100 Years of Caring for the Land and Serving People The Ouachita National Forest celebrated the forest centennial in 2007. The Ouachita National Forest, originally called the Arkansas National Forest, was created through an executive order issued by President Theodore Roosevelt on December 18, 1907. At first, the Arkansas National Forest consisted solely of reserved public domain lands (part of the Louisiana Purchase) south of the Arkansas River. The 1911 Weeks Law, which authorized Federal purchase of forest lands in the eastern part of the United States, was later used to add thousands of acres of cutover or farmed out lands to the national forest. The largest increases in national forest ownership occurred from 1933 to 1941. In April 1926, President Coolidge changed the name of the Arkansas National Forest to the Ouachita National Forest. He also proposed expanding the national forest and fulfilled this proposal in December 1930 by extending the Ouachita National Forest into Oklahoma. Today, the Ouachita National Forest consists of nearly 1.8 million acres located in thirteen Arkansas counties and two Oklahoma counties. It is the largest and oldest national forest in the Southern Region of the United States. The Forest includes 60 recreation areas, 6 wilderness areas, 2 national wild and scenic rivers, 700 miles of trails, several scenic byways, many special interest (botanical, scenic) areas, abundant historic and prehistoric resources, and habitat for nine federally listed and hundreds of other plant and animal species. It also provides timber and other forest products to the Nation; offers diverse hunting and fishing opportunities; and is the source of high quality drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Fiscal Year 2007 Monitoring and Evaluation Report for the Land and Resource Management Plan Ouachita National Forest Arkansas Counties: Ashley, Garland, Hot Spring, Howard, Logan, Montgomery, Perry, Pike, Polk, Saline, Scott, Sebastian, Yell Oklahoma Counties: Leflore, McCurtain United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service July 2008 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). 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. TABLE OF CONTENTS MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT SUMMARY.................................................................. 1 PART 1 - TERRESTRIAL, RIPARIAN, AND AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS (INCLUDING AIR QUALITY)..................................................................................................................................................... 9 PART 2 – STRATEGIC DIRECTION ....................................................................................................... 80 PART 3 - DESIGN CRITERIA AND IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................... 94 PART 4 - RECOMMENDATIONS ........................................................................................................... 96 APPENDIX A – LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS AND PREPARERS ........................................................ 100 APPENDIX B – CONSERVATION EDUCATION ACTIVITIES.......................................................... 101 APPENDIX C – APPROVED COMMUNICATION SITES .................................................................. 106 APPENDIX D – PROPOSED AND PROBABLE ACTIVITIES.............................................................. 107 APPENDIX E – IMPLEMENTATION MONITORING REVIEW ....................................................... 109 Fiscal Year 2007 Monitoring and Evaluation Report for the Land and Resource Management Plan Ouachita National Forest Introduction The 2005 Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) for the Ouachita National Forest provides broad, strategic direction for managing the land and its resources. The Forest Plan direction provides a framework to guide future management decisions and actions. Over time it is necessary to assess progress toward achieving the desired conditions, meeting the objectives, and adhering to the design criteria in the Forest Plan. A cycle of adaptation is formed when management direction in the Forest Plan is implemented, reviewed, and then adjusted in response to knowledge gained through monitoring and evaluation. Monitoring is conducted by Forest Service resource specialists; Forest Service research scientists; universities; state, federal, and resource agencies; and other cooperators. Persons who contributed data, assisted in compilation of data, or helped to prepare this Monitoring and Evaluation Report (M&E Report) are listed in Appendix A. Purpose of the Monitoring and Evaluation Report The 2005 Forest Plan was completed under the 1982 National Forest Management Act planning regulations (36 CFR 219). These regulations specify that forest plan “implementation shall be evaluated on a sample basis to determine how well objectives have been met and how closely management standards and guidelines have been applied. Based upon this evaluation, the interdisciplinary team shall recommend to the Forest Supervisor such changes in management direction, revisions, or amendments to the forest plan as are deemed necessary.” Thus, the purpose of the M&E Report is to identify needed changes to management on the Ouachita National Forest (Ouachita NF) utilizing the results of monitoring and evaluation. The M&E Report combines the results of the evaluations that occur throughout the year into a summary document. Based on the data gathered during monitoring, trends can be established and management corrections made, as necessary. Monitoring helps to track progress toward achievement of Desired Conditions (Plan, pages 6 - 43) and Plan Objectives (Plan, pages 58 - 69); implementation of Design Criteria (Plan, pages 73 - 122); and occurrence of environmental effects as predicted. Monitoring indicates whether Ouachita NF management is addressing plan priorities. The evaluation of monitoring results allows the Forest Supervisor to initiate actions to improve compliance with management direction where needed, improve cost effectiveness, and determine if any amendments to the Forest Plan are needed to improve resource management. About every five years, all of the information collected in the M&E reports is accumulated into a comprehensive evaluation report that results in periodic updates of the Forest Plan. Organization of the Monitoring and Evaluation Report The Monitoring Report is structured similarly to the Forest Plan because the M&E Report evaluates implementation and effectiveness of the Forest Plan. The Monitoring Report is prefaced by a Summary of the four main parts to the Report. Monitoring of desired conditions, including actions, outcomes, or resources to be measured and the frequency of measurement and reporting, is included in Part 1 of the Plan and in the M&E Report. Performance indicators to be monitored against Forest Plan objectives, including the frequency of measurement and reporting, are presented in Part 2 of the M&E Report. Project-level adaptation, triggered by reviews of selected projects, is focused on the effectiveness of project design criteria and is presented in Part 3 of the M&E Report. Part 4 of the M&E Report contains specific recommendations for the next fiscal year (FY). 1 Monitoring and Evaluation Report Summary Part I: Desired Conditions Monitoring of desired conditions allows the Ouachita NF to accumulate data annually that are then used to establish trends and assess progress towards achievement of the desired condition statements set out by the forest plan. Through repeated measurement, trend lines may be established and used to determine if programs should be adjusted or if changes in Forest Plan direction are needed. Annual monitoring results are reported each year in the M & E Report and every five years a comprehensive review is conducted. Monitoring of desired conditions for terrestrial ecosystems; riparian and aquatic ecosystems; proposed, threatened, endangered and sensitive species; geologic resources; landownership pattern; heritage resources; public use and enjoyment; facility operation and maintenance; commodity, commercial, and special uses; and fire (community protection and safety) for FY 2007 are summarized below. Desired Conditions for Terrestrial Ecosystems The Ouachita NF continues to transition to new vegetation inventory databases and activity tracking systems that will allow monitoring and analysis of the effects of fire and silvicultural treatments to the vegetation communities. Silvicultural treatments were applied to 14,800 acres within the Pine-Oak Forest ecosystem, 319 acres within the Pine-Oak Woodland ecosystem; and 2,231 acres within the Shortleaf Pine, Bluestem Grass ecosystem. Salvage