CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION WORKSHEET: RESOURCE CONSIDERATIONS Developed Recreation/Trails, Wilderness & Roadless Jasper Mountain Priest Lake Ranger District Idaho Panhandle National Forest Description of the Proposed Action Vegetation management, fuel management, road management and watershed improvement activities proposed for this project are depicted in Table 1. Vegetation management activities include commercial thinning, improvement cuts and regeneration harvest (shelterwood and seedtree). These are the same types of activities discussed during the field trip to the project area and at the workshop to develop the proposed action. Fuel treatment associated with timber harvest activities would occur and would include underburning, grapple piling, slash & grapple piling or slash & underburning. Natural fuels/ecosystem burning not associated with timber harvest is also proposed to benefit wildlife habitat. Road management activities are needed to implement the project (e.g. maintenance, reconditioning, reconstruction, temporary road construction). Some roads in the project area that are not needed for project implementation will have restoration work conducted. This restoration road work will reduce sediment contribution to streams (accomplished through road maintenance or reconstruction) or make system roads hydrologically inert if they are no longer needed (decommissioning) or until needed for future use (storage). Some non-national Forest System (NFS)/unclassified roads in the project area that are located on NFS lands will be decommissioned. Upon project completion, closures will be installed for some roads currently closed to public motorized use but that are being used for project implementation. One aquatic organism passage (culvert) was identified for replacement as part of stewardship activities. Replacement would reconnect a small amount of habitat for seasonal fish use by eliminating a barrier. Correct realignment would lower the risk of the culvert plugging and road erosion/washout. Table 1: Summary of Activities and Treatment Size Activity Vegetation Management Commercial Harvest (acres; rounded to nearest whole #) Shelterwood w/ Reserves Seed Tree w/ Reserves Commercial Thin Improvement Cut TOTAL Non-Harvest (acres; rounded to nearest whole #) Natural fuels/ecosystem burning TOTAL Activity/Treatment Size 623 658 615 69 1,965 72 72 1
Activity Activity/Treatment Size TOTAL COMMERCIAL HARVEST AND NON-HARVEST (acres) 2,037 Reforestation (acres) 1,281 Road Management Activities for Project Implementation (Miles; rounded to nearest tenth) Maintenance 15.7 Reconstruction 22.0 Construction of Temp Roads (Decommission after project completion) 3.4 Reconditioning (Decommission after project completion) 4.0 Reconstruction (Stored after project completion) 10.3 Construction of permanent system road None Watershed Improvement Activities (Restoration) Aquatic organism passage repair (# of culverts) Road Maintenance (miles) Road Reconstruction (miles) Road Storage (miles) Road Decommissioning (miles) Regeneration Harvest and Openings Greater than 40 Acres 1 along Quartz Creek 3.5 4.3 1.7 10.7 It is desired to trend the forests in the Jasper project area toward early seral tree species (western larch, ponderosa pine and western white pine) that are less susceptible to root disease fungi and thus decrease the amount of tree mortality occurring. To achieve this desired condition a combination of even-aged and two-aged silvicultural systems are being proposed for some stands. Reforestation of these units is required to occur within 5 years of the unit being harvested. Regeneration harvest is the preferred treatment for some stands for the following reasons: The project area is deficit in stands dominated by early seral species, as they were historically. Stands identified for regeneration harvest are dominated by late seral species (grand fir, Douglasfir, western hemlock) that are susceptible to and experiencing root diseases and insects. Stands are older and existing stand structure is breaking apart, not regenerating to early seral species and creating an unacceptable/undesirable fuel load. A shelterwood with reserves regeneration method is proposed for stands with enough resilient early seral species trees to provide a seed source and moderate the microenvironment in the understory. Following successful establishment of regeneration this harvest method will result in a distinct two-aged stand. A seedtree with reserves regeneration method is proposed for stands that only have enough resilient early seral species trees to provide a seed source but there are not enough reserve seed trees to moderate the microenvironment and thus an exposed microenvironment is created in the understory. Following successful establishment of regeneration this harvest method will result in an even-aged stand. It is also desired that regeneration harvests create a variety of patch sizes and stand structures that break up the homogenization and simplification of the current landscape pattern. Increasing the heterogeneity of patch sizes, stand structures and species compositions will increase the resiliency of forest stands to insects and diseases and decrease the risk of very large wildfire. To create a variety of patch sizes some of the proposed regeneration harvest activities would result in openings greater than 40 acres, as depicted in Table 2. These opening sizes would require Regional Forester approval (FSM 2471.1). 2
Table 2: Openings Greater than 40 Acres Group Unit(s) Treatment Prescription Opening Size (Acres) 1 107 & 107A Shelterwood 113 2 45 & 47 Seedtree 177 3 44 & 44A 44 Shelterwood; 44A Seedtree 55 4 38 Shelterwood 51 5 16 & 16B Seedtree; 15 & 116 15, 16, 16B & 116 Shelterwood 88 6 74 Seedtree 189 Required Design Features The following design features are required to ensure compliance with the regulatory framework for this resource and/or to reduce the risk of adverse impacts to this resource. A description is provided as to when, where and how the design feature should be applied and/or what conditions would trigger the need to apply the design feature. 1. Provisions in the timber sale contract would require that traffic control signs using standards set forth in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2003) be posted on affected routes to alert travelers to haul truck traffic. 