C04j_7 Project Design Elements.pdf

Final Record of Decision EIS No. 20240123 End of the World Project

Road Reroute – New Construction < 1 Road #9469 Reconstruction < 1 Road Improvement

Install additional cross drain culverts Harden stream crossings for cattle/ATVs

Road Decommissioning 28 Culvert Replacements for Aquatic Organism Passage

Culvert Removals (Road Decommissioning) 18 Riparian Planting < 1 Limitation of Cattle Access by Strategic Tree Felling

< 1

1 All mileages are approximate and are rounded up to the closest whole numbers.

Table 3: Alternative B Cont.

Resource Treatment – Alternative B Invasive Species Consecutive targeted prescribe fires to reduce seedbed where native bunchgrass communities are not intact.

Additional bio-control releases in partnership with the Nez Perce Tribe bio-control center.

Aerial restoration efforts of invasive annual grass communities often produces poor results; therefore, aerial seeding both native grass/forb and introduced annual grasses that stay greener, longer may be utilized if an effective seedbed can be achieved by prescribed fire, and funding is secured.

If the Range Specialists are able to determine that aerial restoration of annual grasslands has an economically viable chance at success, then the following may be considered if available on the market:

o Aerial application of US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified bio-pesticides such as Pseudomonas fluorescens as a tool for the management of invasive annual grasses such as cheatgrass, medusahead, and ventanata.

Presently, the only strain registered for use as a bio-pesticide in region 1 is sold under the trade name D7® by Verdesian Life Sciences and is not being commercially produced.

Range Additional fencing within the project area is proposed (if needed) to restore forest vegetation, meadows and grassland OR to maintain or improve water quality and aquatic habitats

Prescribed fire is proposed. Specific prescriptions are described in the Natural Fuels Reduction section of the Proposed Action.

Trails Trail restoration or reconstruction, bridge repair, reconstruction, or replacement, culvert replacement;

stream crossing hardening, installation of new water bars/dips, tread delineation, and possible tread base stabilization to adequately support the designed trail use and minimize soil displacement

All project activities include project design elements to avoid any irreversible or irretrievable commitment of resources. When on the ground layout of timber sales and prescribed burning begins (post NEPA planning), field personnel will ground truth, field verify, and apply all project design elements on each acre of land in the treatment areas. Finally, all project design elements will be implemented and monitored though contract administration. The practices in this decision are not new or unknown and effects are clearly understood.

Design Elements Design elements (referred to as design features in the EA) are an integral component of Alternative B.

Design elements were identified early in the NEPA process as part of developing the proposed action and acted as the sideboards for project development. Design elements are derived from Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines, and Forest Service Manual and Handbook policy and direction.

Additionally, design elements include mandatory contract provision requirements, Best Management Practices (BMPs), Idaho State Water Quality Standards, Idaho Forest Practices Act Rules, and similar laws, rules or policy. Design elements reiterate the things we are required to do to ensure our decision document is supported by an environmental analysis that is consistent with the Forest Plan and applicable laws and regulations. This decision is consistent with all applicable laws, policies, and regulations. For the End of the World Project, some (this is not an exhaustive list) of the design elements include:

No activities are proposed within old growth (MA20).

Moose Winter Range (MA21): No treatments will take place in designated MA21. Although not required, prescriptions conserving Pacific yew will be applied to stands harboring Pacific yew but which are not designated as MA21.

Silvicultural prescriptions are designed to promote within-stand resilience (as described in the purpose and need), create a variety of patch sizes on the landscape, and provide species diversification.

Regeneration harvest, intermediate harvest, and pre-commercial thinning will be utilized.

Regeneration harvest units will be replanted at varying stocking levels depending on biophysical setting and silvicultural prescription.

Replanted units will be surveyed to certify they are stocked within five years.

Coarse woody debris and snags will be retained where safe to do so.

Prescribed fire will be used after harvest, where feasible and necessary, to reduce activity fuels and provide site preparation for replanting.

