Final Silviculture Specialist Report

Transcription

1 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Final Silviculture Specialist Report April 2012 Pettijohn LSR Habitat Improvement and Fuels Reduction Project Shasta-Trinity National Forest Trinity River Management Unit Trinity Unit of the Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area Trinity County, California Sections 5-9, 16-21, 28, 32, and 33 in T34N, R8W; sections 4-8, 17, and 18 in T33N, R8W; and sections 1, 2, 9, 10, 12, 13, and 24 in T34N, R9W (Mt. Diablo Meridian). Prepared by: /s/ Vick Applegate Date 05/11/12 Vick Applegate, Silviculturist Ecosystem Research Group Reviewed by: _/s/ Keli M McElroy Date 04/30/2012_ Keli McElroy, Silviculturist Shasta-Trinity National Forest

2 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C , or call (800) (voice) or (202) (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

3 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Proposed Project Overview Methodology AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT Project Location and Area Description Historic Vegetation Processes Current Vegetation APPLICABLE LAWS, REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS Specifics of Silvicultural Treatments to Achieve the Proposed Action ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS Area of Analysis No Action and Proposed Action Alternatives Direct Effects Indirect Effects Cumulative Impacts SUMMARY OF MONITORING Monitoring Response of Thinning REFERENCES APPENDIX A: PROPOSED TREATMENT UNITS/ACRES APPENDIX B: CWHR CROWN WIDTH SIZE CLASS AND DENSITY... 31

4 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Forest Type by Land Ownership within Pettijohn Project... 8 Table 2 Size Class/Canopy Closure within Clear Creek LSR... 9 Table 3 Size Class/Canopy Cover within the Pettijohn Project Area Table 4 Stand Characteristics of Stands under No Action Table 5 Structural Stage Class Table 6 Area Affected by Insect Infestation Table 7 Stand Characteristics of Young Mature Stands with No Action Table 8 Stand Characteristics of Mature and Old Mature Stands with No Action Table 9 Stand Characteristics of Young Mature Stands Thinned to 50% Canopy Cover Table 10 Stand Characteristics of Mature and Old Mature Stands Thinned to 60% Canopy Cover Table 11 Percent of Acres in Large Forest by Decade and Alternative LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Pettijohn Project cover types by size class, density and treatment units... 11

5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of the Pettijohn Late-Successional Reserve (LSR) Habitat Improvement and Fuels Reduction Project is to provide enhanced protection from catastrophic wildfire and habitat improvement for wildlife species associated with late-successional and old-growth forest ecosystems. Two differing analysis areas are displayed in this vegetation report: The Clear Creek LSR, approximately 116,000 acres and the Pettijohn Project area, approximately 21,500 acres. There are approximately 3,300 acres of proposed treatments within the project area. Two alternatives assessed three primary vegetation treatments, most mimicking natural forest disturbances, to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk and enhance wildlife habitat. Only thinning from below is assessed in this report. Thinning from below Fuels reduction in designated Fuel Management Zones (FMZs) High risk fuel reduction The thinning treatments will reduce fuel ladders and mimic low-intensity wildfire, killing smaller diameter trees and some mid-sized trees within the stands. Stand examination data is modeled using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) to predict outcomes of proposed treatment and of no treatment. Alternative 1: No Action No thinning or prescribed burning activities occur in the Pettijohn Project area. Stands remain at risk to severe wildfire with no treatment. The stands remain densely stocked and at risk to stand replacement fire. Alternative 2: Proposed Action Thinning achieves the purpose and need by greatly reducing the stand density, removing understory trees (fuel ladders), and promoting accelerated growth of residual trees. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 1

6 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 PROPOSED PROJECT The purpose of the Pettijohn Late-Successional Reserve (LSR) Habitat Improvement and Fuels Reduction Project is to provide enhanced protection from catastrophic wildfire and habitat improvement for wildlife species associated with late-successional and old-growth forest ecosystems. The purpose of and need for the action were determined by comparing existing conditions in the field with the desired future conditions as described in the Clear Creek LSR Assessment. 1 This comparison identified the following basic management objectives: Reduce fuel ladders within developing old-growth habitat and develop strategic locations for fire management. Fuels would be reduced to levels that improve the likelihood that wildfire would be nonlethal to dominant and co-dominant trees in existing and developing old-growth habitat. Provide for increased fire fighter safety and effectiveness during future wildfires. Accelerate the development of old-growth habitat conditions that are sustainable over long periods of time. The project involves three primary vegetation treatments, most mimicking natural forest disturbances, to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk and enhance wildlife habitat. The proposed vegetation treatments are summarized as follows: Thinning from below on approximately 1,155 acres of overly dense conifer stands including approximately 96 acres of thinning in riparian reserves to accelerate the development of desired old-growth characteristics. Development of a fuel management zone (FMZ) network on approximately 1,995 acres to improve fire fighter safety and effectiveness. Fuels reduction by prescribed understory burning (101 acres) and hand thinning, piling and burning (11 acres) in two areas at high risk of human fire starts to augment the effectiveness of the FMZs. Thinning from below refers to a thinning prescription where trees as well as dead fuels are removed starting with the smallest and increasing in size until a predetermined density, structural or canopy closure threshold is reached. Thinning from below would be applied to overly dense conifer stands and is designed to reduce the risk of losing existing and developing old-growth habitat to fire. The thinning and fuels reduction treatments target high-density stands with large volumes of ladder and crown fuels. The thinning treatments will reduce fuels and mimic low-intensity wildfire, killing smaller diameter trees and some mid-sized trees within the stands. The landings are associated disturbances that are necessary for short-term storage of logs prior to transport and to accumulate treated fuels for removal 1 Clear Creek Late-successional Reserve Management Assessment (pp.11 33) Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 2

