I am posting this letter, along with maps on the National Forests in North Carolina website, at:

Transcription

1 United States Forest National Forests in North Carolina 90 Sloan Rd Department of Service Nantahala National Forest Franklin, NC Agriculture Nantahala Ranger District Dear Forest User, File Code: 1950 Date: January 25, 2010 The Nantahala Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest is conducting an environmental analysis for proposed management activities in the Horse Bridge Project. Implementation of the activities would occur in a five to ten year period following documentation of a decision to proceed. The project is located in Jackson County, North Carolina, on National Forest lands in the vicinity of Tanasee Creek and Wolf Mountain, south and east of Balsam Lake Lodge (refer to attached map). The community of Tuckasegee is about nine miles west of the project area. The area encompasses approximately 10,908 acres of National Forest land located in seven Forest Service administrative units called Compartments (C.106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, and 112). Public Involvement This proposed project is being considered by the Forest Service and it is anticipated that an Environmental Assessment (EA) document disclosing the environmental effects will be prepared and made available to the public within the next eight months. With this Scoping letter, I am asking for your input concerning the proposal. Your comments will help us determine the significant environmental issues and public concerns associated with this project. To be most helpful, please make your comments as specific to the proposal as possible, and contain the following: your name, address, title of the project (Horse Bridge), and specific facts or comments along with supporting reasons for me to consider in evaluating the proposal. I am posting this letter, along with maps on the National Forests in North Carolina website, at: To give us ample time to analyze your comments, please provide them to us by March 1, 2010 by mailing them to the Attn; Joan Brown, Nantahala Ranger District, 90 Sloan Road, Franklin, NC Or you may your comments to comments-southern-north-carolina-nantahalanantahala@fs.fed.us. For additional information, please contact Joan Brown at our Franklin office at Management Areas The Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests Land and Resource Management Plan, referred to simply as the Forest Plan, describes the levels of management practices that may take place on specific Management Areas that have been designated across the Forest. Each Management Area (MA) has unique goals assigned to it, along with appropriate management direction and standards to achieve these goals. The National Forest lands in the Horse Bridge Project have been designated as MAs 2C, 4A,4C, 4D, 5, 13 and 18 (refer to table below). Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper

2 Acres in Project Area 261 2,926 2,638 3,477 1, * Management Areas and Resource Emphasis In the Horse Bridge Project Area 2C These areas are scenic travelways with an emphasis on providing pleasant scenery for people who experience the forest by driving or boating through it. These lands are not suitable for timber production. 4A Emphasis is on managing for quality scenery, opportunities for nonmotorized recreational uses, and habitat for animals that prefer older vegetation and limited disturbance. Timber production is permitted, but modified to emphasize visual quality objectives and wildlife habitat needs. 4C Emphasis is on visually pleasing scenery and nonmotorized recreation use. This MA is classified as not suitable for timber production. 4D Emphasis is on high quality wildlife habitat (particularly for black bear) and nonmotorized recreation use. Like MA 4A, timber production is permitted, but modified to emphasize visual quality objectives and wildlife habitat needs. 5 Emphasis is on providing large blocks of backcountry where there is little evidence of other humans or human activity other than recreation use. An unroaded forest environment and natural appearing forests with large old trees are desirable. Timber production is not appropriate. 13 Special interest areas that are managed to protect, and where appropriate, foster public use and enjoyment of unique scenic, geological, botanical or zoological attributes. 18 *These are riparian lands consisting of aquatic ecosystems, riparian ecosystems and associated plant and animal communities. MA 18 lands are embedded in the other Management Areas. They include perennial streams and lakes, wetlands, and 100-year floodplains. 10,908 Total Acres National Forest System lands in the Horse Bridge Project Area Proposed Activities The following management activities are being proposed: Two-Aged Regeneration Cuts: Regenerate 136 acres in 8 separate stands using a two-aged method of regeneration, followed by activities to prepare the sites for regeneration of new seedlings. In the two-age method the mature stand is partially cut. Enough of the mature stand is removed in order to ensure enough light reaches the forest floor to sustain growth and development of the new stand. Some trees, approximately 15 to 20 square feet basal area per acre, are left standing to meet visual quality and wildlife objectives. Den trees and hard mast producing trees are the favored leave trees. Logging would be accomplished by using both a conventional ground-based system that skids the logs on the ground to a designated landing, and an overhead cable system to cable logs up terrain when it is too steep for operating ground-based skidders. Site preparation involves cutting down competing and noncommercial vegetation. Two-aged regeneration sites Compt.-Unit Acres Mgt. Area Compt.-Stand Acres Mgt. Area C.108-Unit 1 25 acres 4A C.112-Unit 5 13 acres 4D C.108-Unit 2 25 acres 4A C.106-Unit 6 12 acres 4A C.108-Unit 3 13 acres 4A C.110-Unit 7 19 acres 4D C.111-Unit 4 21 acres 4D C.109-Unit 8 8 acres 4A 2

