Dear Interested Party,

Transcription

1 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Idaho Panhandle National Forest Coeur d'alene River Ranger District P. O. Box 159 Smelterville, ID East Sherman Avenue Coeur d' Alene, ID File Code: 1950 Date: October 7, 2014 Dear Interested Party, The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to conduct vegetation management and watershed restoration activities on National Forest System (NFS) lands in an area approximately 10 miles northeast of Coeur d Alene, Idaho. The 11,000-acre Bottom Canyon Project Area is administered by the Idaho Panhandle National Forests (IPNF), Coeur d Alene River Ranger District, and is located entirely within Kootenai County (the legal location is T51N R2W, sections 1-3, 10-12, 13-16, and 25-26; T51N R1W sections 6-9, and 30; T52N R2W sections 35-36; and T52N R1W section 31, Boise Meridian). Under this proposal, activities are proposed on NFS lands in the drainages of Burnt Cabin, Lone Cabin, Lost Mine, George, Bottom, Canyon, Nicholas, Beaver and Cathcart Creeks, all of which drain into Little North Fork of the Coeur d Alene River (please see the enclosed maps). The purpose of this letter is to share information regarding the proposed Bottom Canyon Project, and to invite you to an open-house meeting to be held on Wednesday, October 22, in Conference Room B at the Fernan Ranger Station, 2502 East Sherman Avenue, in Coeur d Alene. Project team members will be on hand from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to provide information and answer questions regarding the Bottom Canyon Project. The following briefly describes project development, the need for treatment in the area, proposed activities, and how you can provide comments about the proposal. Project Development Collaborative Efforts Collaboration with communities and the public is important to the Idaho Panhandle National Forests. In addition to interacting with the general public, the Forest Service is collaborating with area organizations to establish priorities, cooperate on activities, and increase public awareness and participation about site-specific projects. In June 2012, the IPNF completed an Integrated Vegetation and Fuels 5-Year Action Plan, a collaborative effort to identify priority areas of the IPNF based on wildland urban interface, restoration potential, forest health, and/or timber suitability. As a result of that process, the Bottom Canyon Project was identified has having high potential for both forest health and watershed restoration activities to improve resiliency and trend towards desired condition while providing commercial timber products and supporting local employment. The Forest Service began the process of identifying potential treatments in the area to meet those objectives. Over the past year and half, Forest Service project team members met several times with the Panhandle Forest Collaborative and members of the scientific community to discuss conceptual treatments for stands in the Bottom Canyon Project Area. The Panhandle Forest Collaborative is a group that brings together conservation, community and agency representatives to develop balanced approaches to timber harvest, wild ecosystem protection, and recreation. The group s goals include: reducing litigation, promoting sustainable operations, enhancing travel and

2 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 2 recreation opportunities, maintaining infrastructure for timber, ranching and recreation, and conserving native ecosystems. Participants of the Panhandle Forest Collaborative include other state and federal agencies, environmental and conservation organizations, timber industry, local officials, local landowners, and other interested stakeholders. The Panhandle Forest Collaborative initiated collaboration with the Forest Service on the Bottom Canyon Project during the spring of Over the course of the following year the Panhandle Forest Collaborative and the Forest Service organized independent scientific panels, met to review treatment options and visited the project area to assess existing conditions. On April 9, 2014, the Panhandle Forest Collaborative presented a conceptual proposal for treatments in the Bottom Canyon Project Area. The Forest Service worked with the Panhandle Forest Collaborative throughout the summer of 2014 to further refine the proposed action. Both groups conducted multiple field trips to the project area to collect additional field data, resolve differences among stakeholders (primarily related to old growth, roads, and wildlife habitat) and to find common ground among members of the collaborative group. On September 19, 2014, the Panhandle Forest Collaborative ed a letter of consensus to the District Ranger of the Coeur d Alene River Ranger District. The proposed action identified in this scoping letter is a result of this collaborative effort. Healthy Forest Restoration Act/2014 Farm Bill Every five years, Congress passes a bundle of legislation (commonly called the "Farm Bill") that sets national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy. Among the provisions that pertain to the Forest Service, Section 8204 of the 2014 Farm Bill amends Title VI of the 2003 Healthy Forest Restoration Act (HFRA; 16 U.S.C. 6591) by adding section 602 (Designation of Treatment Areas) and section 603 (Administrative Review) to address qualifying insect and disease infestations on National Forest System lands. On May 20, 2014, Department of Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced the designation of approximately 45.6 million acres of National Forest System lands across 94 national forests in 35 states to address insect and disease threats that weaken forests and increase the risk of forest fire. On the IPNF, 26 treatment areas (397,496 acres) were designated, including acreage affected by insects and disease in the Bottom Canyon area. The Governor of Idaho has asked that priority be given to project development within these designated insect and disease areas. The Bottom Canyon Project may be carried out in accordance with Title VI, section 602 (d). This HFRA section provides for expedited NEPA reviews, pre-decisional objection review, and guidance on judicial review. Such designation does not change or exempt the Forest Service from complying with any other existing law, regulation and policy such as the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act, agency Roadless Rules, and any other applicable law, regulation, and/or policy that affects the designated area. Stewardship End-Result Contracting There are a variety of types of contracts that the Forest Service can use to implement a project. The 2014 Farm Bill permanently reauthorized the stewardship end-results contracting authority by creating a new Section 604 of HFRA (Section 8205). Stewardship contracts are selected on a bestvalue basis, including consideration of criteria other than cost or price. Stewardship contracting applies the value of the timber removed as an offset against the cost of other services included under the contract. Services accomplish resource improvement projects that improve forest health; restore or maintain water quality; improve fish and wildlife habitat; and/or reduce hazardous fuels.

