3.8 Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Plant Species

Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

3.8 THREATENED, ENDANGERED AND SENSITIVE PLANT SPECIES

3.8.1 SCOPE OF THE ANALYSIS AND ANALYSIS METHODS An evaluation of threatened, endangered, and sensitive list plant species for the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area was conducted. There is one federally listed threatened plant species in the state of Montana that occurs on National Forest Lands. Water howellia (Howellia aquatilis) was listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on July 14, 1994. This species is not known to occur on the Bitterroot NF. There are no known endangered plant species on the Bitterroot NF, and none suspected to occur.

The Northern Region Sensitive Plant Species List (USDA Forest Service 2004a) identifies a number of plants for each National Forest for which population viability is a concern. This list includes 33 plant species on the Bitterroot NF. A review of the Montana Natural Heritage Program (MNHP) database and past Bitterroot National Forest plant surveys for known locations of sensitive plants within the project are was performed. Surveys had been conducted by Forest botanists and biological technicians as part of the Spoon-McCoy Salvage and Underburn, Huck-Trap Environmental Assessment (1994) and the Fern Creek Environmental Assessment (1995). Field surveys in the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area in locations not previously surveyed were conducted in the summers of 2005 and 2006 by Bitterroot NF field botanists for the following species. Follow- up surveys of additional units, as well as proposed temporary roads and helicopter landings, were surveyed during the summer of 2007. The Project Area was also assessed for inclusion of habitat that might be suitable for other sensitive plant species by reviewing timber stand data and aerial photo interpretation.

A list of sensitive plant species either known to occur in or near the Project Area or that have the potential to occur in the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area is displayed in Table 3.8-1.

Table 3.8- 1: Sensitive Plants Common Name Scientific Name

Tapertip onion Allium acuminatum Dwarf onions Allium parvum Sandweed Athysanus pusillus Rocky Mountain paintbrush Castilleja covilleana Yellow lady's-slipper Cypripedium parviflorum Giant helleborine Epipactis gigantea Western boneset Eupatorium occidentale Spiny greenbush Glossopetalon nevadense Puzzling halimolobos Halimolobos perplexa Idaho goldenweed Haplopappus aberrans Western pearl-flower Heterocodon rariflorum Scalepod Idahoa scapigera Dwarf purple monkeyflower Mimulus nanus Turkey-peas Orogenia fusiformis Lemhi penstemon Penstemon lemhiensis Payette penstemon Penstemon payettensis Woolly-head clover Trifolium eriocephalum Hollyleaf clover Trifolium gymnocarpon California false hellebore Veratrum californicum

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Three sensitive plant species were found within the Project Area: dwarf onion (Allium parvum), Lemhi penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis) and sandweed (Athysanus pusillus). In addition, four species of interest on the Forest were found: candystick (Allotropa virgata), Columbia lewisia (Lewisia columbiana), Yerba buena (Satureja douglasii) and bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva).

An evaluation of the possible effects from management activities was conducted for these species and their habitat. The effects of proposed management activities on sensitive plant species were assessed by evaluating impacts to population numbers, habitat and population viability of these species at several geographic scales: 1) global range; 2) statewide range; 3) on the Bitterroot National Forest and; 4) within the Project Area.

Information on individual species, their habitat, distribution and known occurrences within the state come from the Montana Natural Heritage Program. There is little, if any, information on the distribution of these species historically so cumulative effects are based on knowledge about habitat and similar species within the genus. More current information comes from monitoring sensitive plant populations for effects of management activities and wildfires.

3.8.2 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK The Endangered Species Act requires that the Forest Service conserve endangered and threatened species. The National Forest Management Act and Forest Service policy direct that National Forests be managed to maintain populations of all existing native plant and animal species at or above minimum population levels. A minimum viable population consists of the number of individuals adequately distributed throughout their range necessary to perpetuate the existence of the species in natural, genetically stable, self-sustaining populations. Plant species for which population viability is a concern are identified by the Forest Service as sensitive species. This category may include federal candidates (plants being studied by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for proposed listing as threatened or endangered status), or plant species proposed for listing as threatened or endangered in the Federal Register (MNHP 2006). Sensitive species can also be species that are considered rare within the state of Montana or otherwise potentially of concern as determined by the Montana Natural Heritage Program. The Forest Service Manual requires that activities conducted on National Forests be reviewed for possible impacts on endangered, threatened, or sensitive species (FSM 2670). The Biological Evaluation (BE) consists of the written narrative below and the signed table located at the end of Section 3.8.4.D. It is also located in the Project File (PF-SENS-062).

3.8.3 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT The Tin Cup Fire, which occurred in August 2007, burned into the northern part of the Trapper-Bunkhouse Project Area. The fire burned into unit 26 (a commercial thinning unit proposed in Alternative 2 in the DEIS). Burn severity was light-to-moderate, with some higher severity patches in the southeast corner.

A. Sensitive Plant Species Lemhi Penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis) Lemhi penstemon is found on open, east to southwest facing slopes in grasslands and open ponderosa pine or Douglas-fir and can be associated with big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata var. vasseyana) and bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata). It is a regional endemic, found only in southwestern Montana and adjacent Lemhi County, Idaho. Elevations range from 3200-8100 feet (Elzinga 1997). There are 90 known occurrences in Montana, 26 of which are located on the Bitterroot National Forest, two of these within the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area. Many populations are small, only six on the Bitterroot Forest have over 100 individuals. It is theorized that Lemhi penstemon may be a recently evolved hybrid species, which is why it can occupy a variety of habitats. Spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebertsteinii {C. maculosa}) is a threat on most of the Lemhi

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penstemon sites on the Bitterroot Forest, particularly in areas that burned, creating a concern for management of the species, since fire appears to be critical to its survival.

Monitoring of three Lemhi penstemon populations in Beaverhead County over a six-year period has demonstrated that population trends are closely tied to the existence of a seed bank (Heidel and Shelly 2001). Seeds appear to remain viable for at least six years and germination occurs during years of high moisture and disturbances such as fire. This determination appears to be in accord with recent monitoring on the Bitterroot NF. Botanists here have noted an increase in Lemhi penstemon on a monitoring site during the wet summers of 1993 and 1995, and another population that burned in the 2000 fires had hundreds of seedlings germinating for up to three years after the fire (USDA Forest Service 2003b).

The Montana Natural Heritage Program ranks Lemhi penstemon as G3/S2, which means that the species is potentially at risk globally and at risk in Montana due to limited occurrences and vulnerability to extirpation in the state. A conservation strategy for Lemhi penstemon was prepared in 1997 and lists threats to the species from grazing, mining, road maintenance and reconstruction, timber harvest, noxious weed encroachment, herbicide application, fire suppression, interaction of weed infestation and prescribed fire, and small population sizes (Elzinga 1997).

There are two populations of Lemhi penstemon in the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area, one of these is in the Little Trapper Creek drainage, outside any unit boundaries; and the other is located in the Trapper Creek drainage with one plant within unit 15. The Little Trapper Creek population was originally found in 1995 and has been visually monitored every few years since then. There have been up to 43 individuals in the population, but only one basal rosette was located in 2005. The Trapper Creek population was discovered during surveys the summer of 2005 and consisted of only three plants.

