Management Plan. Forest -VI, / criteria. - decision - -4' '; `7 ` Forest Service- USDA- Pacific Northwest Region-Siskiyou

Transcription

1 Forest Management Plan - decision / criteria I -VI, I I 41 Z- =-= -.z --" ,, -'2 -- -"', I, AI,EF ' '; `7 ` Forest Service- USDA- Pacific Northwest Region-Siskiyou

2 Regional and Vicinity LOCATION MAPS For the: Siskiyou National Forest USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region 6 0 salem OREGON grants pass powers -Siskiyou National Forest R

3 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOREST SERVICE Siskiyou National Forest P.O. Box 440 Grants Pass, OR February 20, 1981 r Dear Planning Participant L As we all move further into the new year, all your national forests are continuing to work toward completing their individual Forest Land and Resource Management Plans. Here on the Siskiyou Forest we have developed our proposed Decision Criteria, another step in the planning process. The Decision Criteria will be used in selecting the prefered Forest management alternative. These criteria were developed by my planning staff and have been reviewed by our Regional Office staff in Portland, Oregon. I would now like you to look over the Decision Criteria and write me if you see any way they should be changed or adjusted. If you have comments, please have them to me by April 1. As our time schedule for producing the Draft Forest Plan has been extended, I am including a copy of our revised schedule. Throughout the coming year I want us to be in communication so our plan will be the best product we can produce. Sincerely, WILLIAM H. COVEYS- Forest Supervisor Enclosure (1 /69)

4 DECISION CRITERIA Decision criteria are measures for evaluating alternatives and selecting a preferred land and resource management alternative. The preferred alternative will be the alternative judged to provide the best balance toward satisfying all decision criteria. Each alternative will be evaluated according to the degree to which it: I. TIMBER A. Meets RPA targets as assigned in the Regional Plan for timber programmed sales offered (MMBF). Source: Regional Plan and RPA. B. Manages lands best suited for timber production by the most cost effective intensity. (Acres of site class by management intensity.) Source: Public issue. II. SOILS A. Minimizes soil loss. (Estimated tons of sediment per acre per year produced by management activities including roads.) Source: Public issue and management concern. III. RANGE A. Meets RPA targets as assigned in the Regional Plan for Range. (AUM) Source: Regional Plan and RPA. IV. WATER A. Maintains the quantity of water leaving the Forest, particularly during low flow periods. (Acre feet by time period.) Source: Public issue and management concerns. B. Improves or maintains the quality of water in streams and rivers as measured by sediment yield and water temperature. Sediment reaching the stream and water temperature changes that occur as a result of management activity will be of primary concern. (Tons sediment/acre/year, higher temperature changes in degrees.) Source: Public Issue and management concern.

5 V. RECREATION A. Meets RPA targets as assigned in the Regional Plan for developed and dispersed recreation. (MRVD) Source: Regional Plan, and RPA. B. Provides for maintaining the visual quality of the forest landscape and improves areas depreciated from past practices. (Percent of acres that meet the VQO assigned to the land.) Source: Public issue. C. Maintains or increases dispersed recreation opportuniites on the Forest. (Acres by ROS Class.) Source: Public issue. VI. HUMAN AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (Economics) A. Effects the standard of living in local communities. (Provides for a predictable level, equal to or better than the present level of supply of raw materials, recreation, and other use opportunities.) (1). Jobs in counties, (2). Personal income level in counties, (3). Payment to counties. Source: Public issue and management concern. VII. FISH AND WILDLIFE A. Protects, improves, and develops fish spawning, rearing, and migration habitat. (Acres of suitable habitat as measured by sediment and water temperature and estimated number of smolt produced.) Source: Public issue and management concern. B. Meets RPA targets as assigned in the Regional Plan for wildlife and fish habitat improvement. (Acre/Eq.) Source: Regional Plan, Public issue. C. Protects and enhances wildlife habitat. (Acres of Habitat for each indicator species.) Source: Public issue and management concern. D. Protects and enhances sensitive plant and animal species habitat. (Acres of suitable habitat.) Source: Public issue and management concern.

6 VIII. MINERALS A. Allows mineral development while protecting other resource values. (Acres available of known mineralized level for development.) Source: Public issue. IX. EFFICIENCY Provides for overall cost efficiency of the Siskiyou National Forest (Dollars of present net worth for the period ) Source: Public issue and management concern. DEFINITIONS RPA MMBF AUM MRVD VQO Acre/Eq ROS Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resource Planning Act of Million board feet. Animal Unit Month. Thousand Recreation Visitor Days. Visual Quality Objective. Acre Equivalents Recreation Opportunity Spectrum

7 THE NEXT STEPS Since starting our Forest Land and Resource Management Plan we have made significant strides toward its completion. Together we developed a list of Issues, Concerns and Opportunities, around which the Plan will be written. We have now shared with you the Decision Criteria we propose to use in evaluating the management alternatives we are just now starting to formulate. The diagram below shows the major steps in the entire planning process and the dates by which each is now scheduled to be completed. The crosshatched areas shows the completed work. THE FOREST PLANNING CYCLE