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Sierra National Forest, Supervisor's Office, 1600 Tollhouse Road, Cl AGENDA DLRP:DINKEY COLLABORATIVE Date: April 18, 2019 Time: 10:00-4:30 pm Location: Sierra National Forest, Supervisor’s Office, 1600 Tollhouse Road, Clovis, CA Contact information: Kim Sorini-Wilson, (559) 855-5355 x3328 and Juliana Birkhoff, Facilitator, 916 917 5669 Meeting Goals 1. Share information from constituencies and networks helpful to other Dinkey Collaborative members 2. Learn about Sierra Nevada Conservancy priorities and programs 3. Learn about forest wide prescribed fire project 4. Learn about Snow Corral restoration 5. Learn about road crossings for small animals 6. Learn about work group activities 7. Review preliminary information about Dinkey Collaborative accomplishments and remaining work 8. Learn about and provide feedback on Two Forest Vegetation Management Plan 9. Learn about Sierra National Forest activities and future Collaborative focus TIME AGENDA ITEM PRESENTER(S) 10:00- Welcome Todd Ellsworth, 10:30 • Introductions Interim High Sierra District • Agenda Review Ranger • Ground Rules Kim Sorini-Wilson, High • Future Collaborative Focus Sierra District Wildlife Biologist, Sierra National Forest Juliana Birkhoff, Facilitator 10:30- News You Can Use Participants 11:00 • CA DOT USFS Region 5 Master Cooperative agreement • Cal Fire updates • Department of Conservation, Watershed Coordinator, to Sierra Resource Conservation District • Sierra Nevada Conservancy Blue Rush Forest Restoration Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council • Sierra Institute, Building Capacity for Rural Development Across Sierra Communities • CFLRP • Other TIME AGENDA ITEM PRESENTER(S) 11:00- Sierra Nevada Conservancy Update Sarah Campe, Mt. 11:30 Brief presentation and facilitated discussion Whitney Area • Tahoe Central Sierra Initiative Representative, • Sierra Nevada Strategic Investment Plan Sierra Nevada • WIP Grant Program Conservancy • Other grant programs 11:30- Forest Wide Prescribed Fire Project Kim Sorini-Wilson, 12:00 Brief presentation and facilitated discussion Biologist, High Sierra District, Sierra National Forest 12:00- A New Road Crossing Structure for Small Animals: Case Stephanie Barnes, District 12:30 Study with The Yosemite Toad Fisheries, Aquatic Presentation and facilitated discussion Biologist, High Sierra District, Sierra National Forest 12:30- Lunch 1:15 1:15- Snow Corral Critical Aquatic Refuge Restoration – Forest Stephanie Barnes, District 2:00 Road 10S23 Decommissioning Around Snow Corral Fisheries, Aquatic Meadow Biologist, High Sierra Presentation and Facilitated Discussion District, Sierra National Forest 2:00- Two Forest Vegetation Management Planning Kristine Gibson, Planning 2:45 Brief presentation and facilitated discussion Assistant, Sierra National Forest 2:45- Dinkey Collaborative Work Group Updates 3:00 • Fire • Funding • Tribal Forest Restoration 3:00- Dinkey Collaborative Project Accomplishments and Kim Sorini-Wilson, High 3:30 Remaining Work Sierra District Wildlife • Timber Biologist, Sierra National • X Burns Forest • Mechanical thin Olivia Roe, Silviculturist, • Reforestation High Sierra District, Sierra • Channel Restoration National Forest • Vegetation Management Adam Hernandez, Fuels • Wildlife habitat Specialist, High Sierra District 2 TIME AGENDA ITEM PRESENTER(S) 3:30- Sierra National Forest Updates Todd Ellsworth, Acting 4:00 Brief presentation and facilitated discussion District Ranger, High Sierra • High Sierra District District • Sierra National Forest Dean Gould, Forest • Region Five Supervisor, Sierra National Forest 4:00- Next Steps Juliana Birkhoff, 4:30 Facilitator 4:30 Adjourn Ground Rules 1. Electronics courtesy – please turn all devices to silent or off. 2. Be comfortable – take personal breaks if needed, restrooms and refreshments provided. 3. Honor time – we have a full agenda and specific goals for each item on the agenda. 4. Humor is welcome – it just should not be at someone else’s expense. 5. Common conversational courtesy –use appropriate language, don’t interrupt others, and don’t make it hard to hear by having private conversations. 6. All ideas and points of view have value – you do not have to agree with each other, please ask questions to learn the reasons why you differ. 7. Avoid assumptions and editorials – do not judge other people’s motives or the value of their actions; learn how different experiences lead to differences. 