Dwarf Onion (Allium parvum) Dwarf onion is associated with grasslands, sagebrush and large open areas in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), usually in exposed sites with sandy or gravelly soil. Bitterroots (Lewisia rediviva) are found in similar habitat and the two species may be seen growing together. The greatest threat to dwarf onion plants and habitat is spotted knapweed encroachment, along with other weeds - like cheatgrass and sulfur cinquefoil - that are often found invading knapweed infested slopes. Currently weeds are adversely impacting dwarf onion habitat. One of three subpopulations in unit 33 (Alternatives 2 and 4) contains only one dwarf onion plant in an area taken over by spotted knapweed. Ultimately this could adversely impact the viability of this dwarf onion population in the Trapper Bunkhouse area. There are over one hundred dwarf onion plants between the other two subpopulations in the unit. It is highly likely that the small size of existing populations in other areas on the Forest is due to the effects of competition with spotted knapweed.

There are about 40 occurrences of dwarf onion in Montana, all but one of these on the Bitterroot National Forest. The other occurrence is located on Bureau of Land Management lands near Dillon. Most of the Bitterroot NF populations are on the south end of the Forest on the West Fork and Sula Ranger Districts with a few populations just to the north on the southern end of the Darby Ranger District. Populations are usually small, with less than 200 individuals, although the area above Regime Creek going up to Gibbons Pass contains an extensive metapopulation, most likely due to the large grasslands in the area. Dwarf onion is on the periphery of its range, which extends from eastern Oregon to California, east to Idaho, Nevada and southwest Montana. Species on the periphery of their range often have adapted to different habitats then in the main range of the species and may be important for overall species viability as environmental changes occur, such as global warming (Lesica and Allendorf 1995). Conservation of peripheral species may be important to preserve key genetic adaptations to changing environmental conditions.

Dwarf onion was found in the southern part of the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area. A population on the border of unit 18 (Alternatives 2, 3, and 4) was located during surveys for the Huck-Trap Environmental Assessment in 1993 and was relocated in 2005. Two more populations were found during surveys in 2005 and 2006, one in unit

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33 (Alternatives 2 and 4) and one in unit 14 (Alternatives 2, 3, and 4). All these populations consist of one to three scattered subpopulations. Nearby populations have also been found just south of Trapper Bunkhouse in the Frazier Draw Project Area and across the West Fork of the Bitterroot about 1-½ miles from Trapper Creek Job Corps.

Sandweed (Athysanus pusillus) Sandweed is found in vernally moist, shallow soil of steep slopes and cliffs in the lower montane zone. It is found from British Columbia south to Washington, Oregon, and California, and east to Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nevada and Arizona. Sandweed is on the periphery of its range in Montana, where there are eight known locations. All of these occurrences are on the Bitterroot National Forest except for one on private land in Ravalli County. As discussed above under dwarf onion the conservation of peripheral species may be important to preserve key genetic adaptations to changing environmental conditions (Lesica and Allendorf 1995).

A large population of sandweed was found in the Tin Cup drainage within the Project Area in 2000. This population is outside of any areas proposed for activities in the Trapper Bunkhouse project.

B. Species of Interest Candystick (Allotropa virgata) Candystick is a mycotrophic plant, deriving its nutrients from mycorrhizae, which in turn, derive its nutrients from coniferous trees (Furman and Trappe 1971, Castellano and Trappe 1985). Candystick is closely associated with cold, dry, lodgepole pine forests in the subalpine fir/beargrass (Abies lasiocarpa/Xerophyllum tenax) habitat type. Associated understory species usually include grouse whortleberry (Vaccinium scoparium) and blue huckleberry (V. globular) with lodgepole pine being the dominant overstory species.

Candystick extends from southeastern British Columbia, southward on both sides of the Cascades to the southern Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges of California, where it inhabits low elevation coniferous forests. It is disjunct in the Rocky Mountains where it is thought to be a remnant of a much larger distribution that at one time linked it with the coast (Lichthardt and Mancuso 1991, Roe 1992). Populations straddle the Bitterroot Divide between Idaho and Montana, extending into parts of six different mountain ranges.

Candystick was recently taken off the Bitterroot National Forest’s sensitive plant list based on recommendations by the Montana State Natural Heritage Program since it is considered globally secure (G4) and potentially at risk but having abundant numbers throughout the state (S3). There are about 40 known locations on the Bitterroot National Forest. One of these locations is about a mile west of unit 45, just outside the Project Area boundary.

Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) The bitterroot is a species of interest on the Bitterroot Forest because it is of cultural significance to the Salish- Kootenai Tribes and it is designated the Montana state flower. Populations are threatened by development and noxious weed competition. A population of bitterroots is located just west of unit 13 at the Trapper Peak Lookout site.

Yerba buena (Satureja douglasii) Yerba buena is on the periphery of its range in Montana. There are 15 known locations in the state, only one of which is on the Bitterroot National Forest. It is located in the Trapper Creek drainage within the Trapper Bunkhouse Project Area, but not within any units.

Columbia lewisia (Lewisia columbiana) Columbia lewisia is also a species on the periphery of its range in Montana. There is only one known population in the state of Montana and that is in the Tin Cup drainage, about 1½ miles west of the Project Area boundary.

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The following table, 3.8-2, shows the occurrence of sensitive plants and sensitive plant habitat, by alternative, in the proposed treatment units.

Table 3.8- 2: Sensitive Plants and Sensitive Plant Habitat by Unit (Units not listed did not contain plants or suitable habitat)

Unit onion onion clover clover Dwarf Lemhi Payette Puzzling Puzzling Hollyleaf rockcress rockcress Taper-tip penstemon penstemon paintbrush Rocky Mtn Turkey-peas Turkey-peas Woolly-head Woolly-head Dwarf purple Alternative(s) monkeyflower 2 2,3,4 H h h H H 3 2,4 h h h 5 2,3,4 H H H 8 2,3,4 H H H H H H H H H H 9 2,3,4 H H H 11 2,3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 13 2,3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 14 2,3,4 H Yes H H H H H H H H 15 2,3,4 H H H Yes H H H H H H 17 2,3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 18 2,3,,4 H Border h h h H H h h h 19 2,3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 20 2,4 H h h h h H H h h h 21 2,3,4 H H H 22 2,4 h h h 23 2,3,4 H H H 25 2,3 H h h h h H H h h h 26 2,4 h h h 27 2,3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 28 2,3,4 h h h 30 2,4 H H H 32 2,4 H h h h h H H h h h 33 2,4 H Yes h h h H H h h h 34 2,4 H H H 35 2,4 h h h 39 2,3,4 h h h 39a 2,3,4 h h h 42 2,3,4 H H H H H H H H H H 45 2,3,4 H H H 46 2,3,4 H H H

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Unit onion onion clover clover Dwarf Lemhi Payette Puzzling Puzzling Hollyleaf rockcress Taper-tip penstemon penstemon paintbrush Rocky Mtn Rocky Mtn Turkey-peas Woolly-head Woolly-head Dwarf purple Alternative(s) monkeyflower 47 2,4 H H H 48 2,4 H H H 49 2,4 H H H H 50 2,4 H H H 70 3,4 H H H 72 3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 73 3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 74 3,4 H H H 75 3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 77 3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 78 3,4 H H H 79 3,4 H h h h h H H h h h 80 3,4 H H H h h h 81 3,4 H H H h h h H – Suitable habitat present h – Some suitable habitat present *Unit contains some suitable habitat for small yellow lady’s slipper and California false hellebore in moist swale **Bitterroots present

3.8.4 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES A. Effects Common to All Action Alternatives Vegetation Management All action alternatives that involve timber harvest to open the forest canopy and/or burning on lower elevation south or west facing slopes have the potential for spreading noxious weeds - particularly spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii {C. maculosa}) (See Section 3-9). The spread of noxious weeds threatens sensitive plants and native plant diversity. As spotted knapweed increases, cover of more desirable, but less competitive native plant species can be significantly reduced, sometimes by as much as 60 to 90 % (Duncan 1997). Rare plant species can be particularly vulnerable since their numbers tend to be lower.

