APPENDIX A – GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS A.1 Glossary of Terms Definitions for most terminology used in this document may be found in the Forest Plan glossary. A few select terms are described below for easy reference. Advancing Front. The advancing front consists of that area where beech trees are infested with scale but not yet infected with Nectria . All of the east side of the Hiawatha is included in the advancing front. However, some stands in northwestern Chippewa County appear to have Nectria infection beginning on some trees. Nectria is not yet abundant, and no trees have died yet from Nectria, so these stands would not yet be considered to have entered the killing front. That transition may happen within as little as one year, or may take longer. These stands will likely be where the killing front arrives first. Arterial Roads. Road that provides service to large land areas and usually connect with public highways or other Forest Arterial roads to form an integrated network of primary travel routes. The location and standard often are determined by a demand for maximum mobility and travel efficiency rather than specific resource management service. It is usually developed and operated for long-term land and resource management purposes and constant service (FEIS, p. 6-2). Canopy. The continuous overhead formed from the uppermost spreading branchy layer of a forest. Canopy Gap. A small opening created in the canopy. Classified Road . Roads wholly or partially within or adjacent to national Forest system lands that are determined to be needed for long-term motor vehicle access. It includes state roads, county roads, privately-owned roads, NFS roads and other roads authorized by the Forest Service 936 CFR 212.1). Clearcut. A regeneration cut where all merchantable trees in the stand are cut. Clearcut with Reserves. A variant of the clearcut method in which varying numbers of reserve trees are retained to attain goals other than regeneration. The number of reserve trees retained is sufficient to create a two-aged, two-storied stand. Collector Road. Road that serves smaller land areas than an Arterial road and is usually connected to an arterial or public highway. It collects traffic from local roads. Its location and standard are influenced by both long-term multi-resource service needs and travel efficiency. Compartment. A unit of land with boundaries delineated by geographical features such as rivers, creeks, roads, and property boundaries for administrative purposes. Compartments are approximately 500-2,000 acres in size. Decommission Road. Activities that result in the stabilization and restoration of unneeded roads to a more natural state (FEIS, 6-11). Design Criteria. Site specific application of Forest Plan or other required standards or guidelines that are incorporated into the design of the project activity. A - 1 Appendix A – Glossary and Acronyms Desired Condition. A goal, as stated in the Forest Plan, as to what a specific area should look like in the future. Ecological Landtype (ELT). A framework that allows natural resource managers to identify, describe and map units of land with similar physical and biological characteristics at scales suitable for natural resources planning and management. (FEIS, Appendix I). Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC). A landscape classification that determines departure of the current landscape conditions from the historic landscape conditions using vegetation type and fire dynamics. The three classes describe low (FRCC1), moderate (FRCC2), and high (FRCC3) departure from historic conditions. Fire Rotation (FR). The length of time necessary for an area equal to the entire area of interest to burn. Size of area of interest must be clearly specified. This definition does not imply that the entire area will burn during a cycle; some sites may burn several times and others not at all. In the Lake States, fires are generally more infrequent than those described by the national Fire Regimes. Cleland (2004) calculated replacement fire rotations at a scale more appropriate to Lake States landscapes. (FEIS, H-3) Forest Type Groups. A group of forest cover types used to define seral classes. The forest type groupings differ by ecological land types. Fuel Breaks. A break in the vegetation (Primarily the canopy) designed to stop, or slow a wildfire. A road corridor can be considered a fuel break because it has a wide corridor void of vegetation. Intermediate Harvest. Any treatment or tending designed to enhance growth, quality, vigor, and composition of the stand after establishment or regeneration and prior to final harvest. Intermittent Streams. A watercourse that flows in a well-defined channel for 20-90% of the year during normal rainfall conditions. Issue. A point of discussion or debate related to the proposed action. Landtype Association (LTA). An ecological unit that describes areas of common ecosystem characteristics and generally (but not always) numbering in the thousands of acres. Landtype associations are defined by similarities in general topography, geomorphic process, geology, soil and potential plant communities (FEIS, 6-7). Local Road. Connects terminal facilities (resources) with a Forest collector, arterial, or state highway. Its location and standards are usually controlled by a single specific resource activity rather than travel efficiency. Maintenance Levels (Roads). Each Forest System road is to be maintained to a level commensurate with the planned function and use of the road. The intended level of maintenance to be received by each road is termed the Objective maintenance level (OML), which are divided into five levels of maintenance intensity. OML-1 is the lowest level and OML-5 is the highest level (FEIS, 6-7). Management Area. A specific geographic location on the HNF where specific management direction will be applied. The HNF is divided into 21 potential management areas (FEIS, 6-7). A - 2 Appendix A – Glossary and Acronyms Management Indicator Species (MIS). Species whose presence in a certain location or situation, at a given population, indicate a given environmental condition. Their population changes are believed to indicate effects of management activities on a number of other species. Mitigation Measure. Includes avoiding an impact altogether by not taking a certain action or part of an action; minimizing an impact by limiting the degree or magnitude of an action and its implementation; rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment; reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action; or compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments. Modification. A VQO meaning human activity may dominate the characteristic landscape but must at the same time utilize naturally established form, line, color, and texture. It should appear as a natural occurrence when viewed in the foreground. Monitoring. The collection of information over time, generally on a sample basis by measuring change in an indicator or variable, to determine the effects of resource management treatments in the long term. New Road Construction. Activity that results in the addition of forest classified or temporary road miles (36 CFR 212.1). Overstory Removal Cut . The cutting of trees constituting an upper canopy layer to release trees or other vegetation in an understory. Overstocked Stand. Any stand having more trees per acre or basal area higher than the average stocking as shown on Table 2400-1 Stocking Levels for Northern Hardwoods. Partial Removal Cut. Removal of only part of a stand for purposes other than regenerating a new age class. Partial Retention. A VQO which, in general, means human activities may be evident but must remain subordinate to the characteristic landscape (Forest Plan, E-13). Retention. A visual quality objective which, in general, means human activities are not evident to the casual forest visitor (Forest Plan, E-13). Road (Forest). A motor vehicle travelway over 50 inches wide, unless classified and managed as a trail. A road may be classified or unclassified (FEIS, 6-11). Road Closure. Process of closing a road to public vehicle traffic. Closures are used on system roads (roads intended for future use) to limit or prohibit particular types of travel (FEIS 6-11). Road Maintenance. The ongoing upkeep of a road necessary to retain or restore the road to the approved road maintenance objective (FSM 7712.3). Roaded Natural (RN). A classification of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum that characterizes a predominantly natural environment with evidence of moderate permanent alternative resource and resource utilization. Evidence of the sights and sounds of human is moderate but in harmony with the natural environment. Opportunities exist for both social interaction and moderate isolation from sights and sounds of humans (Forest Plan, E-9). A - 3 Appendix A – Glossary and Acronyms Scoping. Involving the public in order to identify and focus attention on important matters early in an environmental analysis, resulting in informed decisions, cost-effective analysis and decision making, and increased credibility. Selection Cut. An uneven-aged regeneration cutting method where the objective is to maintain a multi- aged structure by removing some trees in all size classes either singly, in small groups or in strips (FEIS A-3). Semi-Primitive Motorized (SPM). A classification of the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum that characterizes