7 from the site. The landings will be ripped and restored to native vegetation upon completion of the project. The proposed thinning treatments will create growing space for the residual dominant, co-dominant, and intermediate crowned trees within selected stands where diameter and crown-width will increase over time. 1.2 OVERVIEW The project area is located within the mid to upper montane ecological zone of the Klamath mountains bioregion, an area of diverse conifer and woodland species. Historically, wildfires within the mid- to upper-montane zone tended to occur with short to medium fire return intervals (Skinner et al. 2006). The fire return intervals for the Clear Creek LSR were typically between 5 and 30 years and burned as low to moderate intensity surface fires (USDA 2005). A lack of disturbance, predominately fire, in the modern era has increased vegetation density and fuel loading, elevating the risk of large stand-replacing fires on the landscape. The three proposed vegetation stand-treatments listed above are deemed necessary to reduce the risk of a stand-replacing fire event and accelerate late successional forest conditions. 1.3 METHODOLOGY Two sources of vegetation classification data are available for this analysis. The two sources are necessary to describe the large analysis area, the project area and the specific stands proposed for treatment under the proposed action. The first classification is a snap-shot in time from satellite data, Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project LANDFIRE data (Rollins and Frame 2006) and data from the Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab Classification and Assessment with Landsat of Visible Ecological Groupings (CALVEG) data (USDA 2003). The second source is common stand examination plot data (using the FSVeg program), where all trees on plots within the proposed treatment areas have been measured (USDA 2009b). This stand examination data is processed using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) (USDA 2009g), a tree growth model that compares stand development through time with and without proposed treatments, simulated fire, and insect and disease influences. The following stand metrics were used to analyze impacts of the Pettijohn Project on vegetation. Canopy closure/cover, used as a metric for assessing the effects of each treatment by alternative, is a relative cover measure that is modeled from existing data. The number of trees per acre and basal area per acre is directly related to canopy closure. They are metrics for shade, which is an important factor for NSO habitat. The use of trees per acre and basal area per acre as metrics is not intended to imply that uniform conditions will exist across treated areas. Rather, these numbers represent average values for treated stands that will be implemented in a manner that retains the variable and clumped nature of the stands, to mimic historic conditions. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 3

8 Stand Density Index (SDI) is a measure of stand density that is useful to compare stands of similar species or composition. It is a measure of stocking for even-aged stands which compares the number of trees per acre of a certain average diameter (10-inch DBH) with the average number of trees present in fully stocked stands of the same diameter. It is relatively independent of site quality and age. Estimates of stand density are made to express the degree to which the growing space available for tree growth is utilized. SDI has an advantage over basal area because it is not significantly affected by age and site quality. Another measurement of stand competition is the crown competition factor. This is a relative measure of density and is the estimated percentage of an acre that is covered by trees as if they were open grown trees. The value is the summation of the tree crowns Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 4

9 2. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 2.1 PROJECT LOCATION AND AREA DESCRIPTION The project area is within Trinity County, California and begins approximately one mile north of the town of Lewiston. Legal locations are sections 5-9, 16-21, 28, 32, & 33 in T34N, R8W; sections 4-8, 17, & 18 in T33N, R8W; and sections 1, 2, 9, 10, 12, 13, & 24 in T34N, R9W (Mt. Diablo Meridian). The project area includes approximately 21,500 acres composed of approximately 13,200 acres of National Forest System lands within the Trinity River Management Unit, Shasta-Trinity National Forest (STNF). Over 8,400 acres of private land is within the Pettijohn project area. Two differing analysis areas are displayed in this vegetation report: The Clear Creek LSR, approximately 116,000 acres and the Pettijohn project area, approximately 21,500 acres. Both areas include substantial private land, 27% and 39%, respectively. The analysis areas were selected based on wildlife and wildfire analysis necessary for this project (ERG 2010). Only STNF lands will be treated with this project. Thinning units are primarily Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) dominated mixed-conifer forest types (approximately 3200 acres). The prescribed fire unit is mostly a dense brush field (approximately 100 acres). Elevation ranges from approximately 1,800 feet to 3,600 feet with slopes ranging from 5 to 75 percent Project Location Association with Other Analysis The Pettijohn LSR Habitat Improvement and Fuels Reduction project is located within an area known as the Pettijohn portion of the Clear Creek LSR (USDA 1997). This area is also within the Upper Trinity Watershed Analysis (USDA 2005), specifically the Stuart Fork and Trinity Reservoir watersheds. Another watershed, the Grass Valley-Weaver makes up a very small portion of the western edge of the project area and was analyzed under the Weaverville Watershed Analysis (USDA 2004). 2.2 HISTORIC VEGETATION PROCESSES The project area is within the mid to upper montane ecological zone of the Klamath Mountains bioregion (Skinner et al. 2006). This is a vegetation-diverse area dominated by mixed-conifer type: Douglas-fir with lesser amounts of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), white fir (Abies concolor), incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens), California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), and an occasional Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana), madrone (Arbutus menzeisii), giant chinquapin (Castanopsis chrysophylia) and gray pine (Pinus sabiniana) and Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia). Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana) is found in the upper Trinity River area, but not within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 5