Harvest units are located to achieve the desired combination of multiple-use objectives. The units cut will be shaped and blended with the natural terrain, to the extent practicable, to achieve visual (aesthetic), wildlife habitat, or other objectives, while meeting the primary need for fuels reduction in the wildland urban interface.

Treatments have been designed to protect and enhance the South Fork Clearwater River (eligible Wild and Scenic River).

PACFISH Riparian Habitat Conservation Areas (RHCAs) will be adhered to in all units except the limited proposed treatments in RHCAs to address hazard trees in campgrounds and conifer encroachment in dry meadows.

Dry meadow/range maintenance will consist of hand felling trees within the designated areas.

Trees will generally be left on site unless they would increase the fuel hazard in the wildland urban interface.

Prescribed fire will be evaluated as needed during the seasonal grazing plan development to determine if grazing restrictions are appropriate.

Known historic (NRHP Eligible/historically significant) properties or sites will be avoided or protected during project implementation.

Ground-disturbing activities will be halted if cultural resources are discovered until an Archaeologist can properly evaluate and document the resources in compliance with 36 CFR 800 (mandatory contract provision B6.24).

Existing road prisms within units may be used for additional temporary roads if necessary. These road prisms are part of harvest units that were modeled with NEZSED. Existing road prisms that may be used will have no stream crossings; are located on stable, upper slopes; and there will be little/discontinuous cut and fill (excavation). These road prisms will be obliterated/recontoured within 3 years after use. (mandatory contract provisions B6.63, C6.632#, and C6.633#).

Additional Design Elements Additional Design Elements (referred to as mitigation in the EA) address site-specific factors about the project that need protection over and above those already built into the design. For the End of the World Project, the following Additional Design Elements will be applied:

Table 4: End of the World Additional Design Elements

End of the World Project Additional Design Elements

Soil Resources

SR-1 Restrict activities when soils are wet to prevent resource damage (indicators include excessive rutting, soil displacement, and erosion).

SR-2 Limit ground-based skidding to slopes 45% or less (Idaho Forest Practices Act).

SR-3

Locate and design skid trails, landings and yarding corridors prior to activities to minimize the area of detrimental soil effects. Space tractor skid trails no less than 80 feet apart (edge to edge), except where converging on landings. This does not preclude the use of feller bunchers.

SR-4 In units harvested with ground-based equipment, pile slash in up to 50% of the unit area.

SR-5 Ensure suspension of one end of the log when utilizing skyline yarding systems.

SR-6

Construct drainage controls (waterbars, drain ditches) and apply available slash in log yarding corridors (cable or skyline) upon completion of harvest activities where bare mineral soil is exposed and water flow may be confined.

SR-7 Scarify and recontour excavated skid trails to restore slope hydrology and soil productivity.

SR-8 Scarify non-excavated skid trails and landings that are compacted or entrenched 3 inches or more. Scarify to a depth of 6 to 14 inches.

End of the World Project Additional Design Elements

SR-9

All temporary roads will be scarified and recontoured (decommissioned) within 3 years after use. Reshape cut/fill slopes and crossings to natural contours. Apply available slash to the re-contour surface (slash is considered available where the equipment is able to reach it from the working area where the decommissioning is occurring).

SR-10 Retain and/or return green tops within units and allow green foliage to over-winter 1 year prior to burning in units 1A, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 41, 59, 62, 63.

SR-12

Allow winter logging only during frozen conditions. Frozen conditions are defined as 4 inches of frozen ground or a barrier of unpacked snow greater than two feet in depth and packed snow one foot in depth.

SR-13 Keep slash piles (excavator piles) small (4-10’ in height).

SR-14 Retain an average of 7 to 15 tons per acre of coarse woody debris (greater than 3 inches in diameter) following completion of activities.

Water Quality and Fish habitat

WQ-2 Avoid direct ignition of fuels within RHCA’s. Allow prescribed fires to back into these areas.

