Travel Analysis Travel Analysis Process Report
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Pike and San Isabel USDA Forest Service National Forests Supervisor’s Office 2840 Kachina Drive Cimarron and Comanche Pueblo, CO 81008 National Grasslands Phone: 719 553-1400 Fax: 719 553-1440 Travel Analysis Process Report Project: Pike and San Isabel National Forests United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service August, 2009 i TABLE OF CONTENTS ITEM PAGE Cover Page……………………………………………………………………………………i Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………..ii INTRODUCTION: I.1 Background……………………..…………………………………………………1 I.2 Process and Products……………………………………………………………....1 CHAPTER 1: SETTING UP THE ANALYSIS 1.1 Objectives of the Analysis………………………………………………………..3 1.2 Interdisciplinary Team Members and Participants……………………………….3 1.3 Information Needs………………………………………………………………..4 1.4 Analysis Plan……………………………………………………………………..4 1.5 Public Involvement……………………………………………………………….6 CHAPTER 2: DESCRIBING THE SITUATION 2.1 The Analysis Area…………………………………………………………………7 2.2 The National Forest Transportation System……………………………………....8 2.3 Meeting Forest Plan Objectives…………………………………………………..15 2.4 Current Budget……………………………………………………………………16 CHAPTER 3: IDENTIFYING THE ISSUES 3.1 Description of the Issues…………………………………………………………17 CHAPTER 4: ASSESSING BENEFITS, PROBLEMS AND RISKS 4.1 Aquatic, Riparian Zone and Water Quality (AQ)………………………………...19 4.2 Terrestrial Wildlife (TW)…………………………………………………………27 4.3 Ecosystem Functions and Processes (EF)…………………………………………34 4.4 Economics (EC)……………………………………………………………………39 4.5 Commodity Production: Timber, Minerals, Range, Water Production, Special Forest Products and Special Use Permits (TM), (MM), (RM), (WP), (SP), (SU)………………………………………………………………………41 4.6 General Public Transportation (GT)………………………………………………44 4.7 Administrative Uses (AU)…………………………………………………………46 4.8 Protection (PT)…………………………………………………………………….47 4.9 Recreation: Unroaded and Road-Related (UR), (RR)……………………………49 4.10 Social Issues, Cultural and Heritage, Civil Rights and Environmental Justice (SI), (CH), (CR)………………………………………………53 ii ITEM PAGE CHAPTER 5: DESCRIBING OPPORTUNITIES AND SETTING PRIORITIES 5.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………59 5.2 Criteria for Recreational Use Benefit………………………………………………59 5.3 Criteria for Fire/Fuels Access Benefit………………………………………………59 5.4 Criteria for Timber Access Benefit…………………………………………………60 5.5 Criteria for Special Use Access Benefit…………………………………………….60. 5.6 Criteria for Forest Management Access Benefit……………………………………61 5.7 Criteria for Watershed Risk…………………………………………………………61 5.8 Criteria for Wildlife Risk……………………………………………………………62 5.9 Criteria for Botany Risk…………………………………………………………….62 5.10 Criteria for Archaeology Risk……………………………………………………..63 5.11 Criteria for Financial Burden………………………………………………………64 5.12 Road Management Opportunities and Priorities…………………………………..64 CHAPTER 6: REPORTING 6.1 Key Findings……………………………………………………………………….66 6.2 Recommendations………………………………………………………………….70 APPENDICES Appendix A: Road Matrix Tables Appendix B: Individual Specialist Road Ratings B1: Recreational Use Benefit B2: Fire/Fuels Access Benefit B3: Timber Access Benefit B4: Special Use Access Benefit B5: Forest Management Access Benefit B6: Watershed Risk B7: Wildlife Risk B8: Botany Risk B9: Archaeology Risk B10: Financial Burden Appendix C: District Road Maps, C1 through C6 Appendix D: References Appendix E: Public Comments 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 of all or 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. iii INTRODUCTION I.1 - Background Travel analysis is an integrated ecological, social, and economic science-based approach to transportation planning that addresses existing and future road and motorized trail management options. A complete science-based travel analysis will inform management decisions about the benefits and risks of : constructing new routes in unroaded areas; relocating, stabilizing, changing the standards of, or decommissioning unneeded routes; access issues; and increasing, reducing, or discontinuing route maintenance. An appropriate balance between the benefits of access to the national forest and the risks of route-associated effects to ecosystems is necessary to develop an optimum transportation system. One of the Forest Services’ top priorities is to provide road and motorized trail systems that are safe to the public, responsive