Ozark-St. Francis National Forest Chapter 3 BIOLOGICAL ELEMENTS Historical Perspective The forests and plant and animal communities of the Ozark NF are rich and diverse. They are dominated by oak-hickory-pine in what is now called the Central Hardwood Region, estimated to have formed at least 5,000 years ago (Spetich 2004:3). The St. Francis NF falls in the Mississippi Delta, and includes Crowley’s Ridge, a distinctive ecosystem that is often called a "Southern Appalachian refugium" with tulip trees, magnolias, and other hardwoods mixed with open prairies that are relicts from past plant migrations. Humans have been a constant influence on plant communities and ecosystems of the Highlands, Delta, and Crowley’s Ridge for thousands of years (USDA Forest Service 1999:xi). The species composition of these forests and prairies have been extensively changed by two major occurrences: 1) Over 10,000 years of Native American agroforestry that maximized the yields of mast crops, domesticated oily seed native plants, and introduced tropical cultigens; and 2) Over 150 years of intensive historical settlement, agriculture, and fragmentation including deforestation by logging companies. Despite this, a high level of diverse habitats, including mosaics of prairie, savanna, open and closed woodlands, and riparian forests remain. The high diversity found on the OSFNFs today is testimony to the resilience of ecosystems. The following sections describe the effects of Draft Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) alternatives on plant and animal communities. This introductory section provides some historical context to be used as a reference point when comparing expected future habitat outcomes, and describes effects to viability of associated species. Much of the OSFNFs were completely logged by the early 20th century. The only systematic landscape scale data available for the character and composition of pre- settlement historical vegetation (reference conditions) are derived from the General Land Office (GLO) surveys. Dominant canopy tree species were used as legal "witness" trees. The percent ages by species are an indication of the dominant species found on the landscape during the mid-1800s. Further study is in progress to determine spatial pattering, canopy closure, and basal area. The tree species fall into four ranked categories: I (Dominant, >19%), II (Subdominant, between 5-18%), III (Less Common, between 4-0%), and IV (Rare, <0%). Table 3-31 lists the species (identified by common name) found in each category. Draft Environmental Impact Statement 3-1 Ozark-St. Francis National Forests Chapter 3 Table 3-31: Tree Species Identified in GLO Records. Category Category Name Species (Common Name) Number I Dominant White Oak (35.4%), Black Oak (19.1%) >19% II Subdominant Hickory (6.7%), Post Oak (6.6%), Pine (5.4%), Black 18-5% Gum (5.3%), Red Oak (5.1%) III Less Common Beech, Spanish Oak, Dogwood, Elm, Sweet Gum, 4-0% Chinkapin, Maple, IV Rare Ash, Birch, Black Ash, Black Haw, Black Locust, <0% Black Walnut, Blackjack Oak, Blue Ash, Box Elder, Buckeye, Cedar, Cherry, China, Chinkapin Oak, Cottonwood, Cucumber, Cypress, Gum, Gum Elastic, Hackberry, Honey Locust, Hornbeam, Ironwood, Linn, Locust, Magnolia, Mulberry, Oak, Overcup Oak, Pawpaw, Persimmon, Pin Oak, Plum, Poplar, Prickly Ash, Privet, Red Bud, Red Elm, Red Haw, Sassafras, Service, Slippery Elm, Sugar Maple, Sycamore, Walnut, Water Oak, White Ash, White Hickory, White Walnut (Butternut), Willow, Willow Oak Note: Red Cedar (a fire susceptible species) was rare on the historical landscape, but is dominant on modern landscapes due to fire suppression and fragmentation of the hardwood-pine canopy. These surveyors noted several aspects of local ecology, including "this mile all undergrowth dead and dying" representing wildfires; "thick dead, and green brush," "oak and chinkapin rough with few trees," "open, thin oak woods, with oak bushes"; "rocky barrens" with "oak, hickory, and chinkapin bushes and sage grass." The noted fire dependent cane in floodplains and bottoms as well as fire-caused "barrens" in upland settings. Chinkapin and oak bushes were frequently described as "stobs"; suggesting root-collar sprouts caused by frequent fire and resprouting from stumps. Most notable disturbances recorded in the GLO records are tornados, passenger pigeon roosts, wildfires, and canebrakes in floodplains that require an 8-year burn cycle to regenerate MANAGEMENT INDICATOR SPECIES Affected Environment National Forest Management Act (NFMA) regulations, adopted in 1982, require selection of management indicator species (MIS) during development of forest plans (36 CFR 219.19 [a]). Reasons for their selection must be stated. This section describes the MIS selected for the revised Land and Resource Management Plan and the conditions they are to represent. A more complete documentation of the MIS selection process is contained in the OSFNFs MIS process paper. 