TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER: Introduction............................................................................ 8 Location and Size........................................................................................ 8 Land Allocations - Northwest Forest Plan Objectives............................. 10 Late-Successional Reserves................................................................. 10 Riparian Reserves................................................................................ 10 Matrix.................................................................................................... 12 Primary Elements to Carry Through the Analysis.................................. 12 CHAPTER II: Issues and Key Question.................................................... 14 Issue 1: Protection or enhancement of wildlife habitat.......................... 14 Issue 2: Protection or enhancement of salmonid fish habitat................ 16 Issue 3: Stream temperature limitations for fisheries............................. 17 Issue 4: Production of timber in Matrix land allocation........................ 17 Issue 5: Access within and through this watershed................................ 18 CHAPTER III: Reference Resource Conditions....................................... 19 I. Characterization of Resource Components........................................... 19 Physical Components............................................................................ 19 Climate............................................................................................. 19 Geology............................................................................................. 20 Soil / Climate Zones........................................................................ 21 Soil Quality...................................................................................... 26 Hydrology........................................................................................ 26 Stream Network.............................................................................. 29 Biological Components......................................................................... 31 Plant Associations ......................................................................... 31 Successional Pathways and Stand Composition........................... 34 Human Components............................................................................. 37 II. Natural Disturbance Processes............................................................. 38 38 Fire.......................................................................................................... Wind....................................................................................................... 38 Insects and Disease................................................................................ 38 Landslides.............................................................................................. 39 Floods..................................................................................................... 42 Sediment Routing.................................................................................. 43 Soil Compaction and Displacement..................................................... 43 III. Reference Vegetation Patterns, Habitat Conditions and Species 44 Utilization....................................................................................................... Terrestrial 44 Vegetation........................................................................... Terrestrial Habitat Condition.............................................................. 44 Terrestrial Species Distribution........................................................... 45 Aquatic Habitat Condition.................................................................. 48 Streambed Substrates..................................................................... 48 Abundance of LWD........................................................................ 50 Range of Summer Stream Temperatures..................................... 52 Area and Quality of Pools.............................................................. 53 Aquatic Species Utilization................................................................... 53 CHAPTER IV: Changes in Disturbance Regimes.................................... 56 Human Influence......................................................................................... 56 Settlement -Related 56 Fires...................................................................... Agriculture............................................................................................. 58 Access..................................................................................................... 59 Quarries................................................................................................. 59 Timber Harvest..................................................................................... 59 Recreation............................................................................................ 60 Insects and Disease..................................................................................... 62 Landslides.................................................................................................... 62 Sediment Routing........................................................................................ 64 CHAPTER V: Current Condition, Synthesis and Interpretation of 65 Resource Information................................................................................... Issue 1: Protection or enhancement of wildlife habitat.......................... 65 Vegetation Patterns, Structures and Composition............................. 65 Ecological Units............................................................................... 65 Effects of Settlement Fires.............................................................. 66 Effects of Commercial Logging Activity....................................... 69 Wildlife Habitat Condition................................................................... 72 Seral Classes.................................................................................... 72 Patch Sizes and Interior Forest...................................................... 76 Structural Components of Forest Habitat.................................... 78 Special Habitats............................................................................... 82 Current Condition and Trend of Wildlife and Botanical Species.... 84 Late-Successional Forest Species................................................... 86 Other Species of Concern............................................................... 91 Botanical Resources........................................................................ 95 Issue 2: Protection or enhancement of salmonid fish habitat................ 97 Aquatic Habitat Characteristics.......................................................... 97 Condition of Streambed Substrates............................................... 97 Abundance of LWD........................................................................ 99 Area and Quality of Pool at Summer Flow................................... 102 Presence of Slow Water and Off-Channel Habitats..................... 104 Aquatic Species Distribution.................................................................. 105 Issue 3: Stream temperature limitations for fisheries............................. 112 Issue 4: Production of timber in Matrix land allocation........................ 125 Issue 5: Access within and through this watershed................................ 130 CHAPTER VI: Management Opportunities............................................. 133 Prioritization of Restoration Areas....................................................... 133 Terrestrial Landscape Assessment................................................. 133 Aquatic Landscape Assessment..................................................... 134 Silvicultural Opportunities and Access......................................... 134 Overall Landscape Prioritization.................................................. 139 Appropriate Management Activities................................................... 139 Management Opportunities Common to all Federal Owners..... 146 Management Opportunities Relating to BLM Roads.................. 147 Subwatershed Statistics, Unique Attributes, Limitations & Goals.. 151 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Land ownership and land use allocation............................................. 12 Table 2 Soil/Climate Zones............................................................................. 25 Table 3: Plant association groups...................................................................... 33 Table 4: Structural components of old-growth stands...................................... 36 Table 5: Snag and down wood by age of stand................................................. 36 Table 6: Shallow-rapid landslide susceptibility matrix..................................... 42 Table 7: Reference condition for selected fisheries life-stage habitat components......................................................................................... 49 Table 8: Hardwood dominated landscape......................................................... 50 Table 9: Large wood reference conditions........................................................ 51 Table 10: Key life stage habitat requirements of fish species............................