Sam Brown Project 2005: Issues with Agency Goals for Fish …a123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic... · 2012. 2. 7. · SNI American marten SNI SNI Minimal impacts, but

Wildlife Report And

Biological Evaluation

Equine Thin Project

Prepared by: Jessie Dubuque, Wildlife Technician

Date: December 27, 2011

Prepared by: Michael Miller, Wildlife Biologist

Date: December 29, 2011

Reviewed by: David Clayton, Forest Wildlife Biologist

Date: January 11, 2011

Equine Thin Page 1 WILDLIFE REPORT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Proposed Action is designed to meet management direction with an economically feasible

action that includes potential roading and access activities deemed necessary to facilitate

commercial thinning treatments, including the felling of danger trees along haul routes. Some

reconstruction of system roads and construction of temporary roads to facilitate treatments within

the potential units is proposed; no new system roads are proposed.

The Project Area falls within the Lower Rogue River, Illinois River-Lawson Creek and Pistol

River 5th field watersheds) and the Rogue River-Copper Canyon, Lawson Creek (Key),

Quosatana Creek (Key), and East Fork Pistol River 6th field watersheds. Watershed analyses

have been conducted within these drainages and contain a synthesis of scientific knowledge

about watershed trends and conditions at watershed scales as well as by smaller sub-watersheds.

Elevations range from 3,200 to 3,800 feet. The treatment of these stands would include density management thinning to increase tree

spacing and open up the forest canopy for multiple resource benefits. Silvicultural activities within matrix lands are to promote the production of timber and other commodities as well as

providing connectivity between reserves and habitat for a variety of organisms (USDA and

USDI 1994). The desired effects (purpose and need) of the thinning include:

increased tree growth and vigor

increase stand structural and vegetative diversity

promote stand development and wildlife habitat

provide for production of timber commodities.

The primary conifer species in the area is Douglas-fir, with a minor component of Port-Orford-

cedar, sugar pine, and western white pine. Douglas-fir would be the target species for removal in

all stands, while leaving other conifer species and hardwoods.

There are three alternatives in the Equine EA. These include Alternative 1 (No Action),

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action), and Alternative 3. Alternative 3 is designed to reduce impacts

relating to Issues (identified in scoping) that are associated with soil disturbance, soil

productivity, and Riparian Reserves while continuing to address the Purpose and Need.

Differences between Alternative 1, Alternative 2 and Alternative 3 are outlined in the Table 1

below.

Table 1. Alternatives Comparison

Activity Alternative 1

(No Action)

Alternative 2

(Proposed Action) Alternative 3

Thinning 0 acres 550 acres 382 acres

Gaps within Thinning 0 acres 17 acres 12 acres

Riparian Reserves

within Thinning 0 acres 92 acres. 0 acres

Volume 0 Mbf 12,100 Mbf 8,404 Mbf

Logging System

Skyline 0 acres 417 acres 266 acres

Ground 0 acres 67 acres 66 acres

Helicopter 0 acres 66 acres 50 acres

Yard with Tops Attached 0 acres 484 acres 332acres


FMZ Treatment 0 acres 105 acres 81 acres

Rock Quarry Expansion 0 acres 1 acre 1 acre

Reconstruction of

Unclassified Roads 0 feet 1.8 miles 1.6 miles

Temporary Road

Construction 0 feet 1.1 miles 0 feet

Temporary Road and

Helicopter Landing

Clearing Outside of

Proposed Units

0 acres 3 acres 3 acres

Road Decommissioning 0 miles 0 miles 1.3 miles FSR 3680260

Haul Route Danger Tree

Felling 0 acres 10 acres 10 acres

Proposed activities include felling (for thinning), pre-bunching, yarding, piling, burning,

temporary road construction, hazard tree felling, landing construction, road maintenance, tree

topping/girdling, down woody material creation, seeding with native grasses, log/rock hauling,

rock quarry expansion, road reconstruction and Fire Management Zone treatments.

A summary of effects to habitat is displayed in Table 2 below.

Table 2. Effects to Habitat.

Habitat Action Alternative

Comments 2 3

Grass/Forb 17 ac.

533 ac.

12 ac.

370 ac.

Gaps create grass/forb habitat.

Thinning reduces canopy closure, promotes limited grass/forb production.

Shrub ~1/2 ac. None Associated with temporary road construction.

Sapling/Pole 2 ac. 3 ac. Associated with temporary road construction and helicopter landing

clearing.

Small Forest 527 ac. 372ac. Thinning reduces canopy cover from 80-100% to 40-59 %. Danger tree

felling along haul routes may treat and maintain up to 5 acres.

Mature

Forest 28 ac. 15 ac. Thinning reduces canopy cover from 80-100% to 40-59 %.

Old Growth

Forest 6 ac. 6 ac.

1 acre will be removed to facilitate rock quarry expansion Danger tree

felling along haul routes may treat and maintain up to 5 acres of mature/old-

growth.

Caves,

Burrows

None None No cave or burrows habitat occurs in project areas.

Cliffs, Rims None None No cliff structure is within proposed units.

Down Wood

550 ac.

382 ac.

PDF’s will retain existing downed wood.

Down Wood 105 ac.

81 ac.

Smaller diameter material may be piled and burned within FMZ.

Down Wood 484 ac. 332 ac. Yard with tops attached reduces potential small downed wood following

treatment.

Snags

Minimal

Minimal

PDF’s will retain existing snags except those felled for operations. Thinning

activities may delay snag creation through suppression mortality, but over

time, such mortality would be developed that would consist of larger-sized,

much more suitable snags and coarse wood sooner than if the stands were

not treated.

Talus

1 site

1 site

Talus associated with 1 known Del Norte site will receive a protection

buffer. Effects to remaining talus would be limited to the 15% maximum

allowed soil displacement per S&G 7-2. PDF’s maintain 40% or greater

canopy closure. The rock outcrop in unit 16 will be protected.

Riparian 92 ac. 0 ac.

PDF’s limit adverse effects from treatments within riparian zones. Thinning

and snag creation will promote large tree, multi-species, multi-story stand

development within existing dense single story stands. Tree removed from

quarry expansion will be available for future stream improvement projects.


A summary of effects to species of concern is displayed in Table 3 below.

Table 3. Effects determination for Species of Concern

Species Action Alternative

2 3 Comments

Threatened and Endangered wildlife

Marbled murrelet LAA LAA

One acre of habitat removal for rock quarry expansion. 90

acres of potential habitat treated and maintained in Alt 2

(70 acres in Alt 3). Danger tree felling along haul routes

may treat and maintain an estimated 5 acres of habitat.

Marbled murrelet CHU

LAA LAA One acre of habitat removed for rock quarry expansion.

