TIERING DOCUMENTATION FORM FOR PRE-COMMERCIAL THIN AND RELEASE/FUELS HAZARD REDUCTION ON THE KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST

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1 TIERING DOCUMENTATION FORM FOR PRE-COMMERCIAL THIN AND RELEASE/FUELS HAZARD REDUCTION ON THE KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST Ranger District: Salmon Ranger District Date Prepared: 7/11/2011 Project Name: Knownothing Hazardous Fuels Name of 5 th Field Watershed(s): Contact: Project Leader: Josh Schmalenberger Fisheries: Maija Meneks SF Salmon River Name of stream(s) and 7 th field watershed(s) where instream activities will occur: Stream Name: No instream activities Watershed Name: No instream activities Does project occur within 300 feet of potentially occupied habitat? Coho Yes Chinook Yes Steelhead Yes Distance to known steelhead habitat: (Closest occurrence) Distance to known coho and Chinook habitat: Approximately 150 [from Knownothing Creek] Same as steelhead Legal Location of Project: Humboldt Meridian T.10N., R.8E., Sec. 20, 29 Proposed Project Implementation Dates (year(s)): 2011 (or later, depending upon scheduling and weather) Operating Period: Fall/Winter Size of Project: ~11 acres Project occurs in: Intermittent Channel Inner Gorge Unconsolidated Perennial Channel Inner Gorge Granitic Active Slide Inner Gorge Non-Granitic Toe Zone ESA Determination: No Effect Estimated Amount of Take (individual coho salmon) N/A Estimated Amount of occupied (coho and Chinook) habitat Estimated duration of dewatered dewatered: NONE habitat (# days) N/A Project Design Standard Compliance Documentation attached with each PDS Yes No addressed? Checklist of Indicators attached? Yes No Map attached? Yes No

2 Description of Project: (this can be attached from NEPA document) General Project Description The purpose of the Project is to improve forest health and increase fire resiliency. The Project is located upon ~11 acres of interface area land at the confluence of Knownothing Creek and SF Salmon River (see attached map). Actions to be taken include manual hand thinning, pile burning, and underburning. The closest approach of Project activities to fish-occupied water is 150 feet (Knownothing Creek). Prescriptions and methods, including Project Design Standards (PDS), to be employed were detailed in the 2001 Biological Assessment/Evaluation Pre-Commercial Thin and Release Actions and Fuel Hazard Reduction Actions on the Klamath National Forest. No consultation has been completed to date for the Knownothing Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project. Proposed Action Hazardous fuel reduction treatment will occur on ~11 acres adjacent private property. Ladder fuels and brush will be removed and trees up to 10-inch diameter-at-breast-height (dbh) felled. An exception to the dbh-limitation are approximately a dozen snags (dead trees) identified throughout the treatment area. All work will be done by hand. Two snags within the Knownothing Creek Riparian Reserve (RR) are of sufficient length to be potential woody debris recruits to the stream (Photo 1). If conditions are considered safe by personnel felling trees, these snags will be directed towards Knownothing Creek and allowed to enter the channel as large woody debris. All snags felled within the Knownothing Creek RR will be left on the ground. The majority of material resulting from brushing and felling will either be handpiled and piles burned, else brought to a roadside chipper for disposal. Handpiles will be placed away from riparian areas and residual leave trees. Depending upon type and size, as well as where located within the treatment area, larger materials will be placed in Project-adjacent road turnouts as community accessible firewood. Underburning may also occur at the conclusion of manual treatment activities. No underburning is planned in the Knownothing Creek RR due to safety concerns and lack of fuels to carry fire to achieve objectives. Equipment to be used includes chainsaws and a roadside chipper. Photo 1. Potential recruitable snag within the Knownothing Creek RR. Implementation is planned to begin in fall/winter. Total Project duration for fuels treatment activities, including burning, is anticipated to be less than three months. However, pile burning and underburning could be delayed depending upon staff availability and weather conditions. Additional requirements for resource protection not listed in the Proposed Action PDSs: None

3 Change in Baseline conditions per 7 th and 5 th field watersheds with Pacific salmonids: Lower Knownothing Creek Pre Project risk ratio Post Project risk ratio Change USLE (surface erosion) No change GEO (mass wasting) No change ERA No change Negro Creek SF Salmon R. Pre Project risk ratio Post Project risk ratio Change USLE (surface erosion) No change GEO (mass wasting) No change ERA No change SF Salmon River Pre Project risk ratio Post Project risk ratio Change USLE (surface erosion) No change GEO (mass wasting) No change ERA No change By signature, I certify that the above project meets the criteria listed in the Description of Proposed Action section of the Pre-Commercial Thin and Release/Fuels Hazard Reduction on the Klamath National Forest Biological Assessment (dated August 23, 2001) as documented in the Tier Form and Project Design Standard Documentation for fish species and their habitat (including CH) listed under the Endangered Species Act, listed under the Magnuson-Steven Act, and as designated as Region 5 Sensitive Species. o It is my professional judgment that this project is No Effect to anadromous fish because: No hydrological or geological alterations expected (USFS 2011) All Project Design Standards will be met. Exception is tree diameter in the case of about a dozen snags identified throughout the Project area, including several within the Knownothing Creek RR. o Two of the Knownothing Creek RR snags are of sufficient length to be potential LWD recruits. While all snags felled within RRs will be left on the ground, if conditions are considered safe for personnel, the two potential LWD recruits will be directed towards the water. This will allow them to recruit as in- or nearstream woody debris. Concerning water temperature, Knownothing Creek stream shading near the Project area is primarily controlled by topography and large oaks adjacent the stream. Brushing or limited snag cutting at or greater than 150 feet from the creek will affect neither stream shading nor temperature. Except for brushing and snag cutting within the Knownothing Creek RR, activities, including pile-burning and underburning, will occur greater than 350 feet from anadromous waters. /s/ Maija Meneks 7/11/2011 Maija Meneks - Fisheries Biologist Date Salmon-Scott River Ranger District