10 project area or the proposed treatment stands. As such, a Port Orford cedar risk analysis is not necessary (Paulo pers. comm.) General Fire Regimes and Fuel Accumulation Historic fire records indicate large fires occurred in the Clear Creek LSR during 1917, 1934, 1985, and 1999; however, records dating back to 1911 do not show any large fires within the Pettijohn project area. Fire suppression began shortly after the creation of the National Forests and by the 1920s much of the accessible forest had effective fire suppression (Skinner et al. 2006). This absence of fire within the project area, a departure from historic fire-return intervals, has elevated the risk of stand-replacing wildfire in the project area. This risk occurs as dead woody material accumulates on the forest floor and live vegetation creates storied stands. Over time these storied stands develop greater density and vertical structure. This structure, termed ladder fuels, increases the risk of high intensity fires reaching into the upper tree crowns and killing most of the trees within a fire perimeter. Combinations of stands with this structure are capable of sustaining large stand-replacing fires during periods of dry summer conditions. Climate, the most significant factor for the area, is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool wet winters (Skinner 2002). Prior to this century, fires were frequent and of low to moderate-fire intensity occurring on a frequency of 5 to 30 years (USDA 2005). These fires existed as a reoccurring process in the life of stands and trees, not a one-time event. They affected both live and dead vegetation. Many large old trees, especially ponderosa and sugar pine and some Douglas-fir within the project area contain fire scars, evidence of past fires. More detailed fire regime and fuel accumulation discussion can be found in the Fire and Fuels specialist report and Wildlife Biological Assessment and Biological Evaluation Forest Composition and Density The current forest is denser and probably has a different species composition than was historically developed. The vegetation pattern prior to fire suppression was spatially complex with forest openings of varying size and a generally more open forest, wide spacing between trees and tree clumps (Skinner et al. 2006). This historic heterogeneous pattern has been replaced today with a more homogeneous dense forest with higher compositions of shade tolerant species, Douglas-fir (intermediate shade tolerance) and white fir, and lesser amounts of shade intolerant species such as sugar and ponderosa pine. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 6

11 2.3 CURRENT VEGETATION Terrestrial Vegetation The general vegetation for a large area including the project area is well described in the Clear Creek LSR Management Assessment (USDA 1997) and the Upper Trinity Watershed Analysis (USDA 2005). The upland forests described in these documents for the project area are dominated by Douglas-fir mixedconifer type. Two sources of vegetation classification data are available for this analysis. The two sources are necessary to describe the large analysis area, the project area and the specific stands proposed for treatment. The first classification is a snap-shot in time from satellite data, Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools Project, LANDFIRE data (Rollins and Frame 2006) and data from the Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab, CALVEG (USDA 2003). The second source is common stand examination plot data, (using the FSVeg program) where all trees on plots within the proposed treatment areas have been measured (USDA 2009a). This stand examination data is processed using the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) (USDA 2009c), a tree growth model that compares stand development through time with and without proposed treatments, simulated fire, and insect and disease influences. The most abundant and contiguous vegetation type in the Pettijohn Project area is Douglas-fir dominated mixed conifer with many associated species. The Douglas-fir dominated mixed conifer type occupies about 70% of the lower reaches of the Stuart Fork and Trinity Reservoir watersheds in early to late seral stages. Additional conifer species common in the mixed conifer type include white fir, ponderosa pine, sugar pine and incense cedar. Douglas-fir mixed conifer type can be further subdivided into moist mixed conifer/riparian-mesic, mixed conifer/dry, and mixed conifer/canyon live oak. The moist mixed conifer type characterized by Douglas-fir-bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) is found consistently in the lower reaches of several of the major tributaries and especially on east and north slopes. The mixed conifercanyon live oak type often occurs on shallow, metavolcanic soils on steep, south and southwesterly aspects. The dry mixed conifer type is relatively common and occurs in upland areas on ridges, west and south aspects. Other hardwoods present in these mixed conifer types include California black oak, madrone and giant chinquapin. White fir is generally more abundant between 2,800 and 4,000 feet in elevation, and has developed under the canopy of larger Douglas-fir or pine trees. White fir occurs as dense stands, primarily in the midcanopy layers, with little understory. Jeffrey pine dominates in areas with ultramafic soil and serpentine outcrops. Jeffrey pine stands may also include small amounts of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, incense cedar, sugar pine and gray pine. Gray pine represents some of the least productive and most environmentally sensitive sites in the watershed. Small patches of gray pine are located in lesser productive sites on southerly slopes. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 7

