United States Department of Agrukne Gila National Forest Plan F0N.t SWVbX Southwestern Region September 1986 I I I I I \ Gila National Forest Plan Table of Contents E21!. 1. INTAWUCTION Purposs of the Plan. 1 Orgemratron of the Proposed Forest Pten Document. 2 Planmng Area Osscriptlon . * . 2 2. PUBLIC ISSUES, MANAGEMENT CONCERNS, AND OPPORTUNITIES overvievr ................. ............ 3 Produce Timber and Wood Fiber ...... ............ 3 Range Msnsgemsnt ............. ............ 4 Lendownershlp .............. ............ 4 Aecrestlon ................ ............ 4 Wildlife ................. ............ 5 Trensportation .............. ............ 5 Wilderness ................ ............ G Fhparran ................. ............ B 3. SUMNARY OF THE MANAGEMENT SITUATION lAMSI Overvres ............................. 7 Tlmber . ............................. 7 Range. ............................. s Recreetlon ............................ 9 Wlldlrfe ............................. g Wats r. .............................. 9 4. MANAGEMENT DIRECTION 0verv1ew ............................. Mission ............................. :: Desired Future Condlt?ons .................... 11 Goals. .............................. II Qbjectlves ............................ Management Prsscnptrons ..................... Ei Nenegement Prescnptron Appllcabls to all Areas Except Wilderness. Management Prescrrptions Applxcsbls to ALL WxLdernsss. ...... :: FeclLxties Nsnagement Ares .................... 45 Developed Reoreatlon Management Ares ............... 47 Research Natural Areas Management Area .............. 4s Menegement Ares 2A ........................ 50 Management Area 28 ........................ Management Ares 2C ........................ E Management Area 20 ........................ Management Ares 2E ........................ ;: Management Area 2F ........................ 78 Management Area 26 ........................ B3 l+anegsment Area 2H ........................ Management Area 3A ........................ :: Management Ares 38 ........................ 100 Management Aree 3C ........................ 106 Management Area 30 ........................ 112 Management Area 4A ........................ 119 kmegement Area 48 ........................ 126 Management Area 4C ........................ 133 Management Area 40 ........................ 140 Management Area 5A ........................ 145 Management Area 5B ........................ 152 Management Area 5C ........................ 158 Management Area 50 ........................ 165 Nsnagement Area 6A ........................ 171 Management Area 88 ........................ 176 Management Area 6C ........................ 105 Management Ares 6D ........................ 193 Manage,,,ent Area 7A ........................ 200 Management Area 78 ........................ 206 Management Area 7C ........................ 210 Management Area 70 ........................ 215 Management Ares 7E ........................ 220 Management Area 7F ........................ 227 Management Area 76 ........................ 234 Management Area QA ........................ 240 Nonsgement Area QB ........................ 245 Management Area QA ........................ 252 Manegement Ares 96 ........................ 257 Management Ares QC ........................ 263 Management Area 90 ........................ 268 Mansgsmsnt Ares QE ........................ 273 5. MONITORING PLAN Introductron . ........................ 279 Timber 1 . ........................ 2HO Timber 2 . ........................ Timber 3 . ........................ Timber 4 , . ........................ ~nh; g . * . ........................ * . * . ........................ Timber 7 . ........................ Timber B . ........................ 1’ Range 1 . ........................ Range 2 . ........................ 283 Range 3 . ........................ 283 Range 4 . ........................ 283 Range 5 . ........................ 284 Cultural Resources I....................... 284 Cultural Resources 2 ....................... 264 SOIL and \%ter 1 . ........................ 284 Al P . ........................ 285 Protect;a;! i . ........................ 286 Firs Management 1 ........................ 266 Fire Management 2 ........................ 267 Recreation 1 . ........................ 287 Recreation 2 . ........................ 287 Recreation 3 . ........................ 288 Lands . ........................ 28R Wlldernass 1 . ........................ 2QP Wilderness 2 . ........................ 288 I’hldl~fs 1 . ........................ PBQ Rlparlsn . ........................ 290 Fsc~Lltles . ........................ 291 Cost 1 . ........................ 292 cost 2 . * . ........................ 292 Cost 3 . ........................ 