3 Prescribed Burn: Prescribe burn 1,216 acres in three separate units on Wolf Mountain (Compartments 107, 108, and 109) during the dormant winter to late spring months in order to reduce fuel buildup and improve wildlife habitat conditions. Trained Forest Service personnel ignite the areas on a day when fuel moisture and weather conditions are within required parameter and follow-up the burn by patrolling the fire edges to ensure proper containment of the fire within the established lines of control. Riparian Area Restoration: Restore natural hydrological function and species diversity in riparian flats along Tanasee Creek, Sassafras Creek, and Camp Creek in Compartment 108, along Pinhook Creek in Compartment 110, along Cold Creek in Compartment 109, and along Tanassee Creek in Compartment 106. Restore surface flow patterns by recontouring old roadbeds. Shrubs and some small trees would be removed by cutting with handtools. Stumps and cut-ends of the vegetation removed would be sprayed with glyphosate or triclopyr herbicide to inhibit sprouting. Riparian Area sites Site # Acres Site # Acres acres acres acres acres acres acres acres TOTAL: 63 acres Spruce Restoration: Underplant individual spruce seedlings at scattered locations in Compartment 108 to restore the native species diversity. At each canopy gap, between 1 and 3 seedlings will be planted. A total of seedlings may eventually be planted across the area. The source of these seedlings will be the nearest available locations of suppressed seedlings. This will improve habitat for the federally listed Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel and associated native species. Transportation System: Recommendations for management of the existing transportation system in the project area are as follows: New Temporary Road Construction: Approximately 300 feet of new temporary road would be constructed into Regeneration Unit 4 in Compartment 111 and managed as a trail following the timber harvest in Unit 4. A parking lot to accommodate 3 to 5 cars would be constructed at the trailhead on Forest Service Road # Seeded & managed as trail. Cold Creek Road (#4659): 1.2 miles in length. Closed with a gate or other structure. The objective is to physically close the roadway (put to bed), but to be available for access for future timber harvesting. General maintenance will not be provided for this road except to prevent unacceptable environmental damage. Woody vegetation will be allowed to grow in the road prism. Rattlesnake Knob Road (#4661): 1.6 miles in length. Closed with a gate or other structure. The objective is to physically close the roadway (put to bed), but to be available for access for future timber harvesting. General maintenance will not be provided for this road except to prevent unacceptable environmental damage. Woody vegetation will be allowed to grow in the road prism. 3

4 Flat Creek Road (#4662): 2.1 miles in length. Closed with a gate or other structure. Seasonally open 3/15 1/1 for motorized use. Non-motorized use such as hiking, biking and horseback riding is encouraged year-round. Managed to provide occasional access for timber harvesting, fire protection, administrative use and other resource management. Dills Falls Road (#4663B): 0.6 miles in length. Seasonally open 3/15 1/1 for motorized use. Nonmotorized use such as hiking, biking and horseback riding is encouraged year-round. Managed to provide occasional access for timber harvesting, fire protection, administrative use and other resource management. Camp Creek Road (#4664): 2.6 miles in length. Closed with a gate or other structure. Maintained as a linear wildlife opening. Managed to provide occasional access for timber harvesting, fire protection, administrative use and other resource management. Poplar Mountain Spur A Road (#4670A): 0.2 miles in length. Closed to public use with a gate or other structure. Non-motorized use such as hiking, biking and horseback riding is encouraged yearround. The roadway is available for access for timber harvesting, blading and brushing, administrative use, fire protection, and other resource management. Buzzard Road (#4671): 2.2 miles in length. Closed with a gate or other structure. The roadway has been physically closed (put to bed), but is available for access for future timber harvesting. General maintenance will not be provided for this road except to prevent unacceptable environmental damage. Woody vegetation will be allowed to grow in the road prism. Laurel Falls Road (#4672): 1.0 mile in length. The roadway is available for access for timber harvesting, blading and brushing, administrative use, fire protection, and other resource management. Again, please provide your comments to us by March 1, Thank you for your time and interest in management activities on the Nantahala Ranger District. Sincerely, /s/michael L. Wilkins Michael L. Wilkins District Ranger 4

5