Environmental United States Department of Agriculture Assessment Forest Service April 2011 Glass Angel Restoration Project Naches Ranger District Okanogan - Wenatchee National Forest Yakima County, Washington For Information Contact: Jim Bailey Naches Ranger District 10237 Highway 12 Naches, WA 98937 (509) 653-1479 Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS Glass Angel Restoration Project Page Chapter I Proposed Action, Purpose and Need Location I-1 Project Area Determination I-2 Management Direction and Guidance I-5 Existing Conditions I-12 Purpose and Need for Action I-14 The Proposed Action I-18 Decisions to be Made Based on this Analysis I-22 Scoping Summary and Public Involvement I-23 Chapter II Alternatives Considered Introduction II-1 Alternative Formulation II-1 Alternatives Eliminated From Detailed Study II-2 Alternative Development II-3 Alternatives Considered In Detail II-6 No Action II-6 The Refined Proposed Action Vegetation Treatments II-6 Invasive Species Management II-29 Travel and Access Management II-31 Monitoring II-40 Adaptive Management II-44 Comparison of Alternatives II-46 i Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents Chapter III Affected Environment Environmental Consequences VEGETATION AND FUELS III-2 AIR QUALITY III-34 INVASIVE SPECIES III-43 WILDLIFE III-55 VISUAL RESOURCES III-106 RECREATION III-113 SOIL AND WATERSHED RESOURCES III-121 FISHERIES HABITAT and WATER QUALITY III-141 AQUATIC CONSERVATION STRATEGY III-166 RANGE OPERATIONS and MANAGEMENT III-176 HERITAGE RESOURCES III-182 TRAVEL AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT III-184 ROADLESS AREAS AND PROPOSED WILDERNESS AREAS III-187 ECONOMICS III-187 OTHER REQUIRED DISCLOSURES III-191 Chapter IV Organizations, Agencies, and Persons Consulted IV-1 Chapter V References Cited V-1 Appendix A Public Involvement Summary A-1 ii Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents Appendix B Glossary of Terms and Acronyms Glossary of Terms B-1 Acronyms and Abbreviations B-16 Appendix C Best Management Practices and Mitigation Measures Invasive Plant Management C-1 Prescribed Burning C-3 Air Quality C-3 Wildlife Resources C-3 Soil, Water, and Aquatic/Riparian Resources C-4 Range C-6 Heritage Properties C-6 Recreation/Visual Resources C-7 iii Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Glass Angel Restoration Project List of Tables Table Subject Page I.1 NWFP land allocations within the Glass Angel Project Area I-5 I.2 Wenatchee Forest Plan Land Allocations within the Glass Angel Project Area I-5 II.1 Landscape Metrics used for Landscape Departure Analysis and their Definitions II-3 II.2 Theoretical Prescriptions for Primary Landscape Objective/Treatment Groups and II-4 their Rationale II.3 Treatment methods II-7 II.4 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-13 Commercial Timber Sale Unit(s) 3, 4, 5 Non-commercial stand number 71, 206 Old and Large Tree Foundation Present II.5 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-15 Non-commercial stand number 369, 450, 420, 475, 351, 442 Old and Large Tree Foundation Present II.6 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-16 Commercial Timber Sale Unit(s) 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17 Non-commercial stand number 123, 239, 276 Old and Large Tree Foundation Present II.7 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-18 Commercial Timber Sale Unit(s) 5 Old and Large Tree Foundation Absent II.8 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-19 Commercial Timber Sale Unit(s) 7 Non-commercial stand number 118, 460, 480, 386 Old and Large Tree Foundation Absent II.9 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-21 Commercial Timber Sale Unit(s) 12, 16 Non-commercial stand number 88, 227 Old and Large Tree Foundation Absent II.10 Glass Angel Prescriptions II-23 Commercial Timber Sale Unit(s) 1, 2 Non-commercial stand number 419, 220, 188, 68, 229, 189, 225, 296 Old and Large Tree Foundation Absent II.11 Angel Prescriptions for Prescribed Fire II-24 iv Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents Table Subject Page Old and Large Tree Foundation Present or Absent II.12 Fuels Treatments II-28 II.13 Monitoring Items II-41 II.14 Comparison of Alternatives II-47 III.1 Past and foreseeable activities in the Naches Mainstem and Rattlesnake Creek III-1 Watersheds. III.2 Series/Type within the Glass Angel project area. III-3 III.3 Successional Stages within the Glass Angel project area. III-3 III.4 Crown Closure within the Glass Angel project area. III-4 III.5 Matrix showing how many Structure to Cover Type Classes were improved…historic III-8 reference conditions. III.6 Matrix showing how many Structure to Cover Type Classes were improved…future III-8 reference conditions. III.7 Matrix showing how many Structure to Cover Type to Potential Vegetation Group III-9 Type Classes were improved…historic reference conditions. III.8 Matrix showing how many Structure to