PROJECT INFORMATION Annual Mowing of the Richville Road Openings

Transcription

1 PROJECT INFORMATION Annual Mowing of the Richville Road Openings The USDA Forest Service is proposing to formalize an agreement with a member of the public to mow permanent upland openings in the Manchester Ranger District of the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF). Project activities are proposed in the town of Manchester, Bennington County, Vermont (Figure1 1 below). BACKGROUND Adam Wilcox has been mowing the Richville Road fields (two adjacent fields that are approximately 3 acres each in size) for many years and removing the hay to feed his livestock. The annual mowing of these fields meshes perfectly with GMNF s goal to maintain the fields as permanent upland openings, which provide important habitat for a variety of game (e.g. deer, turkey, and woodcock) and non-game (e.g. grassland and shrubland nesting birds, bumblebees, and butterflies) species. Maintenance of these permanent upland openings was authorized in 2013 by a prior NEPA Decision Memo for the Manchester Ranger District Permanent Upland Opening Maintenance Project. Note that this proposed project does not include management on the larger, five-acre opening that is located just to the west of these two openings. PURPOSE AND NEED The purpose of this action is to issue a Special Use Permit to Mr. Wilcox to authorize continued mowing and haying on National Forest System (NFS) lands for a period of ten years (FSH , Chapter 10). This arrangement was covered under a Special Use Permit in the past and reissuing the permit is long overdue. Implementation of this project will assist in reaching the following component of Goal 2 of the 2006 GMNF Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan): Maintain, and where desirable increase, the acres of upland open habitats at slightly higher than ecological tendencies to support species that prefer these habitats (Forest Plan, p. 11). Since Mr. Wilcox removes a forest product (i.e. hay) for his own use, this project serves another need by contributing to the accomplishment of Goal 8 of the Forest Plan: Provide a sustainable supply of forest products (Forest Plan, p. 14). PROPOSED ACTION This decision would authorize the Forest Service to issue a Special Use Permit to Mr. Wilcox for continued mowing and haying of the Richville Road fields. Small trucks, tractors, bailers, and/or haywagons may be used to complete this work. This work has been done annually for many years. This proposed action does not include any changes to these operations; the purpose is simply to formalize the Forest Service s agreement with Mr. Wilcox. The permit will remain valid for ten years. All pertinent mitigation measures included in the 2013 Decision Memo will continue to be followed (see Appendix). In addition, surveys will be conducted during the spring, summer, and fall of 2017 for the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta), a Regional Forester s Sensitive Species. If these surveys detect the presence of wood turtles in or near the Richville Road fields, the following mitigation measures will be required when fields are mowed: Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 1

2 1) A qualified wildlife biologist will walk ahead of the mower and other machinery to relocate any turtles that are encountered. 2) Rather than encircling the field and working towards the middle, mowing will proceed in a backand-forth pattern. This will ensure that wood turtles and other wildlife will not get trapped in the middle. 3) The mowing bar shall be set no lower than six inches above the ground. FOREST PLAN CONSISTENCY Nested within Goal 2 of the Forest-wide Goals and Objectives (Forest Plan: p. 11) is the long-term objective to maintain 1% to 5% of the forest as permanent upland openings. This project will also contribute toward meeting Goal 8 of the Forest-wide Goals and Objectives (Forest Plan: p. 14): Provide a sustainable supply of forest products. Permanent upland openings are a component of the desired future condition of the Diverse Forest Use MA: Permanent upland and temporary openings will occur across the landscape in shapes and sizes that are consistent with visual objectives in the area (Forest Plan: p. 47). Forest-wide Standards and Guidelines, Non-Recreation Special Uses, G-6, Agricultural uses should meet the requirement of having a clear and significant public benefit, such as maintaining desirable open spaces as determined by appropriate analysis. Do not authorize such uses merely to continue a past use on land now part of the National Forest System (Forest Plan: p. 45). ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS This proposed action potentially falls in a category of actions excluded from analysis in an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement, as proposals of this type individually and cumulatively do not have a significant effect on the human environment. This proposal falls under category 36 CFR 220.6(e)(3): Approval, modification, or continuation of minor special uses of National Forest System lands that require less than five contiguous acres of land. The environmental effects from the proposed action will be analyzed following NEPA regulations and guidance. The environmental analysis will identify any extraordinary circumstances that exist and could result in significant effects to the environment. At a minimum, the following specific resource conditions will be considered in accordance with 36 CFR 220.6(b): 1. Federally listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat, species proposed for Federal listing or proposed critical habitat, or Regional Forester s sensitive species 2. Floodplains, wetlands, or municipal watersheds 3. Congressionally designated areas (Wilderness or National Recreation Areas) 4. Inventoried Roadless Areas 5. Research Natural Areas 6. American Indians and Alaska Native Religious or Cultural Sites 7. Archaeological Sites, or Historic Properties or Areas Other resources anticipated to be included in the environmental analysis include soil, water quality and aquatic habitat. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT Public comments received for the project proposal will help focus the environmental analysis on the resource issues of concern. The analysis will be the basis for the final decision. Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 2

