United States Forest San Bernardino National Forest PO Box 518 Department of Service San Jacinto Ranger District Idyllwild CA 92549 Agriculture 1-909-382-2921 (Voice) 1-951-659-2691 (Fax) Cranston Fire Reforestation Project: Purpose and Need and Proposed Action and Scoping Notice Purpose and Need The purpose of the project is to plant some of the lost forest area in non-Wilderness portions of the Cranston Fire footprint and establish forest cover on pre-fire forested lands with Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) or Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri) in a mix representative of pre-fire conditions. The proposed project would plant pockets of forested area that burned at an intensity high enough to kill all, or almost all, the conifers present and areas of annual grass with or without non-sprouting shrubs to restore a conifer presence in portions of the footprint. Pockets dominated by sprouting shrubs, rock or completely barren soil would not be planted. A multi-spot planting approach would be used for Jeffrey pine to improve survival and establishment greater than the approximately 30 percent survival that was realized in reforestation of the Mountain Fire area. There are several reasons for which this project is needed. First is to replant pockets of forested areas comprised of Jeffrey and Coulter pine to help maintain forested stand presence in the Cranston Fire burn area and maintain a genetic and spatial pool from which our local species and forests will need to adapt to climate change. Also, the restoration of a conifer presence would improve the visual quality along State Route 74 and 243, which are the major recreation thoroughfares south of the town of Idyllwild, and it would reestablish hiding and thermal cover for deer and other wildlife, especially in the May Valley portion of the footprint where it was mostly destroyed. Proposed Action The San Jacinto Ranger District proposes to plant seedlings on approximately 741 gross acres of National Forest Lands. This project is located in Section 24 of Township 5 South, Range 2 East, Sections 15-16, 19- 21, 28, 30-32 of Township 5 South, Range 3 East, and Sections 4-6 of Township 6 South, Range 3 East, San Bernardino Base Meridian, Idyllwild 7.5 minute topographic quadrangle (see Proposed Action Map). The project is accessed by State Route 243 and 74 as well as Forest Roads 5S01, 5S05, 5S08, 5S21, and 6S11. The discontinuous 741 gross acres would be planted with Jeffrey or Coulter pine based on which species dominated the unit pre-fire. Jeffery pine units would be planted using the multi-spot approach1 with 1 Multi-spot planting is designed for achieving management objectives without planning on precommercial thinning to manage tree densities. For example, two or three seedlings are planted per spot at a spacing of 18 inches apart. The spots are spaced at 14 to 22 feet apart depending on site quality, slope and aspect. If more than one seedling per spot survives, the release treatment to control competing vegetation would remove all but the most vigorous seedling at age three. The approach almost assures survival of at least one seedling at each planting spot. The survival of one of the seedlings per spot would ensure that site occupancy and dominance is held by trees. It is especially useful with species like sugar pine and true fir that typically suffer about fifty percent seedling mortality during the three years after planting. Obviously, there is a cost to planting the second or third seedling at a spot but it is offset by rarely having to endure the much greater cost of replanting to reach the desired number of trees. If there are one or two live seedlings to be removed at age three, the cost is Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper three seedlings per spot and the spots spaced at an average of 18 x 18 feet resulting in 135 trees per acre for a completely covered acre. Coulter pine units would be planted using a single seedling per spot approach and the spots spaced 20 x 20 feet resulting in 110 trees per acre for a completely covered acres, except where Coulter pine units intersect existing fuel breaks, spacing would be 22 x 22 feet. Survivorship five years after planting would be at least 37 to 47 trees per acre for both species, the likely historic conditions, and no less than the density prior to the fire of 10 trees per acre in forested stands (May Valley Fuels Reduction Project Environmental Assessment, p. 14 Baseline Conditions), or the survival after the Mountain Fire. Approximately 201,000 Jeffrey pine and 9,800 Coulter pine seedlings are being grown for the proposed project at the Forest Service Nursery in Placerville, CA from seed previously collected in Seed Zone 997 (which covers the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains) from elevation bands 4500 to 6000 feet. Planting is expected to begin in winter to spring of 2021 when it is