Cover Type to Potential Vegetation Group III-9 Type Classes were improved…future reference conditions. III.9 Reference conditions for large/very large trees. III-11 III.10 The density of large and very large trees following mechanical treatment for some III-14 representative units. III.11 Subjective predictions of the effect of prescribed fire… III-15 III.12 Estimates of pre and post-treatment canopy cover in some representative units. III-16 III.13 Principles of fire resistance for dry forests. III-27 III.14 Relative ability of proposed vegetation treatments in the mixed-severity fire regime III-28 to meet the Purpose and Need of forest restoration. III.15 Rate of Spread and Flame Length by Fuel Models common to the Glass Angel III-29 project area. III.16 Flame lengths associated with critical levels of fireline intensity that are associated III-30 with initiating crown fire… III.17 FOFEM indicated probability of mortality (from crown scorch or cambium kill) by III-31 diameter and flame length. III.18 Airsheds of concern and proximity to the Glass Angel analysis area III-36 III.19 Emissions produced by a 1,000 acre fire under “typical” conditions. III-36 III.20 Summary of the toxic chemical agents identified in woodsmoke. III-38 v Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents Table Subject Page III.21 Biomass available and emissions potentially not released into the airshed because III-39 of biomass utilization. III.22 Aerodynamic particle size multiplier. III-41 III.23 Emission factor…by particle size per mile of unpaved road traveled by one fully III-41 loaded logging truck. III.24 State noxious weed occurrences within the Glass Angel project area. III-46 III.25 Indicators potentially contributing to invasive species spread. III-48 III.26 Federally listed species known to occur on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National III-56 Forest III.27 Species of Concern (FWS 4/15/2008) and Regional Forester Sensitive Terrestrial III-62 Wildlife Species (USFS 1/2008) on the Okanogan-Wenatchee Forest (FWS 4/15/2008) III.28 Management Indicator Species and their associated habitat for the Wenatchee NF III-67 (USDA Forest Service, Wenatchee National Forest, 1990) III.29 NRF habitat degraded by spotted owl activity centers. III-82 III.30 Changes to northern spotted owl habitat by Northwest Forest Plan land allocations III-84 and spotted owl critical habitat. III.31 Effects determination for federally listed species for all alternatives III-87 III.32 Effects determination for Forest Service Sensitive Species for Action Alternative. III-93 III.33 Changes to snag densities after vegetation treatments. III-95 III.34 Priority habitat for landbird conservation in the Glass Angel Restoration Project III-105 Area, with representative focal species and key habitat features. III.35 Required Visual Quality Objectives for the Glass Angel Restoration Project. III-109 III.36 Effects of Treatments on Visual Quality Objectives. III-110 III.37 Recreation Activities Occurring within the Glass Angel Project Area. III-113 III.38 Summary of Soil Characteristics for Soil Mapping Units. III-123 III.39 Soil Disturbance Summary for Commercial Harvest and Biomass. III-130 III.40 Evaluation Summary – Soil and Watershed Resources. III-135 III.41 Nile Creek Drainage Fish Distribution (miles). III-142 III.42 Rattlesnake Creek Drainage, Known Fish Distribution (miles). III-142 III.43 Nile Creek drainage, LWD/Mile. III-146 III.44 Rattlesnake Creek watershed, LWD/Mile. III-147 III.45 Nile Creek drainage, Streambank Stability by Reach. III-148 III.46 Rattlesnake Creek Watershed, Streambank Stability by Reach. III-148 III.47 Pool Frequencies – Nile Creek drainage. III-149 III.48 Pool Frequencies – Rattlesnake Creek watershed. III-149 vi Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents Table Subject Page III.49 Road use for allotment management in the Glass Angle project area. III-178 III.50 Existing road miles and densities within the project area. III-185 III.51 Cost/return analysis. III-189 III.52 Suppression cost savings/acre, by fire size. III-190 IV.1 Forest Service Interdisciplinary Team IV-1 IV.2 Other Participants IV-1 A.1 Chronological Summary of Public/Agency Involvement A-1 vii Glass Angel Restoration Project Table of Contents List of Figures Figure Subject Page I.1 Glass Angel Restoration Project; Vicinity Map I-1 I.2 Methodology for Determining the Glass Angel Restoration Project Area I-3 I.3 Glass Angel Restoration Project; Base Map I-4 I.4 Glass Angel Restoration Project; Northwest Forest Plan Land Allocation I-8 I.5 Glass Angel Restoration Project; Wenatchee Forest Plan Land Allocation I-9 I.6 Representation of the current condition; a typical stand in the cool, moist forest I-18 type. I.7 Representation of the same stand after treatment. A complex patch is portrayed I-18 on the right side of the figure. I.8 Vented ford I-20 II.1 Determining the need for Refined Proposed Action(s) or Alternatives.