Squaw Valley Creek September 2011 Watershed Analysis Shasta-Mccloud Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Squaw Valley Creek September 2011 Watershed Analysis Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Shasta-Trinity National Forest For More Information Contact: Shasta-McCloud Management Unit PO Box 1620 McCloud, CA 96057 (530) 964-2184 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (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 (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720- 6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Shasta-Trinity National Forest Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 About This Analysis .................................................................................................................... 1 The Analysis Process ................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 1: Characterization of the Watershed ................................................................................. 3 Location ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Watershed Setting ........................................................................................................................ 3 Relationship to Larger Scale Setting ........................................................................................... 3 Physical Features ......................................................................................................................... 5 Biological Features .................................................................................................................... 12 Human Uses ............................................................................................................................... 19 Land Allocations and Designations ........................................................................................... 22 Chapter 2: Issues and Key Questions ............................................................................................ 27 Issue: Fire and Fuels ................................................................................................................. 27 Issue: Habitat Quality ............................................................................................................... 27 Issue: Late-Successional Reserve ............................................................................................. 28 Issue: Access ............................................................................................................................ 28 Chapter 3: Current Conditions ...................................................................................................... 31 Physical Features ....................................................................................................................... 31 Biological Features .................................................................................................................... 38 Human Uses ............................................................................................................................... 80 Chapter 4: Reference Conditions .................................................................................................. 87 Physical Features ....................................................................................................................... 87 Biological Features .................................................................................................................... 92 Human Uses ............................................................................................................................. 102 Chapter 5: Synthesis and Interpretation ...................................................................................... 107 Fire and Fuels .......................................................................................................................... 108 Habitat Quality ........................................................................................................................ 111 Late Successional Reserve....................................................................................................... 115 Access ...................................................................................................................................... 118 Geomorphology and Erosional Processes ............................................................................... 120 Hydrology ................................................................................................................................ 122 Stream Channel ....................................................................................................................... 124 Water Quality .......................................................................................................................... 126 Vegetation ................................................................................................................................ 128 Species and Habitat ................................................................................................................. 130 Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive (TES) Plants and Other Species of Concern ............. 130 Noxious Weeds ........................................................................................................................ 132 Terrestrial Wildlife Species and Habitat.................................................................................. 133 Aquatic and Riparian ............................................................................................................... 135 Human Uses ............................................................................................................................. 137 Heritage ................................................................................................................................... 137 Recreation ................................................................................................................................ 138 Chapter 6: Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 141 Fire and Fuels Management .................................................................................................... 142 Habitat Quality ........................................................................................................................ 142 Late-Successional Reserve ...................................................................................................... 143 Access ...................................................................................................................................... 143 Riparian Reserves .................................................................................................................... 144 Research, Survey, and Monitoring Needs ............................................................................... 144 Other Management/Restoration ............................................................................................... 146 i Squaw Valley Creek Watershed Analysis – 09-2011 Appendix A − Glossary ............................................................................................................... 147 Appendix B − References ............................................................................................................ 153 Appendix C – Map List ................................................................................................................ 165 List of Tables Table 1. Hydrologic Nomenclature. ................................................................................................ 5 Table 2. Acres and percent landbase by bedrock type in the Squaw Valley Creek Watershed. ... 31 Table 3. Acres, number of polygons, and percent of analysis area, by geomorphic map unit, in the watershed analysis area. ................................................................................................ 32 Table 4. Active Features, acres and number of polygons in the watershed analysis area. ............ 32 Table 5. Acres and percent of analysis area, by slope, in the watershed analysis area. ................ 32 Table 6. Slopes in the Squaw Valley Creek Watershed. ............................................................... 36 Table 7. Road densities by HUC 7 Drainage, Squaw Valley Creek Watershed. .......................... 37 Table 8. Risk category, score and relative rank of 7th-field drainages within the analysis area, as derived from the forest-wide