United States Forest Bend/Fort Rock 63095 Deschutes Market Road Department of Service Ranger District Bend, Oregon 97701 Agriculture Date: 12 February 2015 To: The Record Re: Survey and Manage Plant Species within Ursus Project From: Charmane Powers Summary of Findings There are no expected direct, indirect, or cumulative effects from implementation of any alternative, because: • There are no known Survey and Manage sites located within the project treatment areas. • There is no old-growth habitat present within project treatment areas, which would trigger survey for some species. This report documents the survey findings, project effects, and project recommendations regarding the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) “Survey and Manage” plant species as they relate to the Ursus Project; the entirety of Ursus falls within the NWFP area. The Survey and Manage guidelines have changed many times since its inception. The following represents the direction at the time of this document and project, taken from a May 13, 2014 letter of direction: “… in order to allow projectsDRAFT that are already initiated (meaning scoping initiated or the project is entered into the Schedule of Proposed Actions) to proceed with minimal disruption, there is a grace period for implementing this direction. Field units can choose which direction to follow until April 30, 2015; projects initiated in this next year can follow the direction in (a) or (b) below. For projects initiated after April 30, 2015, your project must follow direction in (b). (a) The January 2001 ROD standards and guidelines and the associated January 2001 species list, and/or the four categories of projects exempt from the Survey and Manage standards and guidelines as stipulated by Judge Pechman (October 11, 2006 Pechman exemptions). (Same as previous June 12, 2013 Interim Direction.) (b) The January 2001 ROD standards and guidelines and the December 2003 species list, except for the red tree vole which remains as Category C across its range, and/or the Ursus Project—Survey and Manage Report (Plants) Page 1 of 10 four categories of projects exempt from the Survey and Manage standards and guidelines as stipulated by Judge Pechman (October 11, 2006, “Pechman exemptions”.) This document follows the direction outline in (b) above. Project Consistency The Ursus project applies the Survey and Manage species list in the 2001 ROD using the December 2003 species list (Table 1-1, Standards and Guidelines, pages 41-51) and thus meets the provisions of the May 2014 guidance letter (referenced above) and the 2001 Record of Decision and Standards and Guidelines for Amendments to the Survey and Manage, Protection Buffer, and other Mitigation Measures Standards and Guidelines. See Appendix A for the Survey and Manage categories into which species are grouped; see Appendix B for a list and brief habitat description of the potential Deschutes National Forest species for which pre-disturbance surveys are required and for which any known sites are required to be managed; see Appendix C for Definitions of “Equivalent Effort Surveys in Old Growth” and “Habitat Disturbing”. One way the NWFP requires the Forest Service to address late-successional forest ecosystem function is through consideration of “Survey and Manage” species associated with this ecosystem. These are selected species of fungi, lichens, bryophytes, vascular plants, and invertebrate animals whose viability are of concern within this broad ecosystem type. The November 2000 FEIS identifies six categories into which species are grouped. In order to fall into one of these categories, the species must meet three basic criteria: 1. The species must occur within the Northwest Forest Plan area, or occur close to the NWFP area and have potentially suitable habitat within the NFP area. 2. The species must be closely associated with late-successional or old-growth forest. 3. The reserve system and other Standards and Guidelines of the NFP do not appear to provide for a reasonable assurance of species persistence. All six categories contain a requirement to conduct “strategic surveys”, which is something separate from project-level surveys andDRAFT is not required to be addressed in this document. Specific habitat information on Survey and Manage species is becoming better understood as species-specific surveys are conducted and data is compiled and compared. However, many habitat descriptions are based on relatively few records and will continue to be scrutinized and refined as new sites are discovered. The following discussion is an effort to assess and apply existing information as it relates to the Ursus project. PROJECT DESCRIPTION Alternative 1 (NO ACTION) Alternative 1 is the No Action alternative. This alternative is required by law and serves as a baseline for comparison of the effects of all of the alternatives. Under Alternative 1, current management plans would continue to guide management. There would be no change in the level of ongoing management activities Ursus Project—Survey and Manage Report (Plants) Page 2 of 10 within the project area. All custodial activities such as road maintenance, law