White Porcupine multiple timber sale project newsletter [electronic resource]

2007·0.97 MB·English

by  Montana.Dept. of Natural Resources and Conservation

V
D O
e L
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Page 1 ce U
m M
WHITE PORCUPINE MULTIPLE TIMBER SALE be E 1
PROJECT NEWSLETTER r 7 , IS
, 2 S
0 U
0 E
7 1

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)
INTRODUCTION
Inside this issue:
Welcome to Swan River State Forest’s first newsletter for
the proposed White Porcupine Multiple Timber Sale Project.
ID Team 2
PURPOSE OF NEWSLETTER Public Scoping 3
Issue 3
• Update you on the project • Summarize relevant issues
Development
development since the that were identified during
Public Field Tour 7
scoping period (see PROJECT the scoping period (see
DEVELOPMENT and PROJECT ISSUE DEVELOPMENT). Project Changes 8
CHANGES). • Provide further Field 10
Reconnaissance
• Introduce the opportunities for comments
Project Time Line 11
Interdisciplinary Team on the project and request
(ID Team) and on-site field tours of the Where Are We 11
Now?
decisionmaker (see ID TEAM proposed project area (see
DEVELOPMENT). OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT). O pportunities 12
for Public Input
What’s to Come 12
PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Project objectives while incorporating
important ecological
1. Restoring forest stands
commitments.
to promote biodiversity
by historic species 5. Develop and improve the
composition and transportation system and
covertypes. infrastructure for long-
term management, fire
2. Improve forest health and
suppression, and public
productivity by
access.
addressing
insect and 6. Reduce fuel loads
disease issues. and wildfire
RReevveennuuee eeaarrnneedd
hazards by Special points of
3. Generate revenue ffrroomm ttiimmbbeerr ssaalleess interest:
decreasing ground
to the Common pprroovviiddeess ffuunnddiinngg ffoorr
and ladder fuel • Another newsletter will be
School trust for ppuubblliicc eedduuccaattiioonn..
loads. written in the spring of 2008.
funding
• Since the initial proposal, the
kindergarten 7. Improve water
proposed project area has
through grade 12 public quality by removing and decreased from 10,320 acres
education and benefit rehabilitating sediment to 6,400 acres.
local economies. point sources, and meet • The DEIS will likely be
Montana Best Management available for public review
4. Contribute sufficient during the fall of 2008, when
Practices (BMPs) on all
individuals will have another
volume toward DNRC’s
project roads, including 30 days to review and submit
annual sustainable yield comments.
haul routes to Highway 83.
WHITE PORCUPINE MULTIPLE TIMBER SALE
Page 2
PROJECT NEWSLETTER