2. Provisions in the timber sale contract would restrict timber hauling on the weekends and on summer holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day), unless otherwise agreed. Timber hauling would also be restricted on days when events, for which a special use permit is held (e.g. AERC Equestrian Event), occur in the project area if the days of the event do not fall on a weekend or summer holiday. 3. All brush piles, landing and skid trails will be located at least 200 from the PeeWee and Steep Creek trails unless blocked by topography from the view of trail users. 4. Trailheads will not be used for decking or piling operations and trails will not be used as haul routes. 5. While activities are not anticipated to impact access to the PeeWee or Steep Creek Trails, advanced notice would be provided to key user groups and at the trail head locations should any trails require closure during project implementation. Cause-Effect Relationship Based on concerns raised during the collaborative process to develop this project, units that directly impacted the PeeWee or Steep Creek trail systems were dropped or unit boundaries were adjusted to avoid activities within 200 of the trail systems; therefore, activities are not expected to impact access to the trail systems. Traffic on National Forest System roads is likely to increase as part of project implementation. Design features are in place to reduce impacts from increased traffic and provide advanced notice if trail access is affected during project implementation. 3
Recreationists may experience impacts from smoke associated with burning activities. Burning activities would be coordinated through the Montana/Idaho Airshed Group to minimize or prevent impacts from smoke. No changes to public motorized access, as depicted on the Kaniksu Zone Motor Vehicle Use Map, will occur as part of this project. No wilderness, wilderness study areas, recommended wilderness areas, inventoried roadless areas, national recreation areas or research natural areas exist in the project area or are within close proximity to proposed activities. Regulatory Framework The proposed action has been reviewed and is determined to be in compliance with the management framework applicable to this resource. The laws, regulations, policies and Forest Plan direction applicable to this project and this resource are as follows: Idaho Panhandle Forest Plan (Revised, January 2015) The Forest Plan designates National Forest System lands according to Management Areas (MA). MA s are described in terms of their distinctive resource values and characteristics. Recreation is a resource element within the MAs to be managed according to the Standards established by the Forest Plan. The Jasper Mountain project is located in Management Area 6 (General Forest). Most of this MA consists of relatively large areas with roads, trails, and structures, as well as sign of past and ongoing activities designed to actively manage the forest vegetation. This MA provides a wide variety of recreation opportunities, both motorized and non-motorized. The density of motorized routes in this MA is higher than most of the other MAs. Constructed improvements in this MA generally consist of campgrounds, picnic or day use areas, trails, lookouts, and cabins. Most of the WUI on the Forest occurs within MA6 and activities designed to reduce hazardous fuels are common. Vegetation and watershed restoration is accomplished predominantly through active management. Evidence of past management activities vary across the landscape, but are generally more noticeable in this MA than others. Many of the acres within this MA are suitable for the production of timber on a regulated basis, providing wood fiber in response to regional and national demand. The following desired conditions and guidelines apply to Access and Recreation within MA 6; however, no standards for MA 6 are applicable to Access and Recreation. Desired Conditions A range of recreational opportunities (e.g., motorized and non-motorized) are provided within this MA while route conditions are maintained or improved. Summer and winter recreation opportunities and experiences are consistent with the ROS classification of semi-primitive non-motorized to roaded natural. Existing recreation facilities are managed to accommodate public use and provide safe recreation experiences. 4
Guidelines Motor vehicle use is allowed. Mechanized use is allowed (e.g., mountain bikes and other wheeled equipment). Road construction is allowed. Reconstruction of roads is allowed. Management activities should be consistent with the Scenic Integrity Objective of Low to High. Activities proposed for the Jasper Mountain project are consistent with the Forest Plan. Extraordinary Circumstances Following are the resource conditions that should be considered in determining whether extraordinary circumstances related to a proposed action warrant further analysis and documentation in an EA or an EIS: 1) Federally listed threatened or endangered species or designated critical habitat, species proposed for Federal listing or proposed critical habitat, or Forest Service sensitive species; 2) Flood plains, wetlands, or municipal watersheds; 3) Congressionally designated areas, such as wilderness, wilderness study areas, or national recreation areas; 4) Inventoried roadless areas or recommended wilderness areas; 5) Research natural areas; 6) American Indians and Alaska Native religious or cultural sites; and 7) Archaeological sites, or historic properties or areas. The following conditions were necessary to consider for this resource and the following determinations are made based on a review of the proposed action, required design features, the regulatory framework, and necessary analysis for this resource: Congressionally designated areas, such as wilderness, wilderness study areas, or national recreation areas; Extraordinary Circumstances Determination: Will not have extraordinary circumstances associated with the proposed actions. Explain Determination: No wilderness, wilderness study areas, wild and scenic river or national recreation areas are located in or within close proximity to the project area. Inventoried roadless areas or recommended wilderness areas; Extraordinary Circumstances Determination: Will not have extraordinary circumstances associated with the proposed actions. 5
Explain Determination: No inventoried roadless areas, recommended wilderness areas or any other area of forest plan special designation are located within the project area. Specialist: Dan Gillfillan April 1, 2015 6