Southwest Oregon State Forest Management Plan
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Southwest Oregon State Forests Management Plan Revised Plan April 2010 Oregon Department of Forestry Southwest Oregon State Forest Management Plan January 2001 Plan Habitat Conservation Plan references revised April 2010 Oregon Department of Forestry FINAL PLAN “STEWARDSHIP IN FORESTRY” List of Acronyms and Abbreviations Used NFMA National Forest Management Act ATV All-terrain vehicle NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service BAT Best Available Technology NWOA Southwest Oregon Area BLM Bureau of Land Management OAR Oregon Administrative Rules BMP Best Management Practices ODA Oregon Dept. of Agriculture BOFL Board of Forestry Lands ODF Oregon Dept. of Forestry BPA Bonneville Power Administration ODFW Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife CEQ Council on Environmental Quality OFS Older forest structure (forest stand CMAI Culmination of Mean Annual type) Increment OHV Off-highway vehicles CMZ Channel migration zone ONHP Oregon Natural Heritage Program CRS Cultural, Recreation, and Scenic ORS Oregon Revised Statutes Inventory System OSCUR State forest inventory system CSC Closed single canopy (forest stand PM Particulate matter type) PSD Prevention of Significant CSFL Common School Forest Lands Deterioration CSRI Coastal Salmon Restoration REG Regeneration (forest stand type) Initiative RMA Riparian management area CWA Clean Water Act ROS Recreation Opportunity Spectrum DBH Diameter breast height RV Recreational vehicle DEQ Oregon Department of SBM Structure-based management Environmental Quality SCORP Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor DFC Desired future condition Recreation Plan DOGAMI Oregon Department of Geology SDI Stand Density Index and Mineral Industries SE Stem exclusion (stand DSL Oregon Division of State Lands development process) or State EPA Environmental Protection Agency endangered species ESA Endangered Species Act SHPO State Historic Preservation Office FC Federal candidate species SI Stand initiation (stand FE Federal endangered species development process) FMP Forest management plan SIP State Implementation Plan FPA Forest Practices Act SSC State sensitive species, critical FPFO Forestry Program for Oregon status FT Federal threatened species SSV State sensitive species, vulnerable GIS Geographic Information System status HCP Habitat conservation plan ST State threatened species IHA Interior habitat area T&E Threatened and endangered IP Implementation plan TMDL Total maximum daily load IMPLAN Impact Analysis for Planning TPA Trees per acre IPM Integrated Pest Management TSP Total suspended particulate ISR Independent scientific review UDS Understory (forest stand type) ITP Incidental take permit UR Understory reinitiation (stand LWD Large woody debris development process) LYR Layered (forest stand type) USC United States Code MBF Thousand board feet USDA U.S. Dept. of Agriculture MMBF Million board feet USFS U.S. Forest Service NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Standards WRC Oregon Water Resources NEPA National Environmental Policy Commission Act Preface This is a plan for special forests in Southwestern Oregon owned by the State. The plan achieves “greatest permanent value” to the citizens of the state, as defined in Oregon statute and administrative rule. Achieving “greatest permanent value” means providing a full range of social, economic, and ecological benefits, and achieving a balance between short-term and long-term economic returns. This is a hopeful plan: It addresses people’s hopes for the future. Oregonians want their forest resources protected for future generations. At the same time, they expect a full range of economic, social, and environmental benefits today, as well as in the future. This plan achieves that balance in a public and scientifically credible way. This plan was developed with countless hours of public input, and several rigorous scientific and technical reviews. As a result, the plan is scientifically sound, and many people had a hand in shaping it. This is a visionary plan: It envisions an idealized view of the future, without the constraints of the current forest condition. The forest produces sustainable and predictable forest products that generate jobs and revenues for the benefit of the state, counties, and local taxing districts. The diversity of forest structures is enhanced over time, providing for a broad range of social values important to Oregon citizens, including recreation. The diverse forest structures produced contribute to the range of fish and wildlife habitats necessary for all native species, and contribute to broad biodiversity. This is a purposeful plan: It calls for active management across the landscape and over time to achieve its goals. It relies on integrated management of forest resources to produce a variety of values, and focuses on the compatibility of forest uses over time. This is a flexible and adaptable plan: The plan calls for monitoring the response of the forest to strategies outlined in the plan. These responses are then evaluated against the goals of the plan, and the working hypotheses upon which the plan is built. The Board and Department of Forestry will then adapt the new information into the plan accordingly. The plan calls for major scientific, policy, and public reviews at least every ten years to provide regular periodic checkpoints to rigorously examine the scientific underpinnings, the policy environment, and the public’s view of the plan. This is a sustainable plan: Because of the flexibility and adaptability described, this is a sustainable plan that Oregonians can embrace and support for decades. This plan will assure sustainable timber and revenue for the benefit of the Forest Trust Land Counties, and will also provide for the sustainable forest ecosystems and healthy watersheds that are important to Oregonians. i The planning document that follows is organized into five main chapters. Chapter 1 describes the state forests and planning process, and tells a little about the history of these lands to help the reader understand the forests today. Chapter 2 explains how the plan was developed using input from technical specialists and the public. This chapter contains information on forest resources, including forest products, watersheds, and wildlife. Chapter 3 describes the values, vision and goals that set the direction of the plan, and lists the working hypotheses that are the foundation for the strategic approach. Chapter 4 is the heart of the plan, the concepts and strategies that will bring about the forest envisioned by the goals and values. Chapter 5 describes how the plan will be implemented in an adaptive management context. This chapter discusses district implementation planning, annual operations plans, asset management, monitoring and research, and continuing public involvement to shape the plan into the future. The Department of Forestry is proud of the work and the vision that has created this new forest plan. As the plan strategies are implemented and monitored, with ongoing input from scientists and the public, thoughtful forest management will ensure predictable timber and revenues for schools and local economies, diverse habitats for wildlife and fish, and recreational opportunities. The Department encourages Oregonians to remain involved in the plan’s implementation and development into the future. ii Table of Contents Front Material List of Acronyms and Abbreviations Used ………………………….. inside front cover Preface ………………………………………………………………………….. i Executive Summary ………………………………………………………… S-1 Map Section Department of Forestry Districts Southwest Oregon District Chapter 1. Purpose, History, and Planning Purpose and Scope of the Management Plan .................................................................. 1-1 Location of Southwest Oregon State Forest . .................................................................. 1-3 History ............................................................................................................................. 1-4 Long-Range Planning for State Forests . ....................................................................... 1-10 Chapter 2. Understanding the Forest: Planning and Resources Southwest Oregon State Forest Planning Process .......................................................... 2-3 Resource Descriptions .................................................................................................... 2-7 Overview of Southwest Oregon State Forest ........................................................... 2-7 State Forest Ownerships ..................................................................................... 2-7 Land Base Designation and Land Management Classification .......................... 2-9 Forest Ecosystems of Southwestern Oregon ..................................................... 2-11 Regional Ownership Patterns ............................................................................ 2-13 Specific Resources .................................................................................................. 2-14 Agriculture and Grazing ................................................................................... 2-14 Air Quality ........................................................................................................ 2-14 Aquatic and Riparian Resources ....................................................................... 2-15 Cultural Resources ............................................................................................ 2-15 Energy and Minerals .........................................................................................