enforcement, and response to emergencies, including wildfire, would continue. No treatment would be implemented to reduce stand density and fire risk and meet the Purpose and Need of this proposed project. Alternative 2 (PROPOSED ACTION) Alternative 2, the proposed action, would respond to the Purpose and Need by harvesting 4,208 of 6,066 acres of stands in the project area. Thirty-one percent of the planning area or 1,858 acres would remain untreated. Fuel treatment would occur on 4,158 acres. This alternative is consistent with management direction set forth in the Deschutes National Forest Plan. Alternative 3 Alternative 3 would respond to the Purpose and Need by harvesting 4,148 of 6,066 acres of stands in the project area. Thirty-two percent of the planning area or 1,919 acres would remain untreated. Fuel treatment would occur on 4,075 acres. This alternative is consistent with management direction set forth in the Deschutes National Forest Plan. PREFIELD REVIEW The plant associations in Ursus include lodgepole pine and mixed conifer. Soils are most commonly characterized by sandy volcanic ash and pumice on a buried soil over glacial till, while on the buttes, it becomes sandy pumiceous volcanic ash & pumice lapilli over sandy buried soils. The elevation lies between 5400’ – 6400’. The average annual precipitation measures about 20 – 30”. The area is characterized generally by a depauperate understory. (Common understory herbaceous plants include upland sedges, western needlegrass, Idaho fescue, bottlebrush squirreltail, silvery lupine, and strawberry). There are no known sites within Ursus treatment areas of any Survey and Manage species listed on the Deschutes National Forest S&M list (Appendix B). If sites were present, that would trigger protection from project disturbance. There is no old growth (see definition in Appendix C) present within Ursus that is proposed for treatment, which eliminates considerationDRAFT of all Category B species (most prominently featuring many fungi species). VASCULAR PLANTS There is no habitat present within the project area for Cypripedium montanum; this species would require pre-disturbance surveys if habitat is present. This species has never been found on the Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger District. BRYOPHYTES The only Deschutes bryophyte requiring pre-disturbance survey if habitat is present, Schistostega Ursus Project—Survey and Manage Report (Plants) Page 3 of 10 pennata, does not have habitat within Ursus. LICHENS There are no S&M lichens that are in a category that requires surveys nor are there any known sites to protect within Ursus. FUNGI Category B fungi are required to have “equivalent effort” surveys conducted if the project proposes to enter old-growth habitat (see Appendix C) and if the activity is deemed habitat-disturbing (see Appendix C), and if the project does not meet the Judge Pechman exemptions (see Appendix D). Surveys for Category B fungi are not warranted in the Ursus project, because there is no old growth habitat present within proposed treatment areas. This determination was made using the 1993 Region 6 Interim Old Growth definitions referenced in Appendix C, as reflected in the old growth lidar dataset in the GIS layerfiles of the Deschutes National Forest. PROJECT EFFECTS Direct, Indirect and Cumulative Effects: There are no expected direct, indirect, or cumulative effects to Survey and Manage species in the proposed project because there are no known S&M sites present, nor is there old-growth habitat present within disturbance areas, which would trigger a survey for certain species. See page one for a summary of Findings. REFERENCES AND COMMUNICATIONS Bend/Ft. Rock Ranger DistrictDRAFT Survey and Manage species GIS layer. Deschutes National Forest old growth lidar GIS layerfile. USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management. 2000. Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: For Amendment to the Survey & Manage, Protection Buffer, and other Mitigation Measures, Standards and Guidelines, Volumes I and II. USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management. January 2001. Record of Decision and Standards and Guidelines: For Amendment to the Survey and Manage, Protection Buffer, and other Mitigation Measures, Standards and Guidelines USDA Forest Service, May 13, 2014. Letter of direction titled “Direction Regarding the Survey and Manage Standards and Guidelines”. Ursus Project—Survey and Manage Report (Plants) Page 4 of 10 APPENDIX A SURVEY AND MANAGE CATEGORIES Category A – Rare species. Pre-disturbance surveys are practical. The objective of this category is to manage all known sites and minimize inadvertent loss of undiscovered sites. Management direction includes manage all known sites, survey prior to habitat-disturbing activities, and conduct strategic surveys. Category B – Rare species. Pre-disturbance surveys are not practical. The objective of this category is to manage all known sites and minimize inadvertent loss of undiscovered sites. Management direction includes manage all known sites and conduct strategic surveys. Category C – Uncommon species.