3 DECISIONS TO BE MADE After conducting and reviewing the environmental analysis, including public involvement and interdisciplinary resource specialist input, the Responsible Official will make the following decisions: 1. Whether the proposed project will proceed as proposed, as modified to address issues, or not at all; 2. What specific resource protection or mitigation measures should be implemented as part of the project; 3. Whether the project would have environmental impacts at levels that may require an EA or EIS; and 4. What monitoring requirements should be applied to the project. RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL David Francomb, Manchester District Ranger, Green Mountain National Forest, is the Responsible Official for the decision on this proposal. 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 for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please 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, SW., Washington, DC , or call (800) (voice) or (202) (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 3

4 Figure 1: Map showing location of Richville Road fields. Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 4

5 APPENDIX Mitigation Measures from 2013 Decision Memo regarding the Manchester Ranger District Permanent Upland Opening Maintenance Project All pertinent Forest-wide, and appropriate Management Area standards and guidelines will be adhered to during project implementation. The following additional mitigation measures will also be adhered to during project implementation: Remote Backcountry MA No treatment actions will be applied to portions of permanent upland opening stands that lie within Remote Backcountry Forest Management Area. The boundary of the Remote Backcountry Management Area in the opening stand will be delineated in the field before working in areas adjacent to Remote Backcountry Management Area. Wilderness The Wilderness boundary will be confirmed to ensure that treatments will not take place in Wilderness. Roadless Resources No trees will be cut in those portions of stands that are within RACR areas. The boundary of the RACR in the opening stand will be delineated in the field before working in areas adjacent to the RACR. Heritage Resources Maintenance activity in opening stands with known historic sites will be coordinated with the Forest Archaeologist to determine appropriate mitigation actions prior to implementation. All known cultural sites will be clearly marked on burn plans and maps, and protected by a fuel break where necessary prior to any prescribed burn. Brush will not be piled within historic sites Workers clearing fire lines, implementing prescribed fire, or mechanically treating a site will be directed to cease operations in a particular site if they should uncover previously unknown cultural sites or artifacts, and contact the District Paraprofessional Heritage Resource Specialist and Forest Archaeologist to evaluate the artifacts or sites and determine protection measures. The Forest Archaeologist will contact the State Historic Preservation Officer and appropriate mitigation measures will be devised in conjunction with the State Historic Preservation Officer will be implemented. Ecology Compartment 28 Stand 101 (C28 S101) in Weston has a small portion of the stand within the West River Headwater Cove, an A-ranked enriched northern hardwood cove and seep identified as significant by the Vermont Nongame and Natural Heritage Project (VNNHP). Maintenance activities in this stand will not take place within 100 feet of this cove and seep. C93 S109 in Sunderland is adjacent to Lost Pond Slope, an area identified as significant by VNNHP. Maintenance activities in this stand will avoid the slope. Visual Quality The maintenance schedule and operations of openings along the Appalachian Trail will be coordinated with the Forest Service trails specialist, Forest Landscape Architect, and the Green Mountain Club. For openings located along hiking trails and roads opened to vehicle traffic, or openings that can be viewed from vista locations, slash piles should be burned within the same year if possible to minimize Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 5

6 visual impacts. If this is not possible, lop and scatter, burn, or chip vegetation to maintain a natural appearance. Recruitment of young trees to enhance the opening or vista is desirable in areas where visual sensitivity is high and there is no transition from the adjacent forested stand and the maintained opening. For example, the edge of the opening may be treated differently than the interior. The edge may step down in vegetation types and size to create a transition. If seedlings or saplings have grown in and they would otherwise be cut down during maintenance, consider leaving some trees in clusters. This need not be done in every stand but should be implemented where visual sensitivity should be maintained. Where possible, and if funding is available, maintain existing signs, replace ones that have become missing, and place new signs to interpret wildlife habitat as part of the Watchable Wildlife Program. Botany and Rare Plants All openings will have a current (generally within 5 years for terrestrial species, and 10 years for aquatic species) botanical inventory for rare plants and Non-Native Invasive Species (NNIS) prior to maintenance, unless ecological models (currently in development) suggest a lack of potential habitat at a particular site. The need for new or additional botanical inventories will be determined by the Forest Botanist. Any opening in which rare plants occur (RFSS or not) that is proposed for maintenance should have mitigation measures developed in coordination with the Forest Botanist to minimize impacts to these plants. Mitigation measures should be site-specific to the rare plants that occur in each stand, and specific to the type(s) of maintenance proposed. Examples of potential mitigation measures include (but are not limited to) changing the timing of mowing to allow RFSS to go to seed before being mowed, or excluding a small area from maintenance activities. Ongoing rare plant monitoring (generally ever 5 years for terrestrial species, and 10 years for aquatic species, as budgets allow) should provide information about population stability that can be used in adaptive management of these sites. Non-Native Invasive Species (NNIS) Any equipment brought in to implement the project should be clean (free of mud and plant debris that could include seeds or other propagules) prior to accessing the site. In some instances a stiff broom may be adequate, while in others, high pressure water may be needed. The objective of this measure is to prevent new introductions of NNIS. Cleaning requirements will be reviewed by the Forest Botanist. For any site at which NNIS have been found during plant inventories, equipment must be cleaned prior to leaving the site. The objective of this measure is to prevent the spread of NNIS from these sites to other locations. All openings will have a current (generally within 5 years for terrestrial species, and 10 years for aquatic species) botanical inventory for rare plants and NNIS prior to maintenance. Even if ecological modeling suggests that botanical inventory for rare plants does not need to occur, it is suggested that surveys for NNIP still occur. These will likely be more cursory, and may potentially be accomplished by appropriately trained non-botany staff. For any openings known to have infestations of NNIS, a treatment plan should be developed with the Forest botanist that is in keeping with the Forest-wide Invasive Plant Control EA. Although in some cases treatment may be able to happen in conjunction with openings maintenance, in other cases, treatment may need to occur several weeks, months, or even a year in advance to be effective. In Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 6

