Cibola National Forest Draft Land Management Plan
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United States Department of Agriculture Cibola National Forest Draft Land Management Plan Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Lincoln, McKinley, Sandoval, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, and Valencia Counties, New Mexico Forest Service Cibola National Forest MB-R3-03-30 August 2019 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (for example, Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected]. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. Accessibility: We make every effort to create documents that are accessible to individuals of all abilities; however, limitations with our word processing programs may prevent some parts of this document from being readable by computer-assisted reading devices. If you need assistance with any part of this document, please contact the Cibola National Forest at 505-346-3900. Cover Photo: The western front range of the Sandia Mountains within the Sandia Ranger District, which is located to the east of the City of Albuquerque jurisdictional boundary. The Sandia Ranger District is located in central New Mexico, adjacent and east of the middle Rio Grande Valley. Credit: William Stone Photography Cibola National Forest Draft Land Management Plan Bernalillo, Catron, Cibola, Lincoln, McKinley, Sandoval, Sierra, Socorro, Torrance, Valencia Counties, New Mexico Responsible Official: Steven Hattenbach, Forest Supervisor Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands 2113 Osuna Road NE Albuquerque, NM 87113 For Additional Information: Sarah Browne, Forest Planner Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands 2113 Osuna Road NE Albuquerque, NM 87113 505-346-3900 Cibola plan revision website https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/cibola/landmanagement/planning Contents Chapter 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................1 Description of the Plan Area ....................................................................................................2 Distinctive Roles and Contributions of the Plan Area .................................................................3 Mount Taylor Ranger District ...............................................................................................4 Magdalena Ranger District ...................................................................................................5 Mountainair Ranger District .................................................................................................6 Sandia Ranger District..........................................................................................................7 Need for Changing the 1985 Plan .............................................................................................8 Throughout the Plan and Across Multiple Resources ..............................................................8 Ecosystems and Species .......................................................................................................9 Water Resources and Watersheds ..........................................................................................9 Multiple Uses and Human Influences .................................................................................. 10 Core Management Themes ..................................................................................................... 12 Respecting Cultural and Traditional Landscapes and Uses .................................................... 12 Valuing Unique Places and Features.................................................................................... 12 Managing Holistically for Watershed and Ecosystem Health................................................. 12 Managing for Sustainable Recreation .................................................................................. 12 Contents of a Land Management Plan ..................................................................................... 13 Plan Components ............................................................................................................... 13 Other Required Plan Content .............................................................................................. 14 Optional Plan Content ........................................................................................................ 15 Land Management Plan Coding.............................................................................................. 15 Best Available Scientific Information ..................................................................................... 17 Project Consistency with the Land Management Plan .............................................................. 18 Transition in the Implementation of the Land Management Plan ............................................... 19 Plan Monitoring and Evaluation ............................................................................................. 19 Plan Organization .................................................................................................................. 19 Chapter 2. Forestwide Direction .............................................................................................. 21 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 21 Vegetation ............................................................................................................................ 21 Ecosystem Characteristics, Function, and Services ............................................................... 21 Ecological Classification .................................................................................................... 22 Scale ................................................................................................................................. 22 Range of Values................................................................................................................. 23 Fire Regime ....................................................................................................................... 23 Management Common to All Vegetation Types ................................................................... 24 Wildland-Urban Interface ................................................................................................... 24 Climate Change ................................................................................................................. 25 Insects and Disease ............................................................................................................ 26 Plant Community Species Composition ............................................................................... 27 All Vegetation Types ......................................................................................................... 27 Forest Vegetation Types ..................................................................................................... 32 Woodland Vegetation Types ............................................................................................... 44 Shrubland Vegetation Types ............................................................................................... 51 Grassland Vegetation Types ............................................................................................... 57 Riparian Vegetation Types.................................................................................................. 60 Water Resources ................................................................................................................... 61 Watersheds ........................................................................................................................ 61 Draft Land Management Plan – Cibola National Forest i Contents Water Resources Features ...................................................................................................63