Trial Backcountry Skiing United States Department of Project Agriculture Forest Decision Memo Service Eastern Region Green Mountain National Forest September 2015 Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts Towns of Rochester, Chittenden and Goshen Addison, Rutland and Windsor Counties, Vermont For Information Contact: Holly Knox District Recreation Program Manager Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts Green Mountain National Forest 99 Ranger Rd. Rochester, VT 05767 (802) 767-4261 (ext. 530) [email protected] Responsible Official: Christopher Mattrick District Ranger Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts Green Mountain National Forest 99 Ranger Rd. Rochester, VT 05767 (802) 767-4261 (ext. 513) [email protected] Bear Brook Drainage: representative view of project area 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. 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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. This document can be made available in large print. Contact Holly Knox at (802) 767-4261 x530; or email at [email protected] Green Mountain National Forest Trial Backcountry Skiing Project Decision Memo USDA Forest Service, Eastern Region, Green Mountain National Forest Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts Towns of Rochester, Chittenden and Goshen Addison, Rutland and Windsor Counties, Vermont I. SUMMARY As District Ranger for the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts of the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF), I am approving the implementation of the Trial Backcountry Skiing Project. The project includes delineating four backcountry tree skiing zones (totaling approximately 210 acres) and authorizing the management of vegetation within these zones to enhance the terrain for tree skiing. Vegetation management activities will adhere to uneven- aged silvicultural practices necessary to promote a structurally diverse forest condition. Emphasis will be placed on meeting restoration objectives for stand composition through the recruitment and enhancement of softwood and mixed wood forest types where ecologically appropriate. The project is located on National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Towns of Rochester, Chittenden and Goshen, in Addison, Rutland and Windsor Counties, VT on the Rochester and Middlebury Ranger Districts of the GMNF (see attached map). II. DECISION TO BE IMPLEMENTED A. Background and Project Area In recent years, the sport of backcountry skiing has been growing rapidly throughout North America. Backcountry skiing can be defined as an activity which takes place in remote areas that exist off of a defined trail system and/or outside the boundaries of a developed ski area. As a result of this growth, evidence of unregulated cutting to create skiable terrain has been observed throughout private and public land in Vermont, including on the GMNF. Although skiing is an allowable use anywhere on NFS lands (this does not include NFS lands utilized by developed ski areas under special use permit), the unsanctioned removal of vegetation is considered an illegal activity and is in violation of the code of federal regulations. Unlike western landscapes, the impacts resulting from unsanctioned vegetation removal is more isolated to the forests of the northeast due to the vegetation type and structure (the northeast is comprised of much denser vegetation, with little to no skiing above tree line). Cutting incidents throughout Vermont have ranged from minimal clipping and limbing of vegetation to significant cutting, such as the “Big Jay” incident that occurred on State lands in 2007 (Curran, 2007). Although the GMNF offers numerous opportunities geared toward traditional cross-country skiers, there has been limited attention provided to the alpine oriented backcountry skiing population that is seeking more vertical terrain outside of a defined trail system and resort boundary. It is feared that the unregulated cutting of trees and understory vegetation, occurring as a result of limited opportunities, has the potential to lead to more significant ecological impacts if left unmanaged. Specifically, the impacts being witnessed within the project area have included the reduction of both softwood and hardwood stem densities that has begun to compromise the natural ecosystem functions of the area. This change in forest composition has contributed to a reduction in stand diversity that, in turn, has increased the potential to convert these stands from an uneven-aged to an even-aged forest condition. This reduction of vegetation and decline in stand diversity, over time, could potentially result in longer lasting impacts that include: fragmentation of habitat; conversion of mixed-wood stands to purely northern hardwood forest types; expansion of native ferns into fern glades that inhibit seedling establishment and plant regeneration; damage to softwood regeneration; and/or soil erosion and loss. Decision Memo – Trial Backcountry Skiing Project Page 1 Green Mountain National Forest Previous attempts to regulate unsanctioned vegetation removal on the GMNF, and thus reduce the potential for negative ecological impacts, were primarily associated with federal enforcement of illegal cutting. Due to low staffing numbers, and the remote and sporadic locations in which unregulated cutting incidents occurred, it was determined that enforcement alone is not an effective option - as negligible reduction in illegal cutting was witnessed. Research suggests that government entities can most effectively mitigate conflicts and promote mutual gains with a facilitative strategy, rather than resource ownership and regulation (Grafton 2000). Studies have shown that when users of natural resources, such as forests or fisheries, available on public lands organize themselves to devise and enforce basic rules, they manage those resources in a more sustainable manner than when rules are externally imposed upon them (Ostrom 2009). Ostrom (2009) goes further to note that several design principles characterize the efficacy of resource user cooperation, including: establishing boundaries; utilizing local/user group knowledge to help devise effective rules; establishing monitoring activities; and establishing multiple layers of organizational/partner support. Providing opportunities for users to recreate and assist with resource maintenance enables the Forest Service to gain more credible commitments from users over the use of law enforcement alone (Ostrom, Gardner and Walker 1994; Ostrom 2009). In conjunction with the growth of backcountry skiing has been the organization of the backcountry skiing community within Vermont. The intent of this organization is to create a unified voice that can collaborate with public land managers to increase backcountry skiing access on public land and promote ethical use standards (such as no unauthorized cutting) amongst the user group. As a result, a working group formed between the Forest Service (FS), Vermont Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation (VTFPR), Catamount Trail Association (CTA), Dartmouth College, and the newly established Vermont Backcountry Alliance (VTBC) and Rochester Area Sport Trails Alliance (RASTA). This group has been tasked with increasing education and awareness regarding the activity, developing user ethics, and developing management strategies that can be carried forward on State, federal, and private land. The project area was identified for the Trial Backcountry Skiing Project due to: historical and current use by the backcountry skiing community, including evidence of user impacts and unregulated vegetation removal; level of accessibility-including both trail access and parking opportunities; variation of terrain and vegetation that provide a representative sample for monitoring potential impacts in addition to accommodating varied skier ability levels; and opportunities for collaborating