Regional Ecosystem Office
333 SW 1st
P.O. Box 3623
Portland, Oregon 97208-3623
Phone: 503-808-2165 FAX: 503-808-2163
Memorandum
Date: July 24, 1998
To:
Robert W. Williams, Regional Forester, Region 6, Forest Service
Elaine Zielinski, State Director
From: Donald R. Knowles, Executive Director
Subject: Regional Ecosystem Office Review of the North Willamette Late-Successional Reserve Assessment
Summary
The Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) and the interagency Late-Successional Reserve Work Group have reviewed the North Willamette Late-Successional Reserve Assessment (LSRA). The REO finds that the LSRA, with the assumptions noted below, provides a sufficient framework and context for future projects and activities within the LSR. Future silvicultural, salvage, and risk reduction activities described in the LSRA that meet its criteria and objectives and that are consistent with the S&Gs in the NFP are exempted from subsequent project-level REO review.
Basis for the Review
Under the S&Gs for the NFP, a management assessment should be prepared for each large LSR (or group of smaller LSRs) before habitat manipulation activities are designed and implemented. As stated in the S&Gs, these assessments are subject to the REO review. The REO review focuses on the following:
1. Under the S&Gs for the NFP, a management assessment should be prepared for each large LSR (or group of smaller LSRs) before habitat manipulation activities are designed and implemented. These assessments are subject to REO review. This review considers whether the assessment contains sufficient information and analysis to provide a framework and context for making future decisions on projects and activities. The eight specific subject areas that an assessment should generally include are found in the NFP (S&Gs, page C-11). The REO may find that the assessment contains sufficient information or may identify topics or areas for which additional information, detail, or clarity is needed. The findings of the review are provided to the agency or agencies submitting the assessment.
2. The review also considers treatment criteria and potential treatment areas for silvicultural, risk-reduction, and salvage activities if addressed in the LSRA. When treatment criteria are clearly described and their relationship to achieving desired late-successional conditions are also clear, subsequent projects and activities within the LSR(s) may be exempted from the further REO review, provided they are consistent with the LSRA criteria and S&Gs. The REO authority for developing criteria to exempt these actions is found in the S&Gs (pages C-12, C-13, and C-18). If such activities are not described in the LSRA and exempted from further review in this memo, they remain subject to future REO review.
Both aspects of this review are described separately below.
Scope of the Assessment and Description of the Assessment Area
The LSRA addresses ten LSRs on the Mt. Hood and Willamette National Forests and the Salem District of the Bureau of Land Management, totaling about 178,000 acres. Unmapped 100 acre owl cores are also included in this assessment. The LSRs are in the Willamette Province. The LSRs were addressed in the context of a 956,000 acre assessment area, bounded on the north by the Sandy River, on the east by the Cascade Crest, on the south by roughly the Mt. Hood Forest boundary, and by the Willamette Valley on the west.
Review of the Assessment
The REO reviewed the LSRA in light of the eight subject areas identified in the NFP S&Gs. The REO finds the LSRA provides a sufficient framework and context for making future decisions on projects and activities within the LSR.
The LSRA states that all silviculture activities will meet the criteria in the REO memoranda "REO Review Exemption Criteria" (dated April 20, 1995) and "Criteria to Exempt Specific Silvicultural Activities in Late-Successional Reserves and Managed Late-Successional Areas from Regional Ecosystem Office Review" (July 9, 1996). REO notes that the latter memo has been slightly modified by an amendment (September 30, 1996) and assumes that this will be incorporated into treatment criteria for silviculture activities proposed in this LSRA.
In addition, salvage and risk reduction activities described in the LSRA that are consistent with NFP S&Gs are exempt from subsequent project-level REO review. The only risk reduction activities proposed in the LSRA were described under the heading "Risk Management" on page 6-25. Other risk reduction activities were mentioned in the fire management plan (Chapter 5) but were not described sufficiently to exempt these activities from future review, nor was it the LSRA team's intent to exempt them from review.
Projects described in the document that are not subject to REO review (i.e., activities other than silviculture or salvage) have not been reviewed for consistency with the ROD. In addition, this review does not make a finding on the proposed boundary adjustment of approximately 2000 acres, as discussed on page 6-27 of the LSRA; that review is occurring on a separate track through REO and will be forthcoming.
The REO is working with the Research and Monitoring Group (RMG) to ensure that projects within LSRs, including projects exempted from the REO review, are considered in the development of the effectiveness, implementation, and validation monitoring programs. We also expect the local units to continue their long-standing partnership with key researchers regarding management of late-successional stands, particularly in the area of young-stand management.
REO commends the LSRA team for producing one of the best documents this office has reviewed. The logic, synthesis and treatment recommendations were well founded and easy to follow. We appreciate your in-depth discussion of and recommendations for non-silvicultural activities such as special forest products and access and travel management. Documents of this caliber make our review process much easier.
Conclusions
Based on documentation found in the LSRA, the REO finds that the LSRA provides a sufficient framework and context for future projects and activities within the LSR. As identified above, silvicultural, salvage, and risk reduction activities described in the LSRA which are consistent with the NFP S&Gs and the treatment criteria identified in the assessment and meet the above assumptions are exempted from subsequent project-level REO review.
cc: REO, RIEC
Mt Hood Forest Supervisor, Roberta Moltzen
Salem BLM District Manager, Van Manning
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