12 Forest Type Satellite imagery classifies the Pettijohn project area as 82 percent Douglas-fir associated types (USDA 2003). Two major forest types dominate: Douglas-fir, and ponderosa pine-douglas (Table 1) (USDA 2009d). The remaining minor types are Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer, oak, and knobcone pine. Cover types are from the Society of American Foresters (SAF) classification defined in CALVEG (USDA 2003). The size classification is based on tree crown widths and corresponding average stem diameters measured at breast height (DBH) (please see Appendix B). Table 1 Forest Type by Land Ownership within Pettijohn Project National Percent of SAF Cover Type Size Class Forest Project Area Acres Ponderosa pine / Douglas-fir Private Acres Percent of Project Area Total Acres Total Percent < , , , , >24 2, , , Douglas-fir (mixed conifer) <5 56 <1 8 <1 63 < , , , >24 2, , Sierra Nevada 2 (mixed conifer) < < < > Non-forest NA ,132 5 Hardwoods / Dry Site Pine NA Totals = 13, , , % Size Class and Canopy Closure/cover Size class and canopy closure are significant measures of stand development that affect wildlife habitat, fire potential and stand growth. Size class and canopy closure for the Clear Creek LSR and the Pettijohn 2 While SAF Cover Type is Sierra Nevada Mixed Conifer, this type is more commonly referred to as Klamath Mixed Conifer Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 8

13 project area are summarized for National Forest System lands and private lands using Region 5 Remote Sensing Lab, CALVEG data (USDA 2003). Though similar in use/meaning, canopy closure and canopy cover are estimated differently. Canopy closure is described by satellite data interpretation as used in the CALVEG data (USDA 2003). It is an estimated vertical view of the cover percent. Canopy cover as estimated by the FVS model is a calculated value of the relationship of field verified DBH converted to canopy width. Further, the FVS model adjusted for canopy width for crown overlap so that canopy cover does not exceed 100% (Crookston and Stage 1999). The satellite data is a snap-shot at one time, whereas the FVS model data is a projection as a stand of trees develops over time. Satellite interpreted data stands within the Clear Creek LSR indicate stands having greater than 60% canopy closure make up 81% of the area (Table 2) (USDA 2003). Stands with canopy closure of 40 59% represent 8 percent of the area. The major size class, late seral, is represented by trees >24 DBH classified on approximately 51% of the area. Seedling/sapling age classes, early seral, make up only 3% of the classified forest. Table 2 Size Class/Canopy Closure within Clear Creek LSR Size Class DBH Canopy Closure National Forest Acres Percent of LSR Area Private Acres Percent of LSR Area Total Acres Non-forest NA 3, , ,408 4 Seedling/Sapling> 5 NA 3, , ,109 4 Total % Pole % % , % 1, ,255 2 >60% 2, , ,667 4 Small Tree % % % 3, , ,149 4 >60% 21, , , Medium/Large > % % % 1, , ,791 2 >60% 45, , , Total 83, , , % is coded NA in CALVEG Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 9

14 Within the Pettijohn project area (Table 3), most stands are closed-canopy, 83% having greater than 60% canopy closure (USDA 2003). Stands with canopy closure of 40 to 59% make up approximately 6% of the project area. Seedling/saplings comprise the smallest area within the project, approximately 3 percent of the total acres. The largest area is occupied by two size classes: Small tree and the medium/large tree >24 size classes in nearly equal distribution across the project area (Figure 1). Table 3 Size Class/Canopy Cover within the Pettijohn Project Area National Percent of Size Class Canopy Private Forest Project DBH Crown diameter Closure Acres Acres Area Percent of Project Area Total Project Acres Non-forest NA 574 3% 558 3% 1,132 5% Seedling/Sapling > 5 NA 486 2% 144 1% 630 3% Total % Pole % 30 <1% 21 <1% 51 <1% 25 39% 116 1% 62 <1% 178 1% 40 59% 308 1% 156 1% 464 2% >60% 479 2% 359 2% 838 4% Small Tree % 3 <1% 15 <1% 17 <1% 25 39% 51 <1% 75 <1% 125 1% 40 59% 291 1% 393 2% 684 3% >60% 4,513 21% 3,926 18% 8,439 39% Medium/Large > % 12 <1% 14 <1% 26 <1% 25 39% 21 <1% 16 <1% 37 <1% 40 59% 116 1% 157 1% 274 1% >60% 6,163 29% 2,512 12% 8,676 40% Total 13,162 61% 8,409 39% 21, % Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 10

15 Final Silviculture Specialist Report Figure 1 Pettijohn Project cover types by size class, density and treatment units Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 11