3 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 3 If the offset value of the timber exceeds the value of the included resource improvement projects then the residual receipts can be collected and used for other authorized stewardship projects. When considering the use of stewardship contracting the Forest Service is directed to develop projects collaboratively. The District has discussed using stewardship contracting with the collaborative group during the initial development of the range of management opportunities within the project area. The activities listed in the Proposed Actions section can potentially be addressed through stewardship contracting provisions. The project will be designed to be consistent with those provisions. Forest Land and Resource Management Plans The current IPNF Land and Resource Management (Forest) Plan was approved in September 1987, providing a framework for management of all forest resources. The IPNF is in the process of revising its Forest Plan based on legal requirements and significant changes that had occurred in conditions and demands since the Plan went into effect. The need for revision also comes from new public issues, new desires, and new expectations of public land and resource management. In 2013, the IPNF released a revised Forest Plan, Draft Record of Decision, and accompanying Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The comment period for the revised Forest Plan has ended and a final Record of Decision is pending. Once approved, the revised Forest Plan will guide all resource management activities on the IPNF for the next 10 to 15 years. The Bottom Canyon project was developed under the revised Forest Plan and is consistent with all of the alternatives considered for that plan. It was also developed to be consistent with the 1987 Forest Plan, taking into consideration changes in information and our understanding of forest management since the release of that plan. The Need for Action Existing and desired conditions in the Bottom Canyon Resource Area indicate a need to: Increase the quantity and distribution of western white pine, ponderosa pine, western larch and western redcedar to improve resiliency of the landscape to future disturbances; Improve water quality and aquatic habitats; and, Provide forest products that contribute to the sustainable supply of timber products from National Forest System lands. The following discusses in greater detail the goals and objectives related to these needs. Increased Quantity and Distribution of Western White Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Western Larch and Western Redcedar to Improve Resiliency of the Landscape to Future Disturbances Long-living insect and disease-resistant species, including western white pine, ponderosa pine, western larch, and western redcedar, are notably lacking within the Bottom Canyon Project Area. These species provide a level of resilience to the ecosystem because they are resistant to insects, disease, and drought stress. Western larch and ponderosa pine have thicker bark and taller crowns, and can withstand (even benefit from) low to moderate severity fires that thin out less resilient species such as Douglas-fir, grand fir, and western hemlock. Larch, white pine and ponderosa pine all require disturbances, such as fire or harvesting, to create large openings are full of sun and clear away shrubs and trees that compete with their seedlings.

4 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 4 In the Idaho Panhandle, western white pine was once considered a keystone species (a species of unique importance within a given ecosystem), dominating 20 to 40 percent of the forested area on the IPNF; today it is dominant on only about 4 percent of the forested area. Severe fires in the early 20 th century were devastating to white pine stands in the Coeur d Alene Basin, leaving only scattered individual trees and a few small islands of surviving trees. Fire control efforts increased and became very effective; however, in protecting the forest, these efforts virtually eliminated the fires that had helped thin out species that compete with white pine for sunlight and nutrients and create large openings in which new stands of white pine can successfully regenerate. In the early 1900 s, white pine blister rust was introduced into this area, targeting the tops of mature white pine where cones and seed are produced, and killing the vast majority of naturally reproduced seedlings. In the late 1930 s, a mountain pine beetle outbreak further decimated white pine in the area. White pine trees were weakend or killed by these disturbances, and over time were harvested to recover their economic value. Selective logging of western larch and western redcedar also occurred within the project area, beginning in the 1920s. Ponderosa pine may have been harvested as well, but it was not historically prevalent within the project area. Figure 1. This view of proposed Units 12A and 12B shows a pocket of root disease where rapidly dying Douglasfir are likely infested with Douglas-fir bark beetles. This photo was taken from within the rehabilitation portion of Unit 11 which has also been severely affected by root disease and bark beetle mortality. As white pine, larch and cedar died or were harvested, canopy openings were filled in with Douglasfir, grand fir and western hemlock. All three of these species are highly susceptible to insects, diseases, and drought. Much of the Douglas-fir within the project area has already died due to root diseases and Douglas-fir beetle attacks, contributing to the accumulation of dead fuels. Many grand fir and western hemlock trees are also succumbing to root diseases throughout the project area.

