Spruce Beetle and Aspen Decline EIS Stakeholder Meeting EIS - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Spruce Beetle and Aspen Decline EIS Stakeholder Meeting

EIS Update • Objection process concluded May 5 • 8 objection letters, 4 objections resolved • Copies available on SBEADMR project page • Forest is addressing instructions from Reviewing Officer • Awaiting Biological Opinion from Fish & Wildlife Service • Final Record of Decision anticipated in June • Implementation of field surveys this summer/fall

Purpose and Need Public Safety • Remove hazard trees near roads and infrastructure, both within and outside the wildland urban interface (WUI). • Increase the extent of defensible space around values at risk and provide safer locations from which firefighters can initiate fire management actions. Resiliency • Increase the forests’ ability to respond to multiple and interacting stresses, including climate change, insect attack, drought or disease. Recovery • Provide commercial forest products to local dependent industries • Post harvest activities including: treat fuels, prepare sites, and re-establish and maintain forest cover via replanting where seed sources are lacking.

Adaptive Implementation Framework 1. Consult FEIS/ROD for direction on treatment priorities, design features, and other implementation parameters 2. Delineate potential treatment areas within FEIS priority treatment areas (PTAs) 3. Conduct off-season workshop 4. Complete field surveys for treatments 5. Prepare detailed treatment plan with layout, applicable design features & monitoring requirements 6. Publish notice for opportunity to comment on updated treatment list and refined maps actions. Cycle continues through life of ROD Results used to verify or modify subsequent 7. Conduct public field trips of treatment areas 8. Finalize treatment design checklist 9. Implement treatments including administration of contract terms, and other instruments incorporating plan requirements 10. Complete monitoring 11. Conduct formal post-treatment field review 12. Conduct management review by forest leadership team 13. Publish annual report of implementation activities 4 F igure 1 (Appendix E). Adaptive implementation and monitoring framework .

Adaptive Implementation Framework 1. Consult FEIS/ROD for direction on treatment priorities, design features, and other implementation parameters Pre-Implementation 2. Delineate potential treatment areas within FEIS priority treatment areas (PTAs) 3. Conduct off-season workshop (NOW) 4. Complete field surveys for treatments 5. Prepare detailed treatment plan with layout, applicable design features & monitoring requirements 6. Publish notice for opportunity to comment on updated treatment list and refined maps 7. Conduct public field trips of treatment areas 8. Finalize treatment design checklist

Stakeholder opportunities today (from Appendix E): • Review updated maps of proposed treatment units, evaluate, discuss and comment on priority sequencing of treatments, treatment prescriptions, EIS/ROD compliance; • Provide feedback to the Forest Service regarding prior-year Management Review; • Input on types and location of monitoring. Participants will be invited to participate in monitoring during summer field trips; • Identify applicable peer-reviewed science to be considered in annual science summary; • Raise questions and make suggestions to be considered for further administrative study and multi-party monitoring.

Priority Treatment Areas – East Zone GA Name Combination Resiliency Salvage Total Gunnison Basin North 6296 6548 1548 14391 Gunnison Basin South 10430 4254 11085 25768 Total 16725 10802 12632 40160 Burn and Mechanical GA & LAU Name Gunnison Basin North 14384 Gunnison Basin South 12414 Total 26798

East Zone – Desired Condition & Trends

Integrated Planning Areas – East Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) 2017 2018 2019 • • • Skeleton* Cooler* Alpine Plateau 1* • • • Nutras* Sargents Mesa* Lujan* • • • Willow Mesa* Small Sales* Small Sales* • • • Pauline* Willow Creek One Mile • Small Sales* (noncommercial) (noncommercial) 2020 • Alpine Plateau 2* *Recovery Treatment • Small Sales*

Integrated Planning & Implementation • Fuels removal and fuel loading reduction • Identify strategic locations to reduce fuel loading and create discontinuous fuel continuity to enhance protection of values at risk. • Increase public and firefighter safety through reducing fuels along priority egress routes. • Increase firefighter safety by reducing fuel loading to create safer locations from which firefighters can plan and initiate tactical actions. • Wildlife habitat objectives • Identify key areas to provide snowshoe hare, pine marten, and lynx denning habitat • Identify areas where high amounts of regeneration are expected post-treatment • Retain snags by implementing design features • Landscape-scale habitat connectivity • Promote aspen regeneration • Post-harvest site preparation and tree planting in areas where stocking does not meet minimum standards • Road maintenance

