Environmental Assessment United States Department of Agriculture North Schell Restoration Project Forest Service Ely Ranger District Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest White Pine County, Nevada Responsible Official: Jose Noriega, District Ranger Ely Ranger District 825 Avenue E Ely, Nevada 89301 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (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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Page 2 of 161 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED 5 1.1 Introduction 5 1.2 Project Area Location 5 1.3 Background 5 Map 1: Vicinity Map 6 1.4 Vegetation Communities 7 1.4.1 Pinyon-Juniper 7 1.4.2 Mountain Big Sagebrush/Mountain Shrub 8 1.4.3 Curleaf Mountain Mahogany 8 1.4.4 Stable and Seral Aspen 8 1.4.5 White Fir 9 1.4.6 Riparian Areas 9 1.4.7 Other Vegetation Communities and Rock 9 1.5 Purpose and Need for Action 9 1.6 Proposed Action 10 1.7 Forest Plan Direction 10 1.8 Decision to be Made 11 1.9 Public Involvement 11 1.10 Identification of Issues 13 CHAPTER 2: PURPOSE AND NEED 14 2.1 Introduction 14 2.2 Alternatives Eliminated from Detailed Study 14 2.2.1 No mechanical treatments in designated roadless areas 14 2.2.2 Mechanical treatment without prescribed burning 14 2.2.3 Mechanical and prescribed fire only during winter 14 2.2.4 Passive Restoration Alternative 14 2.3 Alternatives Considered in Detail 15 2.3.1 No Action Alternative 15 2.3.2 Proposed Action 15 2.3.2.1 Prescribed Fire 15 2.3.2.2 Mechanical treatments 16 2.3.2.3 Vegetation Objectives 17 2.3.2.4 Design Features: 19 Wildlife 19 Heritage Resources 20 Noxious weeds 20 Vegetation 20 Range 21 Hydrology/Soils 21 Public Safety 22 Page 3 of 161 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment Roadless Areas 22 2.3.4 Monitoring 22 2.4 Summary Comparison of Alternatives 23 CHAPTER 3: AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 27 3.1 Introduction 27 3.2 Cumulative Effects Area 27 3.3 Vegetation 27 3.4 Noxious Weeds 36 3.5 Watershed/Hydrology 46 3.6 Soils 58 3.7 Wildlife/Fisheries 63 3.8 Sensitive Plants 111 3.9 Livestock Management 121 3.10 Roadless Areas 123 CHAPTER 4: CONSISTENCY WITH OTHER LAWS, REGULATIONS, AND POLICIES 129 CHAPTER 5: LIST OF PRIMARY PREPARERS 132 CHAPTER 6: REFERENCES 133 APPENDIX A: TREATMENT ACRES 145 APPENDIX B: VEGETATION MAP 151 APPENDIX C: CUMULATIVE EFFECTS AREA 153 APPENDIX D: ROADLESS AREA MAP 154 APPENDIX E: LIVESTOCK GRAZING ALLOTMENT MAP 155 APPENDIX F: SOIL GUIDELINES 156 APPENDIX G: TREATMENT UNIT MAP 161 Page 4 of 161 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment CHAPTER 1: PURPOSE AND NEED 1.1 Introduction This Environmental Assessment (EA) discloses the temporary, short and long term, direct, indirect, irretrievable, irreversible, and cumulative environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative for the North Schell Restoration Project on the Ely Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest in White Pine County, Nevada. This document has been prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 40 CFR 1500-1508), the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), and the Humboldt National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan). 1.2 Project Area Location The project area is located on National Forest lands on the Ely Ranger District from Shellborne Pass road and continuing south to the Kalamazoo Summit road. The project is located approximately 20 miles north of the town of Ely, Nevada. The legal description for the project area is Township 22N, Range 64E, Township 22N, Range 65E, Township 21N, Range 64E, Township 21N, Range 65E, Township 20N, Range 64, and Township 20N, Range 65E in all or parts of the sections. A vicinity map is included on the next page. 1.3 Background Within the project area past management activities and other impacts including fire suppression, historical livestock grazing practices, historical mining, noxious and invasive weeds, and other land management practices have resulted in vegetation communities which are not in desired condition. Changes in ecosystems are putting many important vegetation communities such as aspen and sagebrush at risk. Important wildlife habitats for species such as sage grouse, mule deer and other sagebrush dependent species are being impacted or lost. An assessment of the vegetation condition on the North Schell Mountain Range was completed May, 2009 in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The Forest Service utilized a landscape assessment process facilitated by TNC and identified vegetation communities which are in a declining state of