Spotted knapweed prefers the warm, dry ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir habitat types which historically burned at an interval of 5 to 25 years (USDA Forest Service 1995a). Fire suppression activities have increased this interval to about 50 years, resulting in increased fuel loadings and the potential for a severe fire event in these areas. The fire interval in the Trapper Bunkhouse area has been over 50 years (Section 3.2). Spotted knapweed is highly adapted to disturbance and open canopies, particularly on drier sites (Zouhar 2001a). In western Montana it appears that the more vegetation consumed in a fire on sites previously infested with knapweed, the higher the probability of spotted knapweed spreading into newly opened areas in its immediate vicinity. Observations two years after the 2000 fires on the Bitterroot Forest indicate that areas where spotted knapweed was previously established have notably healthier looking plants with new seedlings colonizing on-site, as well

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as off-site, in previously weed-free areas (Sutherland 2003). Another post-fire study revealed that over time Douglas-fir habitats with hotter burn severities had a higher increase in spotted knapweed than areas with lower burn severities (Ferguson et al 2007). This study concluded that disturbance was a prerequisite for spotted knapweed invasion in Douglas-fir habitats but not in ponderosa pine habitats. Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare), another invasive species, was seen in many burned areas within a couple of years of the fires (Sutherland 2005). Populations of bull thistle tend to be short lived and should decline as native vegetation recovers (Zouhar 2002a). Cheatgrass has also been observed coming in after the fires especially under ponderosa pine trees where needle litter often several inches thick was burned off (personal observations). On north and east-facing sites not previously infested with weeds, native vegetation appears to be recovering well enough to compete with any potential new invaders (personal observations). This observation was confirmed by the Ferguson study where it was noted that west-facing slopes were the most prone to spotted knapweed invasion (Ferguson et al 2007).

Timber harvest or prescribed fire alone would be less impactive than the combination of both on spotted knapweed spread, particularly in Douglas-fir habitats. However, without reducing some of the fuels prior to igniting fires there is a greater potential for the fire to carry into the forest canopy. Ground-based timber harvest activities increase the risk of weed spread by scarifying the soil and potentially carrying weed-seed on equipment to the Project Area. Underburning post-harvest further increases the potential to open the canopy as well as create more bare soil. Using helicopters for 5% of the proposed timber harvest in Alternative 2; 4% in Alternative 3; and 5% in Alternative 4 will reduce the ground disturbance and potential weed spread in those areas. This is particularly true on lower elevation (below 6500 feet) south and west-facing aspects, where the most suitable weed habitat exists and all project activities are proposed. Monitoring of units harvested by helicopter in the Burned Area Recovery Project revealed little, if any, disturbance within units (USDA Forest Service 2003b). If winter conditions were ideal, the same was found to be true of harvest over snow and/or frozen ground (USDA Forest Service 2002b), however, past experience has shown that the potential for receiving ideal winter conditions in the lower elevations of Trapper Bunkhouse is low.

Prescribed fires in the Trapper Bunkhouse project will most likely be done under cool conditions, which would reduce the fire severity and ground disturbance leading to weed spread. Based on the results of research on the Bitterroot NF after the 2000 fires it appears that over time high severity fires are more conducive to weed spread than low severity fires in Douglas-fir habitats (Ferguson et al 2007). Ponderosa pine habitats tend to already have established spotted knapweed populations which will continue to be present in these habitats, with or without added disturbance. (Ferguson et al 2007). Studies done on prescribed fire effects on sulfur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta) show similar results: hotter fall burns were more likely to increase sulfur cinquefoil and damage native grass species than cooler spring burns (Lesica and Martin 2003). Prescribed burning in Sequoia and Kings National Parks determined that as fire severity increased, cheatgrass populations grew larger so burning had to be discontinued (Rice 2003). If prescribed burns in the Project Area do get hot enough to burn understory vegetation and remove more canopy there will be more light entering the understory and more bare soil, so the risk of spreading weeds would be higher. However, any fuel reduction activities conducted prior to the prescribed burn should help reduce this risk. The trade-off with the proposed activities is that of reducing fuels and burning under controlled conditions where some of the native plant community will be left intact to help compete with weeds, or risking a potentially severe natural fire event in the drier summer months (see Noxious Weeds – Environmental Consequences, Section 3.9, for more information). As noxious weeds increase and alter the native plant community the more difficult it will be to return the area to a pre-invasive fire regime (Brooks et al 2004).

Sporax® Application Sporax® would be applied to cut stumps in order to prevent the introduction of Heterobasidion annosum. The active ingredient in Sporax® is boron, which is commonly found in soil and is an essential nutrient for plants. At high levels, however, boron can be toxic to soil microorganisms and plants (USDA Forest Service 2006g). As long as Sporax® is only applied to stumps or only minimal contamination to nearby soil and plants occurs, there should be no impact to any sensitive plants or sensitive plant habitat.

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Watershed Management All action alternatives propose to decommission 7.4 miles of road. This will close off corridors of weed spread that have or potentially could impact native and sensitive plant habitat. Revegetation of road prisms and cut and fill slopes would improve vegetative cover thereby reducing weed encroachment, erosion, and potentially improving habitat for sensitive plant species.

B. Direct and Indirect Effects Alternative 1 (No Action) Alternative 1 (No Action) has no activities planned in areas where sensitive plant species occur, so this alternative is not likely to adversely affect either individual sensitive plants, their habitat or species' population viability, nor will it provide habitat rehabilitation. Species that are known to occur in the area (like Lemhi penstemon and dwarf onion) occur in fire-adapted plant communities that experienced frequent, low to moderate severity natural fires (Arno 1976). Dwarf onion has an underground bulb and Lemhi penstemon has a deep taproot both of which should easily survive the types of fires that have historically burned through grasslands, open ponderosa pine, and dry to moderately dry Douglas-fir stands in this area. Lemhi penstemon also has a seed bank that appears to respond well to moderate intensity fires (USDA Forest Service 2003b). With continued fire suppression, changes in fuel loadings may result in more severe fires, increasing the possibility of soil heating and damage to below ground plant tissue. A higher severity fire is also more likely to create large areas of bare soil and increase the chances of spotted knapweed and other noxious weeds spreading. Observations after the 2000 fires on the Bitterroot Forest indicate that in areas where spotted knapweed was present prior to the fires, existing knapweed plants increased in vigor and new seedlings were appearing in the second year post-fire in areas of bare soil exposed by the fire (Sutherland 2003).

