Indian River timber sale(s) : final environmental impact statement. Vol. I

582 Pages·1999·30.7 MB·English

by  Tongass National Forest (Agency : U.S.). Sitka Ranger District

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

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Common
Abbreviations
ACMP
Alaska Coastal Management Program
ADEC
AlaskaDepartmentofEnvironmental Conservation
ADF&G AlaskaDepartmentofFish and Game
ANCSA AlaskaNativeClaims SettlementActof 1971
ANILCA AlaskaNational InterestLands Conservation Actof 1980
BMP
BestManagementPractice
CFL Commercial ForestLand
CFR Code ofFederal Regulations
COE Army Corps ofEngineers
CZMA
Coastal ZoneManagementActof 1976
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
FSH Forest Service Handbook
GIS Geographic Information System
IDT Interdisciplinary Team
LTF LogTransferFacility
LUD Land Use Designation
LWD LargeWoody Debris
MBF One thousand board feet
MIS ManagementIndicatorSpecies
MMBF
One million board feet
NEPA National Environmental Policy Actof 1969 (as amended)
NFMA
National ForestManagementAct
OGR
Old Growth Reserves
PFL ProductiveForestLand
ROD
Record ofDecision
TLRMP Tongass Land and ResourceManagementPlan
TTRA Tongass TimberReformAct
USDA United States DepartmentofAgriculture
VCU
Value Comparison Unit
WAA
WildlifeAnalysis Area
Indian River Timber Sale(s)
Final Environmental Impact Statement
USDA Forest Service, Alaska Region
Tongass National Forest
Sitka and Hoonah Ranger Districts
LeadAgency USDAForestService
TongassNationalForest
Responsible FredS.Salinas,AssistantForestSupervisor
Official TongassNationalForest
204SiginakaWay
Sitka,Alaska 99835
ForFurther LinnShipley,TeamLeader
Information, TongassNationalForest
Contact 204SiginakaWay
Sitka,Alaska 99835
[phone]
e-mail: Ishipley/[email protected]
Abstract
The U.S. Forest Service proposes to harvest approximately 24 million board feet (MMBF) of
timber in the Indian River Project Area, Sitka and Hoonah Ranger Districts, Tongass
National Forest. The actions analyzed in this EIS are designed to implement direction
contained in the 1997 Tongass Land and Resource Management Plan. The EIS describes
six alternatives which provide different combinations of resource outputs and spatial
locations of harvest units. The alternatives include: (A) No Action; (B) (Proposed Action) to
distribute timber harvest throughout the Project Area, using a landscape matrix approach to
maintain levels of biodiversity and wildlife habitat; (C) to concentrate timber harvest in Value
Comparison Units (VCU) 204, 216, and 222 with additional units in VCU 220 to provide a
middle volume alternative; (D) to concentrate timber harvest in VCUs 204, 216, and 222 to
reduce impacts on residents of Tenakee Springs; (E) to distribute timber harvest throughout
the Project Area, while deferring harvest in areas of high habitat value; and (F) to distribute
timber harvest throughout the Project Area and provide a high level of timber.