3-2 Draft Environmental Impact Statement Ozark-St. Francis National Forest Chapter 3 MIS are selected "because their population changes are believed to indicate the effects of management activities" (36 CFR 219[a][1]). They are used during planning to help compare effects of alternatives (36 CFR 219.19[a][2]), and as a focus for monitoring (36 CFR 219.19[a][6]). Where appropriate, MIS represent the following groups of species (36 CFR 219[a][1]): Threatened and endangered species on State and Federal lists; Species with special habitat needs; Species commonly hunted, fished, or trapped; Non-game species of special interest; Species selected to indicate effects on other species of selected major biological communities. Since adoption of these regulations, MIS concept has been reviewed and critiqued by the scientific community (Caro and O’Doherty 1999, Simberloff 1998, Noss 1990, Landres et al. 1988, and Weaver 1995). These reviews identify proper uses and limitations of the indicator species concept. They generally caution against overreaching in use of indicator species, especially when making inferences about ecological conditions or status of other species within a community. Caution is needed because many different factors may affect populations of each species within a community, and each species’ ecological niche within a community is unique. To reflect this current scientific understanding while meeting the letter and spirit of regulations, we have made great effort to clearly define the legitimate uses and limitations of each selected MIS. The MIS process is but one tool used to develop management strategies and monitoring programs designed to meet NFMA requirements related to diversity of plant and animal communities. Other elements used for comprehensive planning for plant and animal diversity include: objectives and standards for maintenance and restoration of desired ecological conditions based on knowledge of overall ecosystem structure and function; biological evaluations and assessments at both the forest plan and site-specific project levels; and evaluation of risk to species of viability concern at the forest plan level. Other elements important to monitoring effects of plan implementation on plant and animal diversity include, where appropriate, monitoring of key ecological conditions; levels of management activities important to restoration and maintenance of community diversity; species assemblages (birds, bats, fish, etc.); harvest levels of game and other demand species; and populations of threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Draft Environmental Impact Statement 3-3 Ozark-St. Francis National Forests Chapter 3 Northern Bobwhite The northern bobwhite (quail or bobwhite) was selected as a MIS species because it represents a habitat condition that has declined severely in the last several decades. This habitat condition is important to a variety of plants and animals. Historically quail thrived on lands that are now OSFNFs due to the significant amount of oak savanna, oak woodland, and glade habitat that was maintained by periodic fire. Quail continued to thrive as land was settled, cut, grazed, and burned. The creation of small farms with shrubby edges provided adequate habitat for quail. As farms failed and fire prevention became the norm, a much thicker forest replaced forests maintained by open fire. Habitat conditions beneficial to quail and many other species began to decline. Today quail are rare on the forests except where restored glades, native fields, early seral forest, and thinned and burned forest conditions have been reestablished. These conditions are at historic lows on the forests. Expected trends in quail habitat and populations are evaluated in terms of each alternative by tracking the amount of forest types and age class distribution, the silvicultural treatments used (including prescribed fire), and the amounts of pine- bluestem and savanna/woodland habitats that are maintained. Wild Turkey. Wild turkey was chosen as a MIS due to its popularity as a hunting species and its need for a diverse mix of habitat types. Wild turkeys were historically abundant on the forests. Habitat destruction and over hunting decimated populations in the early 1900s. Restocking efforts and habitat improvement have lead to increasing populations for the last 30 years. Open areas with high insect populations are critical as brood rearing areas. Historically glades, pine-bluestem, and oak savanna areas provided this habitat. Recently constructed "natural openings", food plots, and forest regeneration areas have served