Memorandum
Date: November 13, 1996
To: G. Lynn Sprague, Regional Forester, Region 5, Forest Service
From: Donald R. Knowles, Executive Director
Subject: Regional Ecosystem Office Review of the Klamath National Forest's Goosenest Late-Successional Reserve (RC- 363) Assessment
Summary:
The Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) and the interagency Late-Successional Reserve Work Group have reviewed the Goosenest 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 (except as discussed below) that meet its criteria and objectives and are consistent with the Standards and Guidelines (S&Gs) in the Northwest Forest Plan (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 REO review. The REO review focuses on the following:
1. 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 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 considers potential treatment criteria and treatment areas 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 REO review, provided they are consistent with the LSRA criteria and NFP S&Gs. REO authority for developing criteria to exempt these actions is found in the S&Gs (pages C-12, C-13, and C-18).
Scope of the Assessment and Description of the Assessment Area
The REO reviewed the LSRA in light of the eight subject areas identified in the NFP S&Gs (page C-11) and found that it provides a sufficient framework and context for making future decisions on projects and activities within the LSR.
The LSRA addresses a 39,770-acre LSR located in the Goosenest District of the Klamath National Forest. The Goosenest LSR is within the Klamath Province and is located in the northernmost portion of the California Cascades. This assessment considers the LSR in context with surrounding LSRs, including its relationships to Jenny Creek LSR to the north and the LSRs on Mt. Shasta to the south.
Review of the Assessment
The REO reviewed the assessment's description of the desired future conditions (DFC), current conditions, objectives, treatment criteria, possible treatments, and identified projects including their implementation schedule. The assessment provides a clear framework for designing future actions.
Projects meeting 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) continue to be exempted from review. In addition, silvicultural activities consistent with the DFC, objectives, and treatment criteria identified in the LSRA (except as discussed below) and consistent with NFP S&Gs are exempt from subsequent REO review. These activities include precommerical thinning, commercial thinning, underburning, and reforestation, for the purposes of accelerating the development of late-successional forest habitat; protecting existing stands of late-successional forest habitat by reducing factors contributing to stress-related tree mortality or risk of stand-replacing fire; improving connectivity within the LSR; or improving habitat within owl activity centers.
The LSRA also identifies the following five silvicultural projects: Muskgrave bald eagle nest stand protection; Bogus Burn plantation thinning; Juanita Lake mixed conifer restoration; lodgepole pine thinning; and Shovel Creek thinning. All of these projects are exempted from further REO review except for Shovel Creek Thinning, which proposes thinning in stands that are relatively old (80-120 years) and have highly variable stand structure. Portions of the stands may be considered late-successional. Since this proposal is different from ones the REO has reviewed in the past, the REO would like to review it during detailed project planning.
Due to the degree of variability within the red fir and true fir plant communities on south and west facing slopes the Forest was not able to identify the DFC for stand density or the target tree size. Until such time as the DFC can be identified, silvicultural projects not otherwise exempted from review by the above referenced memoranda remain subject to REO review. Discussions with the Forest indicates that no activities are planned in these areas at this time.
The REO is working the Research and Monitoring Committee to ensure that projects within LSRs, including projects exempted from REO review, are considered in the development of the effectiveness, implementation, and validation monitoring program.
Conclusions
Based on documentation found in the LSRA, the REO finds that it provides a sufficient framework and context for future projects and activities within the LSR. Except as identified above, silvicultural activities and specific projects described in the LSRA which are are consistent with the NFP S&Gs and the treatment criteria identified in the assessment are exempted from project-level REO review. Salvage activities remain subject to REO review since they were not addressed in the assessment.
cc:
REO, RIEC
Tom Nygren, R-6
Steve Clausen
Klamath NF
824/ly