7 addition, the method of treatment may vary considerably based on the method of openings maintenance. For this reason, a list of openings proposed for maintenance in any given year (including both location and method) should be provided to the Forest Botanist as far in advance as possible. Project proponents should also be prepared to pay for all NNIP treatments. An IDIQ contract for NNIP control on the GMNF is expected to be in place by mid-april of 2013, and will potentially be in effect through the end of FY17; task orders may be issued in keeping with this contract at any time by working through the COR (Forest botanist). In some instances, NNIP are known from (or may be discovered along) the edges of stands proposed for maintenance. In this situation, the following are needed: o o Develop a plan for accessing the opening without driving equipment through the NNIP. If such areas are unavoidable, treat the NNIS prior to beginning openings maintenance. Treat NNIS prior to beginning openings maintenance in settings where NNIS are likely to be dispersed into the opening by wind, water, wildlife, recreational use, etc. Fire And Air Notify adjacent landowners and local officials prior to a prescribed burn. Burn when the atmosphere is unstable and good air dispersion is present; avoid heavy concentrations of smoke or, if that is not possible, rotate personnel. Minimize smoke duration and smoke output by using appropriate ignition methods. All prescribed burning will adhere to the approved Prescribed Burning Plans. All known Indiana bat hibernacula, including Aeolus (Dorset) Cave and Skinner Hollow (Little Skinner Hollow) Cave adjacent to the Manchester District, shall be considered smoke-sensitive areas when planning for prescribed burns to be conducted from October to May. Soil And Water Mowing with heavy equipment will be done when soils are sufficiently dry to prevent rutting and compaction. No maintenance activities will take place in Class II wetlands. The soil organic layer should be only partially consumed during burns. In general, bare mineral soil will not be exposed (to prevent erosion, gullies, and slope instability). Wildlife And Timber Reserve all cavity trees unless they create a safety hazard. Adhere to the Smoke Management Plan associated with each Prescribed Burning Plan. Do not disturb exposed rock or talus, which may provide bat roosting habitat. Mowing and/or burning of permanent wildlife openings should not occur between May 1 st and August1 st to protect nesting birds and other wildlife. If these activities do need to occur between the mentioned dates, field surveys should be done just before implementation to determine if there are any nesting birds in the stand. Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 7

8 Forest Plan Standard & Guidelines for Wildlife, including direction for Indiana Bat, Species of Local Interest, Den/Nest/Mast trees, and Deer Wintering Areas will be followed for all proposed actions (Forest Plan pp ). Nine (9) permanent upland opening stands are located within 5 miles of a known Indiana bat hibernaculum or below 800 feet in elevation along Route 7, locations or elevations where Indiana bats might occur: C6 S103, C6 S104, C38 S103, C39 S102, C39 S103, C39 S106, C75 S102, C227 S102, and C231 S101. Potentially-occupied Indiana bat roost trees in these nine stands shall not be felled during the period from April 15 th through October 30 th. Felling of any such roost trees in these stands should be avoided to the greatest extent possible during other times of the year. In all permanent upland opening stands included in this project, except the nine stands listed immediately above, felling of potentially-occupied bat roost trees should be avoided to the greatest extent possible during the period from April 15 th through October 30 th. All known Indiana bat hibernacula, including Aeolus (Dorset) Cave and Skinner Hollow (Little Skinner Hollow) Cave adjacent to the Manchester District, shall be considered smoke-sensitive areas when planning for prescribed burns to be conducted from October to May. Manchester Ranger District Apple Tree Release and Maintenance Project Page 8