Table of Contents
Chapter Purpose and Need
1 :
ProjectOverview 1
Purpose and Need 3
Decision to be Made and Responsible Official 5
ProjectLocation 5
Proposed Action 5
Relationship ofthis Projectto the Modified 1997 Tongass Land and Resource
Management Plan 7
Management Prescriptions for the Indian RiverProject Area 9
Land Use Designations 10
Howthe Indian River ProjectAreawas Selected 16
Scope ofthe Project 16
Public Involvement 16
Issues to be Addressed 20
OtherIssues 22
Permits and Licenses 22
Legislation Related to this EIS 23
Reduction ofPaperworkandthe Availability ofthe PlanningRecord 24
Chapter 2: Alternatives Including the Proposed Action
Alternative Development 1
Alternatives Eliminated from Detailed Study 8
Alternatives Considered in Detail 8
Actions Common to All Alternatives 12
Comparison ofAlternatives By Identified Issue 15
Proposed Harvest Units Over 100Acres 21
Post-Harvest Silvicultural Treatments 21
EnhancementOpportunities 23
Mitigation Measures 24
Monitoring 24
Chapter 3: Affected Environment
Overview
1
Landscape Ecology 2
Geology, Minerals, and Caves 9
Soils, Fish, and Water 11
Vegetation 21
Wildlife 25
Threatened, Endangered, and Alaska Region Sensitive Species 35
Timber 37
Subsistence 41
Recreation 47
Scenic Quality 53
Heritage Resources 57
Land Status 59
Transportation System 61
Economics and Social Values 65
Indian RiverTimberSale(s) Final EIS Table OfContents 1
aoie ot oomenis
Chapter 4: Environmental Consequences
Overview
1
Geology, Minerals and Caves 3
Soils, Water and Fish 5
Vegetation 14
Wildlife 17
Threatened, Endangered, and Alaska Region Sensitive Species 28
Timber 31
Subsistence 39
Recreation 53
Scenic Quality 63
Heritage Resources 65
Land Status 67
Transportation System 69
Economics and Social Values 77
OtherEnvironmental Considerations 80
List of Tables:
Chapter 1
Table 1-1 - HowThisEIS is Organized 1
Table 1-2-Modified 1997 ForestPlan Land Use Designations 9
Table l-2a- ProjectArea Descriptions 9
Table 1-2b - TimberProduction Land Use Designation 11
Table l-2c - Old-Growth Habitat Land Use Designation 12
Table 1-2d - Modified Landscape Land Use Designation 14
Table l-2e - Transportation and Utility Systems Land Use Designation 15
Table 1-3 - Public Involvement and Scoping Activities 17
Table 1-4 -Collaborative Stewardship Activities with Other Agencies 19
Chapter 2
Table 2-1 - Units Proposed forHand Planting 21
Table 2-2 - Precommercial Thinning Surveys ofPreviously Harvested
UnitsWithin the ProjectArea 22
Table 2-3 - Summary Comparison ofPlanned Actions, by Alternative 25
Table 2-4- Summary Comparison: Effecton Resources, by Alternative 26
Chapter 3
Table 3-1 - National Hierarchy ofEcological Units 3
Table 3-la - Biodiversity Components and Scales and the 1991 TLMP SDEIS
Biodiversity Elements 3
Table 3-lb - Landtype Association Acres and Percentages forthe Indian River
ProjectArea and theNortheastChichagofLandscape Analysis Area 6
Table 3-2 - KarstVulnerability in the Indian River ProjectAreaas Assessed by
HarzaNorthwest, Inc. (Acres) 10
Table 3-3 - Number and Acres ofLandslides in Project AreaWatersheds 11
Table 3-4 - Numberand Acres ofLandslides in Project AreaWatersheds in Forested
UncutVersus Forested ClearcutAreas 12
Table 3-5 - Existing Roads and Numbers ofDrainage Structures byWatershed 12
2 Table ofContents Indian RiverTimberSale(s) Final EIS
Table of Contents
Table 3-6 - Condition ofDrainage Structures, and Number ofSitesWith
Road PrismErosion 13
Table 3-7 - StreamMiles by StreamClass 16
Table 3-8 - Stream Riparian AreaInfluenced byExisting Roads
and Harvest Units 18
Table 3-9 - StreamClass I and II Drainage Structures that are Fish Passage Barriers
or are Affected by BeaverActivity (includes road washout sites) 18
Table 3-10 - Acres ofProductive Old-Growth Forest in 1997
by LandtypeAssociation 22
Table 3-11 -Wetland Acres within Landtype Associations by VCU
forthe ProjectArea 24
Table 3-12 - Acres ofProject AreaWildlife Habitat 25
Table 3-13 - ProjectAreaOld-Growth Patch Size 28
Table 3-14 - Relative Importance ofConifer Successional Stages as
Habitats forManagement Indicator Species 29
Table 3-15 - NumberofEagle Nests by VCU 33
Table 3-16 - Threatened, Endangered, Species ofConcern, and Sensitive Species
Which May Occur in the Indian RiverProjectArea 35
Table 3-17 - ProjectAreaLandbase (Acres) 37
Table 3-18 - TimberVolume Strata 38
Table 3-19 - Acres ofAvailable Suitable Land by Volume Strata 38
Table 3-20- History ofTimberHarvestAcres by VCU 40