Danger tree felling along haul routes may treat and

maintain an estimated 1 acre of habitat.

Northern spotted owl LAA LAA

One acre of NRF habitat removal for rock quarry

expansion. 550 acres of dispersal habitat treated and

maintained in Alt 2 (382 acres Alt 3).. Danger tree felling

along haul routes may treat and maintain an estimated 10

acres of habitat (5 ac. NRF & 5 ac. dispersal).

Northern spotted owl CHU NE NE No CHU in project.

Sensitive Species – Forest Service R6

American peregrine falcon MIIH MIIH Potential disturbance to individuals and potential limited

adverse affects to prey species.

Bald eagle NI NI No treatment within 1.3 miles of Rogue River. Closest

nest is 3.3 miles away.

Harlequin duck NI NI No medium to large stream riparian habitat in project

Lewis’s woodpecker MIIH MIIH

Minimal, but some existing snags or trees with cavities

may be felled for safety. Pine woodlands occur along

haul route.

White-headed woodpecker NI NI Outside of known range

Northern waterthrush NI NI Outside of known range

California Wolverine NI NI Unlikely inhabitant.

Fisher MIIH MIIH

One acre of denning habitat removed with rock quarry

expansion. Thinning (canopy closure reduction) may

degrade 90 acres of denning habitat and 460 acres of

foraging habitat, disturbance could occur.

Pacific Pallid bat NI NI Outside of known range.

Townsend’s big-eared bat NI NI There are no known caves, wooden bridges or abandoned

buildings within the project.

Pacific fringe-tailed myotis NI NI Outside of known range

Northwestern pond turtle NI NI No suitable habitat near project.

Oregon spotted frog NI NI Outside of known range

Foothill yellow-legged frog NI NI No treatments within suitable riparian buffers

Siskiyou mountain salamander NI NI Outside of known range.

California slender salamander NI NI Outside of known range.

Black salamander NI NI Outside of known range

Siskiyou short-horned

grasshopper

NI NI Outside of known range

Johnson’s hairstreak MIIH MIIH Minimal, but some habitat degradation and disturbance

could occur.

Mardon Skipper NI NI No suitable habitat within treatment areas.

Coronis fritillary NI NI No suitable habitat within treatment areas

Insular blue butterfly NI NI Coastal meadow habitat

Hoary elfin NI NI Kinnikinnick plants on coastal bluffs & ancient dunes

Franklin’s bumblebee NI NI Outside of known range

Siskiyou Hesperian NI NI Outside of known range

Pristine springsnail NI NI Outside of known range

Crater Lake tightcoil NI NI Outside of known range

Green sideband MIIH MIIH Minimal, but some habitat degradation and disturbance

could occur.

Traveling sideband NI NI Outside of known range


Species Action Alternative

2 3 Comments

Chace sideband NI NI Outside of known range

Pacific walker NI NI No known sites within Curry County and limited

treatments within riparian buffers

Robust walker NI NI Unlikely inhabitant and limited impacts within riparian

buffers.

Scale lanx NI NI Outside of known range

Highcap lanx NI NI No large rivers in project area

Oregon shoulderband snail NI NI Outside of known range

Klamath rim pebblesnail NI NI Outside of known range

Evening fieldslug NI NI Outside of known range

Western ridged mussel NI NI Unlikely inhabitant and limited impacts within riparian

buffers.

Management Indicator Species

Bald eagle Covered above

Northern spotted owl Covered above

Osprey NE NE

Outside prime osprey habitat (1 mi. of Rogue River).

Pileated woodpecker SNI SNI

Minimal impacts to these species, but some impacts to

existing snags or trees with cavities.

Woodpeckers (Acorn, Downy,

Hairy, Northern flicker, Red-

breasted sapsucker, white-headed

woodpecker,& Lewis)

SNI SNI

American marten SNI SNI

Minimal impacts, but canopy reduction could reduce

habitat suitability until forest under-story shrubs grow and

restore canopy cover. Legacy trees felled for safety.

Columbian black-tailed deer SNI SNI Beneficial impacts from improvement of forage; i.e.,

more grasses, forbs, and shrubs. Some minimal impacts

from temp. roads and reduced thermal/hiding cover. Roosevelt elk

SNI SNI

Survey & Manage Species

Bats (fringed, long-eared, and

long-legged myotis; silver-

haired, pallid, and Townsend’s

big-eared bats)

M M Minimal impacts to these species, but some impacts to

existing snags or trees with cavities.

Black-backed woodpecker M M Unlikely inhabitant, but some impacts to existing snags

Flammulated owl NI NI Outside known range.

Great gray owl NI NI Outside known range.

Red tree vole (Mesic Zone) M M Canopy connectivity reduced and undiscovered nest trees

may be felled.

Del Norte salamander M M Some talus habitat may be impacted

Neo-tropical Migratory Birds

All birds in this category

Variable impacts, but no more than M for any species, because the scale of

impacts are small, compared to the availability of habitats within the

watersheds and forest.

Threatened & Endangered Species:

NE = No Effect

BE = Beneficial Effect

NLAA = May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect

LAA = May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect

CHU = Critical Habitat Unit

All other species

NI = No Impact

BI = Beneficial Impact

MIIH = May Impact Individuals or Habitat, but will not likely contribute to a trend

towards Federal listing or cause a loss of viability to the population or species

WIFV = Will Impact Individuals or Habitat with a consequence that the action may

contribute to a trend towards Federal listing or cause a loss of viability to the

population or species

Management Indicator Species:

NE – No Effect to habitat and species

IC – Improved Condition

SNI – Small negative impact to habitat and species

LNI- Large negative impact to habitat and species

Note: some species are on more than one list

No Action Alternative


Stands proposed for thinning treatment will continue to be overstocked, with intense competition

for growing resources, e.g. sunlight, water, nutrients, space. This process maintains a relatively

high canopy closure, preventing the establishment or growth of a grass/forb/shrub ground cover.

Stands will continue to self-thin the intermediate and overtopped trees, while the co-dominate

trees will continue to have poor crown development and slow diameter growth. Snag

development, especially in the smaller tree classes, is promoted as trees in dominant position

continue their advantage.

Stand structure elements such as horizontal and vertical structural diversity, large down wood,

snags and multiple canopy layers would likely develop in these stands if no thinning occurs.

These characteristics would develop over a longer time period as the stand naturally progresses

through the different stages of stand development. The No Action Alternative promotes the

availability of smaller snags and down wood while the Action Alternatives promote the

availability of larger snags and down wood.

