2010 5-Year Review Monitoring Report
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United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service 5-year Review of the 2005 Forest Plan Ouachita National Forest Arkansas and Oklahoma 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 a 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). 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Five Year Review iii TABLE OF CONTENTS FINDINGS OF THE 5-YEAR REVIEW .................................................................................................. 3 EMERGING ISSUES AND EMERGING NATIONAL/REGIONAL POLICY/DIRECTION ................................... 6 THE OUACHITA NATIONAL FOREST ................................................................................................. 1 THE 2005 FOREST PLAN ................................................................................................................ 2 IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2005 PLAN ............................................................................................. 2 MONITORING ................................................................................................................................. 3 PURPOSE OF THE 5-YEAR REVIEW .................................................................................................. 3 IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING REVIEWS ........................................................................................ 4 CONTRIBUTION OF THE OUACHITA NATIONAL FOREST TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY .... 4 DESIRED CONDITIONS .................................................................................................................... 7 COMPARISON OF EXISTING CONDITIONS TO DESIRED CONDITIONS................................................... 7 Air Quality .................................................................................................................................... 7 Soils ............................................................................................................................................11 Terrestrial Ecosystems ...............................................................................................................12 Terrestrial Habitats and Elements ...............................................................................................31 Management Indicator Species and Wildlife Habitat Management .............................................40 Terrestrial Proposed, Endangered, and Threatened Species Habitat .........................................55 R8 Sensitive Species and Terrestrial Species of Viability Concern.............................................63 Other Wildlife Considerations......................................................................................................69 Vegetation Management .............................................................................................................70 Watershed Function ....................................................................................................................84 Riparian and Aquatic Ecosystems ..............................................................................................89 Aquatic Communities/Fisheries Habitat ......................................................................................95 Heritage Resources ..................................................................................................................128 Recreation and Scenery Management ......................................................................................129 Conservation Education and Stewardship ................................................................................138 Transportation ...........................................................................................................................139 Facility Operation and Maintenance ..........................................................................................143 Law Enforcement - Public and Agency Safety ..........................................................................148 Commodity, Commercial, and Special Uses .............................................................................150 Collaboration .............................................................................................................................153 APPENDIX A – AMENDMENTS TO THE 2005 FOREST PLAN ........................................................... 159 APPENDIX B - PROJECTS UNDER 2005 PLAN ............................................................................... 160 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 161 5-year Review i Findings of the 5-year Review Based on information gained through 5 years of Forest Plan monitoring, summarized in this report, the Forest Plan Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) made findings and developed recommendations for possible changes to the Plan and Forest Plan implementation. The IDT recommended consideration of Forest Plan amendments to address: Adjusting Management Area 22 boundaries to better reflect Red-cockaded Woodpecker habitat management needs Leasing decisions (and/or stipulations) for minerals and energy development Allowing prescribed fire during county burn bans Updating conservation provisions for the American Burying Beetle (through a Conservation Plan completed after the 2005 Revised Forest Plan went into effect) Updating some statements of desired conditions and certain design criteria for soil and water, transportation, and lands The IDT also recommended revising or deleting several Forest Plan monitoring questions. Finally, the IDT identified several categories of emerging issues and policies that may affect forest management in the future: Smoke Management Soils White-nosed Syndrome (bats) Biomass Utilization Climate Change Watershed Function Watershed Health Lake Level Management Heritage Resources Measurement Flooding in Developed Recreation Areas Land Administration Special Use Permits Early Seral Stage Creation Stewardship Contracts Collaboration and Partnerships Determination Based on monitoring of Forest Plan implementation from December 2005 through September 2010 and the 5-year Review, I have determined that neither conditions on the land nor the demands of the public have changed significantly since 2005. However, the 5-Year Review did identify concerns that could lead to amendments to the Forest Plan and changes in the ways the Plan is implemented over the next 5 years. These “needs for change” will be addressed in Fiscal Years 2012-2014. /s/ Bill Pell (for) September 30, 2011 Norman L. Wagoner Date Forest Supervisor, Ouachita National Forest Forest Supervisor Determination Executive Summary of the 5-year Review The 5-year Review summarizes results and identifies trends from the past 5 years of monitoring the implementation of the Forest Land and Resource Management Plan for the Ouachita National Forest. The 5-year Review helps determine if there are significant trends or new information that would indicate a need to change the Forest Plan or adjust implementation activities. The findings of the 5-year Review are grouped under two headings: Changes to the Forest Plan that may require one or more plan amendments Emerging issues and emerging national/regional policy/direction Changes to the Forest Plan to Consider Management Area 22/RCW: To accommodate the probable near term expansion of Red-cockaded Woodpecker (RCW) clusters northward into nearby high quality habitat in Scott, County, Arkansas, the boundaries of the Arkansas Habitat Management Area (HMA) and Management Area 22 may need to be adjusted. A Forest Plan amendment would be needed. Minerals and Energy Development: Interest in gas exploration is increasing, mainly on the Poteau and Cold Springs Ranger Districts where coal-bed methane reserves exist. Inquiries and past actions have also occurred on the Oklahoma Ranger Districts and the Mena-Oden Ranger Districts. It is recommended that the Forest request a new Reasonably Foreseeable Development Scenario (RFDS) from the Bureau of Land Management to update the RFDS used for the 2005 Forest Plan. After the RFDS is updated, the Forest should perform a Changed Conditions Analysis. Such an analysis may require an amendment to the Forest Plan if any changes are needed in the leasing decisions and/or stipulations. Prescribed Fire Use during County Burn Bans: A forest-wide design criterion in the 2005 Forest Plan (AQ004, p. 73) prohibits the Forest from conducting prescribed burns when county “Burn Bans” are in effect. Experience since 2005 has shown that county burn bans have often been put into force under conditions that are still well within parameters for safe and effective controlled burns conducted on the