5 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 5 The potential for large and severe fire is increasing throughout the area, because the firs and hemlock maintain their lower branches much longer than white pine; often have more ladder fuels that facilitate the transition of surface (ground) fires into the crowns; and have dense forest canopies that carry crown fires, resulting in more severe fires. White pine grow best in sunlight, not shade, so maintaining an opening around the young trees is important to their growth and survival. Douglas-fir, grand fir, and western hemlock seedlings will grow even when shaded by other trees, and tend to crowd out the sun-loving white pine. Without disturbance (either natural or human-caused), the white pine will not get the sun and nutrients needed to survive, and the health and resilience of the forest will continue to decline. Forests on the IPNF today are also much less productive than they were historically. Prior to the arrival of blister rust, mixed white pine stands commonly supported 50,000 board feet per acre. Today the mixed fir and hemlock forests that developed due to the loss of white pine typically only produce about half as much board foot volume per acre. A primary goal of this project is to increase the proportion of western white pine, ponderosa pine, western larch, and western redcedar across the landscape. Activities which maintain and increase the presence of these species will increase the diversity of conifers in the project area, improve the health of the forested ecosystem and increase resiliency to disturbances such as fire, insects, diseases, and drought. Improved Water Quality and Aquatic Habitats The Forest Service is proposing watershed restoration in the Bottom Canyon Resource Area to meet the objectives of the IPNF Forest Plan to restore stream function and desired future conditions for aquatic resources. The Bottom Canyon project falls within the Burnt Cabin Creek/Little North Fork of the Coeur d Alene River subwatershed, which has been identified as having high value for restoration. Watersheds identified for restoration in the revised Forest Plan were characterized by high road densities, water quality limitations, depressed populations of native fish species, or a combination of the above, and were relatively high potential for improvement. Watershed restoration is needed partly because streams within the Bottom Canyon Resource Area are considered impaired and do not fully support beneficial uses of the State of Idaho (including cold water aquatic life and salmonid spawning) due to high sediment loads, altered stream flow, habitat, and temperature regimes. Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act establishes requirements for states and tribes to identify and prioritize water bodies that do not meet water quality standards. Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) must develop a water quality improvement plan, called a total maximum daily load (TMDL), for those water bodies not meeting water quality standards. A TMDL is a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterbody can receive and still meet water quality standards. TMDLs are assessed on a subbasin level. Currently, sediment and temperature TMDLs exist for the North Fork Coeur d Alene River Subbasin, the area within which the Bottom Canyon Project Area is located. High road density and poorly designed forest roads in the area contribute to the impaired water quality status. In addition, several road/stream crossings act as obstructions to aquatic organisms, including migratory fish, or pose a substantial risk of adding additional sediment to streams due to being inadequately sized to pass high flows. Excessive road densities near streams contribute to low densities of large trees for stream shade and altered fish habitat.