3 United States Department of Agriculture Sierra National Forest Forestwide Prescribed Fire Project Updated Purpose, Need and Proposed Action Forest Service Sierra National Forest January 2019 For More Information Contact: Christine Handler Team Leader Phone: (559) 920-2188 Email: [email protected] Cover Photo: Prescribed burning on the Sierra National Forest in an areas with tree mortality. Credit: Adam Hernandez, FS employee. Forest-wide Prescribed Fire Project Updated Proposed Action Introduction Fire is a core ecosystem process in the Sierra Nevada – it has shaped ecosystem composition, structure, and function. However, fire suppression has led to greatly diminished fire frequency in our forests over the last century. In addition, the Sierra National Forest has experienced historic tree mortality in recent years. Returning fire as a process back to the ecosystem is needed. Therefore, we are proposing to increase the pace and scale of prescribed burning to reduce the risk of uncharacteristic, severe wildfire on ecosystem health and public health and safety. We believe that an increase in our prescribed burning would decrease the adverse effects of undesirable wildfire. Therefore, we are proposing to apply prescribed fire to land within the Sierra National Forest that is outside of wilderness. The prescribed burning would occur annually over the next 15 to 20 years and would occur on up to 50,000 acres per year. This forestwide analysis would provide a range of prescribed fire opportunities that can be prioritized and scheduled as necessary in any given year based on priority and need. Prescribed burning would be conducted within established guidelines law, regulation, and policy and consistent with the Forest Plan. Proposed Project Location The project area is located on lands within the Sierra National Forest that are outside of designated wilderness areas. Figure 1 provides an overview of the Forest lands that are potential prescribed burn locations. 1 Forest-wide Prescribed Fire Project Updated Proposed Action Figure 1. Map of Sierra National Forest System Lands outside of Wilderness Need for the Proposal Fire is a core ecosystem process in the Sierra Nevada – it has shaped ecosystem composition, structure, and function. However, fire suppression has led to greatly diminished fire frequency in 2 Forest-wide Prescribed Fire Project Updated Proposed Action our forests over the last century. In addition, the Sierra National Forest has experienced historic tree mortality in recent years. Returning fire as a process back to the ecosystem is needed. Therefore, we are proposing to increase the pace and scale of prescribed burning to reduce the risk of uncharacteristic, severe wildfire on ecosystem health and public health and safety. We believe that an increase in our prescribed burning would decrease the adverse effects of undesirable wildfire. Current Condition Historically, forest fires of the Sierra National Forest were primarily frequent, low to mixed severity fires. In forested ecozones, these fires would burn mostly surface fuels, small trees, shrubs and understory plants, leaving many large canopy trees standing and creating an open forest condition. However, past forest management practices, over a century of aggressive suppression of forest fires, and other human disturbances have changed the surface fuels composition and structure of vegetation in the forest. Current forests are made of more, densely growing, smaller trees that have much less diversity and complexity than historic forests and increased surface fuels accumulations. This change in forest structure has resulted in a large change from historic fire frequency and intensity (referred to as fire return interval and fire regime) over large portions of the Forest. The longer time between forest fires has resulted in the growth of uncharacteristically heavy surface fuels and dense forests, thereby increasing the likelihood of high-severity, stand-replacing fires beyond what occurred historically. The high fire risk and high fire hazard pose threats to physical, biological, and social values in the project area such as: soil stability, hydrology and air quality, wildlife habitat for species including threatened, endangered, and Forest Service sensitive species, scenic values, and recreation. A comprehensive report on the conditions of the Forest was prepared in 2014. (This report was written before the onset of the Sierra National Forest’s severe tree mortality.) This is called the Final Sierra Nevada Forest Assessment (USDA Forest Service 2014). It identifies the ecosystem changes that have resulted due to fire suppression within the Sierra National Forest. It states that, “there have been two primary changes to fire patterns in the past 50 years. First, the overall frequency of fire across the landscape is greatly diminished from historic patterns. Second, the extent of high severity fires has increased beyond what is desirable by most” (page 54). These changes have resulted in increased forest density, and uniformity of structure and fuels. According to the Assessment, “these effects will continue with an increased risk of drought-
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