Alternative 2

Equine Thin proposes density management and other related activities in the Wildhorse Ridge

area on approximately 550 acres of natural stands (approximately 52 -100 years of age) that

resulted from stand replacement fires that occurred in the early 1900’s in Matrix, Riparian

Reserve and Partial Retention/Visual. Approximately 27 treatment units would be designed for

variable density thinning from below with associated harvest systems that would use a

combination of ground-based, skyline and helicopter operations depending on soil, slope and

hydrological restrictions. Previous treatments (commercial thinning and partial removal cuts)

have occurred on approximately 108 acres within 7 Equine Thin stands.

While the vast majority of trees in these stands are young and even-aged, there are some older

legacy trees. These trees that survived the stand replacement fires are scattered throughout some

units. In some cases they are single trees remaining, while other areas have groups of older trees

up to an acre in size. These trees range from 38” diameter at breast height (DBH) to in excess of

60” DBH. Many of these areas containing older legacy trees have already been excluded from

all the alternatives in the Equine EA. These large trees are present in some of these younger

stands where thinning is proposed, and thinning will occur around these trees. However, the

legacy trees will not be targeted for removal in the prescription (Silvicultural Report). One rock quarry is proposed to be expanded to provide access to rock which will be ripped and

crushed and later applied to road surfaces. Blasting is not expected to be needed.

Approximately 1 acre of late-successional habitat would be removed. The proposed rock quarry

expansion is located within the Northwest Coast Late-Successional Reserve and marbled

murrelet critical habitat unit OR-07-b.

Felling of danger trees along the haul route may treat and maintain approximately 10 acres.

Effects to Habitats

Wildlife within the fifth-field watersheds associated with the project (watersheds) utilizes the

following habitat associations: grass/forb, shrub, seedling/sapling/pole, small young forest,

mature and old-growth forest, caves/burrows, cliffs/rims, talus, coarse woody material (including


snags and down wood), and riparian. Project activities will occur in young (522 ac.), mature (28

ac.) and old-growth (1 ac.) forest habitats. Danger tree felling may treat and maintain an

estimated 5 acres of young and 5 acres of mature/old growth. Minor amounts of activities will

occur in other habitat types.

Young (stands 9-20”DBH) forest conditions occur on approximately 522 acres within proposed

units. This forest condition makes up approximately 20% of the watershed’s vegetation.

Treatments would reduce canopy closure from near 100% to 40-60%. Small forest condition is

not used for nesting by the Threatened northern spotted owl or marbled murrelet. These stands

may be used by the northern spotted owl for dispersal. Felling of danger trees along the haul

may treat and maintain an additional 5 acres of young forest habitat.

Mature (stands 21-31”DBH) forest conditions occur on approximately 28 acres within proposed

unit 17. This forest condition makes up approximately 24% of the watershed’s vegetation.

Treatments would reduce canopy closure from near 100% to 40-60%. This single story stand

lacks large down wood, large snags, multi-layered canopy and nesting structure and therefore is

currently functioning only as spotted owl dispersal habitat and not nesting, roosting and forage

habitat. Old-growth (stands 32” and greater DBH) conditions occur on the one acre associated with the

rock quarry expansion. Rock quarry expansion will remove 1 acre of old-growth forest. Minor

impacts to other mature/old-growth habitat may occur when trees determined to be safety

concerns (i.e. unsound trees/ snags near landings, tailholds, and haul routes) are felled.

Approximately 5 acres of mature/old-growth may be treated & maintained with this project.

This forest condition makes up approximately 15% of the watersheds vegetation.

There would be long term biological diversity beneficial effects from accelerating the

development of late-successional conditions within Riparian Reserves to enhance the recovery of

the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet, improving stand conditions to reduce the

likelihood of future stand replacement fires, restoring species diversity, adding snags and down

wood if funding is available, and reducing the effects of fragmentation in the long term.

Effects to Species of Concern

Species of concern are those species listed by the Endangered Species Act as Threatened or

Endangered, the Regional Forester as Sensitive, Survey & Manage Species, Management

Indicator Species by the Siskiyou Land and Resource Management Plan, or Birds of

Conservation Concern including focal Neo-tropical Migratory Bird Species by Oregon-

Washington Chapter of Partners in Flight in their published Landbird Conservation Plan (PIF

1999, 2000). Effects to species are generally based on the effects to their habitat or potential

effects from disturbance during nesting season.

The Forest consults with the USDI Fish and Wildlife Service (per Section 7 of the Endangered

Species Act) about any management activities which “may affect” individuals of listed species or

their habitat. For detailed information on the natural history and management of the Forest’s

Endangered and Threatened species, see the most recent programmatic “Formal Consultation on

Timber Harvest, Meadow Restoration and Quarry Activities Proposed by the Rogue River-

Siskiyou National Forest (Tails # 13420-2009-F-0146)(USDI 2009) and Informal Consultation

on Miscellaneous Forest Management Activities by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest


for Fiscal Years 2009 through 2014 (Tails # 13420-2010-I-0034)(USDI 2010). Information in

the referenced documents was used in the subsequent determination of effects to Threatened and

Endangered species in this project.

Threatened and Endangered Species - Thinning and associated treatments

The effects determination for thinning and associated treatments for all Action

Alternatives is May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect (NLAA) for the northern

spotted owl. Project Design Criteria will assure that no habitat will be removed; however

550 acres of habitat may be treated and maintained. The project is located outside of 2008

Critical Habitat Units (CHUs); therefore there will be No Effect (NE) to spotted owl

critical habitat.

The Final Recovery Plan for the Northern Spotted Owl, May 2008 includes Recovery Action 32

– “Maintain substantially all of the older and more structurally complex multi-layered conifer

forests on Federal lands ” in the Oregon Klamath Provinces. Areas meeting Recovery Action 32

definitions were excluded from treatment areas in all Action Alternatives (USDA, USDI 2010).

For the marbled murrelet, the effects determination for thinning and associated treatments is

May Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect (NLAA) for all Action Alternatives. Project

Design Criteria will assure that no habitat will be removed; however thinning will treat and

maintain an estimated 90 acres of potential habitat. Some hazard trees may need to be felled

along the haul route for safety, the extent of the effects associated with hazard tree felling is

estimated at up to 5 acres of habitat maintained. The proposed units are located outside Critical

Habitat Units (CHUs), however units 17, 23, 24, 26 and 29 are adjacent to Critical Habitat and

there may be minor edge effects associated with thinning (i.e. limited blow down). Danger trees

may be felled along haul routes within CHU resulting in 1 acre of suitable habitat being treated

and maintained. The effects determination for marbled murrelet Critical Habitat is May Affect,

Not Likely to Adversely Affect (NLAA) for all Action Alternatives.

Threatened and Endangered Species - Rock Quarry Expansion

The effects determination for activities that remove 1 acre of spotted owl nesting, roosting and

foraging habitat is May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect (LAA) for the northern spotted owl.

