United States Department of Agriculture Environmental Forest Service Assessment July 2007 Thomas Mountain Fuels Reduction Project San Jacinto Ranger District, San Bernardino National Forest Riverside County, California For More Information Contact: Greg Casselberry Deputy District Ranger P.O. Box 518 Idyllwild, CA 92549 909/382-2600 x4116 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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Environmental Assessment Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1 - Purpose and Need for Action ....................................................................................... 3 Existing Conditions - Why Here and Now?................................................................................ 3 Public and Firefighter Health and Safety ................................................................................ 3 Forest Communities of Concern.............................................................................................. 6 Recreation................................................................................................................................ 9 Cultural Areas........................................................................................................................ 10 Desired Future Condition.......................................................................................................... 11 Proposed Action........................................................................................................................ 13 Decision Framework ................................................................................................................. 16 Adaptive Management........................................................................................................... 16 Relationship to Forest Plan.................................................................................................... 16 Public Involvement ................................................................................................................... 17 30-Day Comment Period....................................................................................................... 18 Issues ..................................................................................................................................... 18 Federal and State Permits, Licenses, and Certifications ........................................................... 19 Applicable Laws and Executive Orders ................................................................................ 20 Project Record Availability ................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 2 - Alternatives, Including the Proposed Action.............................................................. 21 Forest Plan Consistency ............................................................................................................ 21 Design Features ..................................................................................................................... 21 Monitoring............................................................................................................................. 21 Findings and Disclosures....................................................................................................... 22 Alternatives Considered but not Analyzed in Detail................................................................. 22 Diameter-Limit Alternative................................................................................................... 22 Prescribed Fire-Only Alternative .......................................................................................... 23 Alternatives Considered in Detail ............................................................................................. 24 Alternative 1 - No Action...................................................................................................... 24 Alternative 2 - Proposed Action............................................................................................ 24 Transportation System Needed to Implement Proposed Actions.......................................... 30 Comparison of Alternatives ......................................................................................................32 Chapter 3 - Environmental Consequences..................................................................................... 36 Analysis Documents Used For this Assessment ....................................................................... 36 Past, Present, and Reasonably Foreseeable Actions ................................................................. 36 Vegetation ................................................................................................................................. 38 Stand Exams and Analysis .................................................................................................... 38 Forest Structure ..................................................................................................................... 39 Tree Size/Species Composition/Density ............................................................................... 39 Resulting Changes from Historic Conditions........................................................................ 41 Desired Condition ..................................................................................................................... 42 Management of Density and Structure for Fire Resilient Conditions ................................... 42 Management of Density and Structure for Healthy/Sustainable Forest Conditions.............. 46 Existing or Baseline/Reference Conditions .............................................................................. 48 Environmental Consequences to Vegetation............................................................................. 50 Alternative 1 - No Action...................................................................................................... 50 Alternative 2 - Proposed Action............................................................................................ 56 Vegetation Project Monitoring.................................................................................................. 63 Environmental Consequences to Fire and Fuel Conditions ...................................................... 64 i Thomas Mountain Fuels Reduction Project Alternative 1 - No Action...................................................................................................... 64 Alternative 2 - Proposed Action............................................................................................ 65 Environmental Consequences to Wildlife................................................................................. 70 Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species .................................................................... 71 Management Indicator Species.............................................................................................. 86 Migratory Birds ..................................................................................................................... 87 Range..................................................................................................................................... 88 Wildlife Project Monitoring .................................................................................................. 89 Environmental Consequences to Botany .................................................................................. 89 Noxious Weeds...................................................................................................................... 89 Botany Management Indicator Species ................................................................................. 93 Botany Threatened and Endangered Species......................................................................... 94 Botany Sensitive, Watch-list, and Proposed San Bernardino National Forest Sensitive Plant Species................................................................................................................................... 95 Botany Project Monitoring.................................................................................................... 95 Environmental Consequences to Watershed............................................................................. 97 Alternative 1 - No Action.....................................................................................................