Lower McCloud River Watershed Analysis Shasta-Trinity National Forest Shasta-McCloud Management Unit 3/18/98 Preface This Watershed Analysis is presented as part of the Aquatic Conservation Strategy adopted for the President’s Plan (Record of Decision for Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning Documents within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl, including Standards and Guidelines for Management of Habitat for Late- Successional and Old-Growth Related Species (ROD)). The preparation of a Watershed Analysis for the Lower McCloud River Watershed follows direction in the Aquatic Conservation Strategy that requires watershed analysis “for roadless areas in non-Key Watersheds, and Riparian Reserves prior to determining how land management activities meet Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives” (ROD B-20). This document follows the format provided in Part 2 of Ecosystem Analysis at the Watershed Scale: Federal Guide for Watershed Analysis - Version 2.2 (August 1995). This format consists of six steps: 1. Characterization of the watershed 2. Identification of issues and key questions 3. Description of current conditions 4. Description of reference conditions 5. Synthesis and interpretation of information 6. Recommendations This document is guided by two levels of analysis: • core topics - provide a broad, comprehensive understanding of the watershed. Core topics are provided in the Federal Guide for Watershed Analysis (8/95) to address basic ecological conditions, processes, and interactions at work in the watershed. • issues - focus the analysis on the main management questions to be addressed. Issues are those resource problems, concerns, or other factors upon which the analysis will be focused. Some of these issues prompted initiation of the analysis. Other issues were developed from public input in response to scoping or were identified by the team during the analysis process. Key analysis questions are developed for each issue. These questions are organized by analysis step to help focus the analysis and to provide organization to the document while addressing the issues. Interdisciplinary Team Dusty Miller Team Leader, Editor/Writer Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Heidi Dias Wildlife Biologist Shasta-Trinity National Forest Michael Bornstein Wildlife Biologist U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Tom Ward Ecologist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Steve Bachmann Hydrologist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Dale Etter Fuels Management Officer Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Jeff Huhtala Transportation Planner Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Joe Zustak Fisheries Biologist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Peter Van Susteren Earth Science Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Additional Agency Contributors Elaine Sundahl Archaeologist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Jonna Cooper GIS Coordinator Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Abel Jasso Geologist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Ed Hatakeda Recreation Specialist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Vivian Parker Botanist Shasta-McCloud Management Unit Table of Contents Table of Contents Preface Page Chapter 1 - Characterization of the Watershed.............................................. 1-1 Location...................................................................................................... 1-1 Watershed Setting........................................................................................ 1-1 Relationship to Larger-Scale Settings........................................................... 1-2 Physical Features.......................................................................................... 1-3 Biological Features....................................................................................... 1-6 Human Uses................................................................................................. 1-10 Land Allocation and Management Direction................................................. 1-11 Chapter 2 - Issues and Key Questions............................................................. 2-1 Catastrophic Wildfire................................................................................... 2-2 River Use..................................................................................................... 2-2 Road Impacts............................................................................................... 2-3 Late-Successional Reserve........................................................................... 2-4 Chapter 3 - Current Conditions....................................................................... 3-1 Physical Features.......................................................................................... 3-1 Biological Features....................................................................................... 3-13 Human Uses................................................................................................. 3-43 Chapter 4 - Reference Conditions................................................................... 4-1 Historic Overview........................................................................................ 4-1 Physical Features.......................................................................................... 4-4 Biological Features....................................................................................... 4-15 Human Uses................................................................................................. 4-30 Chapter 5 - Interpretations.............................................................................. 5-1 Catastrophic Wildfire................................................................................... 5-2 River Use..................................................................................................... 5-4 Road Impacts............................................................................................... 5-5 Late-Successional Reserves.......................................................................... 5-7 Erosion Processes........................................................................................ 5-9 Hydrology.................................................................................................... 5-11 Stream Channel............................................................................................ 5-12 Water Quality............................................................................................... 5-14 Vegetation................................................................................................... 5-15 Species and Habitats.................................................................................... 5-17 Human Uses................................................................................................. 5-19 Non-native Plants......................................................................................... 5-21 Land Allocation Adjustment......................................................................... 5-22 i Table of Contents Page Chapter 6 - Recommendations......................................................................... 6-1 Fuels Management....................................................................................... 6-2 Riparian Reserves......................................................................................... 6-5 River Use..................................................................................................... 6-6 Road Management....................................................................................... 6-7 Wood Products............................................................................................ 6-10 Recreation Opportunities.............................................................................. 6-11 Research Needs............................................................................................ 6-12 Control/Eradication of Non-native Plants..................................................... 6-14 Land Allocation Adjustment......................................................................... 6-15 Survey, Inventory, Monitor.......................................................................... 6-16 Literature Cited Appendix Appendix A Possible Management Practices Appendix B Management Direction Appendix C List of Wildlife Species Appendix D Wildlife Habitat Descriptions Appendix E History of the Lower McCloud River Watershed ii Table of Contents List of Maps Map # Map Title Location Map 1 Vicinity Map.................................................................... follows page 1-1 Map 2 Land Ownership............................................................... follows page 1-1 Map 3 McCloud River Basin....................................................... follows page 1-2 Map 4 Dominant Physical Features.............................................. follows page 1-3 Map 5 Transportation System...................................................... follows page 1-3 Map 6 Late-Successional Reserve RC-335.................................. follows page 1-7 Map 7 Adjacent Late-Successional Reserves............................... follows page 1-7 Map 8 Land Allocations.............................................................. follows page 1-11 Map 9 Management Areas and Prescriptions............................... follows page 1-11 Map 10 Riparian Reserves............................................................. follows page 3-2 Map 11 Geologic Hazard.............................................................