The project is located outside of 2008 Critical Habitat Units (CHUs), therefore there will be No

Effect (NE) to spotted owl CHU’s.

For the marbled murrelet the effects determination is May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect

(LAA) because 1 acre of old-growth will be removed. The project is located within Critical

Habitat Units (CHUs) OR-07-b. The effects determination for marbled murrelet Critical Habitat

is May Affect, Likely to Adversely Affect (LAA) for all Action Alternatives because one acre

of suitable marbled murrelet habitat will be removed.

Late-Successional Reserves

No thinning treatments are proposed within Late-successional Reserves. Units 17, 23, 24, 26 and

29 are adjacent to the Northwest Coast (RO-256) and Fish Hook (RO-253) Late-Successional

Reserves. Thinning may cause a slight increase in the potential of blow down to adjacent Late-

Successional Reserves. Thinning with associated fuel treatments may reduce the risk of stand


replacing fires within adjacent Late-Successional Reserves. Danger trees may be felled along

haul routes within Late-Successional Reserves resulting in 1 acre of suitable habitat being treated

and maintained.

The proposed rock quarry expansion is within the Northwest Coast Late-Successional Reserves.

One acre of late-successional habitat will be removed.

Unmapped Late-Successional Reserves and Managed Late-Successional Reserves

The Equine Thin Project does not propose treatments within Unmapped Late-Successional

Reserves, however thinning adjacent to Unmapped Late-Successional Reserves associated with

occupied marbled murrelet habitat may cause a slight increase in the potential of blow down. No

100 acre core Northern Spotted Owl Activity Centers occur within the analysis area.

Sensitive Species

The determinations for Sensitive species that are NOT likely to occur in the project area is No

Impact. For all Action Alternatives, the determinations for Sensitive species that are likely to

occur in the project area is no more than May Impact Individuals or Habitat (MIIH), but will

not likely contribute to a trend towards Federal listing or cause a loss of viability to the

population or species, because of potential disturbance to individuals and limited adverse effects

to habitat from treatments. Adverse effects are limited because the scale of impacts is very small

compared to the scale of the distribution of these species and their habitat across the watersheds

and forest.

Management Indicator Species

Effects to Management Indicator Species (MIS), is based upon effects to their habitat.

This project will not affect the bald eagle or osprey in the project area. Therefore, the Equine

project will not contribute toward a negative trend in viability on the Siskiyou portion of the

Rogue River National Forest for the bald eagle or the osprey.

The northern spotted owl is addressed in the Threatened and Endangered species portion of this

analysis.

Mature habitat would be thinned reducing canopy cover from near 100% to 40-50% and some

snags and legacy trees may be felled for safety. Late-successional habitat will not be removed

(except 1 ac. removed for rock quarry expansion) and only small amounts, compared to the

available habitat within the watersheds and Forest, will be treated and maintained. Twenty-eight

acres of mature habitat will be thinned with this project and 1 acre of old-growth will be

removed with the expansion of the rock quarry. Because this project impacts less than .01% of

suitable habitat across the forest, the overall direct, indirect and cumulative effects will result in a

smalll negative impact to this species (snags felled for safety). The loss of habitat (snags felled

for safety) will be insignificant at the scale of the Forest. The Equine project is consistent with

the Forest Plan, and thus continued viability of the pileated woodpecker and American marten is

expected on the Siskiyou portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.


Because this project retains existing snags and those felled for safety will remain on site, and this

project impacts less than 1% of suitable habitat across the forest, the overall direct, indirect and

cumulative effects will result in a smalll negative impact on this specie’s habitat (snags felled for

safety). The loss of habitat (snags felled for safety) will be insignificant at the scale of the

Forest. The Equine project is consistent with the Forest Plan, and thus continued viability of the

woodpecker group is expected on the Siskiyou portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National

Forest.

The utilization of forage adjacent to units 4, 6A and 13 may be reduced with the decrease in

thermal habitat because of thinning. Thinning will increase the distance from foraging habitat to

thermal/hiding cover to greater than 600 feet on approximately 30 acres within the Lawson

Creek watershed. These units are within the Biscuit Fire where forage habitat is abundant. This

project impacts less than 1% of suitable habitat across the forest, the overall direct, indirect and

cumulative effects will result in a smalll negative trend of habitat (reduction in thermal and

hiding cover). The loss of habitat will result in a smalll negative impact on this specie’s habitat

(reduction in thermal and hiding cover) but this effect will be insignificant at the scale of the

Forest. Thinning will improve conditions by increasing available forage, especially within gaps,

for deer and elk for 5-10 years until canopy closure resumes. The Equine project is consistent

with the Forest Plan as amended by the NWFP, and thus continued viability of deer and elk is

expected on the Siskiyou portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

Other Northwest Forest Plan and Survey & Manage Species

The determination for bats (fringed, long-eared, and long-legged myotis; silver-haired and pallid)

and black-backed woodpecker is M – may affect some individuals or some habitat but effect

is minimal because some potential habitat will be removed. Some large snags, which are habitat

for these birds and bats, will likely be felled during treatments associated with operations. The

determination for Townsend’s big-eared bat is NI – no impact because there are no known

caves, mines, abandoned wooden bridges and buildings within the project area.

The determination for white-headed woodpeckers, flammulated owl and great gray owl is No

Impact, because the project area is outside the known range of the species. The determination

for red tree vole is M - may affect some individuals or some habitat but effect is minimal

because project surveys were completed, and a habitat area has been established around the one

active nest site. However, some undiscovered red tree vole nests may be felled or blow down.

Thinning will isolate individual tree canopies reducing inter-connected tree canopies which may

be used by foraging and dispersing red tree voles. Some stands do not currently have an

estimated stand quadratic mean diameter of 18 inches DBH and therefore do not provide suitable

habitat that may potentially contribute to a reasonable assurance of persistence of the red tree

vole. The determination for the Del Norte salamander is M – may affect some individuals or

some habitat but effect is minimal because some talus habitat may be impacted. PDF’s

maintain 40% or greater canopy closure and limit soil displacement to 15%. Talus associated

with the 1 known Del Norte site will receive a protection buffer. The rocky outcrop in unit 16

will also receive a buffer.

Neotropical Migratory Birds/Landbirds (NTMB)


The effects to migratory birds/landbirds are variable depending on the habitat associations of the

individual species, but no more than minimal (M) for any species. It is expected that project

activities will fall some snags and thus have a potential adverse effect on cavity nesting birds in

certain areas. However, all Action Alternatives would leave existing dead wood used by cavity-

dependent species, and where needed, snags and down wood may be created. Disturbance to

individuals and limited adverse effects to habitat from treatments are limited in scale when

compared to the distribution of the species and habitats within the watersheds and Forest. The

seasonal restrictions for the marbled murrelet will indirectly reduce the impacts to neo-tropical

birds nesting in the proposed stands.

