Forest Plan Monitoring
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HELENA NATIONAL FOREST ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT P REPARED F EBRUARY 2011 Fiscal Year 2008 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720- 6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ______________________________________________________ HELENA NATIONAL FOREST ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT FISCAL YEAR 2008 Reewed By: Date: O 0 N CY PEIT / Deputy FoYest Supervisor Approved By: Date: KEVIN T. RIORDAN Forest Supervisor (this page intentionally left blank) TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 7 FOREST PLAN MONITORING ...................................................................................................................... 7 SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................. 7 MONITORING ELEMENT REPORTS ............................................................................................... 18 (A) RECREATION .................................................................................................................................. 18 (A1) DEVELOPED RECREATION............................................................................................................... 18 (A2) DISPERSED RECREATION ................................................................................................................ 22 (A3) ORV COMPLIANCE AND DAMAGE ................................................................................................... 25 (A4) MEASURE CHANGE IN STATUS OF ROADLESS ACRES ..................................................................... 28 (B1) WILDERNESS ................................................................................................................................... 29 (C) WILDLIFE AND FISH..................................................................................................................... 35 (C1) UNGULATE DISTRIBUTION, MOVEMENT, POPULATION STRUCTURE AND DENSITY (ELKHORNS) ........................................................................................................................................... 35 (C2) UNGULATE HABITAT EVALUATION (ELKHORNS) ............................................................................. 40 (C3) EFFECTS OF LAND USE ACTIVITIES ON UNGULATE POPULATIONS (ELKHORNS) ................................ 48 (C4)ELK AND DEER HABITAT SUITABILITY, INDICATOR SPECIES ............................................................. 54 (C5) BIGHORN SHEEP HABITAT SUITABILITY, INDICATOR SPECIES .......................................................... 66 (C6) GRIZZLY BEAR HABITAT EFFECTIVENESS, INDICATOR SPECIES ........................................................ 68 (C7) OLD GROWTH HABITAT (INDICATOR SPECIES PILEATED AND HAIRY WOODPECKERS AND GOSHAWK) ............................................................................................................................................. 72 (C8) MATURE CONIFER SUITABILITY, INDICATOR SPECIES ...................................................................... 83 (C9) RIVER AND LAKE SYSTEM SUITABILITY, INDICATOR SPECIES (BALD EAGLE) ................................... 89 ADDITIONAL WILDLIFE MONITORING ..................................................................................................... 91 (C10) POOLS FORMED BY INSTREAM DEBRIS, INDICATOR SPECIES .......................................................... 96 (C11) INTRA-GRAVEL SEDIMENT ............................................................................................................ 98 (C12) STREAMSIDE COVER FOR FISH (RANGE PORTION) ...................................................................... 100 (C12) STREAMSIDE COVER FOR FISH .................................................................................................... 114 (C13) AQUATIC INVERTEBRATE POPULATIONS ..................................................................................... 117 (D) RANGE/TIMBER, RANGE, RANGE/ROAD MAINTENANCE/TIMBER ............................ 119 (D1.1) UTILIZATION OF FORAGE IN TRANSITORY RANGE ..................................................................... 119 (D1.2) AVAILABLE FORAGE UTILIZED BY LIVESTOCK .......................................................................... 120 (D2) ALLOTMENT MANAGEMENT PLANNING AND UPDATE .................................................................. 125 (D3) WEED INFESTATIONS .................................................................................................................... 127 (D4.1) CONDITION AND TREND OF RANGE AND FORAGE AVAILABILITY .............................................. 135 (D4.2) CONIFER/BRUSH ENCROACHMENT ............................................................................................ 144 (D5) PERMIT COMPLIANCE ................................................................................................................... 146 (E) REGULATED VOLUME, TIMBER ............................................................................................. 150 (E1) REGULATED VOLUME PREPARED FOR SALE ................................................................................... 150 (E2) TIMBER ASSUMPTIONS .................................................................................................................. 151 (E3) SILVICULTURAL ASSUMPTIONS AND PRACTICES ............................................................................ 153 (E4) FIREWOOD REMOVAL .................................................................................................................... 156 (E5) SIZE OF OPENINGS ......................................................................................................................... 157 (E6) REGENERATED YIELD PROJECTIONS .............................................................................................. 159 (E7) REFORESTATION PRACTICES AND ASSUMPTIONS ........................................................................... 160 (E8) TIMBER STAND IMPROVEMENTS AND ASSUMPTIONS ...................................................................... 162 (E9) LANDS SUITABLE FOR TIMBER PRODUCTION.................................................................................. 164 (F) SOIL AND WATER ........................................................................................................................ 166 (F1) COMPLIANCE WITH LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL WATER QUALITY STANDARDS .......................... 166 (F2) SOIL AND WATER IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ................................................................................... 176 (F3) PRODUCTIVITY CHANGES IN SENSITIVE SOILS ............................................................................. 177 (F4) AVAILABILITY OF ADEQUATE WATER TO MAINTAIN MANAGEMENT OPTIONS, WATER RIGHTS. ...... 193 (G)MINERALS ...................................................................................................................................... 194 (G1) FOREST SERVICE LAND USES THAT MAY AFFECT MINERALS ACTIVITIES ELEMENT WILL BE AVAILABLE ........................................................................................................................................... 194 (L1) FACILITIES .................................................................................................................................. 198 (L1) ROADS .......................................................................................................................................... 198 (L2) ROAD MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................................... 201 (P) PROTECTION................................................................................................................................. 203 (P1) ACRES AND VOLUMES IN INSECTS AND DISEASE INFESTATIONS ..................................................... 203 (P2) AIR QUALITY ................................................................................................................................. 205 (P3) FUEL TREATMENT OUTPUTS .......................................................................................................... 207 (P4) WILDFIRE ACRES ........................................................................................................................... 208 (P5) COST OF SUPPRESSION, PROTECTION, ORGANIZATION, AND NET VALUE CHANGE .......................... 211 (T) ECONOMICS, ADJACENT LANDS, RESOURCES, AND COMMUNITIES, AND ALL RESOURCES ...............................................................................................................................