6 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 6 Although other watersheds on the IPNF have been identified as high value for restoration and include TMDLs for sediment reduction, Burnt Cabin Creek is identified as one of the greatest contributors of sediment in all of the North Fork Coeur d Alene River. Current restoration work is occurring upstream (on the Little North Fork Coeur d Alene River and Iron Creek) as part of the Moose Drool Watershed Restoration Project (2012). The location of Burnt Cabin Creek relative to the ongoing Moose Drool Watershed Restoration activities supports a top down watershed restoration strategy for the North Fork Coeur d Alene River. Such an approach allows the lower watershed to adjust to sediment reduction and water quality improvements over time. Watershed restoration in Burnt Cabin Creek as part of this project would complement the efforts currently occurring upstream along the Little North Fork Coeur d Alene River. The existing TMDL was considered in addition to the identified high value restoration potential during development of the proposed action. Included actions address the above concerns especially high road densities and sediment sources. Key sediment sources include active and abandoned roads in stream floodplains, road /stream crossings, and road approaches to stream crossings. The proposed activities would result in an overall decrease in sediment delivered to streams, which would improve water quality and aquatic habitat. Contribute to Employment and Income by Providing Wood Products The surrounding communities have significant social and economic ties to National Forest System lands. Management decisions made by the Forest Service can have an impact on the economies of smaller, resource-based communities. Economic effects can include changes in local employment and income, and changes in local services and community infrastructure. Forest products resulting from management activities on national forest lands will contribute to the local economy and to the sustainability of the local forest products industry. Producing forest products would contribute to the accomplishment of timber management goals and to the desired future condition. Community stability is one of the objectives of the current (1987) Forest Plan, which states, (M)anagement activities will continue to contribute to local employment, income and lifestyles. The Forest will be managed to contribute to the increase demand for recreation and resource protection while at the same time continuing to provide traditional employment opportunities in the wood products industry, (Forest Plan, p. II-11). Under the 1987 Forest Plan, the majority of the project area is designated as Management Area (MA) 1, General Forest. Within this management area, goals are to manage those lands suitable for timber production for the long-term growth and production of commercially valuable wood products and: provide cost effective timber production; protect soil productivity; meet or exceed state water quality standards; provide wildlife habitat; provide opportunities for dispersed recreation; and meet visual quality objectives (USDA 1987, page III-2). Under the revised Forest Plan, National Forest System lands within the Bottom Canyon area have been designated predominantly within Management Area (MA) 6 - General Forest, which states that on lands suitable for timber production, timber harvest is scheduled and contributes to the allowable sale quantity (USDA 2013, page 72). The revised Forest Plan also addresses community stability in describing the desired economic and social environment: The outputs and values provided by the Forest contribute to the local economy through the generation of jobs and income while creating products for use, both nationally and locally. Jobs and income generated by the activities and outputs from national forest management remain stable, contributing to the functional economy surrounding the IPNF, (USDA 2013, p. 41). Also, The outputs and values provided by the Forest contribute to community stability or growth and the quality of lifestyles in the Plan area, (USDA 2013).

7 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 7 Jobs and income association with commercial timber harvest could bring the local economy some increased relative stability during the life of the Bottom Canyon Project. In 2013, the various segments of Idaho s wood and paper products manufacturing industry employed an estimated 10,510 workers; these jobs provide wages that average approximately 27 percent higher than the average for all Idaho industries (University of Idaho, January 2014). An additional 9,280 indirect jobs are provided in other sectors of Idaho s economy. Industries that support forest products manufacturing include heavy equipment, trucking, and other transportation-related services as well as many wholesale, retail, and service sectors of the economy. All of the 19,790 jobs in the industry (10,510 direct and 9,280 indirect) and worker income depend upon timber harvest (University of Idaho, 2014). According to the University of Idaho, each million board feet of timber harvested and processed in the state provides approximately 18 jobs (10 in the forest products industry plus 8 indirect jobs in supporting industries), $528,000 in wages and salaries, and generates more than $3.2 million in sales of goods and services. The extent to which the proposed activities will contribute economically to local communities and counties depends largely upon costs and revenues based in part on current local timber market conditions and production costs for logging and milling the lumber. Logging costs include stump to truck (what it costs to get the trees or logs from the harvest unit to the truck loading site), haul, road reconstruction, road and drainage maintenance, tree planting, and brush disposal. As part of the environmental assessment, an economic analysis will be completed to determine the costs and revenues associated with the project and the economic impact on the local community. The Proposed Action The proposed action was developed in response to the needs just discussed. Elements of the proposed action include: vegetation management activities (site preparation, commercial timber harvest, reforestation, early stand tending, rehabilitation, and associated road construction) watershed improvement activities (culvert upgrades, road storage, road decommissioning, road reconstruction and maintenance, and activities to address unauthorized motorized access) The proposed vegetation management activities would increase the amount of long-lived tree species that are more resistant to insects and disease, as well as contributing to the economy of local communities and counties. The areas proposed for treatment integrate multiple objectives to maximize the effectiveness of treatments in meeting the goals and objectives of this project. Please refer to the enclosed map for location of proposed activities. A summary of the proposed activities is provided following the description of activities. Vegetation Management Several types of vegetation treatments are proposed on a total of 2,293 acres (approximately 21% of the total area analyzed). The treatments include commercial timber harvest and associated fuel reduction treatments, reforestation, early stand-tending activities and road construction. Commercial Timber Harvest and Logging Systems The result of all of the timber harvest activities would be a reduction in hazardous fuels, a more diverse forest structure, and a more resilient, sustainable, productive forest. Commercial timber

