2010 Monitoring and Evaluation Annual Report Revised Land and Resource Management Plan Sumter National Forest September 2011 Table of Contents FOREST SUPERVISOR’S CERTIFICATION ___________________________________________________________________________ 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF MONITORING AND EVALUATION ___________________________________________________ 4 RESULTS AND REPORT FINDINGS __________________________________________________________________________________ 4 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ______________________________________________________________________________________ 10 CHAPTER 2 MONITORING RESULTS AND FINDINGS ___________________________________________________________ 11 ISSUE 1. ECOSYSTEM CONDITION, HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY _______________________________________ 11 Sub‐Issue 1.1 – Biological Diversity _____________________________________________________________________________ 11 Sub‐Issue 1.2 – Forest Health ___________________________________________________________________________________ 36 Sub‐Issue 1.3 – Watershed Condition and Riparian Areas _____________________________________________________ 45 ISSUE 2. SUSTAINABLE MULTIPLE FOREST AND RANGE BENEFITS _______________________________________ 52 Sub‐Issue 2.1 – Recreational Opportunities ____________________________________________________________________ 52 Sub‐Issue 2.2 – Roadless Areas/Wilderness/Wild and Scenic Rivers __________________________________________ 55 Sub‐Issue 2.3 – Heritage Resources _____________________________________________________________________________ 58 ISSUE 3. ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS ___________________________________________________________________________ 60 CHAPTER 3. FY 2010 ACTION PLAN AND STATUS _____________________________________________________________ 64 APPENDIX A ‐ LIST OF PREPARERS __________________________________________________________ 69 APPENDIX B ‐ AMENDMENTS TO FOREST PLAN ________________________________________________________________ 70 APPENDIX C ‐ SUMMARY OF RESEARCH NEEDS_________________________________________________________________ 70 2 Forest Supervisor’s Certification I have evaluated the monitoring results and recommendations in this report. I have directed that the Action Plan developed to respond to these recommendations be implemented according to the time frames indicated, unless new information or changed resource conditions warrant otherwise. I have considered funding requirements in the budget necessary to implement these actions. With these completed changes, the Revised Land and Resource Management Plan, Sumter National Forest (Forest Plan) is sufficient to guide management activities unless ongoing monitoring and evaluation identify further need for change. Any amendments or revisions to the Forest Plan will be made using the appropriate National Environmental Policy Act procedures. /s/Paul Bradley__________________ 9/22/11 PAUL BRADLEY Date Forest Supervisor 3 Executive Summary of Monitoring and Evaluation Results and Report Findings The Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) provides guidance on how the Sumter National Forest will be managed. Monitoring is used to assess how well goals and objectives are being met, if standards and guidelines are being properly implemented, and whether environmental effects are occurring as predicted. A Summary of Key Results and Findings are listed below. Ecosystem Condition, Health and Sustainability Silvicultural prescriptions generally emphasize release of desirable oaks and hickories where possible. This is especially significant in stands that are regenerated. In the commercial thinning, precommercial thinning, and herbicide release treatments above, oak species are favored for retention above other species. Loblolly pine removal harvest has already taken place on or gone through the environmental assessment process for 833 acres on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. The GIS database now shows 4,541 acres of stands typed as loblolly pine on the district. A number of stands no longer typed as loblolly pine still have a component of loblolly pine remaining. These stands along with stands typed as loblolly pine total an estimated 5,605 acres in the current district project to remove loblolly pine and restore native vegetation. The GIS database currently shows 3,036 acres of shortleaf pine on the piedmont. This is a decrease from the 3,300 acres reported in FY 2009 but is within 2 acres of the figure reported in 2008. The objective of restoring shortleaf pine communities is unlikely to be fully achieved during the planning period because few areas with adequate soil conditions are being found. Shortleaf pine needs good soil depth (approx 8”+ topsoil) with well-drained to moderately