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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-29-18 Correspondence - USDA Forest Service to Commission - North Bridgers Forest Health Project U`■ �/(\lY\ v1Ia4�.0 IJ awlVu a'vl t.Jt 'l.uJttil 'ISaIIu lI1I lvnllvllnl 1'vl l:Ja LVLclaaQaa i\aligul LlJ1imt J��„V�• Department of Service 3710 Fallon Street Suite C A0 Agriculture Bozeman,MT 59718 F ule Code: 3400; 1950 roce• Date: August 29, 2018 Greetings: I am pleased to inform you that the Custer Gallatin Forest Supervisor, Mary Erickson, has signed a decision for the North Bridgers Forest Health Project which authorizes vegetation and fuel management activities on approximately 2,300 acres, as well as road maintenance/management activities. The Decision Memo documents the primary and associated activities and explains the Forest Supervisor's rationale. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in this project. We initiated a collaborative process to develop this project in August 2017 in order to incorporate feedback and address issues and concerns early in and throughout the project development process. Your patience as we worked through this process was greatly appreciated, as is your continued interest in and dedication to, developing this project. I believe that the collaborative process and participation by other members of the public resulted in a more informed decision that better addresses the needs and concerns you helped identify. The collaborative group and Forest Service had a mutual goal of addressing the purpose and need for action, notably all aspects of the project intent including support to the local wood products industry. The group also had an equal commitment to minimizing disruption of recreation users, while protecting wildlife habitat and minimizing invasive weed spread. The decision and extensive design features address national,regional and forest direction while protecting wildlife,recreation opportunity and the many other important resources in the project area. I anticipate project implementation activities could begin as early as October 2018, with the majority of the activities starting in 2019 and lasting up to five years. If you have any questions about the project, please direct them to Project Leader Teri Seth tseth@fs.fed.us or myself clewellen@fs.fed.us at 406-522-2520. A summary of the decision is enclosed and additional information about the project can be found on the project webpage at https://www.fs.usda.gov/pro-ject/?project--48493 Sincerely, COREY R LEWELLEN District Ranger Enclosure - Summary of the North Bridgers Forest Health Decision Cc: Teri Seth, Mary Erickson, Mark Slacks, Scott Barndt uQs i� v Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recycled Paper North Bridgers Forest Health Decision Summary (08/27/2018) The North Bridger Forest Health Project is located approximately 13 miles northeast of Bozeman,MT in the Bridger Mountains. Treatments/activities are proposed on approximately 2,300 acres while the total project area is approximately 10,200 acres in size. The project area lies entirely within Gallatin County in Montana. There are non-Forest Service lands within the vicinity of and surrounded by the project area, activities proposed for this project will only occur on National Forest System(NFS) lands. The North Bridger Forest Health project area was designated as part of an insect and disease treatment program in accordance with Title VI, Section 602, of the Healthy Forest Restoration Act(HFRA), as amended by Section 8204 of the Agriculture Act(Farm Bill)of 2014. To be .designated, areas must be: ➢ Experiencing declining forest health, based on annual forest health surveys conducted by the Secretary; or ➢ At risk of experiencing substantially increased tree mortality over the next 15 years due to insect or disease infestation based on the most recent National Insect and Disease Risk Map published by the Forest Service; or ➢ In an area in which the risk of hazard trees poses an imminent risk to public infrastructure, health or safety. The project area is located within the wildland urban interface (WUI) as defined in the Gallatin County Community Wildfire Protection Plan(GC CWPP-2006). The majority of proposed treatments are bordered by a private land boundary within 1/2 - 1 miles Based on observed existing conditions, as well as other supporting information such as annual insect and disease aerial detection surveys,national insect and disease risk maps, community wildfire protection plan,the Gallatin Forest Plan and input from local community members there is a need to: ➢ Respond to the designation under the 2014 Farm Bill of the North Bridger landscape as an area susceptible to insect or disease threats ➢ Reduce the susceptibility of vegetation to subsequent insect and disease activity ➢ Minimize tree mortality that would contribute to surface fuel loading ➢ Reduce hazardous wildland fuel load levels in the treated areas in order to reduce the potential for high intensity wildland fire. ➢ Supply forest products to support