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) proposes various treatments from the Trapper Creek drainage on the south end of the analysis area to the Bunkhouse Creek drainage on the north end. Treatments are proposed to reduce fuels in the wildland/urban interface; restore fire-adapted ecosystems; remove dead and live insect and disease- infested trees; restore cottonwood, aspen and riparian areas; and thin or reburn previously treated units. Treatments would be accomplished by various combinations of non-commercial and commercial fuel reduction: slashing, yarding, and prescribed burning. Refer to Table 3.8 – 2 for a list of units with sensitive plants or suitable sensitive plant habitat present. Lemhi penstemon was found in unit 15 and dwarf onion was found in units 14, 33, and on the border of unit 18. There is a significant amount of potentially suitable habitat for turkey-peas, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette penstemon, taper-tip onion, dwarf purple monkey-flower and puzzling rockcress within other units in the Project Area.

Dwarf Onion (Allium parvum) Effects of Harvest Activities Thinning in Unit 18 will include commercial harvest with skyline yarding on 39 acres. Dwarf onion plants occur on the southeastern border of the unit, as well as between units 18 and 19, where no activities are proposed. Areas where dwarf onion occurs are sufficiently open that harvest should not occur in these areas and burning should not impact individual plants since there will not be much slash in the vicinity of plants. The project design will assure that no skyline corridors will be placed where they will go through known plant populations and no pile and burning will occur in the area of known plants (See Mitigations and Project Design in Chapter 2). A Tracked Line Machine (TLM) will be used along the ridge on the south side of the unit. The areas where TLM pads will be excavated will avoid dwarf onion plants. There is a slight risk of adversely impacting potentially suitable habitat due to weed introduction or spread resulting from fire, excavation of TLM pads, and adjacent timber harvest activities. Unit 18 will be burned again in 6 to 10 years to maintain an open stand. This should also help maintain dwarf onion habitat (see “Effects of Prescribed Fire”, below).

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Effects of Small Tree Thin Unit 33 will be thinned by hand and slash will be scattered, piled and burned or removed from the site. Since dwarf onion prefers open habitat where there are no trees it is unlikely that thinning will adversely impact individual plants, their habitat or population viability. The project design will assure that no pile burning will occur in the area of known plants (See Mitigations and Project Design in Chapter 2). Opening the canopy more may create more dwarf onion habitat since forest encroachment due to fire suppression has decreased the size of grasslands and forest openings, thereby decreasing suitable dwarf onion habitat. Dwarf onion occurs in open areas where thinning will not occur so burning should not impact individual plants since there won’t be much slash in the vicinity of plants. There is a slight risk of adversely impacting potentially suitable habitat due to weed introduction or spread resulting from wildfire. The dwarf onion populations in unit 33 will be identified on a map for avoidance during thinning activities. When piles are burned, there is more likelihood of consuming all the soil nutrients and organic matter, making it more probable that native vegetation won’t resprout or germinate, thereby favoring noxious weed colonization. Minimizing the size of piles to no more than 6 by 10 feet should help reduce this risk. Unit 33 will be burned again in 6 to 10 years to maintain an open stand. This should also help maintain dwarf onion habitat (see “Effects of Prescribed Fire”, below).

Effects of Prescribed Fire Unit 14 is proposed for a maintenance burn. It was previously burned and will be burned again in 6 to 10 years. The burning prescription calls for consumption of up to 75% of the duff with acceptable mortality of up to 20% of the trees. Thinning would not occur prior to ignition, which may increase the amount of vegetation consumed, but without piles the burn will be more evenly distributed. This should result in less intense heating of the soil and more probability that native vegetation will resprout or germinate. Spring burning increases the risk of harming above-ground plant parts that may be up. Fall burning increases the risk of spreading spotted knapweed. In general, underburning should improve sensitive plant habitat since the forest types that support these species have a history of frequent, low-intensity fire (Arno 1976). Dwarf onion is a fire-adapted species with a bulbous root that should not be damaged by the type of prescribed burn planned for the area, and should resprout following fire (Brown and Smith 2000). Observations after the 2000 fires revealed that burning did not negatively impact dwarf onion, although most populations are in very open and/or rocky areas where the fire didn’t burn severely.

Lemhi penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis) Effects of Harvest Activities No commercial harvest activities are planned in units containing Lemhi penstemon at this time.

Effects of Prescribed Fire Unit 15 is proposed for a maintenance burn. It was previously burned and will be burned again in 6 to 10 years. The burning prescription calls for consumption of up to 75% of the duff with acceptable mortality of up to 20% of the trees. Thinning would not occur prior to ignition, which may increase the amount of vegetation consumed, but without piles the burn will be more evenly distributed. This should result in less intense heating of the soil and more probability that native vegetation will resprout or germinate. Since the Lemhi penstemon plants are located so near the border of the unit, they will be identified on the ground in order to ensure their inclusion and avoid damage during fire line construction. In general, underburning should improve sensitive plant habitat since the forest types that support these species have a fire history of frequent, low-intensity fire (Arno 1976). Lemhi penstemon is a fire-adapted species with a deep taproot that should not be damaged by the type of prescribed burn planned for the area, and should resprout following fire (Brown and Smith 2000).

Another adaptation of Lemhi penstemon is the presence of a dormant seed bank that germinates when triggered by moisture, fire or possibly some other disturbance (Elzinga 1997; Heidel and Shelly 2001).

A population of Lemhi penstemon in the Robbins Gulch drainage burned during the 2000 fires. Post-fire monitoring revealed hundreds of new seedlings emerging within two years of the burn (USDA Forest Service 2003b). These observations correspond with monitoring done on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

3.8 - 10 Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants indicating the presence of a viable seed bank that is activated by high moisture or disturbance events like fire (Heidel and Shelly 2001).

Effects on Sensitive Plant Habitat Effects of Harvest Activities As indicated in Table 3.8-2, there are quite a few units with potentially suitable habitat for turkey-peas, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette Penstemon, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, puzzling rockcress, taper-tip onion, and dwarf purple monkey-flower. Activities proposed in these units vary in harvest method, fuel treatments, and amount of canopy cover to be removed. Units 7, 10, 24, 36, 38, 40, and 41 do not contain suitable habitat for any of the listed sensitive species.