Alternative 3

This alternative would have similar effect as Alternative 2 except treatments will occur on fewer

acres. Below is a summary of the differences between Alternative 2 and Alternative 3.

Thinning would not occur on 168 upland acres and 92 acres of riparian reserves. No temporary road construction would occur. Reconstruction of unclassified roads would not occur on 0.2 miles of road. There would be 24 acres fewer FMZ treatments. There would be an increase in helicopter and multi span logging and a reduction in

skyline cable logging systems.

The last 1.3 miles of FSR 3680260 would be decommissioned.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………1 I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 12 A. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES ................................................................ 12

II. DESIRED CONDITIONS AND PROCESSES ................................................ 14 A. SPECIFIC DESIRED CONDITIONS ................................................................................. 15

B. DISTURBANCE PROCESSES ............................................................................................ 18

III. SPECIES OF CONCERN ................................................................................. 19 A. HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS…………………………………………………………… .... 19

B. SPECIES OBSERVATIONS ................................................................................................ 23

III. EXISTING CONDITIONS - HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS .......................... 27 A. HABITAT ACCOUNTS ....................................................................................................... 28

Late-Successional Forest (especially old-growth) .................................................................. 29

Grass / Forb and Shrub ............................................................................................................. 31

Coarse Woody Material (Snags and Large Wood) ................................................................. 32

Other Habitat Associations ...................................................................................................... 37

IV. EFFECTS TO HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS .................................................. 37 A. GRASS / FORB (habitat of concern) ................................................................................... 37

B. SHRUB (habitat of concern) ................................................................................................ 38

C. SEEDLING / SAPLING / POLE (common habitat) ......................................................... 38

D. YOUNG / SMALL FOREST (common habitat) ................................................................ 39

E. MATURE AND OLD-GROWTH FOREST (habitat of concern) .................................... 39

F. CAVES, BURROWS, CLIFFS, RIMS AND TALUS......................................................... 40

G. COARSE WOODY MATERIAL (Snags and Down Wood) ............................................. 41

H. RIPARIAN............................................................................................................................. 41

V. SPECIES ACCOUNTS ..................................................................................................... 43 Proposed, Endangered, or Threatened Species ........................................................................ 43

Forest Service Region 6 Sensitive Species .............................................................................. 56

Management Indicator Species ............................................................................................... 77

Survey and Manage Species ..................................................................................................... 82

Other Northwest Forest Plan Species ....................................................................................... 84

Neo-tropical Migratory Birds/Landbirds ................................................................................. 86

VI. REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 89


I. INTRODUCTION

This report is designed to address all required analyses necessary for attaining USDA Forest

Service objectives for wildlife. This report describes desired and existing conditions, and then

describes the potential effects from proposed activities to existing and desired conditions. Of

more than 200 vertebrate and thousands of invertebrate wildlife species that may live in the

project analysis area, wildlife analysis will emphasize species of concern, which are:

Species Federally listed as Proposed, Endangered or Threatened under the Endangered

Species Act.

Species listed as Sensitive by Region 6 of the USDA Forest Service.

Species identified as Management Indicator Species by the Siskiyou National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan (Siskiyou Forest Plan) as amended by the

Northwest Forest Plan.

Protection Buffer & Survey and Manage species.

Neo-tropical migratory birds/landbird focal species identified by Partners in Flight (PIF):

Conservation Strategy for Landbirds in Coniferous Forest of Western Oregon and

Washington, and FWS Birds of Conservation Concern (USDI 2008).

It is Forest Service policy to protect the habitat of Federally listed Threatened, Endangered,

Proposed and Sensitive species (PETS species) from adverse modification or destruction, as well

as to protect individual organisms from harm or harassment as appropriate (FSM 2670.3).

Consistent with this policy, a Biological Evaluation (BE) is prepared for the Equine Thin project.

A BE is prepared with two main objectives: 1) To determine and document the possible effects

that the proposed activity will have on PETS species (FSM 2672.4);and 2) To ensure these

species receive full consideration in the decision-making process ensuring species viability and

consistency with defined species management goals. Forest Service Manual (FSM 2672.43)

provides a description of the administrative and field procedures associated with the preparation

of a BE. If a proposed activity is likely to “affect” a Federally listed, Consultation or

Conferencing with the Fish and Wildlife Service is required. Habitat Examination direction is

included in FSM 2634.

A. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES

The Gold Beach Ranger District of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest proposes thinning

and other related activities on approximately 550 acres of stands which naturally regenerated

following stand replacement fires that occurred in the early 1900’s. The proposed thinning units

are all located within Matrix Lands (General Forest MA-14) and Riparian Reserves (Riparian

MA-11), designated by the Siskiyou National Forest Land Resource Management Plan (LRMP)

and Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). Approximately 27 treatment units would be designed for

variable density thinning from below with associated harvest systems that would use a

combination of ground-based, skyline and helicopter operations depending on soil, slope and

hydrological restrictions.

One rock quarry is proposed to be expanded to provide access to rock which will be ripped and

crushed and later applied to road surfaces. Blasting is not expected to be needed.

Approximately 1 acre of late-successional habitat would be removed. The proposed rock quarry

expansion is located within the Northwest Coast Late Successional Reserve and marbled

murrelet Critical Habitat Unit OR-7-b.


The Proposed Action is designed to meet management direction, including building temporary

roads and activities deemed necessary to facilitate commercial thinning treatments, including the

felling and disposition of danger trees along haul routes. Some reconstruction of system roads

and construction/reconstruction of temporary roads would occur to facilitate treatments within

units. No new system roads are proposed.

The Project Area falls within the Lower Rogue River, Illinois River-Lawson Creek and Pistol

River (5th

field watersheds) and the Rogue River-Copper Canyon, Lawson Creek (Key),

Quosatana Creek (Key), and East Fork Pistol River 6th

field watersheds. Watershed analyses

have been conducted within these drainages and contain a synthesis of scientific knowledge

about watershed trends and conditions at watershed scales as well as by smaller sub-watersheds.

Elevations range from 3,200 to 3,800 feet.

The treatment of these stands would include density management thinning to increase tree

spacing and open up the forest canopy for multiple resource benefits. Silvicultural activities within matrix lands are to promote the production of timber and other commodities as well as

providing connectivity between reserves and habitat for a variety of organisms (USDA and

USDI 1994). The desired effects (purpose and need) of the thinning include:

increased tree growth and vigor

increase stand structural and vegetative diversity in Riparian Reserves

promote stand development and wildlife habitat

provide for production of timber commodities.