16 Stand Data Common stand examinations provide specific field sampled stand data for the proposed treatment stands and are provided in Table 4 (USDA 2009b). These specific examinations are summarized and provide the base data for the FVS and the Fire and Fuels Extension (FFE) (USDA 2009c) models. These models assist with predictions of stand development through time with or without silvicultural treatments. The proposed treatment-stands are characterized by four dominate conifer forest cover types: Douglas-fir with sugar and ponderosa pine (80%); Douglas-fir with mostly white fir understory (7%); Douglas-fir with incense cedar (7%) and Douglas-fir (6%). Hardwoods of California black oak are found commonly within the Douglas-fir/sugar and ponderosa pine types, Oregon white oak commonly within the Douglasfir/incense cedar type and giant chinquapin is found commonly within the Douglas-fir/white fir type. Table 4 Stand Characteristics of Stands under No Action Stand Metrics Young mature Stands Old Mature Stands Current Current Trees /acre Basal Area (square feet) Stand Density Index Crown Competition Factor Average Dominant Height (feet) QMD (inches)* Canopy Closure (percent) * For trees greater than 10 DBH This stand metrics table and those that follow are based on stand plot averages grouped by treatment stands and are not proportioned by stand acres. They are displayed to depict differences in stand metrics for differing treatments Canopy cover The proposed treatment-stands have FVS projected canopy cover ranging from 62 to 93% and a stand average of 77% (Crookston and Stage 1999; USDA 2009c) Forest Structure Forest structure can be classified based on the number of canopy layers (strata) in a stand (Crookston and Stage 1999; O'Hara et al. 1996). The stands are classified using stand data output by the FVS model. This classification indicates that majority of the proposed treatment stands are contained within three structural stages (Table 5), old-forest (termed large-forest for this report), stem exclusion, stand initiation and understory reinitiation. Nearly all inventoried stands are stand-age greater than 80-years. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 12

17 Table 5 Structural Stage Class Structural Stage Average DBH No. of Strata Percent of Treatment Area Stem Exclusion 5 to 25 inches 1 46 Large-forest >25 inches Understory Reinitiation 5 to 25 inches 2 8 Stand Initiation <5 inches 1 5 The stem exclusion stands (46%) have one stratum. Their stratum has average stem DBH between 5 inches and 25 inches. Large-forest stands of single and multi-structure comprise 41% of the treatment acres. These large-forest stands have one or more strata with the uppermost strata exceeding an average of 25 inch DBH. Most of these large-forest stands contain a few large trees greater than 40-inch DBH (Crookston and Stage 1999). Understory reinitiation stands (8%) are two-strata with the uppermost stratum having DBH between 5 and 25 inches. Stand Initiation are stands that meet the DBH criteria for stem exclusion and have low stocking. Stands with low stocking are those with a stand density index below 30 percent of the sitespecific maximum for the stand Snags Existing snags within the proposed treatment area are estimated and predicted by FVS (2009) from the examined stand data. Snags greater than 19-inch DBH average two per acre (2.1 in mature and oldmature stands and 1.7 in young mature stands). They range from stands with almost no large snags to stands with as many as 14 snags greater than 19-inch DBH per acre. Large snags are predominately Douglas-fir, sugar pine and ponderosa pine Insects and Pathogens The insect impacts on the current vegetation are provided by Forest Health Protection (FHP) (2009) Region 5 aerial detection monitoring program (Table 6). Mapping summarized only two insect categories for the project area for the period 1994 to The Clear Creek LSR is summarized just for those two categories as well. The largest category, the bark beetle 4 infestation, peaked in 2003 at over 7,000 acres and sharply declined after that period. 4 Bark beetles include both mountain pine beetles and western pine beetle. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 13

18 Table 6 Area Affected by Insect Infestation Insect/Pathogen Total Acres Percentage Clear Creek LSR Bark Beetles 12,782 9 Fir Engraver 68 <0.1 Project Area Bark Beetles 69 <0.1 Fir Engraver 25 <0.1 Dwarf mistletoe is present within the project area in ponderosa pine, Jeffrey pine, incense cedar, white-fir, and black oak. Of specific management concern were localized areas of moderate-heavy dwarf mistletoe infection in the ponderosa and Jeffrey pine, located primarily along the southern boundary of the assessment area. The mountain pine beetle and western pine beetle are continuing single-tree or group killing of Jeffrey pine, ponderosa pine and/or sugar pine throughout the project area, but more predominately on the drier sites. The fir engraver is continuing single-tree and group killing of white fir throughout the project area. It is especially prevalent within over-stocked mixed-conifer stands with a substantial white fir component. White pine blister rust is a serious and continuing problem throughout the project area, affecting primarily younger age-classes of sugar pine. Port Orford cedar root disease, a concern across the range of Port Orford cedar is not present within the upper Trinity River watershed. The project area contains no Port Orford cedar Riparian Vegetation Most drainages within the project area have seasonal flow and many contain riparian vegetation. Riparian communities range from white alder/indian rhubarb/sedge (Alnus rhombifolia/darmera peltata-carex nudata), to pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), bigleaf maple and white alder with California hazel (Corylus cornuta var. californica), dogwood (Cornus sessilis) and/or spikenard (Aralia californica) in the constrained, higher order tributaries, to bigleaf maple and/or California hazel in some drier first and second order channels. Riparian vegetation composition within the watershed is influenced by channel aspect, gradient, geomorphology, and hydrologic regime, as reflected by stream order. Upland plant communities located on the valley bottom floor or toeslope positions contribute shade and large wood to the system. Many riparian areas host relatively high numbers of large trees as compared with the adjacent uplands, presumably due to a favorable and moist environment. Communities well adapted to the moist conditions of the riparian zone are present and often consist of species tolerant of saturated soils associated with frequent flooding or a high water table. Hydrologic regime and stream geomorphology appear to be the most significant factors determining species composition within riparian areas. Riparian vegetation ranges from absent in the dry ephemeral and intermittent streams, to bigleaf maple/white alder (Alnus rhombifolia)/pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia) in first order channels that are moist enough to support perennial riparian species. Where the channel Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 14

