United States Environmental Department of Agriculture Assessment Forest Service October 2011 EAST NOTTELY FOREST HEALTH and RESTORATION PROJECT Blue Ridge Ranger District, Chattahoochee National Forest Union County, Georgia For More Information Contact: Alice Brown 2042 Highway 515 W Blairsville, GA 30512 706-745-6928 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). 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Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................1 Document Structure .........................................................................................................1 Background .....................................................................................................................1 Purpose and Need for Action ..........................................................................................3 Proposed Action ..............................................................................................................5 Decision Framework .......................................................................................................8 Public Involvement ..........................................................................................................8 Issues…………………………………………………………………………………...8 Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action...................................................................9 Alternative A – No Action ..............................................................................................9 Alternative B - Proposed Action…………………………….…………………………9 Mitigation Common to All Alternatives………………………………………………10 Comparison of Alternatives ......................................................................................… 10 Alternatives Considered but not Fully Developed……………………………………11 Environmental Consequences .........................................................................................11 Biological Factors ..........................................................................................................11 Major Forest Communities ............................................................................................14 Mesic Deciduous Forests ...............................................................................................15 Eastern Hemlock and White Pine Forest .......................................................................17 Oak and Oak-Pine Forests .............................................................................................19 Pine and Pine-Oak Forests…………………………………………………………….22 Mixed Woodlands, Savannahs, and Grasslands………………………………………25 Successional Habitats ....................................................................................................26 Old Growth……………………………………………………………………………29 Forest Interior Birds…………………………………………………………………..30 Permanent Openings, Old Fields, Rights of Way, Improved Pasture…………….…..33 Special Habitat Attributes…………………………………………………………….34 Riparian Habitat………...…………………………………………………………….34 Snags, Dens, and Downed Wood……………………………………………………..36 Viability Concern Species…………………………………………………………….38 Demand Species ............................................................................................................41 White-tailed Deer ..........................................................................................................41 Black Bear…………………………………………………………………………….43 Terrestrial Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive, & Locally Rare Species .....................45 Non-Native Invasive Plant Species ...............................................................................52 Climate Change/Carbon Sequestration……………………………………………….56 Social/Economic Factors .................................................................................................58 Recreation ......................................................................................................................58 Visual Quality ................................................................................................................59 Cultural Resources……………………………………………………………………62 Physical Factors………………………………………………………………………...63 Soils ...............................................................................................................................63 Water .............................................................................................................................72 i Consulted Agencies & Persons .......................................................................................76 References……………………………………………………………………………….77 Appendix A - Timber Sale Financial Analysis .............................................................82 Appendix B - Standard Mitigation Measures for Herbicide Use ..................................83 Appendix C - Results of the Risk Assessment ..............................................................86 Appendix D - Emergency Spill Plan .............................................................................90 Appendix E - Monitoring Plan ......................................................................................94 Appendix F - Response to Comments ………………………..……………………. ..97 Appendix G - Response to Draft EA .............................................................................99 Appendix H - Project Area Maps……………………………………………………111 ii Introduction Document Structure The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture has prepared this Environmental Assessment in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other relevant Federal and State laws and regulations. This Environmental Assessment discloses the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental impacts that would result from the proposed action and alternatives. The document is organized into four parts: Introduction: The section includes information on the history of the project proposal, the purpose of and need for the project, and the agency’s proposal for achieving that purpose and need. This section also details how the Forest Service informed the public of the proposal and how the public responded. Comparison of Alternatives, including the Proposed Action: This section provides a more detailed description of the agency’s proposed action as well as alternative methods for achieving the stated purpose. These alternatives were developed based on significant issues raised by the public and other agencies. This discussion also includes possible mitigation measures. Finally, this section provides a summary table of the environmental consequences associated with each alternative. Environmental Consequences: This section describes the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and other alternatives. This analysis is organized by resource area. Within each section, the affected environment is described first, followed by the effects of the No Action Alternative that provides a baseline for evaluation and comparison of the other alternatives that follow. Agencies and Persons Consulted: This section provides a list of preparers and agencies consulted during the development of the environmental assessment. Appendices: The appendices provide more detailed information to support the analyses presented in the environmental assessment. Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project planning record located at the Blue Ridge Ranger District office in Blairsville, Georgia. Background The analysis area is comprised of Compartments 410, 411, 412 and 415 and is located just to the north of Blairsville, Georgia (Figure 1). 1 Figure 1. 2 East Nottely EA Purpose and Need for Action The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Plan), approved in 2004, made broad decisions regarding allocation of land and measures necessary to manage National Forest resources. The Plan establishes direction for the resource management practices; levels of habitat production, protection, and management for all National Forest System (NFS) lands within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest boundaries. It describes how different areas of land should look and what resources could be provided from these lands now and in the future (desired future condition). The Plan further allocates land into Management Prescriptions (MRx). A MRx is a selected grouping of National Forest lands with similar land and resource characteristics and similar management goals. MRx’s provide a more specific set of goals and objectives, which help lead to the forests overall desired future condition (DFC). The four compartments that comprise the East Nottely Forest Health and Restoration analysis area are assigned to MRx 7.E.1 - Dispersed Recreation Areas with MRx 11 - Riparian Corridors