The primary conifer species in the area is Douglas-fir, with a minor component of Port-Orford-

cedar, sugar pine, and western white pine. Douglas-fir would be the target species for removal in

all stands, while leaving other conifer species and hardwoods.

The treatments will leave the largest diameter trees while targeting the smaller co-dominant and

intermediate trees for removal. Older legacy trees will remain in the units where possible. The

primary conifer species in the area is Douglas-fir, with a minor component of Port-Orford-Cedar,

sugar pine, and western white pine. Douglas-fir will be the target species for removal in all

stands, while leaving other conifer species and hardwoods.

There are three alternatives in the Equine EA. These include Alternative 1 (No Action),

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action), and Alternative 3. Alternative 3 is designed to reduce impacts

relating to Issues (identified in scoping) that are associated with soil disturbance, soil

productivity and Riparian Reserves while continuing to address the Purpose and Need.

Differences between Alternative 2 and Alternative 3 are outlined in the Table 4 below.

The proposed action also includes a one acre expansion of an existing rock quarry on the north

slopes of Quosatana Butte on the 3313-150 road.


Table 4. Alternative 2 and Alternative 3 Comparison

Issue Alternative 2 (Proposed Action) Alternative 3

Soil Disturbance/

Productivity

New temporary roads (1.1 miles) will

be built to achieve conventional

(ground based, skyline) logging

systems.

No new temporary roads will be built.

Helicopter logging will result.

Decommissioning of 1.3 miles of FSR

3680260.

Riparian

Reserves

Treatment will occur within RR (with

no cut areas adjacent to stream-course),

while not reducing canopy cover below

50% across the Riparian Reserve.

No treatment will occur within Riparian

Reserves.

Proposed activities include felling (for thinning), feller/buncher, yarding, piling, burning,

opening existing temporary roads, temporary road construction, landing construction, road

maintenance, road decommissioning, log/rock hauling, hazard tree felling, rock quarry

expansion, rock crushing, and Fuel Management Zone treatment, tree topping/girdling, down

woody material creation, seeding with native grasses and planting.

II. DESIRED CONDITIONS AND PROCESSES

The Siskiyou Land and Resource Management Plan (Siskiyou LRMP, 1989) was amended by

the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) (USDA and USDI, 1994) and is the primary planning

document that establish general desired conditions for wildlife in the Siskiyou portion of the

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Information for more specific desired conditions is

developed through required landscape scale analyses (NWFP, p. C-11 and E-20) and review of

scientific literature.

The overall desired conditions for wildlife in the Siskiyou LRMP are designed to meet the

following general objectives:

Maintain ecosystem diversity and productivity by:

Recovering threatened or endangered species. Maintaining at least viable populations of all native and desired non-native wildlife, fish,

and plants in the planning area. Producing habitat capability levels to meet sustained

yield objectives relative to demand for featured and management indicator species

identified in RPA and National Forest Plans.

Provide diverse opportunities for esthetic, consumptive, and scientific uses of wildlife, fish, and sensitive plant resources in accordance with National, Regional, State and local

demands.

Improvement of ecosystem diversity and productivity (sustainability) relates to restoring and

maintaining biological and physical processes within their natural range of variability (USDA

and USDI, Northwest Forest Plan, ROD, 1994). Ecosystem recovery should focus on the habitat

associations identified by research, the historical distribution and abundance of these habitats,

and the natural disturbance processes that affect these habitats.

Ecosystem health is measured by the probability of extinction, and species are adapted to the

conditions that existed in the past; in other words: the genetic make-up of species are the result

of adaptations to selection pressures of the past (Krebs 1985). Improvement of ecosystem

diversity and productivity (sustainability) relates to restoring and maintaining biological and


physical processes within their natural range of variability (USDA and USDI, Northwest Forest

Plan ROD, 1994).

A. SPECIFIC DESIRED CONDITIONS

Specific objectives for wildlife are to restore (and maintain) habitats that are below their

historical distribution and abundance. These habitats are late-successional forest (especially old-

growth) and grass/forb habitats. For forested habitats, specific desired conditions are balanced

between restoration of late-successional forest – including pine/oak savanna, restoration of low

intensity fire, and maintenance of habitat for species, such as the spotted owls and marbled

murrelet to prevent adverse effects to these species. Additionally, specific desired conditions are

to prevent or minimize adverse effects to species listed as Threatened or Endangered, species

identified in NW Forest Plan as Protection Buffer species or Survey and Manage, species listed

by the Regional Forester in Region 6 as Sensitive, species identified in the Siskiyou Land and

Resource Management Plan as Management Indicator species, and Neo-tropical Migratory

Birds/land birds.

Matrix Objectives (NWFP S&G B-1&2)

Production of timber and other commodities.

Function as connectivity between Late-Successional Reserves

Provide habitat for a variety of organisms associated with both late-successional and younger forest.

Provide important ecological functions such as dispersal of organisms, carryover of some species from one stand to the next and maintenance of ecologically

valuable structural components such as down logs, snags and large trees.

Provide early-successional habitat.

Riparian Reserves Objectives (NWFP S&G B-13):

Maintain and restore riparian structures and functions

Provide habitat for riparian-dependent and associated species

Provide travel and dispersal corridors for species

Provide connectivity corridors among Late-successional Reserves

Objectives for attaining general and specific desired conditions and attaining agency wildlife

goals include:

Grass / forb or shrub habitat (Habitat of concern)

-Restore grass/forb ground-cover adjacent to meadows

Sapling / pole (5-9” DBH) habitat

-Hasten development of mature and old growth forest habitat.

-Reduce potential for stand replacing fire.

-Restore large pines and deciduous oaks.

-Maintain or restore grasses, forbs, and palatable shrubs, especially deciduous shrubs.

-Restore hardwood (tanoak, madrone, myrtle, etc) species, size, and spacing diversity


In small/medium forest (stands with 10-21” DBH and > 40% canopy cover (spotted owl

dispersal habitat))

-Hasten development of mature and old growth forest habitat.


-Maintain dispersal habitat for northern spotted owls: average canopy cover above 40% at

the stand level, with some areas of less than 40% canopy cover. These areas with less than

40% canopy cover should be one acre in size or smaller and should be less than 20% of the

entire stand. Canopy cover goals are designed to prevent adverse effects to spotted owls.

-Maintain or develop trees with nesting/resting platforms, such as large limbs, forked tops,

mistletoe brooms, and cavities.

-Restore large pines and deciduous oaks.

-Maintain or restore grass/forb under-story.

-Consider current and future snag and down woody material needs appropriate for each

site; e.g., for the Plant Association Group (PAG) of each site. Seventy percent of snags

should be in clumps with at least one clump for each five acre; the remainder scattered.