19 contains an intermittent stream, sclerophyllous species, including prince s pine (Chimaphila umbellata) and dwarf Oregon grape (Mahonia (Berberis) aquifolium) frequently co-occur with more hydrophytic species. Big leaf maple is ubiquitous, occurring in both perennial and intermittent channels, but white alder, mountain dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) and Pacific yew appear to be limited to higher-order channels where water availability is greater year long. Alder occurs most frequently on active channel shelves and floodplains where frequent flooding and high light levels permit establishment. Pacific yew occurs on floodplains, terraces and stream banks at moist locations and is frequently associated with old-growth Douglas-fir and a well established shrub component of dogwood and/or California hazel (Corylus cornuta) Brush Field Vegetation The area to the northwest and adjacent to the Trinity dam and its facilities is dry coniferous cover on the north slope and a scattered dry coniferous forest and deciduous undercover dominated with shrubs. Approximately 101 acres are identified for treatment. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 15

20 3. APPLICABLE LAWS, REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS 3.1 SPECIFICS OF SILVICULTURAL TREATMENTS TO ACHIEVE THE PROPOSED ACTION The following documents contain specifics that are addressed in implementing silvicultural treatments to achieve the purposed action: Upper Trinity River Watershed Analysis 2005 Healthy Forest Restoration Act 2003 Clear Creek LSR 1997 Shasta-Trinity LRMP 1995 Northwest Forest Plan 1994 National Forest Management Act of 1976 and Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of Shasta-Trinity Land and Resource Management Plan, Upper Trinity River Watershed Analysis and Clear Creek Late-successional Reserve (LSR) The proposed project is within two management areas of the Shasta Trinity Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan): Management Area #7, Weaverville/Lewiston Unit and Management Area 8 National Recreation Area 8, Trinity Unit. The Forest Plan contains general management direction for these management areas on pages 4-37, to and to The preliminary proposed action was designed to address the following management objectives: Reduce fuels: reduce and restore fuel loading within existing and developing old-growth habitat to levels that accommodate the presence of fire. Fire fighter safety: provide for increased fire fighter safety and effectiveness during future wildfires; Old-growth habitat improvement: accelerate the development of large diameter trees. Standards and Guidelines for LSR and managed LSR lands including Guidelines to Reduce Risks of Large-Scale Disturbances for silvicultural treatments are found in the Forest Plan on pages 4-37 to Silvicultural activities aimed at reducing risk (potential loss due to wildfire) shall focus on younger stands in the Clear Creek LSR. Management review insures that silvicultural treatments are beneficial to the creation of late-successional conditions and making future stands less susceptible to large-scale disturbance. Riparian reserves within the project area are identified, as directed in the Forest Plan, and marked on the ground before project implementation. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 16

21 Riparian Reserves The Forest Plan (USDA 1995) designates riparian reserves (RR) on lands adjacent to perennial and intermittent/ephemeral water bodies. Management direction is found in the Forest Plan, pages 4-53 to Generally, the area within 300 feet from both sides of high water level applies to perennial streams, and 150 feet for intermittent/ephemeral streams. Management activities may occur in RRs when they are in support of, or do not adversely affect, the maintenance of riparian-dependent resources (i.e., fish, wildlife, water). Forest Plan (USDA 1995) objectives for RRs include providing functional aquatic habitat and connecting travel corridors for terrestrial wildlife, particularly for late-successional habitat dependent species. RR management prescriptions emphasize retention and/or enhancement of old-growth vegetation Thinning Overstocked Young to Mature Conifer Stands Criteria for developing appropriate vegetation treatments are listed in the Clear Creek LSR, pages 26 to 33 (USDA 1997). The appropriate vegetation treatments are to achieve the following objectives: Reduce the existing and projected hazard and risk of large scale losses of dense young to mature stands. Increase stands resistance and resilience to fire and insect infestation. Enhance stands development toward late successional and old growth conditions. Maintain ponderosa and sugar pine as a stand component. Retain existing large snags and logs. Maintain hardwoods as a stand component Port Orford cedar There is specific concern for Port Orford cedar and associated root disease within the Trinity watershed. The upper Trinity River watershed is described as the only basin on the west coast where Port Orford cedar root disease is not present (USDA 2005). Port Orford cedar has not been found within the project area (Paulo pers. comm.). No Port Orford cedar risk analysis is required to determine protection measures necessary to insure the prevention of the introduction of Port Orford cedar root disease, Phytophthora lateralis due to this lack of Port Orford cedar within the project area High Soil Compaction Hazard The project area contains areas of high erosion and very high compaction hazard (USDA 2005). Specific management requirements to protect the soil and water resource are listed in Section & Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 17