8 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 8 harvesting is proposed on approximately 2,293 acres using both skyline and tractor yarding systems. Of the 2,293 acres of commercial timber harvest, shelterwood harvest harvests are proposed on 337 acres, with seed tree harvests proposed on 16 acres. Shelterwood and seed tree harvests both retain individual trees from the original stand dispersed throughout the harvest area but shelterwood harvests retain more overstory than seed tree harvests. Shelterwood harvesting is an even-aged regeneration method in which a new age class develops beneath the moderated micro-environment provided by the residual overstory trees. Harvesting may be done uniformly throughout the stand (uniform shelterwood), in groups or patches (group shelterwood), or in strips (strip shelterwood). The residual overstory component (typically trees per acre) would be retained over the rotation of the new stand under this proposal in order to provide for snag recruitment, course woody debris recruitment, within stand structural heterogeneity, and other resource values. Site preparation and hazardous fuels reduction activities are permitted to occur throughout the entire treatment area unless otherwise specified. Pre-commercial thinning and/or pruning of the planted regeneration would occur as needed to ensure that the desired species survive to maturity through the intense competition that will occur on these growing sites throughout the first years of stand development. Retained trees would moderate post-harvest site conditions for the new regeneration, provide onsite locally adapted seed sources within each affected harvest area, provide an on-site source of snag and course woody debris recruitment into the future, maintain biological legacies of the past stand, and moderate the visual effects of the proposed harvest. The spatial arrangement of retained trees would be variable. Seed tree harvesting is an even-aged regeneration method in which a new age class is developed from seeds that germinate in fully-exposed micro-environments after removal of the previous stand and from artificial regeneration. This regeneration method involves the cutting of all trees except for a small number (usually less than 10 per acre) of widely dispersed trees retained for seed production and to produce a new age class in fully exposed microenvironment. Pre-commercial thinning and/or pruning of the planted regeneration would occur as needed to ensure that the desired species survive to maturity through the intense competition that will occur on these growing sites throughout the first years of stand development. Seed tree harvests are proposed in stands that do not currently have enough healthy trees of preferred species to meet shelterwood retention levels following harvest and site preparation activities. Aggregate retention harvesting is an even-aged regeneration method in which a new age class develops beneath the moderated micro-environment provided by the residual overstory trees. Residual trees are generally retained in patches, or in strips that are one-half acre in size or larger on up to 30% of the treatment unit area. Individual western larch, western white pine, ponderosa pine, western redcedar and any large and old individual of any species would also be retained throughout the harvested portions of the stands to maintain genetic diversity and structural complexity within the stands. Retention patches would be designed so that they effectively protect seeps, springs, wallows, isolated patches of large/old trees, rock outcroppings, concentrations of large snags and/or other unique resources that may occur within the proposed harvest areas. Riparian habitat conservation areas that extend well within the treatment area (as opposed to those that lie along exterior boundaries) may be included as retention patches. Skidding, prescribed burning and planting would not be permitted within the retention patches. The residual

9 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 9 overstory component would be retained over the rotation of the new stand under this proposal in order to provide for snag recruitment, course woody debris recruitment, within stand structural heterogeneity (complexity), and other resource values. Precommercial thinning and/or pruning of the planted regeneration would occur as needed to ensure that the desired species survive to maturity through the intense competition that will occur on these growing sites throughout the first years of stand development. Irregular selection is a combination of patch clearcuts (with and without reserves), shelterwood with reserves, and retention implemented over a year period of time utilizing two to three harvest entries to gradually increase the size of individual openings where feasible to do so. Edges of patch clearcuts would be feathered by retaining trees per acre in strips adjacent to the openings in order to visually soften the edges of the openings. Initial individual openings would vary in size from 2-15 acres, with most openings estimated to be 6-10 acres. Final opening sizes are estimated to range from 2-20 acres with the larger openings having irregular shapes (as opposed to squares or rectangles). Commercial thinning may be applied to portions of the identified treatment units that have at least 80 square feet of basal area of western larch, western white pine, and/or western red cedar individually or in combination. These combined treatment activities would occur over a year period of time with the intent to develop and/or maintain at least 3 age classes within each associated treatment polygon. Patch clearcutting and shelterwood would be applied to approximately 60% of each treatment unit over the entire treatment cycle. Approximately 40% of each associated treatment unit would be retained in an unharvested condition (retention), thereby comprising the oldest age classes. Many of the retention patches will be associated with drainage features on the landscape, thereby protecting these features and maintaining mature western hemlock and grand fir where they are most likely to naturally persist over extended time periods. Other retention patches will be associated with a variety of overstory forest conditions. Patch clearcuts and shelterwood harvests should comprise no less than 20% of the area or greater than 40% of the area in the first entry cycle. The initial entry will develop openings while subsequent entries will be utilized primarily to expand the initial openings, thereby increasing growing space and visible sky for shade intolerant western larch and western white pine which would be planted in the initial phase of the prescription. Blister rust resistant western white pine, western larch, Engelmann spruce and/or western red cedar would be planted in openings. Precommercial thinning and/or pruning of the planted regeneration would occur as needed to ensure that the desired species survive to maturity through the intense competition that will occur on these growing sites throughout the first years of stand development. Aggregate retention, shelterwood and seed tree harvests are classified as even-aged regeneration openings. Forest Service policy in Region 1 requires Regional Forester approval for development of even-aged openings that exceed 40 acres in size. Under the Bottom Canyon proposal, some shelterwood regeneration openings may exceed the 40-acre size in order to address deteriorating stand conditions caused by root diseases and insects which are occurring at scales that greatly exceed 40 acre patches. In particular, Units 01, 07, 12, 13, 17, 18, 21 and 26 may exceed 40 acres. As part of the project planning, the Responsible Official will seek Regional Forester approval for any even-aged regeneration opening that exceeds 40 acres. Retention Areas Within Harvest Units Harvest unit polygons were delineated around proposed harvest areas based on stand boundaries, logging systems, and topographic features such as roads, ridges, and drainages (see enclosed map). The acres identified for each unit are the total acres encompassed within that polygon. However,

