North Shore Restoration Project Environmental Assessment Chapter 1: Purpose and Need 1.1 Introduction This environmental assessment was prepared to provide the decision-maker (Gunflint and Tofte District Rangers) and the public with information about the potential effects of proposed vegetation management activities and connected road actions in the North Shore Restoration Project. This environmental assessment was prepared by an interdisciplinary team of resource specialists. Summary of Project Who: The Gunflint and Tofte Ranger Districts of the Superior National Forest are proposing the North Shore Restoration Project. Why: The main purpose of the North Shore Restoration Project is restoration of native vegetation communities to move towards desired conditions in the Superior National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan or FP). The composition and diversity of the North Shore’s forest has changed dramatically from historical conditions, and restoring conifer and other species that have diminished would increase forest health, productivity, and resiliency. Other related objectives of this project are described later in this report. What: Proposed activities include a full suite of reforestation activities (such as site preparation, planting, interplanting, or release), installing deer exclosures (fencing to keep deer from browsing an area) and harvesting (such as thinning, clearcut with reserves, or selection harvest). Harvesting followed by natural or artificial regeneration, would include any needed temporary road construction. Where: The North Shore Project Area is located in Cook County, Minnesota, along the north shore of Lake Superior. The Vicinity Map (Figure 1) shows the general location of the North Shore Project Area. Townships included in the project area, from east to west, are: Township (T) 63 North (N) Range (R) 4 East (E); T62N, R4E, R3E, R2E; T61N, R2E, R1E, R1West (W), R2W; T60N, R2W, R3W, R4W; T59N R4W, R5W. The North Shore Project Area encompasses approximately 102,400 acres, of which, about 39,900 acres are National Forest System land. Proposed activities would occur only on National Forest System lands. When: If a decision is made to implement these activities, the proposed actions would be implemented beginning in 2014. Given the large scale of the proposal and cost of restoration activities, implementation would be limited by available funding and resources in any given year. Implementation of the primary treatments would be expected to occur over ten years. November 2013 1-1 Chapter 1 North Shore Restoration Project Environmental Assessment November 2013 1-2 Chapter 1 North Shore Restoration Project Environmental Assessment 1.2 Organization of the Environmental Assessment This environmental assessment (EA) is organized into four chapters with appendices. The major sections of the EA are as follows: • Chapter 1: Purpose and Need. This section provides introductory material that explains the purpose and need for the proposed action, provides background information about the project area, presents direction from the Forest Plan, and describes the issues to be addressed. • Chapter 2: Alternatives. This section describes alternatives analyzed in detail in Chapter 3 and alternatives analyzed briefly. Chapter 2 also includes mitigation measures and monitoring procedures that would be used in implementing the action alternative. A summary comparison of the environmental effects for each alternative is also provided. • Chapter 3: Affected Environment and Environmental Effects. This section describes the affected environment and the direct, indirect, and cumulative effects likely to occur with the implementation of each alternative. • Chapter 4: References. This chapter provides names of the preparers and contributors to this environmental assessment, a distribution list, and literature cited. • Appendices. Appendices include more detailed information on the proposed action and alternatives, as well as supporting information for the analysis. An important consideration in the preparation of this EA was the reduction of paperwork. The objective is to furnish enough site-specific information to demonstrate a reasoned consideration of the environmental effects of the alternatives and how any adverse effects can be mitigated or avoided. Additional supporting information is in the North Shore Restoration Project Record and is available at the Gunflint Ranger District Office in Grand Marais, Minnesota, or upon request. This environmental assessment is tiered to the Forest Plan Revision Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). Relevant analysis from the Forest Plan Revision FEIS was incorporated by reference rather than repeating the information. 