well- drained soils. Past erosion has generally left such soils in very few places. The areas found thus far tend to be very small, isolated parts of certain ridges or flats (Objective 8.04). Technical Report Population Trends and Habitat Occurrence of Forest Birds on Southern National Forests, 1992-2004 (General Technical Report NRS-9) describes the mean observations per count for the following MIS: prairie warbler, Swainson’s warbler and field sparrow. Information for American woodcock comes from the Southern Forest Resource Assessment. Prairie warblers are declining across both the Southern Blue Ridge and Southern Piedmont physiographic areas. This species is an indicator of early successional habitat and in particular, open woodlands. Similarly, field sparrows are indicators of grassy woodlands, and are frequently associated with early successional habitat. Swainson’s warbler is also declining in the Southern Blue Ridge physiographic area, and is closely tied to small gaps created in the forest canopy. However, breeding bird surveys have shown an increase of 8.2 percent for Swainson’s warblers on the Francis Marion and Sumter 4 from 1992-2004. Breeding territories for Swainson’s warbler encompass forested areas with high stem densities with little ground cover (regeneration areas/gaps). Generally speaking, habitat on the Andrew Pickens (AP) District consists mostly of mature hardwoods, pines and mixed pine/hardwoods stands that are in the middle to late age categories (i.e., greater than 60 years old). Very little habitat is in an early successional stage across the AP, and only minimal activity is planned. The American woodcock has been declining throughout the mid-Atlantic area and is commonly associated with riparian areas. Declines are largely attributed to increased urbanization, habitat fragmentation and lack of forest disturbance. Beneficial disturbances would be those that create forest clearings and regenerate hardwood stands. Three mussel species have been surveyed in the Chattooga River watershed on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. No mussel species have been found in the Chauga River watershed. Four mussel species have been surveyed in the Broad River watershed on the Enoree Ranger District. Thirteen mussel species have been surveyed in the Savannah River watershed on the Long Cane Ranger District. Freshwater snails and crayfish individuals were identified incidentally during other surveys. Aquatic insect surveys indicated that the upper Chattooga River area had the highest taxa richness, diversity and ept index (an acronym for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera) indicating the best water quality within the watershed. Carolina heelsplitter continues to be found at low populations on the forest. Population enhancement and riparian area improvement could improve the status of the species and habitat on the forest. Unfortunately, only 18.7% of the watersheds containing Carolina heelsplitter and 24% of the critical habitat occur on National Forest lands. Twenty eight fish species have been sampled from 16 streams on the Enoree Ranger District. Thirty eight fish species have been sampled from 14 streams on the Long Cane Ranger District. Twenty streams have been inventoried across the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. Twenty nine species have been captured across the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. The fish species diversity of the Management Indicator Community in the Chattooga River watershed has not changed in more than 20 years of sampling the main stem of the river. Brook trout populations are considered stable in two recently restored streams. An aquatic habitat monitoring survey was conducted in 2010 to assess the addition of large wood in King Creek on the Andrew Pickens Ranger District. There was a 28% increase in pool habitat with the addition of tree boles to the stream. There was also a 61% decrease in riffle fines resulting in more suitable spawning habitat. Stream monitoring showed significant increases in brook trout density and biomass and aquatic insect density and diversity. Monitoring of Georgia aster populations was conducted in late October and early November, 2010. Eleven populations occur on the Sumter National Forest, including 4 on the Long Cane RD and 7 on the Enoree RD. The Enoree RD improved habitat for Georgia aster by prescribed burning 319 acres in Chester County in 2010 (C.9). On the Long Cane RD, 1 population is declining, and 3 are not viable. A minimum viable population contains at least 500 plants. On the Enoree RD, 1 population is in decline, and 2 are not viable. Three populations for Georgia 5 aster have exhibited stable to increasing trends for greater than ten years (i.e. self-sustaining). Two populations and habitats, occurring along two utility corridors, are in excellent condition;