10 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 10 timber harvest would not occur on all of the acreage within a unit; for each of the proposed harvest prescriptions discussed above, unharvested patches of trees would remain in most units. Based on the prescription descriptions, it is currently estimated that approximately 720 acres of the total area within unit polygons would be retained (unharvested) in patches of many sizes and shapes, determined largely by the contour of the land, adjacency of old growth, presence of surface water, and/or presence of unique habitats. Fuels Treatment Associated with Timber Harvest Underburning in harvest units would reduce fuels related to harvest activities as well as those fuels naturally present, including litter, down wood, brush, and small trees. Underburning would consume surface fuels such as grass, pine straw, and jackpots of down woody fuel, reduce ladder fuels from brush, small conifers and lower branches of larger conifers, and improve visuals of harvest units by softening unit edges. Slashing of small trees and brush may occur prior to underburning. Leave tree protection (clearing vegetation and slash) may occur in specific locations to protect specific residual trees, such as white pine, during underburning. Jackpot burning would occur in areas where slash has been piled in order to protect leave trees or other resources. Approximately 1,000 acres of the proposed harvest would be burned via broadcast, jackpot and/or under burning. Mastication, grapple piling, and yarding tops would be used for fuel treatment and site preparation for planting in place of underburning where sufficient fire tolerant species are not present, and slopes appropriate for mechanized equipment (less than 35% slope). Reforestation After harvest and site preparation activities are completed in the regeneration harvest units, rustresistant white pine, western larch and/or ponderosa pine would be planted in combinations appropriate for individual stands. Within the units, areas sufficiently stocked with existing desirable species will generally not be artificially regenerated. Seed and shelter trees that are retained in the regeneration harvests will contribute naturally regenerated seedlings within the regeneration harvest treatments. These trees will most often be western larch, white pine and ponderosa pine but may include other species as well. Occasionally, pocket gopher populations increase following harvest activities to levels that interfere with successful establishment of new conifer regeneration due to excessive herbivory of conifer seedlings by pocket gophers. In such instances, gopher abatement may be required to ensure successful regeneration establishment in portions of the proposed harvest units. Gopher abatement treatments typically utilize small quantities of poison grain inserted directly into gopher tunnels below ground with no above ground applications. Gopher abatement treatments would consist of an initial treatment, and up to two follow-up treatments pending the effectiveness of the initial treatment. The objective of gopher abatement treatments is to temporarily reduce pocket gopher populations on application sites long enough to gain establishment of the desired stand of conifer seedlings. Precommercial Thinning and Other Early Stand-tending Activities It is anticipated that thousands of western hemlock and grand fir seedlings will naturally establish per acre within much of the proposed harvest area within the first years following harvest activities. This natural regeneration is anticipated in addition to the artificial regeneration (planting) that would occur in order to establish the desired species within the harvest areas. Such high stocking levels would induce competition stress within the stands early in stand development and would quickly reduce the quantities of forbs, grasses and hardwood shrubs that many species