1.3 Forest Plan Direction for North Shore Project Area The Forest Plan divides the Superior National Forest outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) into ten management areas. Chapter 3 of the Forest Plan (FP) includes the desired conditions, objectives, standards, and guidelines for each management area. The North Shore Restoration Project Area overlaps three Forest Plan Management Areas: Recreation Use in a Scenic Landscape (FP, pp. 3-13 to 3-15), Eligible Wild, Scenic and Recreational River (FP, pp. 3-17 to 3-20) and Unique Biological Area (FP, pp. 3-27, 3-28). The interdisciplinary team used management area direction to guide development of the purpose and need and the proposed action. The following is a brief summary of the desired vegetation for each management area. • In the Recreation Use in a Scenic Landscape Management Area, which covers most of the project area, ecosystems are managed to provide a predominantly December 2013 1-3 Chapter 1 North Shore Restoration Project Environmental Assessment natural-appearing landscape that may be slightly modified by forest management activities. This management area emphasizes a large tree and old forest character and viewsheds are managed for scenic beauty and big-tree character. Vegetation management activities also enhance wildlife habitat. • The area one quarter mile on either side of the Temperance and Brule Rivers are in the Eligible Wild, Scenic and Recreational River Management Area. The segments of the rivers in the North Shore Project Area are classified as Scenic. With a Scenic classification, vegetation management practices are to enhance the recreation experience and maintain the near natural environment of the corridor. • In the Unique Biological Areas Management Area, management emphasis is on conserving or enhancing areas of unique biological interest. The North Shore Project Area includes a Fall River Patterned Fen Unique Biological Area (T61N R1E). Landscape Ecosystems Landscape Ecosystems (LE) are ecological areas characterized by their dominant vegetation communities and patterns that are a product of local climate, glacial topography, dominant soils, and natural processes such as succession, fire, wind, insects, and disease (FP, p. 2-55). The Forest Plan uses landscape ecosystems to outline management objectives for forest vegetation composition, age class, tree species diversity, and management indicator habitats (MIH). Management indicator habitats represent the habitats used by a wide variety of native plants and animals, including management indicator species and sensitive species. Managing for MIH objectives is a key component of providing for the full diversity of desired wildlife habitats. Management in each landscape ecosystem would maintain or restore the forest to conditions more representative of native plant communities and landscape scale patterns. The predominant landscape ecosystem in the North Shore Restoration Project Area is the Mesic Birch-Aspen-Spruce-Fir as shown in Table 1.1. The North Shore Project Area represents about nine percent of the total Forest-wide Mesic Birch-Aspen-Spruce-Fir Landscape Ecosystem. The Cedar Landscape Ecosystem includes both lowland and upland cedar. Table 1.1. North Shore Project Area Summarized by Landscape Ecosystems Landscape Ecosystem Acres1 % of Area Mesic Birch-Aspen-Spruce-Fir 29,231 71 Cedar 4,365 11 Sugar Maple 2,957 7 Lowland Conifer A, B, C 1,698 4 Lowland Hardwood 1,508 4 Mesic Red and White Pine 110 <1 TOTAL: 39,864 100 1Data Source: North Shore Silviculture Mid-level Report. These acres include only National Forest System land; total may be slightly off due to rounding. December 2013 1-4 Chapter 1 North Shore Restoration Project Environmental Assessment Chapter 3 section 3.3 contains more information on landscape ecosystems including age class and composition tables for the Mesic Birch-Aspen-Spruce-Fir Landscape Ecosystem. Landtype Association The majority of the North Shore Project Area is in the North Shore Till Plain Landtype Association (LTA), and small parts of each of the Sawtooth-Eagle Heights, Honeymoon Mountain, and Tettegouche LTAs. The North Shore Till Plain LTA provides further refinement of the forest communities and ecological characteristics of this particular area of the Mesic Birch-Aspen landscape ecosystem. For example, fire is a major disturbance factor in the Mesic Birch-Aspen landscape ecosystem, but across the landscape ecosystem, the fire regime varies. Away from Lake Superior there is a 70-150 year stand replacement fire regime but on the North Shore (North Shore Till Plain LTA) there is a 250-1000 year stand replacement fire regime. A snapshot of what the forest in the North Shore Till Plain LTA looked like based on bearing tree data (late 1800’s-1920) is displayed in Table