Jared Calvert, 7/25/2017 South Red Bird Integrated Resource Management Area Landscape Assessment Summary Since 2004, when The Land and Resource Management Plan for the Daniel Boone National Forest (Forest Plan) was approved, the Daniel Boone National Forest has implemented the Integrated Resource Management Strategy (IRMS), a systematic process for determining existing resource conditions, and developing projects on the landscape level with the aim to bring the area closer to the desired future condition (DFC) described in the Forest Plan. The South Red Bird Integrated Resource Management Area (IRMA) is such a landscape-level project area, delineated by the South Red Bird IRMA Boundary. This boundary was selected because it contains a combination of smaller watersheds that are well defined and provide a sense of place within the larger Redbird River Watershed. A combination of small sub-watersheds or sixth level Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs) was used as the area for analysis. The South Red Bird IRMA is composed of four sixth level HUCs that make up approximately 56,000 acres, of which 32,300 acres are National Forest System (NFS) lands, within the Red Bird River Watershed in Clay, Leslie, and Bell Counties, Kentucky. The four sixth level HUCs are Upper Red Bird Creek, Phillips Fork, Bowen Creek, and Elisha Creek. The four sixth level HUCs make up approximately half of the acreage of the larger 5th level Redbird River Watershed. The entire Redbird River Watershed lies within the larger Upper Kentucky River Management Area. This Management Area lies within the Kentucky River basin and forms the proclamation boundary of the Redbird Ranger District. Analysis at a landscape scale is a process used to characterize the human, aquatic, and terrestrial resources, and their interactions within an area. It provides a systematic way to understand and organize ecosystem information. These landscape assessments enhance our ability to guide the general type, location, and sequence of appropriate management activities. The South Red Bird IRMS was conducted by an interdisciplinary team of natural resource specialists. The process is Forest Plan (DBNF, 2004) and key resource- driven. Rather than attempting to identify and address everything in the ecosystem, teams focus on key prescription areas and resource concerns in the area being analyzed. These concerns may be known or suspected before undertaking the analysis. Or they may be brought up by the public or discovered during the inventory phase. Analysis teams, in collaboration with the public and other agencies, describe desired and existing conditions, and determine management practices to sustain or restore ecosystem functions. The process is also iterative. New information from surveys and inventories, monitoring reports, the public, or other analyses can be added at any time. Public involvement occurs at every step of the process. Landscape assessments are not decision-making documents and are not driven by existing law. Rather, it is a stage-setting process, the results of which establish the context for subsequent site- specific actions needed to implement the Forest Plan. Site-specific actions must then undergo planning requirements consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other applicable laws, regulations, and direction. This document summarizes the existing condition of the IRMA as related to specific objectives within the Forest Plan, and provides a synopsis of potential projects for the South Red Bird IRMA, drawn from public input and collaboration conducted during the IRMS process. To date there has been numerous collaboration workshops and field trips consisting of multiple agencies, special interest groups, and members of the public. Collaborators included, but were not limited to the KY Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Kentucky Heartwood, Cumberland Valley 1 Jared Calvert, 7/25/2017 Resource Conservation and Development Council, University of Kentucky Forestry Department, Eastern Kentucky University, US Department of the Interior Office of Surface Mining, Green Forests Work, Appalachian Regional Reforestation Initiative, Red Bird Mission, KY Division of Forestry, KY Division of Water, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. As a result of the extensive collaboration conducted during the analysis the following tables provides a synopsis of potential projects that we plan to move forward with in the very near future, as well as projects that are already being implemented within the IRMA. Fig. 1 – New potential projects for the South Red Bird IRMA Project Project Type Project Status Wildlife Habitat Creation Creation of wildlife habitat New project – to be proposed Project such as early seral/young forest, wildlife openings, edge feathering, cane brakes, etc. Old Growth Enhancement / Potential for silvicultural New project – to be proposed Area Designation Project activities that enhance old growth structure and function. Potential to designate additional areas as old growth Forest Health Restoration Potential for Healthy Forest New project – to be proposed Project Restoration Act (HFRA) project for insects and disease Redbird Crest Trail Potential to conduct New project – to be proposed Improvement Project maintenance on RCT, move trail off of county roads for safety, re-route RCT where needed, close user-created trails, create loop trails Roads Improvement Project Relocate or close roads within New project – to be proposed the riparian corridor, replace bridges as needed, install aquatic organism passage (AOP) where needed, improve water quality Bear Creek Stream Potential to conduct stream New project – to be proposed Restoration Project restoration, and improve the hydrology and water quality of Bear Creek Abandoned Mine Land Potential to reforest portions New project – to be proposed Reforestation Project of Steel Trap mine area, in partnership with Green Forests Work, ARRI, OSM and public volunteers 2 Jared Calvert, 7/25/2017 Fig. 2 – Already Existing Projects within the South Red Bird IRMA Existing Project Project Type Project Status Spring Creek Vegetation Vegetation management for Project is soon to be Management wildlife habitat diversification implemented, and percent Environmental Assessment and forest health wildlife habitat created has been factored into this analysis Steel Trap Mine Site Mine land restoration project Currently in the initial stages Comprehensive to restore a former mine site of the CERCLA process (i.e. Environmental Response, closed in 1985. The project preliminary assessment/site Compensation, and Liability focuses on improving water investigation and then will Act (CERCLA) Project quality through restoration of proceed to start an engineering the site and remedial measures evaluation/cost assessment to restore damage caused by acid mine drainage and other contaminants Suppression of the Hemlock Forest-wide EA to treat Treatment continues across Wooly Adelgid Infestations hemlock conservation areas the forest (i.e. chemical and Environmental Assessment (HCA’s) infested with biological control) in hemlock wooly adelgid cooperation with Kentucky Division of Forestry Hemlock Treatment Program Invasive Plant Species Forest-wide EA to treat Decision Notice signed in Treatment Environmental population of non-native October of 2016. Forest Assessment invasive plant species Service is currently (NNIPS) implementing this project and will utilize this project to treat NNIPS within the South Red Bird IRMA Abandoned Mine Lands Forest-wide EA to close Project is in implementation Safety Restoration unsafe abandoned mine land and features are being closed Environmental Assessment portals/features across the forest Elisha Creek Stream Project to restore stream Project has been completed, Restoration Environmental habitat, aquatic functions, and monitoring and evaluation Assessment improve water quality continue Midstory Removal Project Project to promote advanced Project is ongoing and oak regeneration and work to implementation is nearly increase preferable wildlife completed browse by reducing the density of midstory trees 3 Jared Calvert, 7/25/2017 In addition to providing a list of potential projects and existing projects we have provided the following summary of goals, objectives, and recommendations that were analyzed within the South Red Bird IRMA. All goals and objectives are either Forest-wide, meaning that they are applicable across the majority of National Forest System Lands within the Daniel Boone NF, or they are Prescription Area Goals and Objectives. A Prescription Area is an allocation of one or more parcels of land which resource conditions and corresponding management emphasis are similar (DBNF, 2004). While Goals and Objectives define management direction, Standards govern actions taken to meet Objectives. Standards are mandatory. Deviation from a Standard requires a Forest Plan amendment. An alphanumeric system is used to help identify prescription areas. Prescription Areas help setup a framework for providing Desired Future Conditions (DFCs) within an area. The table below summarizes the Prescription Areas within the South Red Bird IRMA that make up the majority of the area. It is important to note that the Cliffline Community Prescription Area is most likely over-estimated in size due to specific computer modeling techniques used to estimate this area, however we have included the acreage as a precautionary measure to ensure that any potential projects comply with all regulations, and standards that