North Pioneer Fire Salvage and Reforestation Project Environmental Assessment
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United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service North Pioneer Fire Salvage and Reforestation Project Environmental Assessment Lowman Ranger District, Boise National Forest, Boise County, Idaho April 2017 For More Information Contact: John Kidd, Lowman District Ranger Phone: 208-259-3361 or Clint VanZile, North Pioneer Team Leader Phone: 208-365-7618 7359 Highway 21 Lowman, ID 83637 Email: [email protected] Fax: 208-259-3366 Photo: View of Pioneer Wildfire effects from National Forest System Road 594 in Rock Creek. 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North Pioneer Fire Salvage and Reforestation Project Environmental Assessment Contents North Pioneer Fire Salvage and Reforestation Project ................................................................................. 1 Contents ......................................................................................................................................................... i Tables ........................................................................................................................................................... vi Figures ........................................................................................................................................................ vii Acronyms Used Within the Document ...................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1—Purpose and Need for the Proposal ........................................................................................... 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 What is the Purpose of this Environmental Assessment and How is it Organized? ............................. 1 Where is the Proposed Action Located? ............................................................................................... 2 Why Has the Project Been Proposed (Purpose and Need)? ...................................................................... 5 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Need ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 What is the Proposed Action? ................................................................................................................... 6 What was the Planning Process used to develop the Proposed Action? ............................................... 7 Priority 1: Hazard Tree Removal .......................................................................................................... 7 Priority 2: Other Areas to be Considered for Salvage ........................................................................... 8 Determining Location to Remove Hazard and Dead Trees within the Pioneer Fire to Address Priorities 1 and 2 Above........................................................................................................................ 8 Hazard Tree and Salvage Treatments ................................................................................................... 9 Hazard Tree Removal ......................................................................................................................... 13 Riparian Conservation Area Hazard Tree Removal ........................................................................ 13 Activity Fuels Management ................................................................................................................ 14 Temporary Roads ................................................................................................................................ 15 National Forest System Road Management ........................................................................................ 15 Access and Public Health and Safety .................................................................................................. 15 Reforestation ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Project Design Features ...................................................................................................................... 19 Monitoring Activities .......................................................................................................................... 19 Adaptive Management ........................................................................................................................ 20 Emergency Situation Determination ................................................................................................... 21 Coordination with Research .................................................................................................................... 22 Boise State University and the College of Idaho ................................................................................ 22 Pacific Northwest Research Station, Pacific Wildland Fire Science Lab and University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences............................................................... 22 Proposal 1: Evaluating the Effects of Salvage Logging and Developing Fire Resilient Forests .... 22 i North Pioneer Fire Salvage and Reforestation Project Environmental Assessment Proposal 2: Historic Wildfire Effects on Forest Structure and Wildfire Behavior on the 2016 Pioneer Fire ..................................................................................................................................... 23 What is the Key Forest Plan Management Direction Used to Inform Development of the Proposed Action for this Area? ............................................................................................................................... 23 What Decisions are to be Made? ............................................................................................................. 24 Chapter 2—Issues and Alternatives ............................................................................................................ 25 What Public and Tribal Involvement Have Occurred to Date? .............................................................. 25 What Issues/Concerns were Identified through Scoping? ...................................................................... 26 Comments Concerning Salvage Logging ........................................................................................... 26 Issues Carried Forward into Alternative Consideration .................................................................. 27 What Would it Mean to Not Meet the Need? What is the “No Action” Alternative? ............................ 29 What Other Actions were Considered? ................................................................................................... 30 Alternative Considered but Not Analyzed in Detail ........................................................................... 30 Alternative 1 .................................................................................................................................... 30 Alternative 2 .................................................................................................................................... 32 Alternative 3 .................................................................................................................................... 33 Alternatives Analyzed in Detail .........................................................................................................