Table 3-21 - Past Precommercial Thinning 40
Table 3-22 - Deer Supply and Demand, by Wildlife Analysis Area(WAA) 43
Table 3-23 - Communities Reporting Harvesting Deerin ProjectAreaWAAs
During Regulatory Years 1990-95 44
Table 3-24 - Recreation Uses by Tenakee Springs Residents and Tourists 48
Table 3-25 - Project AreaAcreage by Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)
Classifications (Acreages shown are National Forest land only) 49
Table 3-26 - ProjectAreaRecreation Places, Activities, and Site Inventories 50
Table 3-27 - Commercial Recreation/Tourism Use and Income Summary 52
Table 3-28 - Adopted Visual Quality Objectives, by Distance Zone
and Land Use Designation (LUD) 54
Table 3-29 - Summary ofHeritage Sites in theIndian River Project Area 58
Table 3-30 - Miles ofExisting Road in the Project Area by VCU 61
Table 3-31 - Road Density 62
Table 3-32 - SoutheastAlaskaWage and Salary Employment
1995 and 1996 Forecast 67
Table 3-33 - Tenakee Inlet and Freshwater Bay Fisheries 67
Table 3-34 - FY 1997 National Forest Payments to Communities Near the Project ...70
Indian RiverTimberSale(s) Final EIS TableofContents 3
Chapter4
Table4-1 - Summary ofEstimated RockNeeds byAlternative 3
Table4-2 - IndianRiverDrainage (VCU 2200)HarvestLevelbyPercentof
TransientSnow Zone (TSZ)andforEntireWatershed 8
Table4-3 - FreshwaterCreekDrainage (VCU 2160)HarvestLevelbyPercentof
Transient Snow Zone (TSZ) and forEntireWatershed 9
Table 4-4 - 10-MileCreekDrainage (VCU 2221)HarvestLevel byPercentof
TransientSnowZone (TSZ) and forEntireWatershed 9
Table4-5 - Miles ofStream Riparian Buffers Adjacent to Units 11
Table4-6 - Existing andNew Roadsin StreamRiparianBuffers byVCU
and Alternative • 12
Table4-7 -StreamCrossings by StreamClass and Alternative 13
Table4-8 - Acres ofRemainingOld-GrowthForestin theProjectArea: AComparison
ofAction Alternatives, No Action (Alt. A), andPre-harvest (1956)Acreages, by
LandtypeAssociation 14
Table 4-9 - Past andEstimatedFutureHarvestinNortheastChichagof: AcresHarvested
Priorto 1994 and AcresEstimatedtobeHarvestedinEightFathom andIyouktug
ProjectAreasbyLandtypeAssociation 15
Table 4-10 - Miles ofNewRoadCrossingWetlands, andPercentofTotalWetlands
Crossed byExisting andProposedRoads, byAlternative andVCU 16
Table 4-11 - Acres ofWetlands in Proposed Harvest Units, by Alternative and VCU. . 16
Table4-12a - Acres ImpactedbyPastandProposedLogging andCumulativePercent
ChangeofProjectAreaHabitats UnderEach ActionAlternative 17
Table 4-12b - CumulativeAcres andPercentChangeofNortheastChichagofIsland
HabitatsImpacted byAlternative 18
Table 4-13a- NortheastChichagofLandscape Analysis AreaCumulativeEffects:
Old-GrowthPatch Acres in 1956Comparedto 1996and ActionAlternative Acres 19
. .
Table4-13b -NortheastChichagofLandscapeAnalysis AreaCumulativeEffects:
Core andEdgeOld-Growth inAcres and PercentofChangein 1956 Acres 19
Table 4-14 - Acres ofMIS Suitable Habitat in the Project Area
and Percent Reduction by Alternative 20
Table 4-14a -VCU 2220Acres ofProductive Old-Growth (POG)in 1956 and 1997,
EightFathomPOG Harvest %, IndianRiverPOGHarvestbyAlternative,
andProjectedPOGHarvested % in 2095 22
Table 4-15 - Acres andPercentageofProductive Old-growth (POG) 1956 to 2095
inReserves andMatrixbyWAA, NortheastChichagof 26
Table4-16 - HarvestAcres and Volumes by Volume Strata 31
Table4-17 - HarvestAcres and Volumes by Logging System 31
Table 4-18 - Volumeand Acre ComparisonofAlternatives byEven- and
Uneven-Aged Silvicultural Systems 32
Table4-19 - Harvest Species Composition Percentages by Alternative 33
Table 4-20 - Cumulative Acres ofHarvest by Year2010 forthe ProjectArea 35
Table 4-21 - Cumulative AcresofHarvestbytheYear2010
fortheNortheastChichagofArea 36
Table 4-22 -Mid-MarketAnalysis Summary by Alternative 37
Table 4-23 - NortheastChichagofLandscapeArea: AverageHarvestLevels
ofSelected Subsistence Species Compared with HabitatCapability 46
Table 4-24 - Summary: SignificantPossibilityofa SignificantRestrictionof
SubsistenceUse 50
Table4-25 - Recreational Opportunity SpectrumAlternativeComparisonbyAcres and
PercentagesofNationalForestLandin theProjectArea .53
Table 4-26 - Recreational Places: Changes totheROS Settings and Acresdueto
ProposedRoadManagementObjectives, byAlternative 59
Table4-27 - CommercialRecreation/TourismUse and Income SummaryFor
Alternatives B, C, E, andFDuring andAftertheIndianRiverTimberSale(s) 62
Table4-28 - Projected Road Costs by Alternative 69
4 TableofContents Indian RiverTimberSale(s) Final EIS