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2012 Monitoring and Evaluation Annual Report

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2012 Monitoring and Evaluation Annual Report 2012 Monitoring and Evaluation Annual Report Revised Land and Resource Management Plan Sumter National Forest September 23, 2013 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION ______________________________________ 4 RESULTS AND REPORT FINDINGS _____________________________________________________________ 4 ECOSYSTEM CONDITION, HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY ___________________________________________________ 4 Forest Health ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7 Watershed Condition and Riparian Areas ________________________________________________________________________ 8 Recreational Opportunities _______________________________________________________________________________________ 8 Heritage Resources ________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION _________________________________________________________________ 10 CHAPTER 2 MONITORING RESULTS AND FINDINGS _____________________________________________ 11 ISSUE 1. ECOSYSTEM CONDITION, HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY _______________________________________ 11 Sub-Issue 1.1 – Biological Diversity _____________________________________________________________________________ 11 Sub-Issue 1.3 – Watershed Condition and Riparian Areas _____________________________________________________ 53 ISSUE 2. SUSTAINABLE MULTIPLE FOREST AND RANGE BENEFITS _______________________________________ 56 Sub-Issue 2.1 – Recreational Opportunities ____________________________________________________________________ 56 Sub-Issue 2.2 – Roadless Areas/Wilderness/Wild and Scenic Rivers __________________________________________ 57 Sub-Issue 2.3 – Heritage Resources _____________________________________________________________________________ 58 ISSUE 3. ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS _______________________________________________________ 60 CHAPTER 3 FY 2013 ACTION PLAN AND STATUS _______________________________________________ 64 APPENDIX A - LIST OF PREPARERS ___________________________________________________________ 69 APPENDIX B – AMENDMENT TO FOREST PLAN _________________________________________________ 70 2 Executive Summary of Monitoring and Evaluation Results and Report Findings The Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (forest plan) provides guidance on how the Sumter National Forest will be managed. Monitoring is used to assess how well goals and objectives are being met, if standards are being properly implemented, and whether environmental effects are occurring as predicted. A summary of key results and findings is listed below. Ecosystem Condition, Health and Sustainability Approximately 4,024 acres of commercial thinning, 263 acres of pre-commercial thinning and 2,804 acres of herbicide release treatments were either planned or implemented to increase oak and hickory forest types on the Enoree and Long Cane Ranger districts (piedmont districts). Silvicultural prescriptions generally emphasize release of desirable oaks and hickories where they occur with loblolly pine, especially in stands with regeneration harvest prescriptions. The Forest Service participated with the Carolina Vegetation Survey to sample native plant communities on 80 sites using 60 volunteers on the Enoree Ranger District and adjacent areas in July, 2012. Basic mesic and mesic oak-hickory communities were identified on 150 acres in Chester and Fairfield counties. Several notable bottomland hardwood communities were sampled in Union and Chester counties. The Andrew Pickens (AP) Ranger District is making progress on restoration of natural communities and habitats (forest plan goal #8) by removing non-native loblolly pine stands that were established 20 to 50 years ago. The forest has already both planned or implemented loblolly pine removal and reestablishment of native forest communities on 953 acres. The Geographic Information System (GIS) database now shows 4,568 acres of stands typed as loblolly pine on the district. A number of other stands still have a component of loblolly pine remaining even though they may not be typed as such. The AP Loblolly Pine and Removal and Restoration Project Environmental Impact Statement delineate plans to treat about 5,542 acres, effectively removing most of the remaining loblolly pine on the district. The few scattered stands remaining will be targeted for treatment in future planning. The GIS database currently shows 3,077 acres of shortleaf pine on the piedmont districts, an increase of 20 acres from the 3,057 acres reported in FY 2011. However, because historic erosion from agricultural practices in the Piedmont Region has generally left few places where the soil is adequate to support shortleaf pine communities, the forest is unlikely to meet restoration objectives during the planning period. Shortleaf pine requires at least eight inches of well-drained to moderately well-drained soil in order to stay relatively free from littleleaf disease. Thus far, the suitable areas found tend to be very small, isolated parts of ridges and flats. Early successional habitat, particularly woodland/savanna habitat, continues to be in short supply across all districts. However, decisions are currently in place that will establish more woodland habitat on all three districts. 4 The Forest Service Southern Research Station, Center for Aquatic Technology Transfer implemented a long term mussel monitoring program for the Chattooga River in 2012. Twelve sites totaling over 44.2 km were sampled from the confluence of Camp Creek and up river to the confluence with Lick Log Creek. The goal of the distributed sampling was to assess the overall mussel population condition throughout the entire sample area. At least one mussel species was found at each of 12 sample sites. The brook floater (Alasmidonta varicosa), was found approximately 10 km further upstream than in past surveys. Population estimates declined for Elliptio spp. upstream of site 11 (Adeline Branch) despite the fact that there was no noticeable change in stream habitat. Brook floater, also, was not found above this site. Corbicula fluminea, the introduced Asian clam was present in only the two most downstream sites of the river (Krause and Roghair 2012). In 2011 and 2012, Alderman Environmental Services, Inc. conducted surveys for the federally endangered Carolina heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata) in Mountain Creek on the Long Cane Ranger District Those surveys documented only five live Carolina heelsplitters, with no juveniles or young adults observed. Thirty fish species were documented from 17 streams on the Enoree Ranger District. Thirty-eight fish species were documented from 14 streams on the Long Cane Ranger District. Thirty two fish species were documented from 27 streams on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. The fish species diversity in the Chattooga River watershed has not changed in more than 20 years of sampling the main stem of the river. Southern brook trout populations are considered stable in two recently restored streams. An additional stream was stocked with southern brook trout in 2012 on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. The preliminary results of a 2012 large wood survey on the Chattooga River from the confluence of West Fork Chattooga River to the confluence of Green Creek in North Carolina show that the amount of large wood and associated obstructions increased in some reaches and decreased in others, but the overall distribution and amount were similar to conditions in 2007. In 2012, cut/sawn wood1 was most abundant in the upstream reaches of the river, though there were additional reaches containing large sawn wood further downstream. On the Andrew Pickens Ranger District, large wood was added to Moody Creek, a stream targeted for brook trout restoration, to enhance aquatic habitat. More streams are being reviewed for the potential to add large wood. Georgia aster is listed as a candidate species for federal protection by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Georgia aster populations occur along utility line rights-of-way (ROW) on the Enoree Ranger District. The Forest Service is working with Broad River Power Company and Fairfield Electric to minimize impacts to these plant populations during maintenance of their ROWs. Both the Enoree and Long Cane districts plan to restore shortleaf pine and longleaf pine woodlands which will also improve habitat conditions for Georgia aster. 1 Cut or sawn wood in the Chattooga River is an indicator of the amount of recreation use occurring on the river. Past studies have linked sawn wood to adjacent campsites and to recreational boating. Large wood provides habitat for aquatic species and is an important component for the restoration of native brook trout in the Chattooga River and tributaries. 5 The Forest Service continues to monitor and map federally endangered Florida gooseberry along Stevens Creek on the Long Cane Ranger District. Six new sub-colonies were found, all part of a larger population shared with the Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve, of which 16 colonies occur on the Sumter National Forest. Trifoliate orange, Chinese privet and Japanese honeysuckle (non- native invasive species) are invading the floodplain and impacting some of the colonies. Control of non-native invasive plants is ongoing on the state heritage preserve and was initiated on national forest system lands in the area in 2012. The Florida gooseberry population appears to be stable. On the Andrew Pickens district, the sensitive plant
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