Appendix A (Project Specifications) Patton Mill Fuel Break Project

Transcription

1 Appendix A (Project Specifications) Patton Mill Fuel Break Project I. Proposed Actions: A. Construct a Fuel Break (approximately 5 miles, about 120 acres): The fuel break is located along a segment of road 24N20, 24N36 and spur road 24N36A. The northern tip of the fuel break would be constructed cross-country on a ridgeline (not along a road) between the north end of the 24N36A spur and where the ridge intersects with road 24N36 (See Map A). The fuel break width will not exceed 200 at any given location 1. It will generally extend 100-feet on both sides of the road but the actual location will be shifted side-to-side in some areas in order to accommodate terrain, fuel loading, resource concerns, and other projects. Fuel break construction activities include: Tree thinning Cut trees below 10 diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) Tree pruning prune trees greater than 4 inches DBH up to 6 in height or 1/3 rd the tree height, whichever is less Brush thinning Cut brush Piling and burning or chipping cut vegetation B. Road Brushing (approximately 1 mile, about 5 acres): Road brushing will occur along a segment of road 24N36 (See Map A). The width of road brushing activities extends to 20 on both sides of the road. Road brushing activities include: Cut and chip vegetation below 10 DBH Prune the lower branches from trees 10 DBH up to 6 in height C. Fuel Break and Road Brushing Maintenance: After implementation, the fuel break and road brushing will be maintained as needed utilizing the same treatment techniques as listed above. Alternative maintenance treatments may be used in the future but will be analyzed at that time. 1 A buffer width of 400 has undergone analysis (200 on either side of the road) for possible placement of the fuel break. This buffer layout will allow the implementer to adjust the treatment based on the terrain and fuel loading. However; the width of the fuel break will not exceed an approximate 200 at any given location. Examples of possible fuel break widths include: 100 on either side of the road; 200 on one side of the road and no treatment on the other side or 175 on one side of the road and 25 on the other side, etc. Page 1 of 14

2 II. Guidelines for Retention of Trees (Under 10 DBH) and Brush during Fuel Break Construction These guidelines will be used in areas where retention will not impede the effectiveness of the fuel break. A. Selection Tree Criteria: Select leave trees in the following order of preference: White/Black oak (See 8 below for further information), sugar pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, incense cedar, and grey pine 1. Tree Spacing: i. When trees greater than 10 inches are present and meet required minimum spacing (30 to 35 spacing), remove all trees less than 10 inches DBH. ii. In areas where only trees between 4 and 10 inches DBH are present, thin to 30 to 35 foot spacing. iii. In areas where only trees less than 4 inches DBH are present, thin to 20 foot spacing. 2. Leaving healthy trees takes priority over a specific species. 3. Trees are preferred as leave trees when they meet the following criteria: i. Crown class Dominant or codominant, with healthy crowns ii. Bole - Straight and unforked iii. Health - Vigorous and healthy in appearance iv. Growth - Leader length equal to or greater than that on trees of the same size and crown class v. Quality - Limbs are not excessively large 4. A diversity of tree species in the higher preference categories should be retained. 5. Avoid creating continuous areas of single species. 6. Grey pine should only be retained if it is healthy and at low frequencies. i. Opportunities to retain grey pine include areas where other preferred species are not present; ii. A larger grey pine (6-8 inches DBH) is present but has a smaller Douglas-fir nearby or; iii. A healthy grey pine is present and no grey pine have been retained recently (within the last 50 leave trees); iv. Remove any grey pines that are declining, especially if another healthy tree of a preferred species is nearby. Page 2 of 14