health. One measure of health is the resiliency of a vegetation community when affected by both natural and human caused disturbances such as fire, invasive and noxious weeds, diseases and insects. One way to measure the health and resiliency of a vegetation community is to measure ecological departure. Fire regime condition class (FRCC) determines how similar or how departed a landscape’s current disturbance regime is to its historic or natural state. FRCC is an integrated measure of structure and composition of vegetation types and their disturbance regimes. Current vegetation structure and composition is compared to the historic or natural state, and from this comparison, vegetation treatment recommendations can be made. The assessment identified areas in need of treatment and those most likely to respond successfully to treatment (Conservation Action Planning in the Schell Creek Range: Developing a Watershed Assessment for North Schell, May 28, 2008). Page 5 of 161 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment Map 1: Page 6 of 161 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment 1.4 Vegetation Communities Table 1: Current vegetation cover types mapped for the project area (Gillham, et al. 2004) MAPPED COVER TYPE ACRES PERCENT OF TOTAL Pinyon-Juniper 39,581 50% Mountain Big Sagebrush/Mountain Shrub 17,119 22% Curleaf Mountain Mahogany 9,101 12% Aspen and Mixed Aspen/Conifer 1,475 2% White Fir 4,395 6% Other Vegetation/Rock 6,329* 8% TOTAL ACRES WITHIN THE PROJECT AREA 78,000* 100% * Estimated Acres 1.4.1 Pinyon-Juniper The project area includes approximately 39,581 acres of pinyon–juniper cover type. Pinyon dominates this mix. Since the presettlement period (pre 1880’s) pinyon and juniper have expanded mainly into sagebrush and to a lesser degree, other ecosystems. This rapid expansion is due to fire suppression, grazing practices, and a climate which favored the establishment and growth of these woodland species (Tausch et. al. 1981). It is estimated that 2/3’s of the area within the Great Basin currently occupied by the pinyon–juniper cover type is considered expansion pinyon–juniper; only 1/3 are historic woodlands (Miller, et. al. 2008). Expansion pinyon–juniper are in various phases of development. Miller et. al. 2008 defines the early, mid, and late phases of pinyon-juniper woodland successional development as: Phase I - trees are present but shrubs and herbs are the dominant vegetation that influence ecological processes on the site (low canopy). Phase II - trees are co-dominant with shrubs and herbs and all three vegetation layers influence ecological processes on the site (medium canopy). Phase III - trees are the dominant vegetation and the primary plant layer influencing ecological processes on the site (high canopy). As phase I and II transition into Phase III, the understory shrubs, grasses and forbs are lost as trees dominate the site and tree canopy cover increases. The loss of the ground vegetation and increased density of canopy fuels marks a shift in biomass to crown fuels which can significantly affect fire severity. The more tree dominated the woodlands become, the less likely they are to burn under moderate conditions. In addition, Phase III pinyon-juniper has lost much of the seed source necessary to regenerate understory herbs, grasses and shrubs following a disturbance (Miller et, al. 2008). Page 7 of 161 North Schell Restoration Project Environmental Assessment As pinyon-juniper stands mature and increase in density, shrub and herbaceous species decline. Sagebrush communities provide critical habitat components for many wildlife species, including mule deer, elk, sage grouse and other sagebrush dependent species. Objectives for pinyon-juniper include: • Restore and/or maintain sagebrush and shrub communities where they are actively being replaced by phase I & II pinyon-juniper. • Reduce Fuels with an emphasis near private lands and developments. • Maintain and/or enhance mature pinyon-juniper communities 1.4.2 Mountain Big Sagebrush/Mountain Shrub The project area includes approximately 17,119 acres of mountain big sagebrush cover type. The TNC assessment indicates that this vegetation type is lacking acreage in the early successional stages. Sagebrush communities provide critical habitat components for many wildlife species, including mule deer, sage grouse and other sagebrush dependent species. A portion of these vegetation communities are slowly being replaced by phase I pinyon-juniper. Objectives for mountain big sagebrush and mountain brush communities include: • Increase age class and species diversity within stands.