292 GLOSSARY ............................... 293 APPENDIX Appwdlx A - Activity Code Index ................. 321 Appendix B - Supplementary Timber Resource Exhibits. ....... 323 List of Tables Table Title hJ2 1. Comparison of the Proposed Plan Key Outputs wth Supply end PrOJeCted Demand . , . , . 7 2. Tentetlvely SuItable Land Class~ficetlon . 8 3. Proposed Plan Outputs - Period 1 . 13 4. Recrestlon Slts Construotlon Schedule - Penod 1 . 13 5. RehablLltatlon Schedule - Period 1 . 13 6. FacILltles Construction end Reoanstructlon Schedule - Period 1 . 14 7. V.I.S. [VisItor Informstlon 3ervtcee.J - Rehabxl~tetron Schedule -. 14 8. Trail Construction and Reconstruction Schedule - Penod 1 . 14 9. Lend L?ne Low&on Program - Ponod 1 . 14 10. Right-Of-Way Aoqwsltlon Schedule - Per;od ‘i : : : : : : : : : : : . 15 11. Road Construction end Reoonstwcr~on Schedule - Period 1 . 15 Ten Year Timber Sale Program - Period 1 . 16 432: Sunmary of Vegatatron Management Practices - Penod 1 end 2 . IS 1. introduction PUKJOGI- I.6 THE PLAN Thxs PLen defines the d,rect,on for msnsg,ng the Glls Patlonal Forest for the next IO-15 years. The Plan prcvldes for xntsgrsted multiple use end susts~ned yrstd of goods end ee~v~ces from ths Forest in e nay that mex1m1zes Long-te,n net public benefits rn en env~rcnmentelly sound manner. Preparet,cn cf the the Forest p!sn ,e rsqwred by the Rsnsasble ,?sscu;cae PLann>ng Act (KQA), 8s amended by the Natlcnal Forest Management Act (NFFIAI. The Fcree~ PLsn rep!aces oil preu,ou* ., rescu~cs msnsgsment plens piwpared for the Forest. Upon apprcval of the Foreet Plan, all eubssquent ect,v,t,ee affectrng these lands, lnclud>ng budget propcss!s, vnll be based nn the Forest Plan [36 CFR 219.10 Is]]. In addxtlan, all permrts, contracts , and other ,nbtwmente for the “se end occupancy of thsot. l%t~cnal Forest System Lends muet be cons,stent with the Forest PLon [36 CFR 219.10 [e)]. The plsnmng pnncrplss I” the NFMA rsg”lat,ons [3E CFR 219.1 (b)] were lntegrstrd throughout the prccess. These pnnciples are: 1. Estebl~ehmnnt of gcols and obJectIves for multiple-use end s”sts,ned-y,e,d menegement of renewable rsec”rcse wthcut ,mpn,,ment of the prcduot;vlty of the Lend; 2. Ccnelderatlcn of the rsLet,ve va:ues of all renewable rsewi-yes, Including the ,eiat,onshrp of ncnrenecabla ~sscurces, such es m,nerals, to renewable resources; 3. AeCOgnitlcn thet the Net>cna: Forests are ecceyetsme and the,r management for goods and es~v,cee requrres end elye,eneee end cc’nbidf~e11cn <f :.hs ,nts,re,nt,cns1,,pe among p!ents, sn,ms!e, sc,L. water, a,~, and ether env~rcnmental factors wIthIn euch scoeyetems: 4. Prctectlon and, where app,cpr,sts, ,mprovement of the qual,ty of rsnewsbls resources: 5. Prsservat~on of rmpcrtsnt h,stc,,c, cultural, end netural aspects of our netlonal hentage; 6. Prctectlon and prsservn‘,on of the inhelent rxght of freedcn cf Amencon Indlens to bel~evs, express, end exsro,ss the,v trsdltlonel rellglcno; 7. PrCV~slcns for the ssfe “se end enJoymsnt of the forest i-se~u~~es by the public; 8. Prctsctrcn. through scc:cglcslly ccmpatlble meens, of all forest snd rangelend rseourcse from deprsdat,cns by fclest end rangelend pests; 9. Cccrd~netlan wth the Land and ?ssc”~ce planmng efforts of other Federel sgenc,ss, State end Local gave~nmsnte, end Ind?on trlbss; 10. Use of e systsmst,c. ,nterd,sc1pt1nary spprcech tc sneurs cccrd~netlcn and lntsgrstlon of planning ectlvltlse for multiple-we manegeme”t; 11. Early end frequent public pertlcrpstron; 12. Establishment of quent~tet~vs end quslrtetlve standards end gwdehnes for Lend and ,s6ource plsnnlng and management; 13. Management of NatIonal Forest System Lands tn s manner that IS sens,tive ,.u econcm~c aff,c,ency; and 14. Responsrvsnest to chsngrng ccndltrcns of Land end other ~escu~cse and to chsnglng 60~181 end ernnomlc demands nf the Amerrcan people, I :;;eFotrest PLen replaces all previous pescuwe nansgsment plans prspared for the 8 . Upon approval of the Forest PLan. all subsequent ectlv?ties nffecl?ng these lends. lncludlng budget prcpcsels, WILL be based on the Forest Plan [36 CFR 219.10 la]]. In addltrcn, DLL permits. ccntrecte. end other rnstruments for the uw and occupanoy of these Netlcnsl Forest System Lends must be ccns>atent with the Forest PLan [36 CFR 219.10 [a]]. Lend management prsscr~pt~cns end standards end guldellnes BP” e n~.atemsnt Of the PLsn’s menegement di rectlcn. PrcJeotsd output, ssPY1ces, end Petas of 1mplementat~cn era, however, dependent on the ennueL budget process. ImpLementat?on schedutes con be chsnged to reflect annusl budget and amended acccrd>ngly nftel spprcpnats public not fxcstlon. ORGACIZATION OF THE Chapter 2 of the proposed Forest Plan descrrbes the ms~cr ‘eeueb and ccncelnb PROPOSW FOREST and how the proposed ect,on tespcnds