Sensitive Plant Occurrence and Effects
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, foot size, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Regulatory framework: Relevant Federal laws, regulations, Forest Service policies, and Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest management plans ........................................ 1 Federal laws ............................................................................................................................. 1 Forest Service policy ............................................................................................................... 2 Umatilla National Forest land and resource management plan ............................................... 2 Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan ........................... 5 Topics and Issues Addressed in This Analysis ........................................................................... 6 Purpose and Need .................................................................................................................... 6 Issues ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Resource Indicators and Measures .......................................................................................... 6 Methodology ............................................................................................................................... 6 Information sources ................................................................................................................. 6 Incomplete and unavailable information ................................................................................. 7 Habitat analysis groups............................................................................................................ 7 Spatial and temporal context for effects analysis .................................................................... 8 Basis of effects determinations ................................................................................................ 8 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................... 10 Botanical Surveys ..................................................................................................................... 10 Historic Botanical Surveys .................................................................................................... 10 Project Specific Botanical Surveys........................................................................................ 10 Potential sensitive plants on project area .................................................................................. 12 Documented rare plant populations .......................................................................................... 14 Federally listed, proposed, and candidate species ................................................................. 14 Documented Region Six sensitive plants .............................................................................. 14 Documented strategic and Umatilla NF species of scientific interest ................................... 16 Locations of sensitive and Umatilla NF species of local concern ......................................... 19 Sensitive plant habitat in the project area ................................................................................. 21 Non-forested dry upland communities .................................................................................. 22 Upland forested plant communities ....................................................................................... 22 Aquatic and riparian-dependent communities ....................................................................... 24 Environmental Consequences ....................................................................................................... 26 Issues addressed and indicators for assessing effects................................................................ 26 Alternative 1 – No-Action ......................................................................................................... 26 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................................................... 27 Potential Effects to Federally Listed, Proposed, and Candidate Plants ................................. 29 Direct and indirect effects-documented sensitive plant populations ..................................... 29 Direct and indirect effects to potential sensitive plant habitat ............................................... 31 Cumulative Effects ................................................................................................................ 33 Alternative 3 .............................................................................................................................. 35 Direct and indirect effects-documented sensitive plant populations ..................................... 35 Direct and indirect effects to potential sensitive plant habitat ............................................... 35 Cumulative effects ................................................................................................................. 35 Alternative 4 .............................................................................................................................. 36 Direct and indirect effects-documented sensitive plant populations ..................................... 36 Direct and indirect effects to potential sensitive plant habitat ............................................... 36 Cumulative effects ................................................................................................................. 36 Summary of Environmental Effects .......................................................................................... 36 Compliance with Relevant laws, regulations, FS policies and Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman NF Forest Plans ......................................................................................................................... 38 i Federal Laws ......................................................................................................................... 38 Forest Service Policy ............................................................................................................. 38 Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plans .. 38 Other Relevant Mandatory Disclosures .................................................................................... 38 Monitoring Recommendations .................................................................................................. 39 References Cited ............................................................................................................................ 40 Appendix A: Sensitive Plant Occurrence and Effects .................................................................... A Appendix B : Vascular plant taxa encountered ......................................................................... B Tables Table 1 Resource Indicators and Measures ..................................................................................... 6 Table 2 Botanical Surveys ............................................................................................................. 11 Table 3 FS Sensitive plant species ................................................................................................ 12 Table 4 FS Strategic and Umatilla NF plant species of scientific interest .................................... 13 Table 5 FS Sensitive plant populations documented in planning area .......................................... 16 Table 6 FS Strategic and Umatilla plant species of scientific interest .......................................... 18 Table 7 Botany project design criteria ........................................................................................... 28 Table 8 Sensitive plant populations and habitat potentially impacted by various alternatives ..... 37 Figures Figure 1 Sensitive and Umatilla NF species of local concern near Olive Lake ............................ 19 Figure 2: Sensitive species near Mt. Ireland.................................................................................. 19 Figure 3: Umatilla NF species of local concern near O'Rouick spring ......................................... 20 Figure 4: Umatilla NF species of local scientific interest on Wallowa-Whitman NF ................... 20 Figure 5: Sensitive plant species adjacent to project area on Wallowa-Whitman NF ................... 21 ii Botanical Resources Report Ten Cent Community Wildfire Protection Project Introduction The Ten Cent Community Wildfire Protection Project is located