Lost Creek Forest Management Project Environmental Assessment DOI-BLM-ORWA-M050-2016-0001-EA July 2016 It is the mission of the Bureau of Land Management to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Dear Reader: The Butte Falls Resource Area, Medford District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has completed the environmental analysis for the proposed Lost Creek Forest Management Project. This document, the Lost Creek Forest Management Project Environmental Assessment (EA), provides a description of the project and Project Area, background information, and the possible effects of implementing the project. The EA analyzed the following activities proposed on BLM-administered lands located northeast of the city of Medford, Oregon in the Lost Creek-Rogue River 5th field watershed and a small portion of the South Fork Rogue River 5th field watershed (see Maps 1-12): Forest Management . Timber harvest—1,209 acres, Timber Yarding . Ground-based—937 acres . Skyline-cable—71 acres . Helicopter—165 Transportation Management . Temporary route construction—0.83 mile . Temporary route reconstruction—0.29 mile . Road reconstruction—0.34 mile . Road renovation—96.57 miles . Haul routes—96.91 miles . Wet season haul routes—59.08 miles . Wet season haul routes with rock needs—9.85 miles . Roadside vegetation maintenance—16.75 miles . Partial road decommissioning—3.15 miles . Full road decommissioning—1.54 miles . Pre-designated skid trails—0.62 miles . New landings—5 helicopter, 14 log, and 2 service landings Treatment of Forest Management Activity Slash . Lop and Scatter . Hand pile and hand pile burn . Underburn . Biomass removal Water source restoration—5 sites Meadow Restoration – 106 acres The 30-day comment period for this EA will begin when the legal notice is published in the Medford Mail Tribune newspaper on July 1, 2016. Any comments you may have regarding this project must be received by August 1, 2016 to be considered in final decisions for this proposal. The BLM will host a field tour of the Lost Creek Project area on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. The visit will include a selection of proposed harvest areas, including a stand proposed for Regeneration Harvest, Selective Thinning, and Density Management. We will also visit some proposed temporary route locations. Interested individuals should RSVP by July 8 to Stephanie Kelleher (email [email protected] or call 541-618-2205). The field tour will begin from the public entrance of the Medford Interagency Office at the address below. Please send your comments to Bureau of Land Management, Attention: Stephanie Kelleher, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504, or e-mail your comments to [email protected] (Attention: Stephanie Kelleher). You may also submit comments through the BLM’s national register website by selecting “Comment on Document” in the Documents section of the webpage for this EA. Questions on the proposed project should be directed to Stephanie Kelleher at 541-618-2205 or Nick McDaniel at 541-618-2356. Please note that all written submissions from private individuals in response to this notice, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying information may be made available for public inspection and disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, unless you specifically request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your personal identifying information from public review or disclosure, you must state this at the beginning of your written comment and provide justification for doing so. We will honor such requests to the extent allowed by law, but you should be aware that release of that information may be required under certain circumstances. All submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organization or business will be made available for public inspection and disclosure in their entirety. Thank you for your continued interest in the Lost Creek Forest Management Project. Your input plays an important role in our land management decisions. Teresa J. Trulock Field Manager Butte Falls Resource Area CHAPTER 1 - PURPOSE AND NEED ............................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 WHAT IS THE BLM PROPOSING? .......................................................................................... 1-1 1.3 WHERE IS THE PROJECT LOCATED?.................................................................................. 1-1 1.4 WHY IS THE BLM PROPOSING THIS PROJECT? .............................................................. 1-3 1.4.1 Need for the Lost Creek Project ............................................................................................... 1-3 1.5 DECISION FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................... 1-5 1.6 LAND USE CONFORMANCE AND LEGAL REQUIREMENTS ......................................... 1-6 1.6.1 Conformance with Land Use Plans.......................................................................................... 1-6 1.6.2 Special Status Species Policy................................................................................................... 1-6 1.6.3 Statutes and Regulations .......................................................................................................... 1-7 1.7 RELEVANT ASSESSMENTS AND PLANS .............................................................................. 1-7 1.8 SCOPING AND ISSUES ............................................................................................................... 1-9 1.8.1 Relevant Issues......................................................................................................................... 1-9 1.8.2 Issues Considered but not Further Analyzed ......................................................................... 1-10 CHAPTER 2 - ALTERNATIVES ........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.2 DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROJECT....................................................................................... 2-1 2.2.1 Treatment Area Selection ........................................................................................................ 2-1 2.2.2 Transportation Management Inventory and Assessment ......................................................... 2-5 2.3 PROPOSED PROJECTS .............................................................................................................. 2-6 2.3.1 Forest Management .................................................................................................................. 2-6 2.3.2 Transportation Management .................................................................................................. 2-12 2.3.3 Water Source Restoration ...................................................................................................... 2-14 2.3.4 Meadow Restoration .............................................................................................................. 2-14 2.4 ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED IN DETAIL ........................................................................... 2-14 2.4.1 Alternative 1 – No Action ...................................................................................................... 2-14 2.4.2 Alternatives 2 and 3 ............................................................................................................... 2-14 2.5 PROJECT DESIGN FEATURES .............................................................................................. 2-16 2.5.1 Common to All Proposed Projects ......................................................................................... 2-16 2.5.2 Timber Harvest and Small Diameter Thinning ...................................................................... 2-19 2.5.3 Timber Harvest ...................................................................................................................... 2-22 2.5.4 Road Maintenance, Decommissioning, and Quarry Work .................................................... 2-24 2.5.5 Fuels Treatments Associated with Timber Harvest and Small Diameter Thinning .............. 2-26 2.5.6 Water Source Restoration ...................................................................................................... 2-27 2.5.7 Meadow Restoration .............................................................................................................. 2-27 2.6 ALTERNATIVES AND ACTIONS CONSIDERED BUT ELIMINATED FROM DETAILED ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................................................... 2-28 2.7 MONITORING ............................................................................................................................ 2-31 CHAPTER 3 – AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 3-1 3.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1 Brief History of the Project Area ............................................................................................