Los Pinos Pass/Big Meadows • Recovery treatments • Desired Future Condition • Uneven age stand structure • Diversify tree species • Reforestation Known Design Feature Triggers • Wilderness Boundary • Wetland areas — Willow Mesa • Stream Crossings (temp roads) • Maintain habitat connectivity (lynx; American marten) • Known goshawk nests in areas • American marten documented in areas

Sargents Mesa • Recovery treatments • Desired Future Condition • Uneven age stand structure • Diversify tree species • Reforestation Known Design Feature Triggers • Continental Divide NST • American marten documented in area • Wetland areas (buffer) • Hydrology emphasis (headwaters of Tank 7 Creek)

Skeleton • Recovery treatment • Desired Future Condition • Uneven age stand structure • Diversify tree species • Reforestation Known Design Feature Triggers • Wetland areas (north) • Potential for Boreal Toads • Survey to be conducted this summer

Integrated Planning Areas – East Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) • Resiliency treatment • Desired Future Condition • Reduce hazardous fuels • Promote aspen regeneration using prescribed burns • Enhance big game habitat • Design Feature Triggers • Known flammulated owl nests and potential for goshawk nests in areas

Priority Treatment Areas – West Zone GA & LAU Name Combination Resiliency Salvage Total 13673 14159 351 28183 Uncompahgre Plateau Burn and Mechanical GA & LAU Name Uncompahgre 3857 Plateau

West Zone – Desired Condition & Trends

Priority Treatment Areas – West Zone GA & LAU Name Combination Resiliency Salvage Total San Juans 7772 2590 1830 12193 Burn and Mechanical GA & LAU Name San Juans 379

West Zone – Desired Condition & Trends

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) Fuels/ Wildlife Treatment Little West Fork Road Cone Treatment FY 17, High FY 17 Mesa FY 18 and Big Park FY 19

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) Little Cone • Planned FY 2017 • Found active beetle spots • Combination of Recovery & Resiliency • Desired Future Condition • Uneven aged stand structure • Design Feature Triggers • Access, mostly land locked portion of forest

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) High Mesa Big Park High Mesa • FY19 Planned FY 2018 FY 18 • Monitoring Spruce Beetle Activity • Will conduct reconnaissance in 2016/2017 Big Park • Planned FY 2019 • Will begin reconnaissance in 2017/18 West Fork Road Area

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) West Fork (FSR 858/ 860) • Planned FY 2018 • Will conduct reconnaissance in 2016/2017 • Apply design features to culverts • Roadside Hazard Treatment West Fork Road Area

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) Fuels/ Wildlife Treatment Read Hill Spring Creek

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) Reade Hill • Implementation 2018 • Aspen Regeneration/WUI • Desired Future Condition • Multiple age-classes • Opportunities and Need for Coordination • Power Transmission Line • Electronic Site.

Integrated Planning Areas – West Zone (Timber, Fuels, Wildlife) Spring Creek • Implementation 2018 • Aspen Regeneration/WUI • Desired Future Condition • Multiple age-classes • Opportunities and Need for Coordination • Power Transmission Line

Priority Treatment Areas – North Zone GA Name Combination Resiliency Salvage Total Grand Mesa 8805 6149 485 15440 Burn and Mechanical GA & LAU Name Grand Mesa 9301

North Zone – Desired Condition & Trends

Priority Treatment Areas – North Zone GA & LAU Name Combination Resiliency Salvage Total North Fork Valley 3356 4941 544 8842 Burn and Mechanical Total Mechanical Only GA & LAU Name North Fork Valley 2340 198 2538

North Zone – Desired Condition & Trends

Integrated Planning Areas – North Zone Commercial Treatments 2018 2019 2020 • • • Horse Mountain Salvage Military Park Hubbard • Overland