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United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Zigzag Integrated Resources Project Botany Specialist Report Prepared by: David Lebo Westside Zone Botanist for: Zigzag Ranger District Mt. Hood National Forest 06/17/2020 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. 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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. 1.0 Introduction The botanical resources report below was prepared to inform the effects analysis for the Zigzag Integrated Resources Project. The purpose and need of the proposed action is to sustainably produce forest products (wood and paper) through the harvest of trees in matrix forests (those designated for active forest management) and to meet assigned regional timber target goals; to produce healthier stands by reducing stand density and to hasten the development of young and mature stands to late-successional/old-growth forest (large trees, large snags, and large downed logs); and to accomplish other resource-related objectives. Executive Summary The following report discloses the results of surveys done for rare vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi in the proposed Zigzag Integrated Resources Project area: (a) sensitive species on the Region 6 Regional Forester Special Status Species List (February 25, 2019) and (b) species on the Survey and Manage list (December 2003). The report will display locations of sensitive and Survey and Manage species already documented in the project area (in the agency’s NRIS TESP-IS database) and new sites for species found during pre-disturbance project surveys. The report will recommend protection buffers (85 ft. radius in size)--so-called “skips” (i.e., no-entry/no-harvest areas)--be established around all sensitive and Survey and Manage species already documented or found during pre-disturbance surveys in the project area. An 85-ft radius buffer equals 0.5 acre. Sites for all Region 6 sensitive species and for all Survey and Manage Category A, B, and E species must be protected. For Survey and Manage Category C and D species, high-priority sites must be protected. High-priority sites are defined as “a site or group of sites deemed necessary for species persistence” (Record of Decision and Standards and Guidelines for Amendments to the Survey and Manage, Protection Buffer, and Other Mitigation Measures Standards and Guidelines, January 2001, p. 76) and are determined by the local agency botanist based on the relative rarity of a species (the number of sites documented on the national forest as well as region-wide). For Category C and D species with a low number of documented sites (throughout Region 6 or on the Mt. Hood National Forest), new sites found in the project area during pre-disturbance surveys will be considered high-priority. The report also discloses the presence of any invasive non-native plants found during pre- disturbance surveys. These populations/infestations will be entered into the NRIS TESP-IS database and targeted for treatment before timber harvest activities to reduce the risk of their being spread. 1 2.0 – Analysis Framework 2.1 - Resource Indicators and Measures Ground and habitat disturbance caused by timber harvest can affect the survival and persistence of rare botanical species (vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi). Logging disturbance can physically damage or kill a species (an individual or population) or negatively alter its habitat, environment, and/or microclimate. A measure of species diversity or richness in a forest stand is the presence or absence of rare or uncommon species. A query of the agency’s rare species database (NRIS TESP-IS) and pre-disturbance surveys reveals the presence of rare and little known species so that these sites can be protected during timber harvest and other vegetation management activities. Table 1. Resource Indicators and Measures for Assessing Effects Resource Measure Used to Sources Element Resource Indicator address Rare Botanical Presence (number) of Number of sites Conservation of Forest Plan (Sensitive Species sites found during pre- rare species Plants, p. Four -23 & disturbance botany and biological 24); FW-174, 175, 176; surveys diversity FW-182, 183, 184, 185; FW-710, 711; B7- 018, 019; C1-009, 010; Region 6 Regional Forester Special Status Species List (Feb. 2019); and Northwest Forest Plan Survey and Manage List (Dec. 2003) Understory Species richness and Botany surveys Maintenance of Forest Plan: FW-148, Vegetation diversity native plant 149, 150, 156; FW- communities 567; A9-013 and biological diversity Invasive Non- Populations/Infestations Number of Maintenance of Forest Plan: FW-151; Native plants locations/populations native plant FW-299, 300, 301; found during botany communities FW-375, 376, 377, surveys and biological 378, 379, 380, 381, diversity 382, 383, 384, 385; FW-550, 551; B7-068, 069, 070; B10-046; B11-042; C1-045; Regional Invasive Plant FEIS (2005); Site-Specific Invasive Plant Treatments for the Mt. Hood National Forest and Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area FEIS (2008) 2 2.2 - Methodology A query of the agency’s NRIS TESP-IS database was conducted to determine the presence of any rare or uncommon botanical species documented in the project area: vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, and fungi on (a) the Region 6 Regional Forester Special Status Species List (February 25, 2019) and (b) the Northwest Forest Plan’s Survey and Manage list (December 2003). The Zigzag Integrated Resources Project consists of two geographical areas: Horseshoe and Mud Creek. Proposed harvest units in the Horseshoe area are scattered across forest extending from the north side of Zigzag Mountain northeast to Lolo Pass. Proposed harvest units in the Mud Creek area are scattered across forest south of Trillium Lake. The Horseshoe units comprise roughly 1,082 acres and the Mud Creek units roughly 1,162 acres, a total of about 2,244 acres. During the fall of 2019 (from mid-September through mid-November), pre- disturbance surveys were conducted for sensitive and Survey and Manage taxa in the Horseshoe units by the Mt. Hood National Forest’s westside zone botanist and in the Mud Creek units by a botany contractor (Pacific Crest Consulting, LLC). “Intuitive-controlled surveys” (Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants Survey – Protocol and Field Guide (2014); 2003 Survey Protocols for Category A & C Lichens) were employed: the surveyor meanders through units proposed for timber harvest looking for rare and uncommon species. If found, their locations (GPS coordinates using either UTMs or lat/longs) and information on habitat and population size are recorded, and the sites flagged with ribbon to aid relocation in the future. These new sites were entered into ArcMap so that their locations can be displayed in maps in this report. These new sites will be entered into the NRIS TESP-IS database in the near future. 3.0 – Resource Topics 3.1 – Existing Condition Project Area The project area is located on the west slope of the Cascade Range in northern Oregon on the Mt. Hood National Forest and consists of two areas, Horseshoe and Mud Creek, which are separated from one another geographically. Horseshoe The Horseshoe units (T. 2 S., R. 8 E.) are located north of Zigzag on the west side of Mt. Hood at elevations extending from 610 to 1,220 meters (2,000 to 4,000 ft.) in the Tsuga heterophylla (western hemlock) and Abies amabilis (Pacific silver fir) zones (Franklin and Dyrness 1973). Slopes vary from very steep to moderate to mild, mostly facing either southeast or northwest. Soils are well drained and fairly shallow, consisting of loamy sands derived from residuum, colluvium, and andesite originating from pyroclastic flows (lahars) during past eruptions of Mt. Hood. Forests range from 60 to 150 years old and are dominated by Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir), western hemlock, Pacific silver