Late successional forest habitat (stands with > 21” DBH trees and moderate to high canopy

cover (NWFP FSEIS Vol. 1, p. 3&4 and 13&26). (Old-growth is habitat of concern)

-Maintain or hasten development of very large trees. Avoid affecting larger more complex

legacy trees.


-Maintain average canopy cover above 60% at the stand level, with some areas of less than

60% canopy cover. These areas with less than 60% canopy cover should be one acre in

size or smaller and should be less than 20% of the entire stand. Canopy cover goals are

designed to prevent adverse effects to spotted owls.

-Maintain or develop trees with nesting/resting platforms, such as large limbs, forked tops,

mistletoe brooms, and cavities

-Maintain pines and deciduous oaks.

-Maintain or restore grass/forb under-story.

-Protect raptor (birds of prey) and colonial nesting bird active roost and nest trees)

according to LRMP standard and guideline-4-4, 4-5, 4-6, 4-9 & 4-10.

-Meet snag and down woody material needs appropriate for each site; e.g., for the Plant

Association Group (PAG) of each site.

-Retain largest snags and down wood available within all land allocations, except Matrix -

where large dead wood is defined as > 20” DBH. Seventy percent of snags should be in

clumps with at least one clump for each five acres and the remainder scattered.

-Create snags or down wood where necessary.

Unique and uncommon habitats: caves, burrow, cliffs, rims, and talus

-Maintain or enhance the habitat qualities that make these habitat types unique (LRMP

MA-9-1 thru MA-9-27).

Matrix - Late successional forest habitat (stands with > 21” DBH trees with moderate to

high canopy cover (NWFP FSEIS Vol. 1, p. 3&4 and 13&26). (Old-growth is habitat of

concern)

-Recovery Action 32 -Maintain substantially all of the older and more structurally complex

multi-layered conifer forests on Federal lands. These forests are characterized as having

large diameter trees, high amounts of canopy cover, and decadence components such as


broken topped live trees, mistletoe, cavities, large snags, and fallen trees. (USDI, 2011),

(USDA/USDI 2010).

-Projects that remove or degrade s suitable marbled habitat must be surveyed to protocol.

Establish a new “Unmapped Late-Successional Reserve” for stands determined to be

occupied per NWFP ROD.

-Provide for retention of old-growth ecosystem components such as large green trees,

snags, down wood and diversity of species. Retention of green trees following timber

harvest in the matrix provides a legacy that bridges past and future forests. Retaining

green trees serves several important functions including snag recruitment, promoting

multistoried canopies, and providing shade and suitable habitat for many organisms in the

matrix.

-At least 15 percent of the green trees on each regeneration harvest unit located on

National Forest land must be retained. These trees should be the largest, oldest trees

associated with each timber sale unit in the matrix. This limitation does not apply to

intermediate harvests (thinning) in even age young stands because leaving untreated

portions of young stands would retard stand development and be detrimental to the

objective of creating late-successional patches.

Manage fire and fuels within the Matrix to reduce the risk of fire and other large scale

disturbances that would jeopardize the late-successional reserves.

Harvesting trees immediately adjacent to Late-Successional Reserves may result in

increased wind damage along boundaries. In some cases, “feathering” stands within

harvest units may be appropriate to reduce this risk. (NWFP S&G B-8). Small-scale

disturbances within late-successional reserves by fire, wind, insects, and diseases are

natural process and will be allowed to continue (NWFP S&G B-5).

Additional desired conditions include avoidance of impacts that could cause a trend toward

listing of Threatened or Sensitive species, and to comply with requirements for Management

Indicator Species (MIS), Other Rare or Uncommon Species (including Protection Buffer

species), and Neo-tropical migratory birds/land birds: specifically:

-Apply seasonal restrictions for critical breeding period to treatments that could disturb

potentially nesting spotted owls and marbled murrelets.

-Minimize adverse effects from disturbance to the Threatened northern spotted owl or marbled

murrelet during the breeding season.

-Protect any northern spotted owl nest site or activity center of known pairs and resident

singles.

-Occasionally individual hazard trees are found which have not been surveyed for murrelet

use and which have the potential to support a murrelet nest. If these trees are an immediate

threat to human safety, they will be cut. Otherwise, these trees will be removed during the

non-nesting season (16 September to March 31) (USDI 2009c).

-Avoid impacts to Sensitive species that could cause a trend toward listing of any of these

species and comply with MIS, Protection Buffer species, and NTMB requirements.

-Protect water quality and protect vegetation adjacent to perennial water.

-Maintain adequate amounts of snags and down wood in all decay classes where possible. -

Maintain a portion of these in high concentrations.


-Maintain some trees with defects and maintain the processes that create defects over portions

of the project area. For example, leave some areas with higher concentrations of larger trees

to make these trees more susceptible to pathogens, such as phelinus pini, than released trees.

-Maintain some shrub and sapling/pole habitat.

-Protect at least 85% of talus from direct disturbance, such as yarding corridors or road

construction.

-Protect abandoned buildings and bridges.

-Protect any newly discovered nesting peregrine falcons from disturbance by applying seasonal

restrictions during the courtship through dispersal of young (January 1 – July 31).

B. DISTURBANCE PROCESSES

The process of disturbance on habitat elements has profound effects on species distribution and

abundance, and therefore ecosystem sustainability. Disturbances, especially fire, have changed

the distribution and abundance of these habitat elements for millennia, and species are adapted to

this natural range of variability. In fact, some species require disturbance. For example, many

pine and Douglas-fir trees historically reached large size because periodic low intensity fires

removed competing vegetation. Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team - FEMAT -

(1993, p. II-98) states:

“Change happens. Change is an inevitable and necessary attribute of biological systems.

Species have evolved in an environment characterized by change, sometimes gradual as in

succession, and sometimes sudden as in catastrophic storms or fires or as caused by human

activities.” Furthermore, Jane Kapler Smith, in “Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on

fauna” (2000), states:

“Fires affect animals mainly through effects on their habitat. Fires often cause short-term

increases in wildlife foods that contribute to increases in populations of some animals. These

increases are moderated by the animals' ability to thrive in the altered, often simplified,

structure of the post-fire environment. The extent of fire effects on animal communities

generally depends on the extent of change in habitat structure and species composition

caused by fire. Stand-replacement fires usually cause greater changes in the faunal

communities of forests than in those of grasslands. Within forests, stand-replacement fires

usually alter the animal community more dramatically than under-story fires. Animal species

are adapted to survive the pattern of fire frequency, season, size, severity, and uniformity that

characterized their habitat in pre-settlement times. When fire frequency increases or

decreases substantially or fire severity changes from pre-settlement patterns, habitat for many

animal species declines.”

