Botany Supplemental Report – Plant Species At Risk, Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest Introduction This specialist report provides supporting information to the effects analysis for at-risk plants in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the revised forest plan on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and the species of conservation concern selection. The analysis and conclusions in the EIS are based in part on the information provided here. Included below is the complete list of plant species that were evaluated as potential species of conservation concern in the plan area. Habitat, life history, distribution, threats, rare status ranks and pertinent plan components are considered as a part of this supplemental document. At-Risk Species The process for the identification of at-risk species in the plan revision process is outlined in the 2012 planning rule directives (FSH 1909.12, Ch. 10). At-risk species include those federally listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), proposed and candidate species under the ESA, and species of conservation concern. All action alternatives considered in the EIS share a common list of at-risk plants. There are no federally listed threatened and endangered plant species currently known to occur in the plan area, but there is one candidate species that is included as a federal at-risk species. The candidate plant species that occurs in the planning area is whitebark pine. A total of 31 species of conservation concern (SCC) and one candidate species are included as at-risk plant species for the Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest plan revision. The majority are flowering plants, but ferns, mosses, and one conifer are also included on the list. Species of conservation concern and habitat occur in all ecosystem types and in all geographic areas, as shown in the EIS. The species that were considered but not recommended as SCC because they are not known to occur in the Plan Area are shown in Appendix A below. All species that were considered and occurred in the Plan Area are addressed in the body of this supplemental report. Species of conservation concern Compared to Forest Service Sensitive species Under the current Forest plans, rare plants are provided for according to the national manual direction (FSM 2670) for Regional Forester’s Sensitive species (RFSS). There are a total of 35 species previously identified as sensitive in the plan area; 1 species is a federal candidate species (Whitebark pine) that will not be carried over as an SCC; 12 species from the R1SS list will not be designated by the Regional Forester as SCC for the Draft EIS and 9 additional species will be added that were not previously identified as at-risk species. The total proposed SCC species for the HLCNF is 31, excluding whitebark pine. The 12 RFSS were also addressed in this at-risk plant report. Unlike the Regional Forester’s Sensitive species list, the species of conservation concern lists are specific to each Forest, and species of conservation concern designated on a Forest must be known to occur there. For that reason, some at-risk species were identified as species of conservation concern on one Forest, but not another. If Regional Forester’s sensitive species were not carried forward as species of conservation concern, it was for one or more of the following reasons, as documented in the project record: 1) The species does not occur on the Forest. 1 2) Previous occurrence records were determined to be incorrect identifications of the species and/or could not be re-located. 3) Natureserve, Montana Natural Heritage Program (MTNHP), or other local data sources indicated the threats to the species in the plan area were not substantial. 4) Recent surveys indicated the species is more common than originally thought. 5) There was no information about threats to the species. This was a relatively uncommon circumstance, because information about threats could be inferred from threats to the ecosystems upon which the species depend. Lack of information generally only limited species inclusion on the list if the species had not been observed for decades or more, leading to uncertainty about the condition of its specific habitat and occurrences. Procedure and Rationale for Evaluation of Botanical Species of conservation concern Identification of initial list of species to consider The initial list included all known or potential rare plants within or near the administrative boundaries of the three Forests, providing a comprehensive list for evaluation of other criteria. The list was based on a compilation of 1) all Montana Natural Heritage Program, (MTNHP 2017) polygons from the March 2017 dataset that intersect the Forest boundaries, 2) Montana state lists of threatened and endangered species that occur in Counties that intersect the Forest boundaries, 3) plant species documented in the US Forest Service Natural Resource Information System (NRIS) for the Forest, 4) species on previous Region 1 Forest Sensitive species lists, Watch lists, or species recommended as SCC on adjacent Forests 5) Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records (http://www.pnwherbaria.org/) for species which are in or near the Forest administrative boundaries, and 6) local Forest datasets indicating which species occur in or near the Forests. In addition, we considered species listed by federally recognized Tribes, or which have been petitioned for Federal listing and for which a positive “90-day finding” has been made by a regulatory agency, or those for which the best available scientific information indicates there is a local conservation concern about the species’ capability to persist over the long-term in the Plan Area. No species were identified in the latter categories which were not already identified in the lists under items 1-6 above. This initial list consisted of 127 plant species including flowering plants, conifers, ferns, mosses, and lichens. Creation of spreadsheet (XL) template All species identified above were entered into a spreadsheet format to enable the evaluation of the following criteria, according to FS Directives (see DEIS Ch. 3 Introduction for explanation). The original template is available at the Regional SCC webpage. Verification of species occurrence within planning area Some of the species included from the previous step were based upon over-estimated delineations of map areas. Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records, Montana Natural Heritage database records, and Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest (HLC NF) rare plant data files were used to identify which 2 species have positive documentation within Forest administrative boundaries. Only species with reliable documentation for presence within the Plan Area, such as specimen vouchers, were carried forward for further consideration. Assignment of Natureserve ranks The November 2017 Natureserve ranks were entered into the spreadsheet, including G and T ranks, and S ranks for Montana. Conservation categories considered during the SCC evaluation were also entered into the table. All species that met the following criteria were carried forward for further evaluation: Federally threatened, endangered, or candidate species; G/T 1 or 2; G3, S1, or S2. Natureserve data and ranks are available at: http://www.natureserve.org/, with global rank definitions in Table 1. Table 1. Natureserve global rank definitions. Presumed Extinct (species)/Eliminated (ecological communities and systems) — Species not located despite intensive searches and virtually no likelihood of GX rediscovery. Ecological community or system eliminated throughout its range, with no restoration potential. Possibly Extinct (species)/ Eliminated (ecological communities and systems) — Known from only historical occurrences but still some hope of rediscovery. There is GH evidence that the species may be extinct or the ecosystem may be eliminated throughout its range, but not enough to state this with certainty. Critically Imperiled—At very high risk of extinction due to extreme rarity (often G1 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors. G2 Imperiled—At high risk of extinction or elimination due to very restricted range, very few populations, steep declines, or other factors. Vulnerable—At moderate risk of extinction or elimination due to a restricted G3 range, relatively few populations, recent and widespread declines, or other factors. Apparently Secure—Uncommon but not rare; some cause for long-term concern G4 due to declines or other factors. G5 Secure—Common; widespread and abundant. G? Unknown – some uncertainty regarding rank Table 2. Conservation Categories Conservation Category Definition 3 G1 See above. G2 See above. G3 See above. MNHP state rank 1: At high risk because of extremely limited S1 and/or rapidly declining population numbers, range and/or habitat, making it highly vulnerable to extirpation in the state. MNHP State rank 2: At risk because of very limited and/or S2 potentially declining population numbers, range and/or habitat, making it vulnerable to extirpation in the state. Adjacent SCC species of conservation concern on an adjacent National Forest unit RFSS regional forester sensitive species Montana Species of Concern: All species with MNHP state ranks of SOC 1, 2 and 3 Delisted (removed) from the Endangered Species Act list within the DM last five years, or delisted and still monitored by the regulatory agency TC Tribal concern LC Local concern The Montana Coefficient of Conservatism (C-) value measures a plant species' tolerance