjacent forest and Wilderness Study Area to the north of the IRA. The Little Belt, Castle, and Crazy Mountains Travel Management Plan (USDA Forest Service 2007e) closed approximately 3 miles of secondary road to all motorized use within the IRA. This closure would benefit and increase the feeling of remoteness and solitude to the area and continue to emphasize semi-primitive recreation opportunities within management area F and the North Fork Smith IRA. The existing sheep range allotment within the IRA has not been stocked since 2001 and is currently in non-use status. There are no immediate plans or requests to re-activate this allotment, and it is unlikely to be restocked at any time in the future. This would result in positive effects to all roadless area characteristics of the IRA. 3. Forest Plan and Other Regulatory Framework The Forest Plan provides management direction for IRAs. The Forest Plan direction for this area is to emphasize semi primitive recreation opportunities, while maintaining and protecting other resource values (Management Area F). Vegetation manipulation is not prohibited, but must meet other management area direction. b. Alternative 4 1. Direct and Indirect Effects 3-144

7 In the action alternative there would be evidence of prescribed burning within the IRA in the form of blackened trees and ground cover. Evidence of blackened ground cover would likely be visible for the first year or two, depending on fire severity, and then green-up is expected to occur. Blackened tree trunks may be evident for a longer period of time; some trees may remain standing for 10 to 20 years or longer. Natural tree regeneration is expected over time, thus creating mosaic patterns, changed stand structure, and species composition diversity over the landscape which would emulate natural processes more in line with historic fire patterns. Prescribed burning treatments are expected to benefit the natural integrity of the IRA by continuing to provide a diversity of plant communities; however, other attributes such as water quality and soil may be impacted (see Watershed and Soils sections). Standreplacement fire would be applied to one-third of the area within Unit 28 BCD in the IRA in patches 20 to 100 acres in size with the objective of keep conifer mortality between 20 to 40 percent. This alternative would contribute to reducing the potential for and intensity of large scale uncharacteristic wildfire within the IRA. Table 3-41: Summary of proposed treatments and acres within the North Fork Smith Inventoried Roadless Area. Treatment Acres of Units in Unit Number Total Unit Acres Inventoried Roadless Alternative 4 Treatment/Burn Acres within IRA A3b 300 < 1 Burn Type Description c Under story burn 50-70% of unit in patches BCD Stand replace on 1/3 of acres in patches acres and Total Acres Under Alternative 4, up to 344 acres of prescribed fire treatment may be applied to the North Fork Smith IRA. Fire would be utilized as a means to modify existing vegetation within the IRA and attempt to mimic natural ecological processes to move vegetation and landscape conditions towards that would likely be found if fire intervention had not occurred. Direct effects would be an incremental reversal of past suppression results. Indirectly, prescribed burning actions are intended to promote utilization of these habitats by wildlife and promote regeneration of plant species which have become absent or decadent as a result of conifer encroachment and past fire suppression activities. Direct and indirect effects of the action alternative on the characteristics of natural integrity, opportunities for solitude, and opportunities for primitive recreation are expected to be minimal, would generally not be noticed by Forest users, and would be short-term. No temporary or system road construction or reconstruction is needed to access Unit 28 within the IRA, so accessibility to the area would not change, thus the characteristics of the IRA would remain unchanged. The actions are small in scale, are not irreversible, and over time would add to the ecological integrity of the IRA. Use of prescribed burning in Unit 28 of the IRA may open up vistas (20 to

