Queets Vegetation Management Environmental Assessment
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Queets Vegetation Management United States Environmental Assessment Department of Agriculture Olympic National Forest Forest Service Jefferson County, Washington Pacific Northwest Region June 2015 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 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. Abstract: This Environmental Assessment documents the proposed action, two alternatives to the proposed action, and the no action alternative considered for commercially thinning timber; conducting road construction, reconstruction, and maintenance; treating activity-generated slash (fuels); and implementing connected actions within the Late-Successional Reserve, Adaptive Management Area, and Riparian Reserve land allocations of the Queets River watershed on the Olympic National Forest, Pacific Ranger District. The Queets Vegetation Management project proposed treatment units are located within the Late-Successional Reserve and Adaptive Management Area land allocations, and also include Riparian Reserves which overlay these other land allocations. Late-Successional Reserves are to provide habitat for late-successional and old-growth related species including the northern spotted owl. The Forest’s Late-Successional Reserve Assessment recognized a need for commercial thinning in stands less than 80 years old with the objectives of accelerating growth, increasing plant species diversity, increasing structural diversity, and to provide a mechanism to create snags and down wood where needed. The project seeks to implement the recommendations from both the Late-Successional Reserve Assessment and watershed analyses, which suggest thinning in forests that are mid-seral, in order to accelerate the goal of developing Late-Successional Reserve conditions. Adaptive Management Areas serve to provide opportunities for development, demonstration, and testing of techniques that place an emphasis on the restoration of late-successional forest conditions and riparian reserves. This project seeks to integrate commercial timber harvest with the ecological objectives of late- successional habitat by adding structural diversity. The primary purpose and need is to accelerate late-successional habitat in mid-seral stands in order to support fish and wildlife species. To meet the purpose and need, the Forest is proposing to restore habitat by thinning 5,005 acres of young forest stands. Through public scoping and a Forest Service interdisciplinary process, the Forest identified four relevant issues regarding implementation of the proposal. These issues included indirect effects to water quality and water temperature variation, effects to Federally listed species, potential effects to sensitive soils from ground-based logging activities, and economic feasibility of implementing the project. Responsible Official: For More Information, contact: Dean Millett, District Ranger Kim Crider, Environmental Coordinator Pacific Ranger District 1835 Black Lake Blvd SW 437 Tillicum Lane Olympia, WA 98512 Forks, WA 98331 Email: [email protected] Phone: (360)956-2376 Cover Photo Credit: Betsy Howell 3 Contents 1.0 PURPOSE AND NEED ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.1.1 Document Structure .................................................................................................................. 9 1.1.2 Changes Between the Draft and Final Environmental Assessments ............................................... 9 1.2 Relationship to the Forest Plan and Other Management Direction ........................................... 10 1.3 Project Location .......................................................................................................................... 13 1.4 Purpose of and Need for Action ................................................................................................. 13 1.5 Proposed Action .......................................................................................................................... 18 1.6 Decision Framework ................................................................................................................... 18 1.7 Project Implementation .............................................................................................................. 19 1.8 Scoping ........................................................................................................................................ 19 1.9 Issues ........................................................................................................................................... 19 2.0 THE PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................. 21 2.1 Development of the Proposed Action ........................................................................................ 21 2.2 Development of Alternatives to the Proposed Action ................................................................ 21 2.3 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated from Further Analysis ................................................. 21 2.4 Alternatives Considered in Detail ............................................................................................... 21 2.4.1 Alternative A No Action.......................................................................................................... 22 2.4.2 Alternative B The Proposed Action (Preferred Alternative) .................................................. 22 2.4.3 Alternative C Minimize Soil Disturbance and Preserve Water Quality and Temperature ...... 31 2.4.4 Alternative D Maximizing Economic Viability ........................................................................ 33 2.5 Summary of Alternatives ................................................................................................................ 35 2.6 Project Design Criteria, Mitigation Measures, and Best Management Practices ........................... 36 2.6.1 Riparian no-cut buffers ........................................................................................................... 37 2.6.2 Wildlife and wildlife habitat .................................................................................................... 38 2.6.3 Botany and invasive plants ..................................................................................................... 42 2.6.4 Heritage and archaeological sites ........................................................................................... 44 2.6.5 Fire and fuels – activity-generated slash ................................................................................ 45 2.6.6 Aquatics – fisheries, soils, hydrology, and water quality ........................................................ 45 2.6.7 Monitoring ..................................................................................................................................... 53 2.6.8 Operating Seasons and Seasonal Restrictions ........................................................................ 53 2.6.9 Summary of Alternatives and Effects to Resources ...................................................................... 56 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES ............................................ 63 3.1 Silviculture and Stand Development ............................................................................................... 63 3.1.1 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................... 63 4 3.1.2 Environmental Consequences ....................................................................................................... 72 3.2 Wildlife ............................................................................................................................................ 77 3.2.1 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................... 77 3.2.2 Environmental Consequences ..................................................................................................... 136 3.3 Botanical Resources and Invasive Plants ...................................................................................... 187 3.3.1 Affected Environment ................................................................................................................. 187 3.3.2 Environmental Consequences ..................................................................................................... 189 3.3.3 Invasive Plants 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