United States Draft Environmental Department of Agriculture Assessment Forest Service Long Buck Project April 2017 Tusquitee Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest Cherokee County, North Carolina For Information Contact: Steverson Moffat 123 Woodland Drive, Murphy NC 28906 (828) 837-5152 ext 108 www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc Environmental Assessment Long Buck Project 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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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. i Environmental Assessment Long Buck Project Table of Contents Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 – Introduction .................................................................................................. 2 1.1 Document Structure ........................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Description of the Project Area ....................................................................................... 3 1.3 Purpose and Need ........................................................................................................... 6 1.3.1 NFsNC Ecological Restoration Focus Areas & Forest Plan ....................................... 6 1.3.2 Southern Pine Beetle ............................................................................................... 7 1.3.3 Shortleaf Pine Decline and Reestablishment ........................................................... 8 1.3.4 Mixed Hardwood Management ............................................................................. 11 1.3.5 Purpose and Need .................................................................................................. 11 1.4 Proposed Alternatives ................................................................................................... 11 1.4.1 Alternative A .......................................................................................................... 11 1.4.2 Alternative B .......................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Decision to be Made ..................................................................................................... 14 1.6 Scoping .......................................................................................................................... 14 1.7 Issues to be Addressed in the Analysis .......................................................................... 15 2. Comparison of Alternatives ........................................................................................ 15 2.1 Alternatives Considered ................................................................................................ 15 2.1.1 Alternative A .......................................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 Alternative B .......................................................................................................... 16 2.2 Alternatives Considered but Not Analyzed in Detail ..................................................... 16 2.3 Comparison of Alternatives ........................................................................................... 16 2.4 Design Criteria ............................................................................................................... 16 3 Environmental Consequences ...................................................................................... 18 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Communities, Special Habitats, and Management Indicator Species (MIS) ................. 18 3.2.1 Aquatic Communities, Special Habitats and MIS ................................................... 21 3.2.2 Botanical Communities, Special Habitats and MIS ................................................ 26 3.2.3 Terrestrial Wildlife Communities, Special Habitats and MIS ................................. 30 3.2.4 Summary of Effects to All MIS, Communities, and Special Habitats ..................... 38 3.3. Proposed, Endangered, and Threatened Species ......................................................... 39 3.3.1 Aquatic Proposed Endangered, Threatened and Sensitive Species ...................... 39 3.3.2 Botanical Proposed, Endangered, Threatened Species ......................................... 39 3.3.3 Terrestrial Wildlife Proposed, Endangered, and Threatened Species ................... 39 3.4. Region 8 Sensitive Species ............................................................................................ 39 ii Environmental Assessment Long Buck Project 3.4.1 Aquatic Sensitive Species ....................................................................................... 40 3.4.2 Botanical Sensitive Species .................................................................................... 40 3.4.3 Terrestrial Wildlife Sensitive Species ..................................................................... 40 3.5. Forest Concern Species ................................................................................................. 41 3.5.1 Aquatic Forest Concern Species ............................................................................. 41 3.5.2 Botanical Forest Concern Species .......................................................................... 41 3.5.3 Wildlife Forest Concern Species ............................................................................ 42 3.6. Additional Habitats and Biological Issues .................................................................... 43 3.6.1 Invasive Species ..................................................................................................... 43 3.6.2 North Carolina Natural Heritage Natural Areas ..................................................... 47 3.7. Soil and Water Resources ............................................................................................ 47 3.8 Air Resources ................................................................................................................. 50 3.9 Timber and Vegetation Management .......................................................................... 50 3.10 Heritage Resources ..................................................................................................... 52 3.11 Recreation Resources .................................................................................................. 53 3.12 Scenery ........................................................................................................................ 54 3.13 Social and Economic Considerations ........................................................................... 55 3.14 Road Management ..................................................................................................... 56 3.15 Climate Change ........................................................................................................... 57 4 Agencies and Persons Consulted.................................................................................. 60 4.1. List of Preparers ........................................................................................................... 60 4.2 Agencies and Persons Consulted ................................................................................... 60 4.3 Literature Cited ............................................................................................................. 60 5 Appendix .................................................................................................................... 64 5.1 Biological Evaluation ....................................................................................................