11 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 11 of wildlife utilize in the early stage of forest development. Pre-commercial thinning, weeding, and release treatments would be necessary under such conditions to maintain adequate growing space for white pine, western larch, ponderosa pine, and Engelmann spruce in particular. Early stand tending activities would also maintain robust populations of forbs, grasses, and hardwood shrubs for longer periods of time where ever these activities were to occur. New Road Construction/Temporary Road Construction In order to access proposed harvest units and to maintain access for long-term management, approximately 3.9 mile of permanent road construction and 2.7 miles of temporary road construction would be necessary. New permanent roads would be accessible for administrative motorized use only and would not be open to public motorized use. Temporary roads would be decommissioned following completion of timber harvest activities. Vegetation Management (Rehabilitation) Activities Not Associated with Commercial Harvest The primary purpose of rehabilitation treatments is to reestablish stands of trees that are resistant to root diseases on sites where severe root disease infections have cause significant mortality. These treatments will reduce slash depths and reduce competition from tall brush and shadetolerant conifer saplings and poles in order to prepare the site for planting with rust-resistant white pine, western larch, and/or ponderosa pine seedlings. Approximately 134 acres are proposed to be treated through prescribed burning and up to 112 acres are proposed to be treated with mastication (the process of chewing up vegetation with machinery). Prescribed burning would occur on sites with steep slopes where insect and diseases have cause so much mortality that there is not enough merchantable timber left to make harvest activities economically viable. Mastication would occur on portions of a 40-year old stand of grand fir and Douglas-fir, which is already displaying substantial mortality due to root diseases. Mastication would occur on sites with relatively gentle slopes where mechanized equipment can be utilized. Watershed Improvement Road Decommissioning Roads not needed for long-term forest management are proposed for decommissioning to reduce impacts to water quality and reduce maintenance costs. As part of the Bottom Canyon Project, approximately 115 miles of roads are proposed for decommissioning. The goal of decommissioning is to reduce erosion, restore site productivity, eliminate the potential of a road-related failure, and re-establish natural water infiltration and drainage patterns. Many of the roads proposed for decommissioning are single-purpose legacy roads used in the past for timber harvest or mining access. None of the roads that are proposed for decommissioning are currently open to public motorized travel. During decommissioning, roads are usually decompacted and have major fills, embankments, and areas with higher risk of failure pulled up onto the road bed and stabilized. Drainage structures would be removed from stream channels and the adjacent slopes restored to resemble natural conditions. Some of the roads proposed for decommissioning are already effectively closed through heavy vegetation, stream washouts, or general lack of maintenance; decommissioning of these routes may be as simple as a status change in the database. Following prescription implementation, decommissioned roads would be removed from the National Forest Road System, but tracked as historic routes in the Forest Service database.

12 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 12 Road Storage Approximately 64 miles of roads are proposed for storage. Roads proposed for storage have been identified as needed for long-term forest management, but do not have any foreseeable use anticipated in the next 20 years. None of the roads proposed for storage are currently open to public motorized travel. Often, these roads will have their drainage structures removed. In some instances, culverts may be left in place, if the culvert is sized and functioning properly, has a low risk of failure, and measures are taken to account for drainage if the culvert did become blocked. Aquatic Organism Passage Barrier Improvement or Removal The ability to move unimpeded up and down streams is important for many fish species. Fish move about in streams to find food and shelter and avoid predators; during warm weather, some migrate from the mainstem to tributaries with cooler temperatures; and most migrate within a stream system to spawn. Poorly designed or maintained stream crossings can impede or block fish passage, with impacts to both individual fish who may no longer be able to meet these needs for survival and to the population of fish as a whole. A stream crossing that blocks fish passage also fragments habitat, isolating fish above the crossing from fish below the crossing. Fish migration may be limited by water velocities that are so high that fish are not able to swim fast enough to overcome the current; water depths that are too low for fish to navigate the crossing; or culverts that are perched above the streambed, preventing fish entry. Barriers to aquatic organism passage have been identified at several stream crossings (culverts) in the Bottom Canyon Project Area. Proposed improvements include upgrading 11 culverts, which would accommodate aquatic organism passage across the road and increase the distribution of aquatic species in the Bottom Canyon Project Area. Temporary road closures may be needed during implementation of the aquatic organism passage projects. Re-routes would be identified where possible. These closures can extend from several days to several weeks, depending upon the size of the crossing and complexity of the project. Stream Channel Crossing Restoration In addition to the AOP culverts, approximately 57 sites have been identified that are impacting stream conditions and where fish passage could be improved. Restoration of these sites may mean pulling the culvert and restoring stream channel form, or replacing the structure with one that would allow better fish passage (such as a larger culvert, bottomless arch, or bridge, depending on the species found in the stream and whether the structure is located on a road that is open to public motorized use). Figure 2. An example of a culvert in the Bottom Canyon Project Area that is impeding fish passage because it is perched too high above the streambed.