8 acres) more than what currently exists. However, topographic variations and the fact that the treatment areas are limited in extent would ensure that sights of civilization are not exposed beyond what currently exists. Presently much of the IRA and Unit 28 can be viewed from Highway 12. Conversely, Highway 12, in some instances, can be seen from the area. Effects to Natural Integrity: The proposed action in Alternative 4 would reintroduce fire to approximately 344 acres within the IRA, approximately 1040 acres to the west outside of the IRA on National Forest System lands, and 606 acres south of the IRA on BLM and private lands. Some mechanical slashing of small diameter material may be required to assist in carrying the fire in units outside of the IRA. No mechanical treatments would occur on lands within the IRA. These treatments would allow a more natural function of fire to occur on the landscape and improve the roadless characteristics of natural integrity within the IRA and surrounding area by continuing to offer a diversity of plant and animal communities and providing habitat for species dependent on large undisturbed areas. In order to maintain a high quality of undisturbed soil, water, and air, mitigation measures included for those resource areas should be followed. All harvest treatments and road construction in the proposed project area are well outside of the IRA and located in an area with past timber harvest and established Forest System roads. The effects of the proposal to any large unroaded areas adjacent to the IRA would be minimal. The proposed harvest treatments would likely have no direct effect on the natural integrity of the North Fork Smith IRA since they are located in a Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) setting of roaded natural and are well outside of the IRA. Any temporary or specified road construction is located outside the influence zone of the IRA. The North Fork IRA would continue to display a ROS setting of unroaded natural and the surrounding general forest area outside and east of the North Fork Smith IRA would continue to display a ROS setting of roaded natural following the proposed treatments. See the effects discussions for wildlife, watershed, and soils for more specific discussions on the effects to those resources. Effects to Apparent Naturalness: All proposed mechanical slashing of small diameter trees would occur outside of the IRA in subunits A1b, A2b, A3b and may temporarily give the surrounding area the appearance and sounds of being manipulated by human activity although the effects are short-term and are limited to outside the IRA. The general Forest visitor would likely not notice where these treatments have occurred once the area has been burned and re-growth of sagebrush, grasses, forbs, and conifers has taken place. In order to lessen the visual effects on apparent naturalness from potential slashing treatments adjacent to the IRA, mitigation would be to cut all stumps at ground level. No road construction, timber harvest, or other mechanical treatments are proposed within or adjacent to the IRA, which would lessen any other effects to the apparent naturalness of the IRA. Prescribed burning of approximately 344 acres within the North Fork Smith IRA would change the existing appearance of what is viewed by the general Forest user to the area, but would emulate what has historically occurred over this landscape

9 Effects to Opportunities for Solitude, Remoteness and Primitive Recreation Experience: Under Alternative 4, the introduction of fire is an attempt to mimic natural ecological processes to move vegetation and the landscape toward conditions that would likely be found if fire intervention had not occurred. Direct effects would be an incremental reversal of past suppression results. Indirectly, prescribed burning actions are intended to promote utilization of these habitats by wildlife and promote regeneration of other species which have become absent or decadent as a result of conifer encroachment and past fire suppression activities. Direct and indirect effects of the action alternative on the characteristics of opportunities for solitude, remoteness, and opportunities for primitive recreation are expected to be minimal, short-term, and generally not noticed by Forest users. The sights and sounds of US Highway 12 and adjacent Forest System roads along the boundary of the IRA would continue to affect solitude along the periphery of the IRA. The area in the immediate vicinity of the proposed prescribed burning treatment in the IRA is typically lightly traveled and accessible via adjacent system roads or through private and BLM properties and would continue to offer a semi-primitive non-motorized class of recreation following treatment. During implementation of the burn treatments, solitude would be temporarily interrupted. No temporary or other road construction or reconstruction is proposed to access Unit 28 within or adjacent to the IRA, so accessibility to the area would not change. Therefore, the nonmotorized characteristics of the IRA would remain unchanged. The actions are small in scale, are not irreversible, and over time would add to the ecological integrity of the IRA. Use of prescribed burning in Unit 28 of the IRA may open up vistas (of up to 100 acres) more than what currently exists. However, topographic variations and the fact that the treatment areas are limited in extent would ensure that sights of civilization are not exposed significantly beyond what currently exists. Special Features: No special features have been identified which would be affected as a result of the action alternative. Manageability and boundaries: No changes to the boundaries of the IRA are proposed, nor will the boundaries be reduced or altered under the action alternative. Opportunities to expand the boundaries are limited due to the existing network of system roads surrounding the IRA, past logging activities to the north and west of the IRA, the existing Great Falls - Two Dot 150 KV powerline along the northeast boundary of the IRA, and private lands to the south of the IRA. 2. Cumulative Effects No direct, indirect or cumulative changes in remoteness, opportunities for solitude, or primitive recreational experiences from current conditions are expected in the IRA under Alternative 4. Barring any unforeseen major wildfire, insect epidemic, or large scale blow down event, there are no other known projects or activities being proposed or on-going in the analysis area which would contribute to significant cumulative effects on the roadless area values and characteristics which have not already been described. See the cumulative effects checklist for roadless in the project file