22 3.1.2 Northwest Forest Plan and Region Ecosystem Office The Northwest Forest Plan for managing habitat for late successional and old-growth forest related species within the range of the northern spotted owl contains specific vegetation condition standards and guidelines. See the wildlife report for specific discussion. Pertinent to this vegetation analysis are maintenance of canopy cover, and the development and protection of late successional habitat. Appendix A of the Plan lists specifics for silviculture standards and guidelines applicable to this project, specifically for the California Klamath Provinces (USDA 1994). Silvicultural activities: are aimed at reducing risk from wildfire and insect infestation. accelerate development of late-successional conditions while making future stands less susceptible to natural disturbances. are designed to provide effective fuel breaks. may take place in currently late-successional habitat to reduce risk. generally focused on young stands; activities in older stands may be appropriate if: (1) they clearly result in greater assurance of long-term maintenance of habitat, (2) activities clearly reduce risks and (3) activities will not prevent the Late-successional Reserves from playing an effective role in the objectives for which they were established Healthy Forests Restoration Act 2003 The Healthy Forest Restoration Act (2003) lists authorized projects. Sec 102 (5) is specific to the silvicultural treatments to achieve the proposed action where: (A) wildfire is a threat to an endangered species or habitat (B) the project will provide protection from catastrophic wildfire for habitat of the endangered species The thinning treatments are within important habitats as listed in the Clear Creek LSR. The treatments are designed to promote enhanced protection from wildfire by reducing ladder fuels and thinning of residual trees National Forest Management Act of 1976 and Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 The Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 as amended by the National Forest Management Act of 1976 states that "it is the policy of the Congress that all forested lands in the National Forest System shall be maintained in appropriate forest cover with species of trees, degree of stocking, rate of growth, and conditions of stand designed to secure the maximum benefits of multiple use sustained yield management in accordance with land management plans." Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 18

23 3.1.5 Forest Service Manual 2470 Forest Service Manual 2470 directs that silviculture examinations, treatment diagnosis and detailed prescriptions be prepared for all forest treatments. Even-aged regeneration harvest treatment direction is not necessary as none are proposed for this project. Common stand examinations have been completed, and used for stand diagnosis of treatment need. Common stand exam data were also modeled (using Forest Vegetation Simulator) by treatment alternatives and that result assessed for the project effects analysis. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 19

24 4. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS 4.1 AREA OF ANALYSIS In assessing the environmental impacts, two differing analysis areas are displayed: The Clear Creek Latesuccessional Reserve, approximately 115,500 acres and the Pettijohn project area (fireshed), approximately 21,500 acres. These two analysis areas are selected based on consistency with the wildlife analysis for this project (ERG 2010). Both areas include substantial private land, 27% and 39% respectively. Only National Forest lands will be treated with this project. 4.2 NO ACTION AND PROPOSED ACTION ALTERNATIVES The project is designed to provide enhanced protection from catastrophic wildfire, stand resilience and habitat improvement for wildlife species associated with late-successional and old-growth forest ecosystems. The no action alternative continues current fire protection management and the forest stands develop without any managed disturbance. The proposed action, thinning from below, is designed to achieve the project objectives. The proposed treatments will mimic natural historic disturbance regimes of low intensity surface to passive crown fires that would have removed mostly understory and intermediate trees. The desire to retain intact the understory deciduous shrubs and trees strays somewhat from what a surface fire might have produced. However, after a surface fire, the deciduous top-kill would resprout quickly from living root systems and from a flush of fire released nutrients. Data for assessing impacts relies on the forest stand development and growth model, FVS (USDA 2009c). Results are tabulated for each alternative including the no action alternative No Action Alternative There will be no direct effects of the no action alternative. The no action alternative will forgo the opportunity to thin the proposed stands to achieve the project objectives. There will be no opportunity to mimic natural disturbances such as reoccurring surface or passive crown fires that had been active prior to the advent of fire control management. However, with increasing stand density, insects and pathogens will benefit resulting in selective mortality of stressed and host susceptible trees. The opportunity to improve stand vigor, and resistance to insect/disease impacts will not be realized within these stands. Increased competition for sunlight, nutrients, and soil resources will increase tree and stand stress. This reduces stand vigor, increases stand mortality, and increases susceptibility to primary and secondary insect and disease. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 20

25 As tree density increases, so does vertical structure with the in-growth of shade tolerant species. This ingrowth continues to develop the stands in ever-higher risks of a stand-replacement fire. Shade sensitive deciduous and coniferous species will be severely retarded or removed from understory canopies. There will be an increased risk of insect attack in the untreated stands especially from the fir-engraver beetle and western pine beetle. Fuel loads will increase from the resulting insect, pathogen and suppression mortality. Average stand diameter growth will remain slow due to suppressing high stocking density (Table 7 and Table 8). Table 7 Stand Characteristics of Young Mature Stands with No Action Stand Characteristics Current Conditions After Conditions After 10 Years 50 Years Trees / acre Basal Area (square feet) Stand Density Index Crown Competition Factor Average Dominant Height (feet) Average DBH (Inches) Canopy Closure (percent) Average DBH of trees greater than 10 DBH Table 8 Stand Characteristics of Mature and Old Mature Stands with No Action Stand Characteristics Current Conditions After Conditions After 10 Years 50 Years Trees / acre Basal Area (square feet) Stand Density Index Crown Competition Factor Average Dominant Height (feet) 127 Average DBH (Inches) Canopy Closure (percent) Average DBH of trees greater than 10 DBH Proposed Action Alternative Thinning from Below (approximately 1155 acres) This report describes the impacts of the thinning from below treatments; impacts from the other treatments including FMZs, hand fuels reduction and prescribed burning are described in the fire/fuels report. Thinning from below refers to a thinning prescription where trees as well as dead fuels are removed starting with the smallest and increasing in size until a predetermined density, structural or canopy closure threshold is reached. Thinning from below will remove much, but not all of the lower suppressed and intermediate sized trees, excluding deciduous trees and shrubs. The overarching objective of thinning and Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 21