Units 21, 39a, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 and part of unit 30 will be harvested by helicopter so ground disturbance will be minimal (1-2%). The impacts on potentially suitable sensitive plant habitat will mostly be a result of opening the canopy and increasing the risk of spotted knapweed encroachment (see Effects Common to All Action Alternatives). All these units will have slash hand piled and burned and all have some spotted knapweed either within or nearby except unit 30. Hand piling will consist of building piles of slash that are burned individually. Burning piles can create enough bare soil to make a seed bed for weeds such as knapweed, cheatgrass, mullein, or bull thistle. Mullein and bull thistle are usually transitory weeds and will slowly be overtaken as the native plants come in, but knapweed and cheatgrass can become more long-term problems. If a stewardship contract is awarded there may be opportunities to seed burn piles if the mineral soil is burned off as recommended in Korb et al (2004) (See Mitigations and Project Design in Chapter 2). The size of piles will be minimized to no larger than 10 feet wide and 6 feet tall to reduce the risk of a hot burn (see Mitigation Measures in Chapter 2). Helicopter harvest alone should not adversely impact sensitive plant habitat in the above listed units, but treating fuels with fire may create enough disturbance to spread noxious weeds (see Effects Common to All Action Alternatives).

Tractor harvest over bare ground may adversely impact some sensitive plant habitat due to the high likelihood of spreading noxious weeds. Summer tractor harvest both disturbs soil (up to 15%) and increases the risk of transporting weed seed into the unit. Units 3, 9, and 39 and portions of units 5 (research unit), 11 (research unit), 13, 20, 22, 26, 27, 30, 32, and 42 will be tractor harvested. Most of these units contain spotted knapweed, except 3, 22, 30, and 38, which all currently have heavy canopy cover helping to deter weed encroachment. Since good winter harvest conditions (i.e., 4 inches frozen ground or 10 inches of compacted snow) are difficult to achieve in the Project Area, winter tractor harvest is not an option. Therefore, weed prevention mitigation measures (FSM 2080) will be strictly followed in order not to introduce or further spread weed seed into the harvest unit. After completion of harvest, disturbed sites, including skid trails will be evaluated and the Timber Sale Administrator and/or resource specialists will determine erosion control and revegetation needs. Topography, presence and condition of adjacent vegetation, and amount of disturbance will be used to determine need and treatment. Appropriate erosion control and revegetation may include seeding and fertilizing per the timber sale contract; and planting of shrubs, mulch and/or scattering of slash as funding permits. Planting native shrubs would help restore root structure to the soil and speed up vegetative recovery if funding is available. The additional rehabilitation opportunities would further reduce the risk of weed spread, by restoring the native soil and plant components, but are not a certainty. In order to prevent weeds from invading or increasing in all activity units, additional mitigation measures such as cleaning weed-seed off equipment and revegetating disturbed areas as soon as feasible will be used (see FSM 2080). (See also Required Mitigations and Project Design Features in Chapter 2, Section 2).

The risk of weed spread intensifies in tractor units as disturbance increases with the reintroduction of fire. As is the case for helicopter harvest, this risk is greatest with burn piles that destroy the mineral soil layer. All of the tractor units will have slash hand piled and burned. With summer tractor harvest there already is some soil disturbance so the added disturbance from fire may be enough to cause increases in weeds, particularly if burning is done in areas where ground disturbance has occurred or conditions are very dry (i.e., south or west- facing slopes). The Tin Cup Fire (August 2007) burned into unit 26. Burn severity was light-to-moderate, with some higher severity patches in the southeast corner. Moderate-to-high severity burning could increase the risk

Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS 3.8 - 11 Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

of weed spread since there is more bare soil present for weed introduction (see “Effects Common to All Action Alternatives”). Tractor harvest over bare soil will add to this risk.

Skyline cable harvest is proposed for units 17, 18 (discussed above under “Dwarf onion”), and 19, and portions of units 5, 11, 13, 20, 22, 26, 27, 32, and 42. Skyline cable harvest can disturb from 2 to 5% of the soil so the potential for adversely impacting sensitive plant habitat are less than for summer tractor, but not as little as helicopter harvest. Unit 22 is the only unit that contains little or no spotted knapweed due to the thick canopy cover. Ground disturbance can be associated with cabling logs up slope. If logs are fully suspended, there should be very minimal disturbance. Logs that are dragged up by one end can tear up the soil and vegetation in the skyline corridor creating sites for weed colonization. If no weeds are in the area and vegetation is replaced in corridors after cabling the risk of weed encroachment is minimal. Seeding should only be done if cable harvest creates large areas of bare soil. Seeding with commercial seed mixes increases the risk of introducing weed, or other unwanted, seed on site, therefore all seed mixes must be approved by the Forest Botanist and be certified weed seed free. If weed spread is minimized and soil/vegetation displacement is kept to a minimum, there should not be any adverse impacts to potentially suitable sensitive plant habitat. Skid trails will be evaluated post-harvest to determine the need for seeding. Any other rehabilitation work, such as pulling soil and vegetation back over the trails, is opportunities that can be accomplished in a stewardship contract if funding is available.

Temporary Roads, TLM Pads, and Helicopter Landings Under the proposed action there will be some temporary road constructed to access helicopter landings or timber. In Alternative 2, about 2.7 miles of temporary road are proposed for construction. Although these roads will be recontoured and revegetated after use, the ground disturbance involved in any road building adds significantly to potential weed spread, which can adversely impact sensitive plant habitat. Helicopter landings will also need to be constructed in certain areas to facilitate helicopter harvest operations. If previously disturbed areas are used the impacts on sensitive plant habitat would be minimal but, if vegetation and ground cover are removed, any potentially suitable sensitive plant habitat will be altered and may not be recoverable. Units 18 (discussed above under “Dwarf onion”) and 22 may be harvested using a TLM where 100 by 200 foot pads will be excavated to prepare a level spot for the line machine to stand on. TLM pads are usually built along a ridge where access is easy and timber can be cabled back up to the ridge. Impacts would be similar to those from helicopter landings although the pads would be smaller. All proposed helicopter landings and temporary road locations were surveyed during the summer of 2007; no sensitive plants were found in these areas. All temporary roads, TLM pads and helicopter landings will be rehabilitated after use in order to prevent the introduction and/or spread of noxious weeds.

Thinning and Burning Units 2, 8, 14 (discussed under “Dwarf onion”), 15 (discussed under “Lemhi penstemon”), 23, and 25 are prescribed underburn units that have either been burned previously and are proposed for a maintenance burn or are newly proposed for underburn. Thinning will occur in units 5, 11, 34 and 35, with slash left on ground in unit 34 and hand piled in units 5, 11, and 35. Units 28 and 33 will be thinned with the slash either scattered and left or piled and burned. None of these treatments involve using machinery on the ground since thinning will be done by hand so ground disturbance will be minimal. All these units, except units 5, 11, 28 and 35, would be prescribed for maintenance burns in another six to ten years. They all contain spotted knapweed except unit 35, which has a heavy canopy. There is potential for expanding spotted knapweed further into units where it already exists and introducing it into unit 35 when opening the canopy by thinning and disturbing the ground by burning piles (see more detail above in Effects of Harvest Activities and Effects Common to All Action Alternatives). Burning piles has the potential to create more intense heating and create more disturbed areas for noxious weed encroachment than broadcast burning where heating would be more widespread but not as intense.

Aspen Treatments Units 36, 40 and 41 are aspen treatment units that will involve hand thinning all conifers less than 6.9 inches dbh from under aspen trees. Slash will be piled and burned in units 36 and 41, while unit 40 will have slash scattered with no burning. Impacts in unit 40 would be minimal, while burning piles in units 36 and 41 would create areas

3.8 - 12 Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants of bare soil where weeds may germinate. Since aspen stands are generally moister than other areas the potential for native plant regeneration would be higher as long as piles are kept to the minimum size of 50 square feet.

