Biological Evaluation
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Smith Mountain Project Area BE Caddo-Womble Ranger District BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION for Activities Related to Timber, Wildlife, Prescribed Fire, and Watershed in the Smith Mountain Project Area USDA-Forest Service Ouachita National Forest Caddo-Womble Ranger District Montgomery County, Arkansas by Laura Morris Wildlife Biologist Caddo-Womble Ranger District 1523 Hwy 270 E Mount Ida, AR 71957 (870) 867-2101 (voice) (870) 867-3338 (fax) [email protected] August 11, 2010 1 of 33 Smith Mountain Project Area BE Caddo-Womble Ranger District CONTENTS I) PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION 3 II) PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION 4 III) PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION 4 IV) PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS 5 V) INVENTORY HISTORY 6 VI) SPECIES CONSIDERED AND SPECIES EVALUATED 6 VII) EVALUATED SPECIES SURVEY INFORMATION 6 VIII) ENVIRONMENTAL BASELINE AND EFFECTS OF PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS 6 a. Arkansas Fatmucket Mussel 7 b. Paleback Darter 9 c. Caddo Madtom 9 d. Diana Fritillary 10 e. Bald Eagle 11 f. Eastern Small-footed Bat 12 g. Waterfall’s Sedge 14 h. Ozark Chinquapin 15 i. Small’s Woodfern 16 j. Southern Lady-slipper 16 IX) CONSULTATION HISTORY WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR – U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 18 X) DETERMINATION OF EFFECTS 18 XI) LITERATURE CITED and REFERENCES 20 XII) APPENDIX A – PETS Species Checklist 28 XIII) APPENDIX B – Herbicide Toxicity Ratings 33 2 of 33 Smith Mountain Project Area BE Caddo-Womble Ranger District PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION The USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest (ONF), Caddo-Womble Ranger District (CWRD), proposes to implement management activities in the 15,296-acre project area known as Smith Mountain that primarily lies within the watersheds identified as Smokey Hollow and Collier. These areas are also identified as Management Areas 14 and 17 in the Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (RLRMP 2005). Compartments 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 63 and 1636 fall completely or partially within the project area, which is located in T3S and T4S, R23 and 24W in Montgomery County, Arkansas. Specifically, the Forest Service proposes the following activities: * Vegetation Management Activities: Seed tree regeneration harvest -711 acres Commercial thinning -2321 acres Timber Stand Improvement -125 acres Pre commercial thinning - up to 1,053 acres Mechanical site preparation for artificial regeneration – up to 572 acres Wildlife stand improvements –within 1,586 acres Woodland stand restoration-166 acres Over Story Development (OSD) -434 acres Linear wildlife opening improvements- 1.6 miles (8 acres) Wildlife opening construction - 3.5 acres Wildlife opening improvement -8 acres Non-native invasive plant species treatment throughout area Infrastructure / Road Improvement / Maintenance Activities: Temporary road construction -8 miles Pre-haul road maintenance - 14 miles Road Reconstruction – 8 miles Road Closures – 3 miles Road Barriers-34 each Pond improvements to existing ponds - 12 each Watershed improvements - 0.22 miles Fish passage barrier removal -34 each Fish passage improvement -replace slab with box culvert or other suitable structure - 1 each Nest box installation -54 Changes to MVUM road status Prescribed Burning Activities: Ecosystem/ Site Prep Prescribed burn (National Forest) - 9,525 acres Fire line construction/Reconstruction – 18/13 miles *All figures are approximate. When harvest activities are completed, log landings and temporary roads would be utilized for temporary wildlife openings. These openings would be limed, fertilized, and seeded and planted with native warm and cool season grasses and non-persistent cultivars. 3 of 33 Smith Mountain Project Area BE Caddo-Womble Ranger District PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION Purpose: The purpose of this action is to improve the health and vigor of the Ouachita National Forest in accordance to the requirements of the National Forest Management Act (NFMA). These goals and objectives are designed to meet an ecosystem management approach and each prescription is intended to foster a healthy native system to create a more natural appearing mixed pine and hardwood stands, increase biological diversity, reduce the threat of severe wildfires, minimize impacts of non-native invasive species and improve wildlife habitat. These management decisions are based on experience, ecological concepts and scientific research. By implementing these activities we will provide for a diversity of plant and animal communities throughout the project area, provide early seral habitat in a well-distributed grass/forb or shrub/seedling stage, reduce fuel