26 fuel treatment is forest floor and ladder fuel reduction, stand resilience to wildfire, and improved growth on the remaining trees (Agee and Skinner 2005; Fiddler et al. 1989; Graham et al. 1999; Graham et al. 2004; Ritchie et al. 2007). The proposed treatment stands will be thinned from below to two minimum canopy cover percentages: 50% in younger mature stands and 60% in mature and selected old-growth stands. Project developers select the appropriate canopy cover threshold based on site-specific stand conditions. This means that within each unit the thinning prescriptions will blend together throughout the stands. This is a form of free selection as developed specifically for the restoration of late-successional characteristics (Graham et al. 2006). See Appendix A for treatment units. Approximately 25% of the acres are younger mature and 75% are mature and selected old-growth. Trees selected for removal will be suppressed trees and those specifically designated to release the growth of desirable species and tree sizes. Growth is expected to accelerate on the residual stand component. Increased stand vigor, reduced stand mortality, and reduced stand susceptibility to insect and disease will result from thinning. These thinning treatments will remove many intermediate and understory trees and be followed by fuel treatment of sub-merchantable trees, excess downed woody fuels and harvested merchantable tree slash. The IDT designed the thinning from below prescriptions to maintain the densest canopy that would be sustainable with late summer fire events while maintaining all large/old trees, large snags/logs and viable understory hardwoods (to contribute to vertical structure). The thinning treatments will mimic historic stand conditions that produced much more open stands resilient to repeated surface and passive crown fire. Prior to fire suppression, these fires occurred on this landscape at frequent intervals, 5-30 years (Skinner et al. 2006; USDA 2005). Material 10 inches DBH and greater would be removed by cable, tractor or helicopter yarding systems. Material less than 10 inches DBH down to 4 inches DBH would be removed by tractor or feller-buncher systems, burned in concentrations, or piled and burned. Direct effects listed are nearly immediate changes in stand characteristics as a result of implementing treatment alternatives. Indirect effects are also a result of implementing treatment alternatives, but occur over a longer time period, projected in this analysis for years. Stand growth and wildfire risk changes are examples. Most of the stand characteristics, measured and displayed to determine objective accomplishment, are longer term and assessed as indirect effects. The cumulative impacts listed are those where similar actions are implemented over time. Periodic maintenance of fire management zones to maintain fuel breaks is an example. Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 22

27 4.3 DIRECT EFFECTS Most of the effects of the no action alternative accumulate over time. As such they are discussed as indirect effects. The direct effects of treatment alternatives incur early in time as the projects are being implemented. Under the proposed action, the stands are thinned from below to not less than 50% crown cover in young mature stands and 60% crown cover in mature and selected old mature stands. Thinning results in an immediate change of stand characteristics such as species composition, wildfire risks, trees per acre, stand size class and structural stage, crown cover, and associate equipment operations: noise and disturbance. Thinning from below simplifies vertical structure. However, the thinning from below maintains all large/old trees, large snags/logs and viable understory hardwoods for vertical structure. The thinnings will reduce the number of smaller snags and smaller snag recruitment trees. The following tables (Table 9 and Table 10) compare treated stand attributes over time. The proposed action contains differing treatment intensities dependent on stand component age and size class. These treatments would result in stand conditions that maximize canopy cover, large/old trees, large snags/logs, and vertical structure at combined levels that would be sustainable with late summer fire events after thinning. Table 9 Stand Characteristics of Young Mature Stands Thinned to 50% Canopy Cover Stand Characteristics Current After Harvest 1 st After Harvest 50 th Year 1 Year Trees / acre Basal Area (square feet) Stand Density Index Crown Competition Factor Average Dominant Height (feet) Average DBH (Inches) Canopy Closure (percent) Condition 10 years after thinning, but not including natural regeneration 2 Average DBH of trees greater than 10 DBH Table 10 Stand Characteristics of Mature and Old Mature Stands Thinned to 60% Canopy Cover Stand Characteristics Current After Harvest 1 st After Harvest 50 th Year 1 Year Trees / acre Basal Area (square feet) Stand Density Index Crown Competition Factor Average Dominant Height (feet) Average DBH (Inches) Canopy Closure (percent) Conditions 10 years after thinning, but not including natural regeneration 2 Average DBH of trees greater than 10 DBH Shasta-Trinity National Forest - 23