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Lemon Butte United States Department of Agriculture Environmental Assessment Forest Service North Umpqua Ranger District Pacific Northwest Umpqua National Forest Region Douglas & Lane County, Oregon April 2016 For More Information Contact: Responsible Official, District Ranger Bill Mulholland; or Project Manager, Sally Christensen Umpqua National Forest North Umpqua Ranger District 18782 North Umpqua Hwy. Glide, Oregon 97443 Phone: (541) 496-3532 1 In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: [email protected] . USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. 2 Table of Contents Chapter 1- Purpose and Need for Action ........................................................................................ 9 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 10 Proposed Project Location ..................................................................................................... 10 Relationship to other Planning Documents and Analyses ..................................................... 10 Purpose and Need for Action .................................................................................................... 12 Proposed Action ........................................................................................................................ 13 Decision to be Made ................................................................................................................. 16 Public Involvement and Tribal Consultation ............................................................................ 16 Issues and Concerns .................................................................................................................. 17 Issues Resolved by Clarifying the Proposed Action, Additional Mitigation Measures, or Further Discussion in Chapter 3: ........................................................................................... 17 Project Implementation ............................................................................................................. 20 Chapter 2- Proposed Action and Alternatives ............................................................................... 21 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 21 Alternatives Considered, but Eliminated from Detailed Study ................................................. 21 Alternative 1 – No Action ......................................................................................................... 24 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ............................................................................................... 24 Comparison of Alternatives ...................................................................................................... 31 Best Management Practices, Project Design Features, Mitigation and Monitoring Measures . 32 Unit Specific Project Design Features ................................................................................... 32 Monitoring ............................................................................................................................. 33 Chapter 3- Affected Environment and Environmental Effects...................................................... 34 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 34 Activities That May Contribute to Cumulative Effects ............................................................ 34 Terrestrial Environment................................................................................................................. 36 Forest Vegetation ...................................................................................................................... 36 Regulatory Framework .......................................................................................................... 36 Existing and Desired Landscape Conditions ......................................................................... 37 Existing and Desired Stand Conditions ................................................................................. 48 Proposed Silvicultural Treatments: Commercial Thinning and Fuels Treatments ................ 50 Direct and Indirect Effects ..................................................................................................... 58 Cumulative Effects to Vegetation at the Landscape and Stand Scales .................................. 61 Wildlife ..................................................................................................................................... 63 Regulatory Framework .......................................................................................................... 63 Threatened and Sensitive Wildlife Species ........................................................................... 64 Migratory Bird Treaty Act and Landbird Analysis ............................................................... 76 Wildlife Survey and Manage Species .................................................................................... 82 Umpqua Forest Plan Management Indicator Species ............................................................ 83 Cavity Nesters ....................................................................................................................... 90 Northwest Forest Plan Snag Retention Species ..................................................................... 92 Coarse Wood Analysis .......................................................................................................... 93 Botany ....................................................................................................................................... 95 Unique Habitats ..................................................................................................................... 95 Invasive Plants/Noxious Weeds ............................................................................................ 97 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Botany Species ..................................................... 102 Biological Evaluation - Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Botany Species ............... 102 Threatened or Endangered Plants ........................................................................................ 105 Survey and Manage Species ................................................................................................ 109 Fire and Fuels .......................................................................................................................... 111 3 Regulatory Framework ........................................................................................................ 111 Existing and Desired Conditions ......................................................................................... 111 Fuel Models ......................................................................................................................... 112 Fire Regime Condition Class ............................................................................................... 115 Direct and Indirect Effects ................................................................................................... 115 Cumulative Effects .............................................................................................................. 118 Air Quality and Smoke Management .................................................................................. 118 Climate Change ....................................................................................................................... 119 Soil Productivity ....................................................................................................................