United States Department of CHANDLER ROUND Agriculture Forest VEGETATION MANAGEMENT Service PROJECT May 2004 Towns of Chatham and Jackson Carroll County, New Hampshire Environmental Assessment For Information Contact: Rick Alimi Saco Ranger District White Mountain National Forest 33 Kancamagus Highway Conway, NH 03813 603-447-5448 www.fs.fed.us/r9/white Chandler Round Project EA Cover Sheet Management Action: Timber harvest to implement timber and wildlife habitat management goals in the Chandler Round Project Area, HMU (Habitat Management Unit) 505. Agency: United States Department of Agriculture, White Mountain National Forest, Saco Ranger District. Cooperating Agency: New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game For Further Information: Saco Ranger District Attn.: Rick Alimi 33 Kancamagus Hwy, Conway, NH 03818 Phone: (603) 447-5448 (ext 120) Fax: (603) 447-8405 e mail: [email protected] Responsible Official: District Ranger Terry Miller Abstract The Chandler Round Project is located in the Towns of Chatham and Jackson, Carroll County, New Hampshire. The project lies in the center portion of the Slippery Brook drainage, and in the headwaters of McDonough Brook, a tributary to Little Cold River. Slippery Brook is the primary drainage for the analysis area. Other small tributaries within the project area are unnamed. Chandler Round project area contains approximately 976 acres of proposed treatments within the 8375 acre HMU 505. The analysis area contains MAs 3.1, 6.1, and 6.2, as identified in the White Mountain National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. This includes approximately 5,691 acres of MA 3.1. "No Action", Alternative 1, does not propose active management within the project area. The Proposed Action, Alternative 2, would diversify wildlife habitat in terms of successional communities and softwood development, harvesting approximately 6.0 MMBF (million board feet) of timber from approximately 976 acres of National Forest lands. Project objectives are to enhance softwood habitat through approximately 200 acres of single-tree selection and 35 acres of thinning, increase early successional habitat by creating approximately 200 acres of hardwood regeneration habitat through clearcutting, and improve timber quality and species composition in hardwood and mixedwood stands through approximately 162 acres of commercial thinning and 379 acres of single tree selection. Proposed operating seasons would be summer, fall, and winter. The action alternatives would achieve the management goals (Purpose and Need) of diversifying wildlife habitat and producing timber products. Chandler Round Project EA i Cover Sheet Access to the project is via National Forest System Road 17, Slippery Brook Road. The Proposed Action would: • Restore to current design standards through pre-haul maintenance the following existing National Forest System Roads (NFSR), or road sections, that are currently in “ intermittent stored status”: NFSR 17 - 2.5 miles; NFSR 17A - 1.1 miles; NFSR 17B, - 2.5 miles; NFSR 17C - 0.6 miles; and NFSR 17G - 0.5 miles; road NFSR 5049 – 1.0 miles; • Install a portable/re-useable temporary bridge, approximately 70 feet in length, over Slippery Brook on NFSR 17A at the existing bridge crossing at approximate mile post 0.10 to provide access west of Slippery Brook; • Install a second temporary bridge on NFSR 17A, approximately 24 feet in length over an unnamed brook at approximate mile post 0.25.; • Construct 0.3 mile of new road off of NFSR 17A, at approximate mile post 0.6 , including relief drainage culverts and one temporary bridge, approximately 28 feet in length to access units 14-17, 22 and 25; • Install a temporary bridge, approximately 24 feet in length, at an existing crossing on road NFSR 5049 at approximatley mile post 0.75 adjacent to unit 28; • Remove all temporary drainage structures and bridges following closure of this project; • Seed and close all opened roads to vehicular traffic when the project is complete. All opened roads shall be returned to closed intermittent status; • Remove the old existing temporary bridge across Slippery Brook at the end of NFSR 17 near unit 9. • Create up to ten acres in wildlife openings in three locations shown on the maps, where landings and proposed harvest units exist. Wildlife openings would be placed within proposed units 2 and 24, adjacent to a landing to be used, and adjacent to two other existing landings on FR 17C (see Map). These openings will be maintained every three to five years with mowing and/or prescribed burning. Alternative 3 would harvest approximately 2.5 MMBF of timber from 380 acres of National Forest lands. This alternative would enhance softwood habitat through approximately 56 acres of single-tree selection and 35 acres