Cheat Mountain Wildlife Habitat Enhancement

Transcription

1 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Monongahela National Forest Greenbrier Ranger District Box 67 Bartow, WV File Code: 2670/1950 Date: June 7, 2011 Scoping - Opportunity to Provide Input Cheat Mountain Wildlife Habitat Enhancement The Forest Service is proposing to enhance wildlife habitat by increasing the amount of future overstory red spruce and/or black cherry on approximately 419 acres on Cheat Mountain. This letter is to inform you of the proposal and to invite you to participate by providing any comments or information that you have concerning the proposal. In order to best incorporate your comments into my decision, I am asking for your comments by July 11, Location The areas proposed for treatment are within Randolph County, on the Greenbrier Ranger District of the Monongahela National Forest. All proposed treatment areas can be found on the Mill Creek, Wildell, or Snyder Knob quadrangles. Forest Plan Direction This project is proposed to respond to the following direction in the Monongahela National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan 2006). Goal Vegetation: Restore a spruce component to stands that contain understory spruce or scattered overstory spruce. (p. II-14) Objective VE02 Vegetation Diversity: Maintain or create age class diversity on suitable timberlands to provide for sustainable timber production and a variety of structure and wildlife habitat. (p. II-18) Goal VE07 Rare Plants and RFSS [Regional Forester Sensitive Species] Plants: Maintain or restore rare plant communities or individual populations to contribute to the biodiversity of the Forest. (p. II-18) Goal TE01: Provide habitat capable of contributing to the survival and recovery of species listed under the ESA. Provide habitat that may help preclude proposed species from becoming listed. (p. II-22) Goal TE03: Work with USFWS, WVDNR, and other appropriate personnel to identify and manage habitat for TEP [threatened, endangered, and proposed] species. Participate in recovery plan development for threatened or endangered species that occur on the Forest, or that may be influenced by Forest management activities. (p. II-22) Goal TE04: Within watershed-level planning units, identify TEP species habitat and opportunities to maintain, restore, or enhance habitat conditions. Design and implement management actions at the project level to address opportunities and provide for ecological Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

2 conditions, population viability, reproductive needs, and habitat components for TEP species. (p. II-22) Goal WF01: Provide habitat diversity that supports viable populations of native and desired non-native wildlife and fish species, including Management Indicator Species (MIS), game species, and furbearers, and keeps RFSS from a trend toward federal listing. a) During watershed or project-level analysis, identify and prioritize opportunities to maintain or restore habitat for RFSS, Birds of Conservation Concern, and other species of interest. b) Within watershed-level planning units, maintain, enhance, or restore representative examples of habitats that would be expected under unmanaged conditions, to the extent allowed by land ownership patterns, existing conditions, and management prescription emphasis. (p. II-29) Standard SW34: No programmed timber harvest shall occur within the channel buffers identified in the table in SW37. Tree removal from the buffers may only take place if needed to meet aquatic or riparian resource management needs, or to; c) Provide habitat improvements for aquatic or riparian species, or threatened, endangered, sensitive, and locally rare species; d) Provide for public or worker safety. (p. II-12) Purpose of and Need for Action The entire project is located in Management Prescription (MP) Spruce and Spruce- Hardwood Ecosystem Management. The MP 4.1 area of Cheat Mountain has been identified as one of three priority areas for red spruce ecosystem restoration in West Virginia by the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI). The primary objective is to use active management in recently timbered areas and a few second-growth northern hardwood stands heavily impacted by beech bark disease to accelerate red spruce restoration. Air photo interpretation and field review show a substantial amount of understory red spruce in a predominately hardwood overstory. The younger stands are over-stocked, with over 5,000 stems per acre of mostly beech, birch, and maple. The two older stands also have inclusions that are over-stocked (over 5,000 stems per acre) with beech brush as a result of beech bark disease. If left untreated, the stands would continue to be over-stocked, which would hinder stand development. Additionally, the overstory would end up being predominantly undesirable hardwood species. A primary objective is to accelerate tree growth and achieve a mixed sprucehardwood overstory with at least 30 percent red spruce overstory in the future. A secondary objective is to favor the growth of black cherry, an important wildlife species. Proposed Action Twenty-four stands totaling 419 acres, and ranging in size from 2.5 to 56.4 acres, are proposed for treatment. Eighteen of the hardwood-dominated stands (253.6 acres) are young (less than 30 years old), with an understory component of red spruce. In order to increase the amount of future overstory red spruce and/or black cherry, naturally-regenerating saplings of red spruce and 2 of 5

3 black cherry would be released by cutting the surrounding competing vegetation (e.g., beech brush and striped maple). The goal is to release over 150 red spruce per acre, and over 100 black cherry per acre. Because of the young age of these stands, all competing vegetation proposed to be cut would be less than 5 inches diameter at breast height (dbh). If any trees greater than 5 inches dbh are suppressing the growth of red spruce or black cherry in these stands, they would be girdled. If stands lack red spruce or black cherry regeneration, small openings (less than 0.1 acre in size) would be created to encourage uneven-aged stand structure. Four of the proposed treatment areas (94.1 acres) are 30 to 40 years old and just entering the pole stage. Goals and activities for these stands are the same as described for the young stands, except that more girdling would be expected because much of the competing vegetation may be greater than 5 inches dbh. The final two hardwood dominant stands (71.3 acres) are older (70 to 90 years old), but heavily impacted by beech bark disease. Field review showed that these older stands have good spruce regeneration in the understory and midstory. Because of the closed canopy of these two older stands, black cherry regeneration is not expected. In these two older stands, the goal is to encourage uneven-aged stand structure, while releasing red spruce, and creating snags by girdling. Snag creation in the two older stands would not exceed 10 sawlog-size trees per acre, and may create openings up to 0.1 acre in size to mimic natural disturbances while releasing red spruce. Table 1. Cheat Mountain Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Stands Compartment Stand Acres Year of Origin Site Index * Forest Type of 5

4 Compartment Stand Acres Year of Origin Site Index * Forest Type Total Acres 419 * Forest types: 13: red spruce-balsam fir (18.1 acres); 81: sugar maple-beech-yellow birch (46.8 acres); 86: beech (41.6 acres); 87: sugar maple-beech-yellow birch-red spruce (170.6 acres); 89: mixed hardwoods (141.9 acres). All treatments would be mechanical; there would be no herbicide applications. No road work would be needed or done to access the units. Public Involvement Opportunities This project was first listed in the October 1, 2010 quarterly issue of the Monongahela National Forest Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA) and will continue to be listed each quarter until a decision is made. The SOPA is available at under Land and Resources Management, Projects, then Schedule of Proposed Actions (SOPA). Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposed action, and will be available for public inspection. This decision is not subject to administrative review or appeal pursuant to 36 CFR Contact to Provide Comments or Ask Questions To comment or ask questions on the proposal, or if you wish to receive future information on this proposed project, you may contact Kristine Vollmer: Phone: (304) , ext 24 Fax: (304) of 5

5 Mail: Cheat Potomac Ranger District Attn: Kristine Vollmer HC 59, Box 240 Petersburg, WV Project Timeline We expect to complete the Decision Memo in July. This project is expected to start in the summer of It will continue until the project is completed. The project completion date will depend on available funding. I look forward to your participation in the management of the Monongahela National Forest. Sincerely, /s/ Jack Tribble JACK TRIBBLE Greenbrier District Ranger Deciding Official USDA Nondiscrimination Statement The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (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 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC or call (202) (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 5 of 5