Small Tree Thin (Plantations) These units (1,199 acres total) are all tree plantations that will be thinned by hand with slash left on site and no burning. Thinning should improve sensitive plant habitat for turkey-peas, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette Penstemon, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, puzzling rockcress, taper-tip onion, and dwarf purple monkeyflower since all these species prefer open areas. Opening the canopy may increase the risk of noxious weed introduction or spread, but will lessen the chances of a severe natural fire event in the drier summer months which could spread weeds as well (see discussion above in Effects of Harvest Activities).

Species of Interest None of the species of interest (bitterroots, candystick, yerba buena, or Columbia lewisia) occur in areas of proposed activity so there will be no impacts on these species in this alternative.

Alternative 3 Treatments in Alternative 3 will be similar to those in the Proposed Action (Alternative 2) although the 1,199 acres of non-commercial thinnings in plantations will not occur. A few other units were taken out in this alternative, although some other units were added. This leaves Alternative 3 with 415 additional acres of commercial thin, small tree thin, slashing, and burning treatments compared to the Proposed Action. See Table 3.8 - 2 for list of units with sensitive plants or suitable sensitive plant habitat present. Lemhi penstemon was found in unit 15 and dwarf onion was found in units 14 and 18. No activities are proposed in unit 33 reducing direct impacts on sensitive plants (dwarf onion) a little from Alternative 2, which did have small tree thinning proposed in unit 33. There is a significant amount of potentially suitable habitat for turkey-peas, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette penstemon, taper-tip onion, dwarf purple monkey-flower and puzzling rockcress within other units in the Project Area. There are about 500 more acres of suitable sensitive plant habitat proposed for treatment in Alternative 3 than in the Proposed Action. However, only 0.7 miles of temporary road are proposed in this alternative, about 2 miles less than the other alternatives, significantly decreasing long-term impacts on sensitive plant habitat on about 4 acres of land.

Dwarf Onion (Allium parvum) Effects of Harvest Activities Thinning in Unit 18 will include commercial harvest and slash will be piled and burned. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Effects of Small Tree Thin No thinning and prescribed fire is planned in units containing dwarf onion.

Effects of Prescribed Fire Unit 14 is proposed for a maintenance burn. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Lemhi penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis) Effects of Harvest Activities No commercial harvest activities are planned in units containing Lemhi penstemon.

Effects of Prescribed Fire Unit 15 is proposed for a maintenance burn. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS 3.8 - 13 Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

Effects on Sensitive Plant Habitat Effects of Harvest Activities As indicated in Table 3.8-2, there are quite a few units with potentially suitable habitat for turkey-peas, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette Penstemon, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, puzzling rockcress, taper-tip onion, and dwarf purple monkey-flower. Activities proposed in these units vary in harvest method, fuel treatments, and amount of canopy cover to be removed. Analysis of effects will be the same as for Alternative 2, except different units may be treated in Alternative 3. The unit numbers and associated logging systems are listed below. Units 24 and 38 did not contain suitable habitat for any of the listed sensitive species.

Units 21, 39a, 45, 46, and 70 will be harvested by helicopter. All these units contain some knapweed or have knapweed nearby.

Units 9, 81 and portions of units 5, 11, 13, 27, 42, 72, 79, and 80 will be tractor harvested. Most of these units contain spotted knapweed, except 80 and 81, which currently have heavy canopy cover helping to deter weed encroachment. Removing canopy in these units may contribute to the introduction of spotted knapweed, although the use of required weed prevention practices should reduce this risk.

Skyline cable harvest is proposed for units 17, 18, 19, 74, 78 and portions of units 5, 11, 13, 27, 42, 72, 79 and 80. Unit 80 is the only unit that contains little or no spotted knapweed due to the dense canopy cover. Removing canopy in this unit may contribute to the introduction of spotted knapweed, although the use of skyline harvest and required weed prevention practices should reduce this risk.

Temporary Roads, TLM Pads, and Helicopter Landings Analysis of effects will be the same as for Alternative 2, except there are only about 0.7 miles of temporary road construction proposed. A tracked line machine is proposed for units 18, 72, and 80.

Thinning and Burning Analysis of effects will be the same as for Alternative 2, except different units may be treated in Alternative 3. Units 2, 8, 14 (discussed under “Dwarf onion”), 15 (discussed under “Lemhi penstemon”), 23, 25, 73, and 77 are prescribed underburn units that have either been burned previously and are proposed for a maintenance burn or are newly proposed for underburn. Thinning will occur in units 5, 11, 28, 75 and 76, with slash scattered, removed, or piled and burned in unit 28 and hand piled in units 5, 11, and 75. The eastern part of unit 76 contains mountain mahogany, which is very susceptible to mortality post-fire, so a light underburn is prescribed, while the western portion of the unit will have slash removed and piled and burned on ridge top. None of these treatments involve using machinery on the ground since thinning will be done by hand so ground disturbance will be minimal. All these units, except units 5, 11, 28 and 76, would be prescribed for maintenance burns in another six to ten years. All units contain spotted knapweed increasing the potential for spread after opening the canopy.

Aspen Treatments No aspen treatments are proposed in Alternative 3.

Small Tree Thin (Plantations) There will be no treatments in plantations in Alternative 3.

3.8 - 14 Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

Alternative 4 Treatments in Alternative 4 will be similar to a combination of the Proposed Action (Alternative 2) and Alternative 3. Impacts on known sensitive plant populations would be the same as in Alternative 2; however, impacts on sensitive plant habitat would be greater in Alternative 4 then in either Alternative 2 or 3 since more acres would be treated in this alternative. See Table 3.8-2 for a list of units with sensitive plants or suitable sensitive plant habitat present. Lemhi penstemon was found in unit 15 and dwarf onion was found in units 14, 18, and 33. There is a significant amount of potentially suitable habitat for turkey-peas, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette penstemon, taper-tip onion, dwarf purple monkey-flower and puzzling rockcress within other units in the Project Area. Alternative 4 may impact about 1,100 more acres of suitable sensitive plant habitat than the Proposed Action and about 600 more acres than Alternative 3. There are about 2.7 miles of temporary road proposed in this alternative, slightly more than in Alternative 2 and about 2 miles more than Alternative 3.

Dwarf Onion (Allium parvum) Effects of Harvest Activities Thinning in Unit 18 will include commercial harvest, and slash will be piled and burned. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Small Tree Thin Thinning and prescribed fire are proposed for unit 33. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Effects of Prescribed Fire Unit 14 is proposed for a maintenance burn. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Lemhi penstemon (Penstemon lemhiensis) Effects of Harvest Activities No commercial harvest activities are planned in units containing Lemhi penstemon.

Effects of Prescribed Fire Unit 15 is proposed for a maintenance burn. Effects will be the same as for Alternative 2.

