Roadless Inventory Analysis

What is an inventoried roadless area?

Inventoried roadless areas are undeveloped areas, typically exceeding 5,000 acres that were inventoried during the Forest Service's Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE) process, subsequent assessments, or forest planning (USDA 2000). Inventoried roadless areas are those areas identified in a set of inventoried roadless area maps contained in Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 2, dated November 2000 (USDA 2001).

What is the history of roadless areas?

In 1972, the Forest Service initiated a review of National Forest Service areas larger than 5,000 acres to determine their suitability for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. A second and final review process in the late 1970's, known as RARE II, resulted in a nationwide inventory of roadless areas. In the years since the completion of RARE II, Congress has designated some areas as wilderness. Additional reviews have been conducted through the land management planning process and other large-scale assessments. There are 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas managed by the Forest Service (USDA 2000). When an area was identified as an inventoried roadless area, specific management direction was not identified. If an inventoried roadless area was not designated as wilderness, it was up to each forest to provide management direction for that area. Some inventoried roadless areas have continued to retain roadless characteristics, while other areas have had roads built or other management activities.

The Forest Service released a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Roadless Area Conservation in November 2000. A final rule was published on January 12, 2001 regarding Roadless Area Conservation, which provided management direction for inventoried roadless areas. However, the Secretary of Agriculture extended the effective date of the final rule until May 12, 2001, and at the same time, eight lawsuits were filed against the January 12, 2001 rule. Until management direction for Inventoried Roadless Areas can be resolved, the Forest Service issued an interim directive on December 14, 2001 for the protection of roadless areas.

The interim directive, which expires June 14, 2003, states " inventoried roadless areas, as a general rule, be managed to preserve their roadless characteristics. However, where a line officer determines that an exception may be warranted, the decision to approve a road management activity or timber harvest in these areas is reserved to the Chief or the Regional Forester"(USDA 2001).

Why is the Hoosier National Forest interested in roadless areas?

One of the forest plan revision topics is to review inventoried roadless area criteria to determine if any areas in the forest qualify.

Guidance for this review is directed in an August 13, 1997 letter from Region 9 Regional Forester Robert L. Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs states, "The inventory process includes a look at RARE II areas to see if they still meet roadless criteria, as well as a look at other essentially roadless areas that may not have been previously inventoried in RARE II" (Jacobs 1997).

What is the purpose of the workshop?

The purpose of the workshop is to assist the Hoosier National Forest in updating the forest roadless inventory consistent with USDA Forest Service policy.

This analysis will look at the backcountry areas from the Forest Plan and address the following question: Do any of the existing backcountry areas qualify for roadless inventory?

If an area qualifies as an inventoried roadless area, it will then be evaluated for wilderness later in the process. If an area does not meet the criteria as an inventoried roadless area, it will continue to be managed as a backcountry area.

A backcountry area is a contiguous tract of national forest land of at least 1,000 acres, more or less circular in shape, that is not dissected by permanent linear structures (paved or gravel county roads, power lines, or pipelines) or private land ownerships. It is an area where land resources and public use will be influenced primarily by natural processes. Backcountry areas will be allowed to return to a natural-appearing forest condition.

Backcountry areas have a desired future condition that includes no timber harvest. Wildlife habitat management will emphasize species which are intolerant of people. Walk-in access, horse, mountain bicycle, and hiking trails, dispersed camping, and nature study activities are normal (USDA 1991b).

What areas are we looking at?

See Maps area linked above.

What criteria will be used?

The following inventory criteria recognize that many areas in the east show some signs of human activity and modification (Jacobs 1997):

1. The land is regaining a natural, untrammeled (uncontrolled) appearance.
2. Improvements existing in the area are being affected by the forces of nature rather than humans and are disappearing or muted.
3. The area has existing or attainable National Forest System ownership patterns, both surface and subsurface, that could ensure perpetuation of identified wilderness values.
4. The location of the area is conducive to the perpetuation of wilderness values. Consider the relationship of the area to sources of noise, air, and water pollution, as well as unsightly conditions that would have an effect on the wilderness experience. The amount and pattern of Federal ownership is also an influencing factor.
5. The area contains no more than a half mile of improved road for each 1,000 acres, and the road is under Forest Service jurisdiction. [An improved road is any constructed or existing feature or facility created on the land for the purpose of travel by passenger vehicles (four wheeled, 2 wheel drive), which are legally allowed to operate on forest roads or public roads and highways, and vehicles are greater than 50 inches in width. Said facility will have an area for vehicles to travel on and will incorporate some manner for the disposal of surface runoff (Jacobs 1997)].
6. No more than 15 percent of the area is in non-native, planted vegetation.
7. Twenty percent or less of the area has been harvested within the past 10 years.
8. The area contains only a few dwellings on private lands and the location of these dwellings and their access needs insulate their effects on the natural conditions of Federal lands.

Region 9 guidance states that 2,500 acres will be used as a coarse screen during this inventory process to determine whether areas meet the solitude criteria for inclusion in the roadless area inventory guidance (USDA 1997).

Information pertaining to items 5, 6, 7, and 8 will be provided at the workshop.

References:

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2001. Forest Service Manual (FSM) 1900 - Planning - Chapter 1920.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 2000. Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation, Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Jacobs, Robert T. 1997. Letter dated August 13 to Forest Supervisors, Roadless Area Inventory for Forest Plan Revision.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1992. Forest Service Handbook (FSH) 1909.12 - Chapter 7, Wilderness Evaluation.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1991a. Land and Resource Management Plan, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Hoosier National Forest. p177.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 1991b. Land and Resource Management Plan, Plan Amendment, Hoosier National Forest. p 90.