local economies and industries. My decision includes vegetation and fuels management activities, secondary fuels treatments, road maintenance, design features to minimize potential impact,monitoring and road activities. Figure 1 is the North Bridgers Project Treatment and Transportation Proposal. Vegetation management activities include intermediate treatments and regeneration harvests. Intermediate treatments leave a stocked forest stand post-treatment, for example thinning and precommercial thinning. Regeneration harvests replace the forest stand or parts of the stand with The Decision memo and other supporting documents are is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=48493 North Bridgers Forest Health Decision Summary (08/27/2018) young trees. Regeneration harvest areas will be restocked with trees within five years of harvest, either by natural regeneration or planting of seedlings. Fuel treatments to reduce activity related slash and/or high natural fuel loads will employ a number methods such as whole-tree yarding, slashing,piling and broadcast burning for example Toble 1: Acres of Treatment by Sllvicultural System Treatment Type Acres Even-aged harvest(overstory removal,patch 667* cut and clear cut) Uneven aged harvest(Group selection 87* Intermediate harvest(thinning, aspen and 1,023 sanitation Intermediate harvest(precommercial 519 thinning) Total 2,296 acres *A portion of these acres are thinning acres. For example, if a proposed treatment is "patch cul/lhin), then thinning will occur in portions of the until versus patch cutting. Treatments are defined in Appendix B in the Decision Memo. Road management activities are needed to implement the project(e.g. maintenance, reconditioning, reconstruction and temporary road construction). Approximately 9.5 miles of temporary road will be needed to access the proposed units. Temporary roads will be decommissioned within three years of the project being completed. Decommissioning includes recontouring,ripping, obliteration when appropriate, blocking access points and revegetation. No permanent roads will be constructed. Effects of the proposed action will mostly be in the form of altered stand structure,whether that is reducing existing densities or changing the size class and age of a stand. Literature supports the effectiveness of silvicultural control of bark beetles (Fettig et al., 2007; Gibson, 2004). At the landscape level, heterogeneity is thought to be more resistant and resilient to insect damage. Silvicultural treatments designed to create age, size, and species mosaics can increase landscape heterogeneity. At the stand level, evidence suggests that thinning can be an effective deterrent to insect infestation and associated losses. In general,reducing tree densities allows residual trees to allocate more resources toward growth thus making them more resistant to insects and disease (Fettig et al., 2007; Fettig et al., 2014; Kegley, 2011; Pederson et al., 2011). The Decision memo and other supporting documents are is available at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?proiect=48493 North Bridgers Forest Health Decision Summary (08/27/2018) Figure 1: North Bridgers Forest Health Treatment and Transportation Proposal Map le ' m North Bridgers Forest Health Project ink .LAKE Lao©3 ,Rr Treatment and Transportation Proposal 01.Q2 ,�O Custer Gallatin National Forest l)5ef�: r/ 1 b Fairy Lake --,y Bozeman Ranger District 500 Sacaga Peak u ,� - • a'��o i `icJ, ' / I 'b�ai:, �( O�'�r t n \ 2T. ,•26 ��.=._�i25 U 29,..30 roi x Nay:Nuki `\f ze a920 t`Peak "u�17 `L" o' , I 21 � ,ll 2 North I 88t - _...._ m- ...� 2�2 28 �, 71 ' o f i25 29 L J 9 A E. _ u♦ i I q/mr 3fii \ '.t75 II \tr t)^'BATTL r. Rlpa j32 I _ o r4 x;Nixc 'P r Ross --a -' Fk S3SP�e B�k�5�'N' _.\---i 1 ,fie ` .II r,>iri�i•:t¢o3_: \ (� ckeV_t f \® \ ..=..�fi9 10 It0.'Se Pd55 \ n!1 aau I� i A 45 5 J k ' all a \L _ off t T CH l nn 533 y67 1'. 7 3 � as 3200 zoo Grassy al = 69 '� 72 Cr Maunteln �64 � .t` J _' - 63 65 -' BRIOGER'HOM N Miles �,( 0 0.65 1.3 1.95 2.6 1:60,000 Disclaimer: The Forest Service uses the most current and complete date available.GIs data and product accuracy may vary.Data may be: developed from sources of differing accuracy,accurate only at --T Proposed Haul Routes certain scalar,based on nodaing or interpretation,incomplete while being created or revised,ale.Using GIs products for Proposed Temp Roads purposes other then those for which they were created may yield inaccurate or misleading results. Project Boundary The Forest Service reserves the right to correct,update,modify,or replace GIS products without notification.For more information, Proposed Treatment Areas contact: Bozeman Ranger District Boundary Custer Goliath fiveNational Forest 8 ry Supervisor's Office P.O.Box 130 10 East Babcock Ave. Bozeman,MT 59771 Document Path;T:\FSWFS\Gallatin\Project\BridgersForeslHealthPrelect\GISW)XD1ScopingMap.mxd (406)567-6701 Date:7/11/2018 The Decision memo and other supporting documents are is available at https:/Iwww.fs.usda.gov/promect/?proiect=48493