Effects on Sensitive Plant Habitat Effects of Harvest Activities As noted in Table 3.8 -2 there are quite a few units with potentially suitable habitat for turkey-peas, dwarf onion, Rocky Mountain paintbrush, Lemhi penstemon, Payette Penstemon, hollyleaf clover, woolly-head clover, puzzling rockcress, taper-tip onion, and dwarf purple monkey-flower. Activities proposed in these units vary in harvest method, fuel treatment, and amount of canopy cover to be removed. Analysis of effects will be the same as for Alternative 2, except different units may be treated in Alternative 4. The unit numbers and associated logging systems are listed below. Units 7, 10, 24, 36, 38, 40, and 41 did not contain suitable habitat for any of the listed sensitive species.

Units 21, 39a, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 70, and part of unit 30 will be harvested by helicopter. All these units contain some knapweed or have knapweed nearby. Helicopter harvest should reduce the risk of spreading weeds.

Units 3, 9, 39, 81 and portions of units 5, 11, 13, 20, 22, 26, 27, 30, 32, 42, 72, 79, and 80 will be tractor harvested. Most of these units contain spotted knapweed except 22, 30, 80 and 81, which currently have heavy canopy cover helping to deter weed encroachment. Removing canopy in these units may contribute to the introduction of spotted knapweed, although the use of required weed prevention practices should reduce this risk.

Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS 3.8 - 15 Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

Skyline cable harvest is proposed for units 17, 18, 19, 74, and 78 and portions of units 5, 11, 13, 20, 22, 26, 27, 32, 39, 42, 72, 79 and 80. Units 22 and 80 are the only units that contain little or no spotted knapweed due to the thick canopy cover. Removing canopy in these units may contribute to the introduction of spotted knapweed, although the use of skyline harvest and required weed prevention practices should reduce this risk.

Temporary Roads, TLM Pads, and Helicopter Landings Analysis of effects will be the same as for Alternative 2, except there are about 2.8 miles of temporary road construction proposed. This is slightly more temporary road than proposed in either of the other action alternatives. A TLM may be used in unit 7. This unit does not contain suitable sensitive plant habitat and is relatively weed free so it will be important to adhere strictly to noxious weed prevention practices to prevent weed introduction and/or spread if TLM pads are constructed.

Thinning and Burning Analysis of effects will be similar to a combination of Alternatives 2 and 3, with the exception that units 25 and 76 were dropped from Alternative 4. Units 2, 8, 14 (discussed under “Dwarf onion”), 15 (discussed under “Lemhi penstemon”), and 23 are prescribed underburn units that have either been burned previously and are proposed for a maintenance burn or are newly proposed for underburn. Thinning will occur in units 5, 11, 34, 35 and 75, with slash left on ground in unit 34 and hand piled in units 5, 11, 35 and 75. Units 28 and 33 will be thinned with the slash either scattered and left or piled and burned. None of these treatments involve using machinery on the ground since thinning will be done by hand so ground disturbance will be minimal. All these units, except units 5, 11, 28 and 35, would be prescribed for maintenance burns in another six to ten years. They all contain spotted knapweed, except unit 35, which has a heavy canopy. There is potential for expanding spotted knapweed further into units where it already exists and introducing it into unit 35 when opening the canopy by thinning and disturbing the ground by burning piles (see more detail above in Effects of Harvest Activities and Effects Common to All Action Alternatives). Burning piles has the potential to create more intense heating and create more disturbed areas for noxious weed encroachment than broadcast burning where heating would be more widespread but not as intense.

Aspen Treatments Aspen treatments proposed for Units 36, 40 and 41 are the same as in Alternative 2. Analysis of effects are the same (see “Alternative 2, Aspen Treatments” for discussion).

C. Cumulative Effects Alternative 1 (No Action) The extent to which Lemhi penstemon and dwarf onion populations and their habitat have been impacted by past management activities is unknown. It is probable that more suitable habitat existed prior to fire suppression activities, in which case continued fire suppression would result in more forest encroachment on these open forest habitats. There was probably more suitable habitat prior to the introduction and spread of spotted knapweed. Road construction, past timber harvests, grazing, and OHV use in the area most likely has contributed to the spread of spotted knapweed. Continued fire suppression with no fuel reduction activities in the Trapper Bunkhouse area could increase the risk that a more severe fire event would occur in the coming years. Such an event could potentially impact individual Lemhi penstemon plants, if soil heating harmed underground roots. As noted above in Effects Common to All Action Alternatives, a more severe fire could contribute to further spread of spotted knapweed on drier, south and west-facing aspects and increase the risk of cheatgrass spreading. See more about cumulative effects below under “Proposed Action”.

3.8 - 16 Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

If the No Action Alternative is selected there would still be some potential for weed spread because of canopy openings created by insect or disease killed trees losing needles and/or falling over. These impacts may adversely impact some sensitive plant habitat but should not adversely impact the population viability of Lemhi penstemon or dwarf onion in the Trapper Bunkhouse area. If a wildfire were to occur with increased fuel loadings the impacts to sensitive plant habitat would be greater as the likelihood of weed spread and harm to underground roots and bulbs of sensitive plant species would increase.

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) The extent to which sensitive plant populations and habitats have been impacted by past management activities is not known. For species such as turkey-peas and dwarf onion it is probable that more suitable habitat existed prior to the introduction of noxious weeds in the area. Noxious weed spread may be attributed to many factors including livestock and wildlife grazing, road construction, timber harvest, off-road vehicle use, fire, and drought. Timber harvest activities in the past, particularly where clearcutting and ground-based activities over bare soil occurred, likely contributed to the loss of suitable sensitive plant habitat. Timber harvest in the 1960s and 1970s may have been the main contributor to the introduction and spread of spotted knapweed. In the past, timber contracts did not require the cleaning of equipment, and grass seed used on disturbed sites and road cuts may have been contaminated with weed-seed. However, it is still unknown what the status of sensitive plant populations were at the time so the impacts of any such activities on these populations would be speculative at this time. Mitigations such as winter or helicopter harvest have been used in present and future timber harvests across the Forest to protect sensitive plant populations and habitat.

The introduction of off road vehicles (ATVs and motorcycles) that travel over rougher terrain than in the past has contributed to weed spread into new areas. These vehicles are vectors for weed seed as seed is picked up and deposited when traveling off-road. Off-road vehicles can also travel over and damage or destroy sensitive plants as noted with a small population of Lemhi penstemon in the lower Robbins Gulch drainage (personal observation).

Wildfires, such as those which occurred in 2000, have also contributed to weed spread and habitat alteration by removing canopy cover and understory vegetation, creating sites for weed colonization. Spotted knapweed populations that were in existence prior to the fires resprouted and have increased seed germination. Nearby sites not previously infested were also being colonized by new seedlings (Sutherland 2003). Post-fire spotted knapweed colonization was noted in a study done in Douglas-fir habitats (Ferguson et al 2007). The areas with the highest burn severities had the greatest increase in spotted knapweed coverage. The northern part of the Trapper-Bunkhouse Project Area was burned in the Tin Cup Fire of 2007, which included Unit 26. Burn severity was low-to-moderate throughout most of the unit, in mostly Douglas-fir habitat so, based on Ferguson’s research, the risk of knapweed spread should not be as high since native vegetation was not as heavily impacted and will have a chance to recover, assisting in competition with weeds. About five acres in the southeast portion of the unit did burn more severely so the risk of knapweed spread may be slightly higher in this area.

