United States Preliminary Department of Agriculture Forest Assessment Service 2003 Slinky (2003) Clackamas River Ranger District, Mt. Hood National Forest Clackamas County, Oregon The project is located in T.6 S., R.7 E.; Willamette Meridian. For Information Contact: James Rice 595 NW Industrial Way, Estacada, OR 97023 503.630.8710 http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/mthood The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Table of Contents Summary .........................................................................................................................1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1 Document Structure................................................................................................................. 1 Background ............................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose and Need for Action .................................................................................................. 2 Proposed Action ...................................................................................................................... 5 Public Involvement ................................................................................................................. 5 Issues ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Alternatives ..................................................................................................................... 6 Alternative A - No Action........................................................................................... 6 Alternative B - The Proposed Action.......................................................................... 7 Alternative C............................................................................................................... 7 Alternative D............................................................................................................... 7 Alternatives Considered But Not Fully Developed .................................................... 9 Best Management Practices and Design Criteria Common to All Alternatives.................... 10 Comparison of Alternatives................................................................................................... 12 Environmental Consequences .................................................................................... 12 WATER QUALITY AND FISHERIES (Issue #1) .................................................. 12 HARVEST OF OLDER FOREST (Issue #2)........................................................... 22 WILDLIFE................................................................................................................ 31 SOILS ....................................................................................................................... 40 SCENERY ................................................................................................................ 44 BOTANY.................................................................................................................. 48 MANAGEMENT OF COMPETING AND UNWANTED VEGETATION........... 49 AIR QUALITY......................................................................................................... 54 ECONOMICS........................................................................................................... 56 TRANSPORTATON ................................................................................................ 57 HERITAGE RESOURCES ...................................................................................... 59 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE – CIVIL RIGHTS ................................................. 59 OTHER ..................................................................................................................... 62 Preliminary Assessment Slinky SUMMARY The Mt. Hood National Forest proposes a timber management project. The project area is located in the Oak Grove Fork watershed and the Upper Clackamas watershed and is within the Clackamas River Ranger District, Mt. Hood National Forest, Oregon. The purpose of this initiative is to regenerate older forest stands that are fragmented and growing slowly, to create young productive forest stands, and to provide forest products that meet the social needs of local and regional economies now and in the future. This action is needed, because the project area contains fragmented stands of older forest that are growing slowly due to the effects of diseases, insects and mortality. If no action were taken these stands would continue to grow slowly and would not contribute to a sustainable supply of forest products. The proposed action (Alternative B) is to harvest trees from approximately 184 acres using the reserve shelterwood regeneration method and to construct approximately 0.4 mile of temporary roads. In addition to the proposed action, the Forest Service also evaluated the following alternatives: • Alternative A (No Action) • Alternative C is similar to Alternative B except it would not construct any new temporary roads. • Alternative D is similar to Alternative C but would leave more trees. INTRODUCTION Document Structure ______________________________ The document is organized into four parts: • Introduction: This section includes information on the history of the project proposal, the purpose of and need for the project, and the agency’s proposal for achieving that purpose and need. This section also details how the Forest Service informed the public of the proposal and how the public responded. • Comparison of Alternatives, including the Proposed Action: This section provides a more detailed description of the agency’s proposed action as well as alternative methods for achieving the stated purpose. These alternatives were developed based on issues raised by the public and other agencies. This discussion also includes possible mitigation measures. Finally, this section provides a summary table of the environmental consequences associated with each alternative. • Environmental Consequences: This section describes the environmental effects of implementing the proposed action and other alternatives. This analysis is organized by resource. Within each section, the existing situation is described first, followed by the effects of the alternatives. The No-action Alternative provides a baseline for evaluation and comparison of the other alternatives. 1 Preliminary Assessment Slinky Additional documentation, including more detailed analyses of project-area resources, may be found in the project planning record located at the Estacada Ranger Station in Estacada, Oregon. Background _____________________________________ The proposed action involves the harvest of timber from mature forest stands. An earlier analysis was delayed by court cases that have since been resolved. Summary of Changes • To gain greater focus to the analysis, the proposed action will include only the regeneration harvest units. Units 36 and 38 have been deleted. • Alternatives have been adjusted and new ones added. • The associated projects that had been part of the proposed action have been separated from this document and are not considered connected actions. Public comments suggested that timber projects not be mixed with restoration projects. • Design criteria and effects discussion related to the eliminated projects have been adjusted accordingly. • The effects section has been updated to reflect the current situation and to add clarification in response to comments. Purpose and Need for Action ______________________ The purpose of this initiative is to regenerate older forest stands that are fragmented and growing slowly, to create young productive forest stands, and to provide forest products that meet the social needs of local and regional economies now and in the future. This action is needed, because the project area contains fragmented stands of older forest that are growing slowly due to the effects of diseases, insects and mortality. If no action were taken these stands would continue to grow slowly and would not contribute to a sustainable supply of forest products. This assessment is tiered to the Mt. Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement (USDA 1990a). The Mt. Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan as amended (referred to as the Forest Plan) is incorporated by reference (USDA 1990b). This action responds to the goals and objectives outlined in the Forest Plan, and helps move the project area towards desired conditions described in that plan. The Forest Plan was amended by the1994 Record of Decision