ID team
Development
Under the guidance of the Montana Environmental
Policy Act (MEPA, MCA 75-1-201), DNRC uses an
interdisciplinary approach when planning timber sale
projects and analyzing potential effects of these
projects on the natural and human environments.
During the initial stages of project development,
DNRC formed the White Porcupine ID Team.
What is an ID team?
Resource specialists trained in various disciplines
that come together as a team.
What does an ID Team do on a project?
An ID Team determines relevant potential issues,
assesses and describes the existing environment that
may be affected by the proposed action, develops and
describes appropriate alternatives to the proposed
action, assesses and describes the consequences of
each alternative to the existing environment, and
recommends measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate
impacts of the proposed action.
ID Team Members
Swan River State Forest - Kristen Baker, Forest
Management Supervisor/White Porcupine Project Leader
Northwestern Land Office - Tony Nelson, Hydrologist,
and Garrett Schairer and Carly Walker, Wildlife
Biologists
Forest Management Bureau - Jeff Schmalenberg, Soil
Scientist; Jim Bower, Fisheries Biologist; Ross
Baty, Wildlife Biologist; Jordan Larson, Resource
Economist; Tim Spoelma, Silviculturalist; and Sonya
Germann, Forest Management Planner
Decisionmaker
Dan Roberson, Unit Manager, Swan River State Forest
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Page 3
Public Scoping
Beginning May 31, 2007, DNRC conducted a 30-day initial scoping process for
the White Porcupine Multiple Timber Sale Project. During that time, 21
letters and e-mails were received from individuals (6), organizations (1 each
from F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company; Friends of the Wild Swan, Montana
Logging Association, Montana Wood Products Association, Hydra Project,
Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Montana Old Growth Project, Northwest
Connections, Swan Ecosystem Center, and Wild West Institute), and agencies (2
from the Montana Land Board staff and 1 each from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and
Parks and Powell County Extension).
Issue Development
After reviewing the responses received during the public scoping period, the
ID Team identified more than 110 issues. The ID Team determined which issues
would be analyzed in detail or eliminated from further analysis. The issues
to be analyzed in detail were determined to be relevant and within the scope
of the project and, therefore, would be included in the impacts analysis.
Issues that were eliminated from further analysis were determined to be beyond
the scope of the project.
The ID Team developed the following issue statements that will guide the
analysis for each individual resource and the development of the alternatives
associated with this project.
Vegetation suppressed/stressed and
infested/infected);
Harvesting activities
− forest old-growth
may affect:
amounts and quality
− forest covertypes through tree removal;
through species removal
− patch size and shape
or species composition
through tree removal;
change;
− sensitive plant
− age classes through
populations through
tree removal;
ground disturbance;
− forest stocking levels
− noxious weeds through
through tree removal;
ground disturbance;
− forest canopy cover
− coarse woody debris
through tree removal;
through resulting
− forest fire conditions, reductions or increases
levels, and hazards in amounts; and
through tree removal Harvesting would likely
− forest snag amounts and
and fuel reduction; change forest covertypes,
distribution through
age classes, stocking
− forest insect and levels, and canopy cover. snag and potential snag-
disease levels through recruitment removal.
tree removal (both
WHITE PORCUPINE MULTIPLE TIMBER SALE
Page 4
PROJECT NEWSLETTER
Wildlife − increase human disturbance and the
potential for wolf/human conflicts
The proposed activities could:
that could alter wolf use of
− alter the representation of stand suitable habitat;
age classes on the landscape, which
− reduce hiding cover that is
could affect wildlife;
important for grizzly bears, which
− affect wildlife species associated could result in:
with old-growth forests;
1) increased displacement of
− disturb or alter forested corridors grizzly bears,
and connectivity, which could 2) avoidance of otherwise suitable
inhibit wildlife movements; habitat, and/or
3) increased risk of bear/human
− reduce forest cover, which could
conflicts;
adversely affect habitat linkage
for wildlife; − increase road density, which could
result in increased displacement of
− change patch sizes and shapes,
grizzly bears and increased risk of
which could affect wildlife;
bear/human conflicts;
− fragment interior forest habitat;
− decrease secure
− reduce the number
areas for grizzly

and distribution of
bears, which could
snags, an important
result in
component of
increased
wildlife habitat;
displacement of
− reduce levels of grizzly bears;
coarse woody debris,
− reduce the amount
another important
and/or quality of
component of
fisher habitats,
wildlife habitat;
which could alter
− alter suitable lynx fisher use of the
denning and foraging area;
habitats, rendering
− reduce suitable
them unsuitable for
nesting and
supporting lynx;
foraging habitat
− disturb wolves at for pileated
denning or woodpeckers, which
rendezvous sites, Snags are an important for could alter their
which could lead to wildlife habitat. use of the area;
pup abandonment and/
− remove forest cover on important
or increased risk of mortality;
winter ranges, which could lower
− reduce habitat quality on white- their capacity to support white-
tailed deer and elk winter ranges, tailed deer and elk; and
which could lead to reduced prey
− remove elk security cover, which
availability and reduce the
could affect hunter opportunity and
potential for the area to support a
the quality of local recreational
wolf pack;
hunting.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Page 5
Water Resources
− Timber harvesting and associated
activities could affect the timing,
distribution, and amount of water
yield in a harvested watershed.
− Timber harvesting and related
activities, such as road
construction, could lead to water-
quality impacts by increasing the
production and delivery of fine
sediment to streams.
Placing riprap on streambanks
helps reduce sediment
and improve water quality.
Soils
− Traditional ground-based harvesting actions, such as timber harvesting
operations have the potential to and road construction, have the
compact and displace surface soils, potential to increase slope
which reduces hydrologic function, instability through increased water
macro-porosity, and soil function. yields, road surface drainage
concentrations, and
− Harvesting
exceedence of
operations have
resisting forces.
the potential to
increase erosion − The removal of
of productive large volumes of
surface soils both coarse and
offsite. fine woody material
through timber
− Harvesting
harvesting reduces
activities
the amount of
associated with
organic matter and
the proposed
nutrients available
actions may
for nutrient
cumulatively
Over time, compaction caused by cycling, possibly
affect long-term
harvesting equipment may reduce soil affecting the long-
soil productivity.
productivity. term productivity
− Activities of the site.
associated with the proposed
WHITE PORCUPINE MULTIPLE TIMBER SALE
Page 6
PROJECT NEWSLETTER
Economics Fisheries
This project may have economic The project may affect fish habitat
impacts associated with: by modifying flow regime, sediments,
channel forms, riparian function,
− generating revenue for the trust
amounts of large woody debris, stream
beneficiaries;
temperature, stream nutrients, and
− creating timber-related employment
stream connectivity.
and stimulating the local economy;
and
− nonmarket values, which are goods
Visual and Auditory Resources
and services in Swan River State
Forest that are not traded in the − Harvesting activities may affect
market. local viewsheds and scenic vistas.
− Harvesting activities may increase
local noise levels.
Recreation
Harvesting activities may affect
hunting and recreational use within
the area.
Swan Valley School, kindergarten through
grade 8, receives funding from the trust
beneficiaries.
Cultural
Harvesting activities may affect
local cultural resources.
Recreationalists enjoying snowmobiling in
Air Quality Swan River State Forest.
− Dust produced from harvesting
activities and hauling may affect
local air quality.
− Smoke produced from prescribed THESE ISSUE STATEMENTS
burning may affect local air COULD CHANGE AS PROJECT
quality. DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIODS
CONTINUE.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Page 7
Public Field Tour

