Quartz Integrated Project Environmental Assessment
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United States Department of Agriculture Quartz Integrated Project Forest Service Environmental Assessment Pacific Northwest Umpqua National Forest Region Cottage Grove Ranger District April 2016 USDA NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY STATEMENT DR 4300.003 USDA Equal Opportunity Public Notification Policy (June 2, 2015) 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. Quartz Integrated Project Environmental Assessment Lane & Douglas County, Oregon Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service, Umpqua National Forest Responsible Official: Gabe Dumm, Acting District Ranger Cottage Grove Ranger District 78405 Cedar Park Road Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Phone: 541-767-5000 For More Information Contact: Jane Beaulieu, Team Leader Umpqua National Forest 2900 NW Steward Parkway Roseburg, OR 97471 Phone: 541-957-3466 Email: [email protected] Abstract This Environmental Assessment documents the alternatives considered for an integrated project within the Sharps Creek Watershed on the Cottage Grove Ranger District, Umpqua National Forest. Activities include commercial timber harvesting; fuel reduction treatments such as burning and thinning; meadow restoration and maintenance treatments such as burning and invasive weed removal; and aquatic restoration and maintenance treatments such as riparian thinning as well as road maintenance, decommissioning and inactivation. Quartz Integrated Project TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Purpose and Need for Action ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Relationship to Other Planning Documents and Analyses ----------------------------------------- 1 Purpose and Need ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Proposed Action -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 Decision to be Made --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Public Involvement ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Issues --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Project Implementation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 CHAPTER TWO ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action ------------------------------------------------ 19 Alternatives Considered, But Eliminated From Detailed Study --------------------------------- 19 Alternative 1 – No Action --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Alternative 2 – Proposed Action ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 21 Alternative 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Comparison of Alternatives ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 35 Best Management Practices, Project Design Features, Management Requirements, and Monitoring ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 CHAPTER THREE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 Affected Environment and Environmental Effects----------------------------------------- 51 Activities That May Contribute to Environmental Effects ----------------------------------------- 51 Aquatic Conservation Strategy ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Terrestrial Environment -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 57 Forest Vegetation ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 57 Botany --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 67 Soil Productivity --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 81 Fuels ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 90 Coarse Woody Debris ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 103 Forest Wildlife ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 123 Biological Evaluation of Wildlife Species ------------------------------------------------------------ 157 Aquatic Environment ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 189 Beneficial Uses of Water -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 192 Water Quality ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 193 Stream Flows ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 199 Riparian Forest Conditions ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 203 Stream Channels ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 211 Erosion and Sedimentation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 218 Mass Wasting ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 223 Fisheries ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 225 Social Environment ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 232 Road Building and Access ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 232 Recreation--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 236 Mining -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 237 Visuals ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 239 Heritage Resources --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 241 Economics -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 242 Potential Wilderness Areas ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 249 Climate Change -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 250 Specifically Required and Other Disclosures --------------------------------------------------- 252 Smoke Management/Air Quality ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 252 Wetlands and Floodplains ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 254 Prime Farmlands, Rangelands, Forestlands, and Parklands ----------------------------------- 254 Potential or Unusual Expenditures of Energy ------------------------------------------------------ 254 Conflicts with Plans, Policies, or Other Jurisdictions --------------------------------------------- 255 Consumers, Civil Rights, Minority Groups, and Women ----------------------------------------- 255 Environmental Justice ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 255 CHAPTER FOUR ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 256 Consultation with Others ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 256 REFERENCES CITED ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 257 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ---------------------------------------------------------------------