to public needs, environmentally sound, affordable, and efficient to manage. Completing a Travel Analysis Process (TAP) is a key step to meeting this objective. The TAP is designed to be driven by route-related issues important to the public and to forest managers. It provides a set of analytical questions to be used in fitting analysis techniques to individual situations. The detail of the analysis must be appropriate to the intensity of the issues addressed. Travel analysis provides information to line officers by disclosing the important issues and effects relevant to route management proposals. Any actual route management decision made as a result of this TAP must be determined in a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document. Relevant rules, regulations, directives, reports, guidance and documents associated with the Travel Analysis process are as follows: • USDA Forest Service Miscellaneous Report FS-643, August, 1999 • USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region 2 R@ Roads Analysis Supplement to FS- 643, June 16, 2003 • 36 CFR Part 212 • Forest Service Manual FSM 7700, Chapters 7703, 7710 & 7712 • Forest Service Handbook 7709.55 I.2 - Process and Products The travel analysis process is a six step process, aimed at producing relevant information and maps. As the analysis matures, feedback and iteration among the steps may be required. The six steps are as follows: • Step 1 – Setting up the analysis. The output from this step includes the assignment of ID team members, a list of information needs, and a plan for conducting the analysis. • Step 2 – Describing the situation. Products from this step include a map of the existing road and motorized trail system, descriptions of access needs, and information about ecosystem conditions associated with the road and motorized trail system. 1 • Step 3 – Identifying issues. The output from this step includes a summary of key route- related issues, a list of screening questions to evaluate them, and a description of relevant available data and needed data to conduct the analysis. • Step 4 – Assessing benefits, problems, and risks. The output from this step is a synthesis of the benefits and risks of the current road and motorized trail system . • Step 5 – Describing opportunities and setting priorities. The output includes a ranking of management options and technical recommendations. • Step 6 – Reporting. The product from this step is a summary of key findings and recommendations. This information sets the context for developing proposed actions to improve the road and motorized trail system and for future amendments and revisions of the forest plan. 2 CHAPTER 1 SETTING UP THE ANALYSIS 1.1- Objectives of the Analysis The primary objective of this Travel Analysis is to provide the Pike and San Isabel National Forest managers with an appropriate level of information to manage and maintain a road and motorized trail system that is safe and responsive to public and agency needs, affordable and efficiently managed, environmentally sound, and in balance with available funding. This Travel Analysis will develop, organize and display information about Operational Maintenance Level 3, 4, and 5 roads under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service. In the future, when project level travel planning is initiated, another Travel Analysis Process will be necessary to evaluate the Operational Maintenance Level 2 roads and motorized trails. Other objectives of this Travel Analysis are: 1. To meet the requirements of providing a Travel Analysis for the Pike and San Isabel National Forests Plan Revision, and to give direction for the revision effort 2. To support forest travel management plans 3. To support subforest scale and project level analyses 4. To help identify the minimum road system needed for public and agency access in order to achieve forest and resource management goals and to safeguard ecosystem health 5. To identify opportunities and provide recommendations for improving the forest transportation system 6. To help prioritize route maintenance needs 1.2 - Interdisciplinary Team Members and Participants PSI TTAPAP Team Members: Name: Responsibilities: Gary Morrison, P.E Team Leader, Intro, Set Up, Coordination, and Financial Burden Road Ratings Deb Entwistle/Dana Butler (AQ) & (AU) & (WP) Questions and Watershed Risk Road Ratings Brian Cox (TW) & (AU) Questions and Wildlife Risk Road Ratings Steve Olson (EF)