The ID Team, Forest Management Bureau Chief, and decisionmaker hosted a field
tour on September 10, 2007, to portions of the proposed project area.
Attending this tour were 7 people (1 person each from Friends of the Wild Swan
and the Montana Old Growth Project and 5 people from the Swan Ecosystem
Center).
The field tour visited stands in and adjacent to the proposed harvest units.
The stands included:
− a deteriorating old-growth stand identified as high priority for treatment
because of the high levels of insect and disease activity;
− a regenerated stand indicative of DNRC’s desired future conditions
(describes the set of forest conditions determined by DNRC to best meet the
State Forest Land Management Plan objectives).
− an old-growth stand that is not considered for harvesting because the insect
and disease level is low and the stand appears to be generally healthy; and
− other stands identified as high
priority for treatment due to their
species composition and
susceptibility to insects and
diseases.
Some questions and concerns that
arose during the field tour include:
• What is the range of naturally
occurring Indian paint fungus in
unmanaged stands?
• What are DNRC’s measurement criteria
in determining forest health?
• How is forest management expected to
Question and answer session during the
change in response to climate
public field tour in September.
change?
• DNRC should use local knowledge when developing management prescriptions in
Swan River State Forest.
• DNRC should leave treetops on the ground after harvesting in order to return
needed nutrients to the soil.
• DNRC should clearly define the project area, direct and indirect analysis
areas, and cumulative effects analysis areas in their environmental
documents.
These questions and concerns were recorded and incorporated into the issue
statements that will assist the ID Team in developing the analyses for each
resource and the range of alternatives.
WHITE PORCUPINE MULTIPLE TIMBER SALE
Page 8
PROJECT NEWSLETTER
PROJECT CHANGES
The initial proposal included the following sections in the project area (see
FIGURE 1): Sections 12, 14, 16, 22, 23, 24, 26, and 28, Township 23 north,
Range 18 west; Sections 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 34, and 36, Township 24 north,
Range 18 west.
FIGURE 1
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1 Page 9
Since the initial proposal, the proposed project area has decreased from
10,320 acres to 6,400 acres. The ID Team excluded entire sections or
portions of sections from the project area after detailed review of the
original project area, close consideration of the project objectives, and
issues raised through scoping. One new section was added due to high levels
of insect infestations and disease infections that were observed in several
stands throughout the section. Currently, the proposed project area consists
of the following parcels (see FIGURE 2): Sections 2 (new), 16, 22, 23, 24
(now, west half only), and 26, Township 23 north, Range 18 west; Sections 22,
23, 26, 28, and 34, Township 24 north, Range 18 west.
FIGURE 2
WHITE PORCUPINE MULTIPLE TIMBER SALE
Page 10
PROJECT NEWSLETTER
Field Reconnaissance Field reconnaissance includes:
Since the initial stages of project • Assessing presence or absence of
development, the ID Team has been fish species in streams in the
making multiple visits to the project area.
proposed project area to accurately
• Identifying historic skid trails in
assess the condition of the resources
previous harvest units to assess
that may be affected by the proposed
cumulative impacts on the soils
project. Such assessments are
resource.
critical in further identifying and
describing potential issues, • Identifying routes of connectivity
developing a range of reasonable
important to various terrestrial
alternatives, describing potential
species in the project area.
environmental consequences on the
affected resources, and developing • Assessing insect and disease risks
appropriate measures to avoid, to stands in the project area.
minimize, or mitigate impacts of the
• Identifying sediment-point sources
proposed action.
that are affecting, or could
affect, water quality in the
project area.
A culvert near a beaver dam is being
checked for blockage by a forester.