Regional Ecosystem Office
333 SW 1st
P.O. Box 3623
Portland, Oregon 97208-3623
Phone: 503-808-2165 FAX: 503-808-2163
Memorandum
Date: April 21, 2000
To: Elaine Y. Zielinski, BLM State Director, OR/WA
From: Curtis A. Loop, Acting Executive Director
Subject: Regional Ecosystem Office Review of the Jenny Creek Late-Successional Reserve Assessment
Summary
The Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) and the interagency Late-Successional Reserve Work Group
have reviewed the Jenny Creek Late-Successional Reserve Assessment (LSRA). The REO finds that
the LSRA provides sufficient framework and context for future projects and activities within the LSR.
Future silvicultural activities described in the LSRA that meet its criteria and objectives and are also
consistent with the Standards and Guidelines (S&G's) of the Northwest Forest Plan (NFP) are exempt
from further project-level REO review. This review also serves as the REO review of the site-specific
resource management plan amendments that will be needed for certain silvicultural treatments in stands
over 80 years old and for the proposed changes to the LSR boundary. The REO finds these changes to
be consistent with the objectives of the NFP. No additional REO review of the proposed changes as
they pertain to LSRs is required.
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 REO review. The REO review focuses on the following:
1. The first focus of the 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 subject areas that an assessment should generally include are found in the NFP Record of Decision (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 these activities are addressed in the LSRA. When the treatment criteria are clearly described and their relationship to achieving desired late-successional conditions are also clear, subsequent projects and activities within the LSRs may be exempted from REO review, provided they are consistent with the LSRA criteria and the NFP 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.
The basis for the review is the Jenny Creek Late-Successional Reserve Assessment dated January 2000.
Scope of the Assessment and Description of the Assessment Area
The Jenny Creek LSR (LSR No. 247) is comprised of 34,007 acres of public lands managed by the
Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in southeastern Jackson County, Oregon.
The LSR is located in four ecoregions and three physiographic provinces (as defined in the NFP on
page A-3): Western Cascades, Eastern Cascades, and Klamath. The LSRA addresses the Jenny Creek
LSR, mapped 100-acre known spotted owl activity centers, and unmapped (protection buffer and survey
and manage) LSRs within 10 miles of the mapped LSR. The assessment area includes 66,252 acres.
Lands in public ownership are interspersed with private lands in a "checkerboard" pattern.
Review of the Assessment
The REO reviewed the LSRA in light of the eight subject areas identified in the S&Gs (page C-11).
The LSRA describes desired conditions by ecoregion and plant community. It also identifies potential
treatments intended to achieve and maintain desired late-successional conditions, including criteria to
be used in deciding whether or not treatment is needed. The assessment recognizes the need to
maintain high levels of late-successional habitat within the reserve, while balancing this need against
the risk of large-scale loss to wildfire and disease. Estimated treatment acreage are provided.
The REO finds the LSRA provides a sufficient framework and context for designing future actions. The descriptions of current conditions (forest structure, composition, vegetation patterns, processes, and risks), in combination with desired conditions and treatment options, provide a framework for identifying, designing, and prioritizing treatments. Except as discussed below, the REO finds the proposed treatments to be consistent with NFP S&Gs.
Proposed Treatments in Stands Greater than 80 Years Old
The LSRA (Chapter 4, pages 24-34) identifies situations where meeting or more quickly achieving
late-successional objectives in stands greater than 80 years old require, application of silvicultural
treatments, including thinning. In some instances these treatments may include removal of trees larger
than 20 inches diameter at breast height (dbh). Treatments in these stands are intended to improve
vertical and horizontal canopy structure, increase patch size, create snags and coarse woody debris
where deficient, remove ladder fuels adjacent to large trees, and encourage large trees of preferred
species, size and vigor. Stands which have had prior management activities would receive higher
priority than those which have had none. The LSRA identifies approximate treatment acres by
ecoregion and habitat type for the current decade. Because some of these treatments do not meet the
"Guidelines to Reduce Risk of Large-Scale Disturbance" (S&Gs, page C-12), the LSRA recognizes that
some treatments will require amendment of the Medford Resource Management Plan (RMP). The REO
memorandum "Criteria to Exempt Specific Silvicultural Activities in Late-Successional Reserves and
Managed Late-Successional Areas from Regional Ecosystem Office Review" (July 9, 1996) limited
thinning without REO project review to cutting trees less than 20 inches dbh.
The LSRA treatment guidelines, design criteria, and standards and guidelines provide adequate sideboards for these treatments. The REO finds the goals and objectives of the proposed thinning in stands up to 140 years old to be consistent with NFP goals and objectives. Consequently, no additional REO review of these proposals or amendments will be required, except that the District is asked to notify REO when thinning of the first over 80-year-old unit is completed so that a field trip by the work group may be scheduled. The REO retains the option of modifying this exemption from review as a result of that visit. Actions proposing removal of trees larger than 20 inches dbh remain subject to REO review.
LSR Boundary Adjustments
The LSRA (Chapter 4, pages 67-71) proposes and analyzes several changes to the boundary of the
Jenny Creek LSR resulting in a net gain of nearly 1,600 total LSR acres. The three principal proposed
changes include: removing an existing recreation development and surrounding lands at Hyatt
Reservoir from the LSR, adding one section (Section 23, T.39S., R4 E.) to the LSR, and adding acreage
called the Southern Slivers to the southern end of the LSR.
In reviewing these proposed changes, the REO was primarily interested in gains and losses of existing and potential late-successional habitat. No adverse effects to connectivity within or between LSRs were identified. Addition of Section 23 and the Southern Slivers to the LSR would add a total of 112 acres of northern spotted owl nesting habitat and 566 acres of roosting/foraging habitat to the LSR. The proposed removal around Hyatt Reservoir includes 137 acres of nesting habitat and 26 acres of roosting/foraging habitat. The net change resulting from the proposal would be a loss of 25 acres of nesting habitat and an increase of 540 acres in roosting/foraging habitat.
The proposed changes include adding 608 acres of potential habitat and removing 217 acres of potential habitat, for a net increase of 391 acres.
Of these changes, the only concern raised by the work group related to the net loss in nesting habitat. Through discussions with district staff, it was determined that a block of nesting habitat (SE1/4, Section 15, T.39S. R.3E) totaling approximately 100 acres would be retained as LSR in the Hyatt Reservoir area, while still meeting the objective of removing the actual recreation development from the LSR. With this change to the proposal, there will be a net increase of 75 nesting habitat acres thus allaying the work group's concern. The REO finds the allocation change, as modified, to be consistent with the objectives of the NFP. This change will require amendment of the Medford RMP. No additional REO review of this amendment is required.
Conclusions
The REO finds that the Jenny Creek LSRA provides sufficient framework and context for decision
makers to proceed with project development and analysis. The potential silvicultural treatments
described in Chapter 4 (except as discussed above) are exempted from subsequent project-level REO
review. No additional REO review is needed for RMP amendments related to exempted silvicultural
activities. It is understood that the proposed land use allocation changes will be reviewed by the REO
and RIEC (ROD, pg 58).
cc:
RIEC
REO
Lisa Freedman, FS
LSR Work Group
Medford District, BLM
1519/ly