4 PRE-COMMERCIAL THIN AND RELEASE/FUELS HAZARD REDUCTION On the KLAMATH NATIONAL FOREST PROJECT DESIGN STANDARDS COMPLIANCE DOCUMENTATION Ranger District: Salmon River Ranger District Date Prepared: Month/Day/Year 6/30/2011 Project Name: Knownothing Fuels Project Contact: Josh Schmalenberger ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Project Design Standard Met N/A Not Met & Why 1. DBH 10 ^All green/live material will be ^ <10 dbh. Up to a dozen snags >10 dbh to be felled. Two snags within Knownothing Ck RR project area are tall enough to recruit to the stream. As long as it is considered safe for felling personnel, these two snags will be directed into the creek. See Project description for more information. 2.a. Masticator on 45% slopes b. Soil Moisture 18% c. Not within 50 ft. of any perennial/intermittent < 1 ft. wetted width; not within 100 ft. of any perennial > 1 ft. wetted width d. Not operated within break in slope of inner gorge e. Channel Crossings designated and/or approved by fish bio or hydrologist 3. Fuels treatment within 30 ft. of streams < 1 ft. wetted width = lop and scatter when one of the following exist: a. Units located on granitic soils or other highly erodible soils b. Sideslopes entering channels are > 35% c. Soil cover estimates within 15 ft. of streams are < 50% 4. In areas that do not meet 3a, b, or c, handpiling and burning can occur within ft. of streams as follows: a. COR or inspector demonstrates that est. soil cover > 50% within the adjacent 15-foot no-handpile buffer b. Handpiles are not stacked above one another c. Handpiles 6 ft. diameter 5. When underburning, handlines in RRs will not be closer than 25 ft. of watercourse

5 Project Design Standard Met N/A Not Met & Why 6. Handlines will be mitigated immediately after burning 7. When underburning in AWWCs, additional review by hydrologist, soil scientist, and/or geologist has occurred 8. No more than 10% of a 6 th -field watershed will receive precommercial thin, release, or fuels reduction actions in any one year 9. Prescribed fire will mimic low intensity backing fire, except where piles are burned 10. Ignition of prescribed fire in hydrologically RRs only to minimize potential for roll out into a RR thereby reducing potential for moderate to high intensity burns. Approved by district fish bio 11. When underburning, at least 90% of LWD will be left on site, both standing and on ground 12. Field personnel will not enter anadromous stream reaches during the period of Oct. 15 June15. Equipment will not cross active stream channels at any time of year. 13. For PCT & release units within RRs, and where currently > 80% shade exists, at least 80% will be maintained 14. For PCT & release units with larger conifers, any trees felled within perennial stream channels will be left 15. Units with geologic RRs have geologist or other earth scientist review 16. BMPs and WWOs will be implemented 17. Units of predominately Ponderosa Pine will not be treated until after mid- July 18. No new landing or road construction

6 Summary of the effects of each Indicator on anadromous fish of the Knownothing Fuels Hazardous Fuels Reduction project for Project Element/Indicator combinations Indicators Hand Thinning Underburning and Pile Burning Reason for no effect Temperature 0 0 No change in stream shading Turbidity 0 0 No change in sediment input (USFS 2011) Chemical Contamination 0 0 Nutrients 0 0 No chemical treatments will be used; BMPs for fuel use No fertilizers or nutrient treatments will be used Physical Barriers 0 0 No barriers removed or constructed Substrate 0 0 No change in sediment input Large Woody Debris 0 0 No removal LWD within RR; application of RPMs to burn prescriptions Pool Frequency and Quality 0 0 No change in flows or sediment delivery Off-Channel Habitat 0 0 Not present Refugia 0 0 No change in ability of habitat to support and connect fish populations Width/Depth Ratio 0 0 No change in sediment input Streambank Condition 0 0 Treatments will not include streambanks Floodplain Connectivity Change in Peak/Base Flows Increase in Drainage Network Road Density and Location Disturbance History and Regime 0 0 No change in flows or sediment delivery 0 0 No change in ERA, thus no change flow regime (USFS 2011) 0 0 No roads constructed 0 0 No roads constructed 0 0 No change expected in disturbance and erosion indices (USFS 2011) Riparian Reserves = Neutral effects - = Insignificant or discountable negative effects + = Insignificant or discountable positive effects S-= Significant negative effects S+ = Significant positive effects */* = Short-term/long-term effects Desired RR character will not be altered - application of RPMs and field review References: USDA Forest Service (USFS) Hydrology report for Knownothing Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project. Salmon-Scott River Ranger District, Klamath National Forest, Fort Jones, CA.

7 Knownothing Project. Map of the Knownothing Project area, including salmonid distribution. Star is general location of two snags within Riparian Reserve which may be felled into Knownothing Creek.