Environmental United States Department of Agriculture Assessment Forest Service Conacat August 2016 Ocoee/Hiwassee and Tellico Ranger Districts, Cherokee National Forest Monroe and McMinn Counties, Tennessee For Information Contact: Janan Hay 250 Ranger Station Road Tellico Plains, TN 37385 423-253-8400 http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/cherokee/lands/projects Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................1 Background ................................................................................................................................. 1 Purpose and Need for Action ...................................................................................................... 1 Proposed Action .......................................................................................................................... 3 Decision Framework ................................................................................................................... 4 Public Involvement ..................................................................................................................... 4 Issues ........................................................................................................................................... 5 Alternatives, including the Proposed Action ......................................................................6 Alternatives ................................................................................................................................. 6 Alternatives Not Considered in Detail ...................................................................................... 30 Design Criteria Common to All Alternatives ............................................................................ 31 Comparison of Alternatives ...................................................................................................... 32 Environmental Consequences ..........................................................................................34 Background ............................................................................................................................... 34 Biological Resources ................................................................................................................. 36 Physical Resources .................................................................................................................... 92 Social Resources ..................................................................................................................... 153 Consultation and Coordination .......................................................................................171 LITERATURE CITED ...................................................................................................173 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). 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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. i INTRODUCTION Background _____________________________________ The project area is comprised of compartments 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 77, 78, 87, 102, 103, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 115, 116, 418 and 433 and encompasses approximately 17,600 acres. The project area is located south of Tellico Plains, Tennessee (Figure 1). Figure 1. Vicinity Map Purpose and Need for Action _______________________ The Cherokee National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (RLRMP), approved in 2004, made broad decisions regarding allocation of land and measures necessary to manage National Forest resources. The RLRMP establishes direction for the multiple use management and sustained yield of goods and services for all National Forest System (NFS) lands within the Cherokee National Forest (CNF) boundaries. It describes how different areas of land should look and what resources could be provided from these lands now and in the future (desired future condition). 1 The RLRMP further allocates land into Management Prescriptions (MPs). A MP is a selected grouping of NFS lands with similar land and resource characteristics and similar management goals. MPs provide a more specific set of goals and objectives, which help lead to the Forest’s overall desired future condition (DFC). The 21 compartments that comprise the Conacat project area are predominantly assigned to MP 8.B Early Successional (63%) and 9.H Restoration (16%). The remainder of the project area is allocated to the following MPs:12.B Remote and Backcountry Non-motorized (4%), 11 Riparian Corridors (16%) and 7.A Scenic Byway Corridors, 7.E.2 Dispersed Recreation Areas, 5.A Administrative Sites, 5.B Communication Sites, 1.B Recommended Wilderness (less than 2%). The project area does contain MPs where no activities are proposed (i.e. 12.B/1.B). This is because the project area was selected using compartment boundaries and not MP boundaries. The Forest uses rapid assessments (RA) at the watershed scale to identify opportunities for management actions. As part of the RA for the Conasauga and Wildcat Creeks watersheds (CNF 2010) current conditions were compared to the goals and objectives in the RLRMP. Vegetation and Wildlife Habitat Enhancement The Conacat RA identified a need for vegetation treatments to change skewed successional stages, primarily a lack of early age classes and successional habitats. Table 1 displays the differences between the DFC and the existing condition of the analysis area in relation to the RLRMP objectives for early successional forest for MPs 8.B, and 9.H. The RLRMP, pages 137- to 138 and 156-158, describe the DFC and standards for management activities/practices that will lead to the DFC of MPs 8.B and 9.H. Where the MPs are silent on specific goals, objectives and standards, the forest wide goals, objectives and standards (pp. 21-72) should be applied. Table 1. Comparison of desired and existing condition of early successional forest MP Objective Desired Existing Maintain 10% to 17% of forested acres in 723 ac* 8.B 1116-1897 ac early successional forest (6.5%) Maintain 4% to 10% of forested acres in 34 ac 9.H 111-277 ac early successional forest (1.5%) *Includes activities proposed in Tellico EA The purpose of vegetation management in the project area is to provide wildlife habitat diversity through a variety of periodic or regularly scheduled activities including prescribed burning; mechanical and chemical vegetation control; and uneven-aged, two-aged, and even-aged silvicultural methods. Road management actions are connected actions that are associated with the proposed vegetation management. The absence of fire has reduced open understories necessary for wildlife foods, inhibited the natural regeneration of pine and oak, and encouraged the spread of fire intolerant species. Therefore, there is a need to reduce woody vegetation in the forest understory and promote herbaceous ground cover (including high elevation areas). Currently, there is a lack of high quality forage and nesting habitat for species requiring early seral habitat within the project area. Consequently, there is a need to increase the amount of mast producing plants to provide quality forage for wildlife. Finally, trees and shrubs are encroaching on the existing wildlife openings 2 that occur within the area which presents a need to maintain early successional habitat in the form of permanent wildlife openings within the project area. Based on field reconnaissance, there is a lack of suitable natural cavities for nesting and/or roosting within the project area for birds and small mammals. Therefore, there are opportunities to supplement natural cavities with nesting/roosting boxes to provide additional habitat needs. There are also opportunities to enhance foraging and watering sites for