Post-fire seed bank germination was also seen in one of the Forest’s sensitive plant species after the 2000 fires. A Lemhi penstemon population in Robbins Gulch benefited from the fires with significant new seedling germination, but spotted knapweed also increased dramatically (USDA Forest Service 2003b). This area received high burn severity. The effects of fire on dwarf onion have not been as noteworthy.

Fire suppression can also adversely impact sensitive plants and their habitat as discussed in the No Action Alternative above. The amount of fuel available due to fire suppression and the concomitant insect and disease killed trees, still at an endemic level in Trapper Bunkhouse, could result in a severe fire event outside the historical fire regime. Both fire suppression itself and fire suppression activities have contributed to noxious weed spread. Dozer lines leave a big scar on the land and, although grass seeding has prevented weed spread to many of these areas, there is still a loss of sensitive plant habitat as seeding is usually with species not native to the surrounding landscape.

Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS 3.8 - 17 Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

If Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) is selected the cumulative effects of these additional activities are likely to be continued noxious weed spread which may adversely impact some sensitive plant habitat. However, if mitigations to prevent weed spread and protect sensitive plant populations are implemented as described in Chapter 2 then these affects should not adversely impact the population viability of Lemhi penstemon or dwarf onion in the Trapper-Bunkhouse area.

If Alternative 2 is selected the cumulative effects of the proposed activities may lead to further noxious weed encroachment into areas disturbed and opened by harvest and/or prescribed fire. Lemhi penstemon and dwarf onion habitat may be adversely impacted by weed spread. However, these impacts should not adversely affect the population viability of these species in the Trapper-Bunkhouse area. Only one small Lemhi penstemon population will be effected by a maintenance burn which is likely to improve habitat for the population and the non-forested areas where dwarf onion occurs will be minimally impacted.

Alternative 3 The cumulative effects of activities proposed in Alternative 3 will be similar to those in Alternative 2 with the potential for slightly more impacts on sensitive plant habitat.

Alternative 4 The cumulative effects of activities proposed in Alternative 4 will be similar to those in Alternative 2, although total impacts to habitat will be greater since more acreage will be treated.

D. Determination of Effects for Sensitive Species

BITTERROOT NATIONAL FOREST SENSITIVE PLANT SPECIES BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION SUMMARY OF CONCLUSION OF EFFECTS

Project Name: Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project District: Darby Ranger District

ALT. 1 SPECIES ALT. 2 ALT. 3 ALT. 4 No Action Ageratina occidentale NI NI NI NI (western boneset) Allium acuminatum NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (tapertip onion) Allium parvum NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (dwarf onion) Arabis fecunda NI NI NI NI (Sapphire rockcress) Athysanus pusillus NI NI NI NI (sandweed) Carex paupercula NI NI NI NI (poor sedge) Castilleja covilleana NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (Rocky Mtn. paintbrush) Cypripedium parviflorum NI NI NI NI (yellow lady’s-slipper)

3.8 - 18 Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

ALT. 1 SPECIES ALT. 2 ALT. 3 ALT. 4 No Action Douglasia idahoensis NI NI NI NI (Idaho douglasia) Drosera anglica NI NI NI NI (English sundew) Dryopteris cristata NI NI NI NI (crested shield fern) Epipactis gigantea NI NI NI NI (giant helleborine) Erigeron asperugineus NI NI NI NI (rough fleabane) Erigeron evermannii NI NI NI NI (Evermann’s fleabane) Glossopetalon spinescens var. aridum NI NI NI NI (green-bush) Halimolobos perplexa NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (puzzling rockcress) Haplopappus macronema NI NI NI NI (discoid goldenweed) Heterocodon rariflorum NI NI NI NI (western pearl-flower) Idahoa scapigera NI NI NI NI (scalepod) Lesquerella humilis NI NI NI NI (Bitterroot bladderpod) Meesia triquetra NI NI NI NI (three-angled threadmoss) Mimulus nanus NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (dwarf purple monkeyflower) Mimulus primuloides NI NI NI NI (primrose monkeyflower) Nodobryoria subdivergens NI NI NI NI (old man’s beard – lichen) Orogenia fusiformis NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (turkey-peas) Penstemon lemhiensis NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (Lemhi penstemon) Penstemon payettensis NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (Payette penstemon) Saxifraga tempestiva NI NI NI NI (storm saxifrage) Scheuchzeria palustris NI NI NI NI (Pod grass) Tonestus aberrans NI NI NI NI (Idaho goldenweed) Trifolium eriocephalum NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (woolly-head clover) Trifolium gymnocarpon NI MIIH MIIH MIIH (hollyleaf clover) Veratrum californicum NI NI NI NI (California false hellebore)

Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS 3.8 - 19 Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences – T, E & S Plants

Prepared by: /s/Linda Pietarinen Date: March 10, 2008 LINDA PIETARINEN Bitterroot Forest Botanist

NI = No Impact

MIIH = May Impact Individuals or Habitat, but Will Not Likely Result in a Trend Toward Federal Listing or Reduced Viability for the Population or Species

LIFV* = Likely To Impact Individuals or Habitat with a Consequence that the Action may Contribute Towards Federal Listing or Result in Reduced Viability for the Population or Species

BI = Beneficial Impact

*Trigger for a Significant Action

Form 2 (R-1-2670-95)

3.8.5 CONSISTENCY WITH FOREST PLAN, LAWS, AND REGULATIONS The Forest Plan specifies (Forest Plan, Chapter II, page 21) that vascular plants identified as rare, pending study, or proposed as threatened or endangered would be identified and protected. The plants termed 'rare' are the plants on the Regional Forester's sensitive species list, as well as any plants identified by the Forest as being of special concern. A stated goal of Forest Service policy is to maintain population viability over a species' geographic range. Information on the number of plants required for maintenance of viable populations is not available. Therefore, a conservative approach is required when determining the effects of management activities. If mitigation measures are followed to protect sensitive plant populations and reduce the risk of further weed spread, then the proposed activities in all alternatives should be consistent with the Bitterroot Forest Plan.

All alternatives are consistent with NFMA requirements (used in the existing Bitterroot Forest Plan) to maintain minimum viable populations of all existing native plant species. Alternatives 2, 3, and 4 contain mitigation measures in order to ensure these requirements are met.

All action alternatives and the no action alternative are consistent with the Endangered Species Act. None of the proposed activities in any alternative or the no action alternative will impact threatened or endangered plant species, since there are no threatened or endangered plant species known to occur on the Bitterroot Forest nor have any been found during Forest Service inventory work over the last sixteen years.

3.8.6 CHANGES BETWEEN THE DRAFT EIS AND FINAL EIS ¾ Additional information on effects of thinning and fire on noxious weed spread.

¾ Added effects for Alternative 4.

¾ Added effects of Tin Cup Fire, particularly on unit 26.

¾ Added the Biological Evaluation for sensitive plant species.

3.8 - 20 Trapper Bunkhouse Land Stewardship Project Final EIS