accumulation and produce a sustainable yield of wood products. Need: Current conditions exist in the Ouachita National Forest that does not meet the desired conditions for the forest Management Areas (MA’s) and the ecological systems that occur within. Past fire suppression activities have removed the natural role of fire from the landscape. This absence of fire has resulted in excessive fuel accumulations, increasing the risk of damage to resources in the event of wildfire. The absence of fire has also resulted in reduced open understories necessary for wildlife foods, the natural regeneration of pine and oak and loss of habitat conditions for plants adapted to fire. Pine stands contain damaged, poorly formed and diseased trees. The trees are overcrowded or densely stocked, reducing growth and crown development. These conditions result in stress and reduced vigor and health, thus increasing susceptibility to insects and disease. There is limited access to those identified stands in need of silvicultural treatment, resulting in temporary road construction. Some existing roads are not useable by log trucks for hauling creating the need for road re-construction. Presently, only 3.23% of the watershed area is in early successional habitat (0-10 years). There is a lack of high quality forage and a lack of nesting habitat for species requiring early successional habitat in the form of permanent wildlife openings within the project area. Trees and shrubs are encroaching on the existing wildlife openings that occur within the area. There is a lack of suitable natural cavities for nesting within the project area. There are too many open roads in the watershed. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION This Biological Evaluation (BE) documents the possible effects of the proposed actions on known and potential populations and habitat of the ONF Proposed, Endangered, Threatened (USDI FWS 1999), and Sensitive (PETS) species. This BE is in accordance with direction given in Forest Service Manual 2672.43 (USDA FS 2005e). 4 of 33 Smith Mountain Project Area BE Caddo-Womble Ranger District As part of the National Environmental Policy Act decision-making process, the BE provides a review of Forest Service (FS) activities in sufficient detail to determine how a proposed action may affect or will affect any PETS species. Objectives of the BE are as follows: to ensure that FS actions do not contribute to loss of viability of any native or desired non-native plant or animal species or contribute to trends toward Federal listing of any species, to comply with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, that actions of Federal agencies not put at risk or adversely modify critical habitat of Federally listed species, to provide a standard process to ensure that PETS species receive full consideration in the decision- making process. Decision makers will consider information in this BE to ensure that no species is placed in jeopardy by management actions. to meet the requirements of Forest Service Manual 2672.43 (USDA FS 2005e), which provides direction for the preparation of site-specific BEs, including inventory requirements for PETS species. to incorporate any conservation measures specifically addressing any potential impacts from management activities related to known PETS habitat or potential habitat. Only those PETS species known to occur or have suitable habitat in the action area will be considered in this BE. PROPOSED MANAGEMENT ACTIONS Proposed management actions would be conducted in accordance with the Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (RLRMP) (USDA FS 2005a) and the Revised Forest Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) (USDA FS 2005b) on a site-by-site basis. All treatments will follow Best Management Practices (BMPs) to protect or enhance resources and to prevent detrimental impacts. An overview of the proposed management actions and alternatives can be found in the ―PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND LOCATION‖ section above. For a detailed account of the Preferred Alternative (―Proposed Action‖), as well as the other two alternatives, see Chapter 2 of the EA. This BE also incorporates recently proposed changes to motor vehicle use on Forest Service system roads within the Smith Mountain Project Area of the Ouachita National Forest. On January 4, 2010, a Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact was signed by the Forest Supervisor to implement the Travel Management Project on the Ouachita National Forest (USDA FS 2010). The Travel Management Project meets legal obligations established under the Final Rule for Travel Management; Designated Routes and Areas for Motor Vehicle Use (as published by the Department of Agriculture on November 9, 2005); 36 CFR Parts 212, 251, 261, and 295 (70 Fed. Reg. 68,290). This final rule requires designation of roads, trails, and areas that are open to motor vehicle use. Under the rule, motor vehicle