13 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 13 Summary of Proposed Activities The following table provides a summary of timber management and watershed restoration activities proposed in the Bottom Canyon Project Area. Table 1. Summary of activities proposed in the Bottom Canyon Project Area. Proposed Harvest and Associated Activities Commercial Harvest Treatments Shelterwood 337 acres Seed tree 16 acres Aggregate retention 564 acres Irregular selection 1,376 acres Total commercial harvest 2,293 acres Logging Systems Ground based 660 acres Skyline 1,633 acres Total logging systems 2,293 acres Fuel Treatments Associated with Timber Harvest Underburning 283 acres Broadcast burning 367 acres Grapple piling 255 acres Variable treatments within a unit acres Total fuel treatments associated w/commercial harvest 1,586 acres Reforestation Tree planting 1,586 acres Early Stand-tending Activities Precommercial thinning, weeding, and release 1,586 acres Road Construction associated with timber harvest Construction of permanent (system) roads 3.9 miles Construction of temporary (nonsystem) roads 2.7 miles Proposed Vegetation Management Activities Not Associated with Commercial Harvest Prescribed burning followed by planting 134 acres Mastication followed by planting (in unharvested retention areas) 112 acres Total vegetation management activities not associated with harvest 234 acres Proposed Watershed Improvement Activities Road decommissioning miles Road storage 2 64 miles Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) repair 11 culverts Stream channel crossing restoration 57 sites 1 A combination of broadcast burning, underburning, grapple piling, mastication and/or whole-tree yarding. 2 All roads proposed for decommissioning/storage are currently closed to public access; no roads currently open for public access would be decommissioned/stored.

14 Bottom Canyon Scoping Letter Page 14 Your Opportunity to Comment The Bottom Canyon Project will be completed using the authority of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 (HFRA), Public Law , as amended by the 2014 Farm Bill, Section Projects authorized under the HFRA are subject to the Predecisional Administrative Review Process (referred to as the "objection process") pursuant to 36 CFR 218, Subparts A and C. Objections will only be accepted from those who have submitted written comments specific to the proposed project during scoping or other public involvement opportunity where written comments are requested by the responsible official (36 CFR 218.5). The Coeur d'alene River Ranger District is requesting your comments about this proposed action. A comment form has been enclosed for your convenience. The comment form also provides the opportunity for you to choose whether you would like to have your name kept on the list to receive future mailings regarding the Bottom Canyon Project, or to have your name removed from the mailing list for this particular project. Written, facsimile, hand-delivered, oral, and electronic comments will be accepted for 30 calendar days following publication of legal notice in the Coeur d'alene Press newspaper. Written comments must be mailed or hand-delivered to our Fernan Office, 2502 East Sherman Avenue, Coeur d'alene, Idaho, The office business hours for those submitting hand-delivered comments are 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Electronic comments must be submitted in rich text format (.rtf), Word (.doc) or Word Perfect format to comments-northern-idpanhandle-coeur-dalene@fs.fed.us or to Project Leader Kerry Arneson at karneson@fs.fed.us). The subject line must contain the name of the project for which you are submitting comments (Bottom Canyon). For electronically-mailed comments, the sender should normally receive an automated electronic acknowledgement from the agency as confirmation of receipt. If the sender does not receive an automated acknowledgement of the receipt of comments, it is the sender's responsibility to ensure timely receipt by other means. Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record and will be available for public inspection. Maps and other documents are available on the Idaho Panhandle National Forests' internet web site: If you have questions regarding Bottom Canyon Project, please contact Project Leader Kerry Arneson (telephone , karneson@fs.fed.us) or Ecosystems Staff Officer Jeanne White ( or ~~"'-"-='"' -"'"'"""'""'"J Sincerely, ~,b-1 ~-+== CHAD E. HUDSON District Ranger Enclosures ~G (p~),,,.,_ ill

15 COMMENT FORM BOTTOM CANYON PROJECT PROPOSAL Name: Postal Address: Address: I prefer to receive information electronically at the above address. Phone: My comments are: (please add additional pages as needed) Yes, please keep my name on the list to receive future mailings regarding the Bottom Canyon Project No, please remove my name from the mailing list for the Bottom Canyon Project. Please return this form to: Coeur d Alene River Ranger District Telephone: Attn: Project Leader FAX: E. Sherman Ave karneson@fs.fed.us Coeur d Alene, Idaho 83814