Access Management & Public Safety

AM-1 Close existing gates (consistent with current motor vehicle restrictions) daily during non-operating hours.

AM-2

Consider alternative snowmobile routes and/or access and parking when winter log haul occurs on roads normally used as groomed snowmobile routes. These routes include RD 2000, 221, 243, 4600, 641, and 642. Coordinate with the contractors and local organization(s) responsible for trail grooming to minimize impacts on forest visitors.

AM-3

Prohibit log haul on Road FS221 on weekends (all day Saturday and Sunday) and on Federally recognized holidays from Midnight on the Friday before Memorial Day through Midnight on December 1st.

Wildlife

WL-1

Spring burning shall occur in units F4 and F16 to address any concerns regarding wildlife species or habitat, including migratory birds, ungulate calving/fawning, and threatened endangered and sensitive species. Coordinate implementation of spring prescribed burn operations in units with a wildlife biologist.

WL-2 Retain trees with obvious cavities or large stick nests.

WL-4 Prohibit logging activities within units 40, 41, 74A, 74B, 75, 76, 77, 79, 81, 82, 83, 134, and 143 from May 15 through June 15 to avoid impacts on ungulate calving/fawning.

WL-6 Maintain a minimum 40-acre yearlong no-treatment buffer (no ground disturbing activities) around recently occupied goshawk nest trees in units 1A, 25, and 12A.

WL-7 No ground disturbing activities shall be allowed inside known occupied post-fledgling areas from April 15 to August 15.

Air Quality

AQ-1 Limit burning to times when wind patterns would cause smoke plumes to drift away from local populated areas.

End of the World Project Additional Design Elements

AQ-2 Coordinate with the North Idaho/Montana Airshed Group when prescribed burns are scheduled (minimum 24-hour notice) to ensure compliance with the Clean Air Act.

Fisheries

FF-1

Allow instream activities in fish bearing streams between July 1 and August 15 to avoid sediment deposition on emerging steelhead or Chinook redds. These dates may be site-specifically adjusted through coordination with Central Idaho Level 1 team review and approval.

Recreation

REC-1

Protect system trails 2009A, 2026, 325, 327, 328, 340, 386, 480, along with 480A-G, and 641 by requiring the following measures within 6 feet of centerline of the trail(s):

directional felling, cutting stumps to 8 inches or less, no slash piles, and no slashing of the small diameter trees.

Noxious Weeds

NW-1

Use Forest Service approved native plant species or non-native annual species to meet erosion control needs and other management objectives. Follow regional plant and seed transfer guidelines. Require contractors to use certified seed laboratories to test seed against the all state noxious weed list, and provide documentation of the seed inspection test to the contract administrator. Apply only certified weed-free seed and mulch.

NW-2 Visually inspect that rock used for surfacing is free of noxious weed seed.

NW-3

Remove all mud, soil, and plant parts from off road equipment before moving into project area to limit the spread of noxious weeds. Conduct cleaning off National Forest lands.

NW-4 Use rock from Forest Service approved sources.

Range

RA-1

Specified existing non-system trails used to facilitate movement of livestock must be protected, or returned to same condition, not to exceed 46” width free of slash material post- timber harvest, fuel treatment, and/or other activities. Coordinate with Rangeland Management Specialist

RA-2 If any pasture fence is removed or breached to facilitate timber harvest, the fence shall be re-installed/repaired in the same season

RA-3 All roads and/or skid trails, permanent or temporary, crossing allotment boundaries will have cattle passage barriers installed and maintained.

Visuals

V-1 Within retention viewsheds within 150 feet of the viewing platform, (i.e., road, recreation sites, or administrative site); cut stumps to 8 inches or less in height.

V-2

Within retention viewsheds, harvest landing areas within 150 feet of the viewing platform (i.e., roads, recreation sites, or administrative sites); remove, bury, burn, chip or, lop to a height of 2 feet or less, any slash, root wads and other debris. If slash is buried, locate in previously disturbed areas where possible.