of thinning, increase early successional habitat by creating approximately 52 acres of hardwood regeneration through clearcutting, and improve timber quality and species composition in hardwood and mixedwood stands through approximately 237 acres of single tree selection. Proposed operating seasons would be summer, fall, and winter. Forest Road 17A would not be restored. The other proposed road restoration, temporary bridge use, bridge removal, seeding and road closures, and wildlife openings would remain part of this alternative. Alternative 4 would diversify wildlife habitat in terms of successional communities and softwood development, harvesting approximately 5.0 MMBF of timber from approximately 927 acres of National Forest lands. This alternative would enhance softwood habitat through approximately 183 acres of single-tree selection and 35 acres of thinning, increase early successional habitat by creating approximately 121 acres of hardwood regeneration through clearcutting, and improve timber quality and species composition in hardwood and mixedwood stands through approximately 413 acres of single tree selection and 175 acres of commercial thinning. Proposed operating seasons would be summer, fall, and winter. Road reconstruction, new construction and the other connected actions are the same as in the Proposed Action. Chandler Round Project EA ii Cover Sheet Chandler Round Vegetation Management EA Summary Document Summary The Saco Ranger District of the White Mountain National Forest is proposing the following management activities under the Proposed Action or Alternatives in the Chandler Round Project: • Even-aged and uneven-aged timber management on up to 976 acres • Pre-haul maintenance on up to approximately 8.2 miles of existing road • Construct 0.3 miles of new low standard three season road Chandler Round Project is located in the Towns of Chatham and Jackson, Carroll County, New Hampshire, on the Saco Ranger District of the White Mountain National Forest. Slippery Brook is the primary drainage for the project area. McDonough Brook and other small unnamed tributaries are included in the project area. Chandler Round analysis area contains approximately 8375 acres in HMU 505, and includes management actions within Management Area 3.1. The following list describes the “need for change” and opportunities identified for the Chandler Round project area that would implement the White Mountain National Forest Plan. 1. There is a need to increase the acres of early successional habitat. 2. There is a need to increase the softwood component in some stands. 3. There is a need to create a more desireable stocking of species, size, and quality hardwood trees, while providing forest products. 4. There is a need to remove a defunct bridge located at the end of Forest road 17 due to safety and resource concerns. The proposed action or Alternatives may result in the following effects: • Temporary displacement or restriction of use on the Switchback Snowmobile trail • Short-term localized sedimentation may occur at temporary stream crossings • Temporary openings with new regeneration in clearcuts and group selection openings • Release of existing advanced regeneration in single tree selection units and within group selection openings • A reduction of up to 200 acres of mature forest where clearcutting occurs, resulting in creation of increased age-class diversity and the resultant benefits to wildlife dependent on this habitat • An increase in the number of openings viewed from primary and nearby vantage points • Road restoration which maintains but does not add to existing access; and for which existing road closures would remain • Road restoration, skidding, and temporary bridge placement may result in minor, localized, and short-term direct and indirect effects to wildlife, and to water quality and water quantity • Temporary displacement of some wildlife species during implementation • Up to an estimated six million board feet of timber for harvest, manufacture, and marketing jobs, and an estimated $460,000 to the US Treasury, and up to $380,000 to the Towns of Chatham and Jackson, and the State of New Hampshire (Yield Taxes and 25% revenue fund) • Improved health of treated forest stands, and increased value potential for future generations Chandler Round Project EA iii Document Summary • Up to ten acres of permanent wildlife openings, providing additional habitat diversity This environmental assessment will provide the deciding officer (Saco District Ranger) with information to make informed decisions on the Chandler Round Vegetation Management Project and provides the basis for determining: • Which alternative best meets the purpose and need to move the Chandler Round project area towards the desired condition in accordance