most feasible to obtain an optimum soil temperature for seedlings to immediately start growing roots (45o F and rising in the middle of the day about three inches below the soil surface). Planting would be timed for favorable conditions as possible – particularly before or during cooler weather or rain events. On days with predicted air temperatures of 75o F and higher, seedlings would be acclimated the day before planting using the guidelines in the Missoula Technology and Development Center Reforestation Toolbox. Spacing of spots would vary up to 50 percent from the designated spacings to utilize acceptable planting spots and foster heterogeneity. Existing live healthy conifer seedling/saplings found at a spot, using criteria the FS provides (i.e. spacing, shading, etc.) would be considered a planted spot and a new seedling would not be planted. Planting would not occur within the driplines of existing live trees larger than sapling size. Planting spots are defined as providing sufficient soil to dig a planting hole with three or less attempts with a planting tool. Locate as many of these planting spots as feasible on the north or east side of logs, large dead manzanita shrubs or other objects that can provide shade to seedlings from afternoon summer sun and with a second preference of putting movable material, a minimum of four inches in diameter/size, next to but not touching seedlings. Site preparation would be achieved through a variety of techniques. Possible methods would be hand cutting of dead shrubs and dead small trees, then piling and burning of cut material or using cut material to slash illegal trails or erosional areas where identified and feasible, felling of dead medium sized conifers to create seedling shading opportunities and to reduce risk to seedlings from falling trees, and clearing small areas of annual grass and debris to create three foot radius planting spots with a string trimmer, preferably, or scraping with a McLeod or similar tool. To make soil moisture available to each seedling until successfully established, maintain the planting spots without live vegetation for at least three years with a string trimmer (preferred) or scraping. Additionally, hand cut invading shrubs out to a five foot radius around the planting spot. Release treatments would occur one or more times up to five years after planting to reduce competition from competing vegetation. The portion of an acre affected by release treatments would depend on the success of planting, level of competition observed from vegetation, and availability of Forest Service resources, but would affect a maximum of one quarter of a completely planted acre with 100 percent negligible or non-existent because the release treatment would be occurring at the planting spots so the excess seedlings would be removed as part of that treatment. Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper survival. Monitoring would occur one and three years after planting. Seedling irrigation is not planned for this project. Between six and nine years, pruning of the lower third of the branches of established saplings would occur and the cuttings would be scattered, followed by broadcast burning in the next year or two in the late fall or winter when the buds of the pines are dormant. To accomplish the reforestation objective, the broadcast burn would be carried out within the outer perimeter of the planted areas to suppress invading shrubs and remove annual grass thatch and fallen remnants of dead shrubs so the areas are resistant to the inevitable next wildfire. For the reforestation objective, no work beyond the pruning and scattering of the cuttings is needed. Typically, roads, trails, barren areas, etc. are used as control lines as the burn would have the objective of 1 to 2 foot flame lengths but probably some hand lines would need to be constructed. Between 15 and 25 years stand exams would be performed to assess needs for tree thinning to meet fuels and resource objectives. Units 2, 3, and 4, known as founder plantations, would be monitored for cone development. As cone development occurs, sites directly upslope from these units would be analyzed for site preparation to assist a second cohort of natural regeneration establishment upslope. Appropriate environmental analysis will occur if new planting areas are identified. No new temporary roads would be created. Access trails would be rehabilitated after operations are complete, if needed. Vehicles would not be used off designated roads unless otherwise approved. Design measures to limit adverse effects to hydrological, botanical, wildlife, scenic, recreation, heritage, and archaeological resources are outlined below. The project administrator would provide a copy of these design measures to anyone who would be implementing the proposed action, now or in the future, for continuing care of the seedlings, pruning, prescribed burning, collection of seeds, etc.