Tongass National Forest 2015 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Summary
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United States Department of Agriculture Tongass National Forest 2015 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Summary Forest Service Tongass National Forest R10-MB-811 June 2019 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. Tongass National Forest 2015 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Summary Contents Monitoring Overview ............................................................................................................................... 1 Monitoring and Evaluation Program ........................................................................................................ 1 Physical and Biological Environment ........................................................................................................... 2 1. Air Quality ....................................................................................................................................... 2 2. Climate Change ................................................................................................................................ 3 3. Biodiversity – Restocked Harvested Forest Lands .......................................................................... 5 4. Biodiversity – Habitat for Old-growth Associated Species ............................................................. 5 5. Biodiversity – Young-growth Treatments ....................................................................................... 7 6. Insects and Disease .......................................................................................................................... 8 7. Invasive Species – Status and Trends .............................................................................................. 8 8. Invasive Species – Prevention and Control...................................................................................... 9 9. Biodiversity Ecosystem – Old-growth Associated Species and Subspecies .................................. 11 10. Biodiversity Ecosystem – Change in Old-Growth by Biogeographic Province ......................... 11 11. Biodiversity Ecosystem – Old-Growth Matrix ........................................................................... 13 12. Biodiversity Ecosystem – Rare Plants ........................................................................................ 14 13. Stream-Fish Habitat – Management Indicator Species ............................................................... 16 14. Streams-Fish Habitat – Aquatic Habitat Condition (Fish Passage) ............................................ 18 15. Streams-Fish Habitat – Riparian Vegetation............................................................................... 20 16. Wildlife Terrestrial Habitat – Management Indicator Species.................................................... 22 17. Wildlife Terrestrial Habitat – Federally Listed Threatened or Endangered and Region-sensitive Species .................................................................................................................................................... 24 18. Wildlife Terrestrial Habitat – Geographic Distribution .............................................................. 25 19. Soil and Water – Soil Productivity ............................................................................................. 25 20. Soil and Water – State Water Quality Standards ........................................................................ 30 21. Soil and Water – Watershed Health ............................................................................................ 33 22. Wetlands ..................................................................................................................................... 36 23. Karst and Cave Ecosystems ........................................................................................................ 36 Human Uses and Land Management .......................................................................................................... 37 24. Timber Resources – Economic Timber Sales, Shelf Volume, and Contract Volume ................. 37 25. Timber Resources – Standards and Guidelines ........................................................................... 38 26. Timber Resources – Allowable Sale Quantity ............................................................................ 39 27. Timber Resources – Tongass Timber Reform Act ..................................................................... 40 28. Timber Resources – Adaptive Management Strategy Threshold................................................ 41 29. Timber Management – Non-interchangeable Components ........................................................ 41 30. Timber Management – Proportional Mix of Non-interchangeable Components I and II ........... 41 31. Transportation System ................................................................................................................ 42 32. Transportation System ................................................................................................................ 43 33. Mining and Minerals Exploration ............................................................................................... 45 34. Subsistence Management ............................................................................................................ 45 35. Wilderness ................................................................................................................................... 46 36. Heritage Resources ..................................................................................................................... 47 37. Recreation ................................................................................................................................... 48 38. Wild, Scenic and Recreational Rivers ......................................................................................... 49 39. Scenery ........................................................................................................................................ 50 Economic and Social Environment ............................................................................................................. 51 40. Economics ................................................................................................................................... 51 41. Costs and Outputs ....................................................................................................................... 54 Program Contact ..................................................................................................................................... 55 i Tongass National Forest 2015 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Summary Monitoring Overview The 2015 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Report summarizes specific monitoring completed during fiscal year (FY) 2015 in accordance with the Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan (forest plan). Chapter 6 of the 2008 forest plan specified an annual written summary of forest-wide monitoring programs. Some monitoring protocols and questions were updated to better define and focus monitoring work during the completion of the 2008 Forest Plan amendment. Monitoring work is currently underway for most of the questions in this report. Monitoring is completed through years of data collection and evaluation. This report serves as the annual written summary of forest-wide monitoring program. A five- year summary of forest plan monitoring was completed in 2012. Changes relative to recommendations in the five-year evaluation and a transition to comply with the 2012 Planning rule is ongoing. The 2012 Planning Rule requires a biennial monitoring report instead of an annual report. The next scheduled