Somerset Integrated Resource United States Department of Project Agriculture Forest Landscape Assessment Service February 2018 Manchester Ranger District Green Mountain National Forest Towns of Dover, Glastenbury, Searsburg, Somerset, Stratton, Sunderland, Wardsboro, Wilmington, and Woodford Bennington and Windham Counties; Vermont Responsible Official: David Francomb District Ranger Manchester Ranger Districts 2538 Depot Street Manchester, VT 05255 (802)362-2307 x7212 Email: [email protected] 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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Contact Carol Knight (802)747-6749 or email: [email protected] Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. i Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 2 Proposed Project Location .......................................................................................... 2 Landscape Assessment Outline .................................................................................. 3 Ecological Diversity ......................................................................................................... 4 Timber Resources ......................................................................................................... 21 Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat ........................................................................................... 32 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species – Animals ......................................... 40 Botanical Resources ..................................................................................................... 48 Fish and Water Resources ............................................................................................ 53 Soil and Wetlands ......................................................................................................... 68 Fire, Fuels and Air Quality (Smoke) ............................................................................... 78 Recreation Resources ................................................................................................... 81 Visual Resources ........................................................................................................ 101 Transportation System (Roads) ................................................................................... 109 i Manchester Ranger District, Green Mountain National Forest Introduction Integrated resource projects are one of the main Forest Service strategies for achieving the 2006 Green Mountain National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) goals, objectives and desired future conditions at the site specific level. They consist of the planning, implementation and monitoring of multiple resource project activities that are interrelated in their geographical location, scope and intended purpose. The Somerset Integrated Resource Project (IRP) is located on the Manchester Ranger District, Green Mountain National Forest primarily w within the towns of Dover, Glastenbury, Searsburg, Somerset, Stratton, Wilmington, and Woodford, but also includes small portions of Sunderland and Wardsboro (see Project Area Map). The Somerset IRP is planned for completion in separate phases covering a three year period: • Phase 1 (2017), conduct inventory and determine current resource conditions • Phase 2 (2018), determine methods to obtain desired future resource conditions, and collaborate with the public to develop proposed activities • Phase 3 (2019), perform formal environmental analysis of the proposed activities per the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and decide what to implement Forest Service staff has completed Phase 1 of the Somerset IRP from resource inventory information and data collected during field surveys and analysis of existing information throughout 2017. The purpose of Phase 1 is to provide enough information to understand the existing resource conditions within the project area and compare it with the desired future conditions provided by the Forest Plan. The difference between these resource conditions is the basis for determining potential management activities to consider for implementation. The Somerset IRP Landscape Assessment is the culmination of Phase 1 for this project. It provides the existing condition, desired condition, and potential management activities to bridge the differences for multiple resources within the project area. This landscape assessment is not meant to be the final word on what management activities will ultimately be chosen for implementation. It is merely a snapshot of the status of our efforts to consider the best combination of potential resource activities to meet Forest Plan direction. Although the primary focus of Forest Service efforts will be management of National Forest System (NFS) lands, there is also a strong desire to work with state agencies, towns and private landowners to develop activities that will achieve common objectives across land ownership boundaries. The Somerset IRP Landscape Assessment will be the basis for entering the next Phase of the project which is to robustly engage with the public and build on the list of potential management activities to include in our final proposal. Proposed Project Location The project area boundary follows along the spine of the Green Mountains (Appalachian Trail/Long Trail) to the west, the Kelly Stand Road (Forest Highway 6) to the north, the State Route 100 to the east, and State Route (SR) 9 to the south. It consists of approximately 42, 603 acres of National Forest System (NFS) land (60% of the area) and 28,558 acres of non-NFS land (40% of the area) for a total of 71,161 acres. The majority of the non-NFS lands is located around Somerset Reservoir and the Deerfield River, and adjacent to State Route 100 on the eastern perimeter of the project area. Somerset Integrated Resource Project, Landscape Assessment Page 2 Manchester Ranger District, Green Mountain National Forest The NFS lands within the project area are allocated to the following Forest Plan Management Areas – each having a unique desired condition and emphasis for management to collectively achieve Forest Plan goals, objectives and desired future conditions: Table 1. Somerset IRP Management Areas Management Area Acres % of Area Diverse Forest Use 17,468 41 Diverse Backcountry 11,400 27 Remote Wildlife Habitat 6,142 14 Alpine Ski Area Expansion 422 1 Alpine Ski Areas 886 2 Appalachian National Scenic Trail 1,524 4 Ecological Special Area 449 1 Wilderness 4,312 10 Grand Total 42,603 100 Eligible Scenic/Recreational River1 4,836 n/a 1 The Deerfield River is an eligible scenic river, and Wardsboro Brook is an eligible recreational river; the Management Area applies to 1/4 mile each side of these rivers which overlays and runs through all other Management Areas thus the acres are not reflected in the grand total. Landscape Assessment Outline This landscape assessment provides information for all resources inventoried within the project area and considered for potential project management activities. Each resource section is organized using the following outline: 1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND a. General Description b. Forest Plan Goals and Objectives 2. EXISTING CONDITION a. Inventory Methodology/Process b. Inventory Findings 3. ISSUES AND CONCERNS 4. FOREST PLAN DESIRED FUTURE CONDITION 5. GAP BETWEEN EXISTING CONDITION AND DESIRED FUTURE CONDITION a. Gap Description b. Opportunities c. Initial Possible Activity List 6. REFERENCES 7. MAPS Somerset Integrated Resource Project, Landscape Assessment Page