United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Boise National Forest Intermountain Region Land and Resource September 2012 Management Plan Cumulative Monitoring and Evaluation Report FY 2004 - 2011 Monitoring Aquatic Resources on the Boise National Forest TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 I-1 Purpose of Forest Plan Monitoring and Evaluation ........................................................... 1 I-2 Strategy for Forest Plan Monitoring and Evaluation ......................................................... 4 I-3 FYs 2004 -2011 Forest Plan Monitoring and Evaluation Report Organization ................. 4 II. FYs 2004-2011 ANNUAL MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORT .................. 7 II-1 Five Annual Monitoring Elements Found in Table IV-1 of the Forest Plan .................... 7 1. A quantitative estimate of performance comparing outputs to services with those predicted in the Forest Plan (Forest Plan, p. IV-5) ..................................... 7 Threatened, Endangered, Proposed and Candidate Species Objectives ......................... 7 Air Quality and Smoke Management Objectives ......................................................... 14 Soil, Water, Riparian and Aquatic Resources Goals and Objectives ........................... 15 Wildlife Resources Objectives ...................................................................................... 17 Vegetation Resources Objectives ................................................................................. 41 Botanical Resources Objectives .................................................................................... 45 Non-native Plants Objectives ........................................................................................ 50 Fire Management Objectives ........................................................................................ 52 Timberland Resources Objectives ................................................................................ 57 Rangeland Resources Objectives .................................................................................. 60 Minerals and Geology Resources Objectives ............................................................... 61 Lands and Special Uses Objectives .............................................................................. 61 Facilities and Roads Objectives .................................................................................... 61 Recreation Resources Objectives .................................................................................. 67 Scenic Environment Objectives .................................................................................... 70 Heritage Program Objectives ........................................................................................ 70 Tribal Rights and Interests Objectives .......................................................................... 74 Wilderness, Recommended Wilderness, and IRA Objectives ...................................... 75 Wild and Scenic River Objectives ................................................................................ 75 Research Natural Areas Objectives .............................................................................. 75 Social and Economic Objectives .................................................................................. 75 2. Documentation of costs associated with carrying out planned management prescriptions as compared with costs (Forest Plan, p. IV-5) ..................................... 75 3. Population trends of the management indicator species will be monitored and relationships to habitat changes determined (Forest Plan, p. IV-6) ................... 77 4. Accomplishment of ACS priority subwatershed restoration objectives (Forest Plan, p. IV-6) .................................................................................................. 82 5. Terms and conditions or reasonable and prudent measures that result from consultation under Section (a) of the ESA (Forest Plan, p. IV-6) ...................... 86 II-2 Monitoring Elements Found in Table IV-2 of the Forest Plan with Annual Reporting Requirements ..................................................................................... 89 Safety of Administrative Facilities ............................................................................ 89 Safety of Developed Recreation Sites ........................................................................ 90 Protection of Historic Properties ................................................................................ 92 Watershed Restoration and Conservation Activities ................................................. 93 II-3 Summary of Monitoring Elements Found in Table IV-2 of the Forest Plan with Two- and Three-Year Reporting Requirements ........................................................... 112 Habitat for Terrestrial Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, or Candidate Species, Both Plant and Animal............................................................................ 112 Aquatic Ecosystems ................................................................................................. 112 Water Quality and Beneficial Use Status ................................................................. 114 Disclosure of Management Actions ......................................................................... 115 Tribal Participation with the Forest ......................................................................... 116 Coordination with Tribes ......................................................................................... 116 State and Local Government Participation with the Forest ..................................... 116 Recreation Use Conflicts ......................................................................................... 117 Dispersed Recreation Use and Distribution ............................................................. 118 Actual Daily and Seasonal Use vs. Use Capacity .................................................... 118 Developed Site Use and Distribution, and Resource Impacts to Sites .................... 118 Level of Trail Maintenance Relative to Trail Use ................................................... 118 Stewardship of Historic Properties .......................................................................... 119 Gathering Activities on the Forest ........................................................................... 119 Botanical Species of Concern, Watch Species, and Sensitive Species .................... 119 Soil Productivity ...................................................................................................... 120 Distribution of Aquatic Ecosystems ........................................................................ 122 Landslide Prevention ............................................................................................... 123 Noxious Weed Prevention ....................................................................................... 123 Noxious Weed Containment .................................................................................... 125 Noxious Weed Control and Eradication .................................................................. 126 Forest Utilization Levels .......................................................................................... 126 II-4 Summary of Monitoring Elements Found in Table IV-2 of the Forest Plan with 5-Year or Greater Reporting Requirements .................................................................. 127 Vegetation Restoration............................................................................................. 127 II-5 Project Level Monitoring that Contributes to Forest Plan Monitoring Requirements ................................................................................................................ 134 III. FUTURE MONITORING AND EVALUATION REPORTS AND SCHEDULE...................................................................................................................... 137 IV. ERRATA ........................................................................................................................... 137 V. FOREST PLAN AMENDMENTS ................................................................................... 137 VI. LIST OF PREPARERS ................................................................................................... 139 CITATIONS ............................................................................................................................. 140 LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Table 1 Boise NF Acres Affected by Large Wildfires: 2003-2009 ................................. 44 Table 2 Timeline for Integrated Vegetation Classification, Mapping, and Field Inventory Products ................................................................................... 44 Table 3 Tree Size Acres Class by Canopy Cover Class in 2003 vs. 2008 and Percentage Change ............................................................................................ 45 Table 4 Noxious Weed Acres Infested and Treated: 2004 - 2011, by District ................ 51 Table 5 FY 2011 Accomplishments for Objective FMOB04 ........................................... 55 Table 6 FY 2011 Accomplishments for Objective FMOB08 ........................................... 57 Table 7 Timber and Related Activities FYs 2004-2010 ..................................................