3 7. Avoid retaining dwarf-mistletoe infested conifer trees whenever possible, but use the criteria below if all trees in the area are infected. i. No mistletoe is visible; ii. No mistletoe is growing on or within one foot of the bole; iii. No mistletoe is growing within the top 1/3 of the live crown; 8. Focus thinning around the largest oaks to increase individual tree vigor. Oak sprouts (in shrub form) may be thinned to between one and four of the best formed stems (straight stem, full crown, little to no crook at the base where connected to the stump). 9. Hazard snags greater than 10-inches DBH will be cut and left on site (follow the Hazard tree guidelines for Forest Service facilities and roads in the Pacific Southwest Region). Once felled they will not be chipped, piled or burned. Felled snags that block safe road access or culverts must be moved. 10. Dead-and-down woody material between 3 and 10 inches in diameter that has not already been incorporated into the ground litter may be piled or chipped. B. Selection Brush Criteria (in brush-dominant areas): Leave brush in the following order of preference: oak, manzanita, ceanothus. Prefer younger brush over mature brush. 1. Brush Spacing i. Retain live shrubs on an approximate 30 by 30 spacing only in places where no trees are present to meet the prescribed spacing requirements. Page 3 of 14

4 III. Guidelines for Treating Near Streams A. Treatments authorized on Federal land within 30 of streams. These treatments do not apply to riparian vegetation (no riparian vegetation is to be cut). 1. Tree thinning - Cut trees below 10 diameter-at-breast-height (DBH) 2. Tree pruning - prune trees greater than 4 inches DBH up to 6 in height or 1/3rd the tree height, whichever is less 3. Brush thinning - Cut brush 4. Placement of chips place at a maximum depth of 6 inches. i. Don t deposit chips where they can plug culvert inlets NOTE, the following applies to the above 3 treatments. ii. Maintain at least 70% canopy cover over the water of perennial streams where over 70 % exists. iii. Further, retain streamside vegetation along perennial streams so that at least 60% of the stream surface is shaded between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. from June 1 to September 30. iv. Where less than 70% canopy cover or 60% shade surface exists retain all stream shade. B. Treatments not authorized on Federal land within 30 of streams. 1. Piling 2. Burning C. Treatments not authorized on private land within 30 of streams. 1. Thinning of trees or brush 2. Pruning 3. Piling 4. Burning 5. Chip placement Page 4 of 14

5 IV. Design Features: A. Piling/Burning Specifications: Keep piles smaller than 6 in diameter by 4 in height on Federal Land. For private land keep this pile size or smaller pile diameter within riparian areas outside of the 30 riparian exclusion zone but within 300 of stream channels. A larger diameter of pile size may be developed outside of the areas but within the project boundary. Place piles at least 15-feet apart. Cover each pile with a 4 -by-4, 6-mil-thick plastic (See IV. Diagrams and Maps for an illustration of piling). Locate piles more than 10 from leave trees. Do not build piles on slopes greater than 60%. Hand-line piles where necessary to prevent fire from spreading. Ignite piles on the upslope side. 1. Hand Pile Specifications near Streams and Road Cuts: Stagger hand piles so that they aren t stacked above one another on slopes above streams and road cuts. Place piles a minimum of 30 feet from stream channels (See Map B). Do not create piles in draws, stream channels, inboard ditches, or above culvert inlets. Build piles on flats, benches, and slopes less than 20%, whenever possible. Pile slash with stems oriented with the slope to prevent rollout. B. Chipping Specifications: Chips will generally be blown back into the project area (maximum depth of 6 inches). Place chips into rutted road sections near streams. These sites are identified with flagging. Do not deposit chips into areas where they could plug culvert inlets or onto meadow or springs sources. Page 5 of 14

6 C. Resource Design Features: 1. Prior to Implementation: Project implementers will contact the Grindstone District Archaeologist and Hydrologist prior to implementation to ensure that necessary flagging is in place. 2. Archaeology: Pile construction and burning are not permitted within archaeological sites. 3. Botany: Wash chipper before bringing it on site. At the discretion of the Forest Botanist, existing roadside weed infestations may be removed before project implementation. After implementation, monitor project area, particularly burn piles, and control new weeds as necessary. No treatment at all is to occur within the flagged area around the meadow and associated springs in Section 20 along the 24N36 road (See Map B). All sensitive plant locations will be flagged for avoidance (See Map C). Page 6 of 14

7 4. Fisheries Design Features Based on Programmatic Consultation with National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS): Maintain watersheds (7th or 8th field level) affected by the proposed project and adjacent projects below Cumulative Watershed Effects (CWE) thresholds as implementation progresses. Conduct an updated CWE analysis if any wildfires occur in the project watersheds. If CWE thresholds are reached or exceeded, prescribed fire projects would be delayed until CWE values dropped below threshold. If 10% or more of either a fifth or sixth field watershed burns in a wildfire, do not implement the project that year. If less than 10% burns, the total project acres and wildfire acres should not exceed 10% per year. Implement work when the roads are dry enough to avoid causing rutting and increased sediment delivery to streams. Maintain at least 70% canopy cover over the water of perennial streams where over 70 % exists, per NMFS recovery recommendations. Further, retain streamside vegetation along perennial streams so that at least 60% of the stream surface is shaded between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. from June 1 to September 30, Plan requirements. Where less than 70% canopy cover or 60% shade surface exists retain all stream shade. Avoid cutting any true riparian vegetation (e.g. willow, maple and alder) or any vegetation contributing to stream bank stability. Pile Burning Near Streams Upslope and side-slope material can be chunked (pushing wood on the edge of the fire into the fire for more complete reduction of fuels) as needed. Do not chunk downslope material. Protecting Water Quality from Chemicals Refueling sites for drip torches, saws, equipment, etc. will be located at least 300 feet away from streams and ponds. 5. Geology: Naturally Occurring Asbestos (NOA) has been identified in the project area (See Map D). Appropriate measures to mitigate exposure to NOA are recommended during all stages of implementation and throughout the project area. A project specific Job Hazard Analysis guide would be available to implementation for appropriate mitigations. The project geologist or hydrologist should monitor the area for up to five years post-implementation to study mid-slope fuels treatment and its effect on slope stability. Page 7 of 14

8 6. Hydrology: Wet Weather When 2 or more inches of rain is measured at the Alder Springs Station in a 24-hr period, or if the Forest Line Officer and Hydrologist determine that cumulative rainfall has created conditions where roads could be damaged, work may be postponed until conditions have improved. Road Culvert Inlets- Clean out plugged culverts or partially plugged culvert inlets by hand, where ever possible. If the plugged culvert cannot be cleared by hand, take a GPS reading of the location, flag the plugged inlet, and report this location to the Forest Road Manager. Table 1:.Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Patton Mill Fuels Project BMP# Title Additional Instructions Intent of these BMPs 6.2 Consideration of Water Quality in Formulating Fire Prescriptions 6.3 Protection of Water Quality from Prescribed Burning Effects Implementation: Field investigations by specialists or a COR will be conducted as required to identify site-specific conditions, which may affect the prescription. Both the optimum and allowable limits for the burn to ensure water-quality protection will be established prior to preparation of the burn plan. An interdisciplinary team will assess the prescription elements and the optimum and maximum acceptable disturbance, and the fire management officer or fuel management specialist will prepare the fire prescription. The fire prescription will be reviewed by the interdisciplinary team and approved by the appropriate line officer. Implementation: Forest Service and other crews will be used to prepare the units for burning. This will include, but not be limited to, waterbarring fire lines (if needed around the piles), reducing fuel concentrations, and moving fuel to designated disposal and burning areas. The intent is to ensure water-quality protection will be established prior to preparation of the burn plan through design features stated above and by other specialists. These features need be designed by the specialists or interdisciplinary team assigned to assess the prescription elements to be within an acceptable disturbance. Intent is to maintain soil material on site by filters such as water-barring, chipping, and debris placement to protect water quality. See the design features above. Further, NMFS has requested an annual report concerning implementation effectiveness in June of each year that project implementation occurs. Page 8 of 14

9 7. Wildlife: Limited Operating Period: - Conduct all mechanical treatments within the 14 acres of Slate Creek drainage between August 31 st and October 15 th (See Map E). Coarse woody debris (logs greater than 20 large end DBH and >10 in length) will not be disturbed. V. Diagrams and Maps: Pile Diagram End View Page 9 of 14

10 Map A: Project Map Page 10 of 14

11 Map B: Stream Buffer Page 11 of 14 05/07/15

12 Map C: Areas to be flagged and surveyed prior to implementation Page 12 of 14 05/07/15

13 Map D: Potential Naturally Occurring Asbestos Page 13 of 14 05/07/15

14 Map E: Limited Operating Period Page 14 of 14 05/07/15