Small-scale disturbances within late-successional reserves by fire, wind, insects, and diseases

are natural process and will be allowed to continue (NWFP S&G B-5).


III. SPECIES OF CONCERN

Of more than 200 vertebrate and thousands of invertebrate wildlife species that may live in the

project analysis area, wildlife analysis emphasizes species of concern (SOC), which are:

Species Federally listed as Proposed, Endangered or Threatened under the Endangered

Species Act.

Species listed as Sensitive by Region 6 of the USDA Forest Service.

Species identified as Management Indicator Species by the Siskiyou National Forest

Land and Resource Management Plan (Siskiyou Forest Plan) as amended by the

Northwest Forest Plan.

2001 ROD – Management for Certain Bat Roosts and Cavity Nesting Birds.

Survey & Manage species.

Neo-tropical migratory birds/land bird focal species identified by Partners in Flight (PIF):

Conservation Strategy for Landbirds in Coniferous Forest of Western Oregon and

Washington, and FWS Birds of Conservation Concern (USDI 2008).

A. HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS

Many of the species of concern considered in this analysis are known or expected to live within

the fifth-field watersheds associated with the project areas. Among these, species associated

with grass/forb, shrub, late-successional forest, and coarse wood habitats are of greatest concern,

because these habitats are well below desired levels in two of the three watersheds where this

project is proposed. Of these habitats of concern, late successional habitat is of greatest concern,

because the species associated with this habitat are listed as Threatened, through the Endangered

Species Act.

Habitat associations for wildlife species of concern in the fifth-field watersheds were identified

using information from Management of Fish and Wildlife Habitats of Western Oregon and

Washington (Brown et al., 1985), Wildlife Habitat Relationships in Oregon and Washington

(Johnson, D.H. and T.A. O’Neil, 2001), the Siskiyou Land and Resource Management Plan as

amended by the Northwest Forest Plan and references associated with invertebrate species

accounts.

Wildlife species are associated with these primary habitat elements: Grass/forb, shrub,

seedling/sapling/pole, small forest, mature forest, old-growth forest, caves & burrows, cliffs &

rims, coarse woody material, snags, talus, and riparian/aquatic. The following table (Table 5)

identifies species of concern and their habitat associations.


Table 5. Species of Concern and Habitat Associations

SPECIES Source of “SPECIES OF CONCERN”

Status

HABITAT ASSOCIATION (primary = 1 or secondary = 2)

(Brown 1985; Johnson and O’Neil 2001).

COMMON

NAME

En

da

ng

ere

d S

pec

ies

Act

No

rth

west

Fo

rest

Pla

n P

rote

cti

on

Bu

ffer s

peci

es,

2001

RO

D –

Ma

nagem

en

t fo

r C

erta

in B

at

Ro

ost

s

an

d C

av

ity

Nest

ing B

ird

s

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

(F

ore

st S

ervic

e)

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

s. (

NT

MB

)

or S

urvey &

Ma

na

ge S

ps.

(S

& M

)

Gra

ss/F

orb

Sh

ru

b

Sa

pli

ng/

Po

le

Sm

all

Forest

Ma

ture

Fo

rest

Old

Gro

wth

Fo

rest

Ca

ves,

Bu

rro

w

Cli

ffs,

Rim

s

Do

wn

Wo

od

Sn

ag

s

Talu

s

Rip

ari

an

Marbled

murrelet

T

2 1 2

Northern spotted owl

T MIS 2 1 2

American peregrine falcon

R6 NTMB 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 1

Bald eagle

R6 MIS NTMB 1 2 2 1 1

Harlequin duck

R6 1 1 1 1

Lewis’

woodpecker

R6 MIS 2 1 1 2 2 1 1

White-headed

woodpecker

PB R6 MIS 2 2 1 2 1

Northern

waterthrush

R6 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

California

Wolverine

R6 1 1 1 1

Fisher

R6 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 2

Pacific Pallid bat

PB R6 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 1

Townsend’s

big-eared bat

PB R6 2 1 2 1 2

Pacific fringe-tailed myotis

PB R6 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 1

Northwestern

pond turtle

R6 1 1 1 1

Foothill yellow-

legged frog

R6 2 2 1

California slender

salamander

R6 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2

Coronis

fritillary

R6 1

Mardon skipper

R6 1

Insular blue

butterfly

R6 1 1

Hoary elfin

R6 1

Johnson’s hairstreak

R6 1 1

Green sideband

R6 1 1 1 1 1

Pacific walker

R6 1

Robust walker

R6 1



Status



COMMON

NAME

En

da

ng

ere

d S

pec

ies

Act

No

rth

west

Fo

rest

Pla

n P

rote

cti

on

Bu

ffer s

peci

es,

2001

RO

D –

Ma

nagem

en

t fo

r C

erta

in B

at

Ro

ost

s

an

d C

av

ity

Nest

ing B

ird

s

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

(F

ore

st S

ervic

e)

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

s. (

NT

MB

)

or S

urvey &

Ma

na

ge S

ps.

(S

& M

)

Gra

ss/F

orb

Sh

ru

b

Sa

pli

ng/

Po

le

Sm

all

Forest

Ma

ture

Fo

rest

Old

Gro

wth

Fo

rest

Ca

ves,

Bu

rro

w

Cli

ffs,

Rim

s

Do

wn

Wo

od

Sn

ag

s

Talu

s

Rip

ari

an

Highcap lanx

R6 1

Western ridged

mussel

R6 1

Pygmy nuthatch

PB 2 2 1 1

Black-backed

woodpecker

PB 2 2 1 1 1 2

Flammulated owl

PB 1 1 2

Long-eared

myotis

PB 2 2 1 1 2 1 1 1

Long-legged

myotis

PB 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1

Silver-haired

bat

PB 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2

Acorn woodpecker

MIS 2 2 2 2 1

Downy

woodpecker

MIS 2 2 2 2 1 1

Hairy woodpecker

MIS 2 2 2 1 1 1 2

Northern flicker

MIS 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 2

Pileated

woodpecker

MIS NTMB 2 2 1 1 1 2

Red-breasted sapsucker

MIS 2 2 2 2 1 1

Osprey

MIS 2 2 1 1

American Marten

MIS 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 2 2

Black-tailed

deer

MIS 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2

Roosevelt elk

MIS 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Allen’s

hummingbird

NTMB 1 1 1 2 2 1

Band-tailed

pigeon

NTMB 2 2 1 1 1 1

Black-chinned sparrow

NTMB 2 1 2 2 2 2

Black-throated gray warbler

NTMB 1 1 1 1 1 1

Black swift

NTMB 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

Brown creeper

NTMB 2 1 1 1

California quail

NTMB 1 1 2



Status



COMMON

NAME

En

da

ng

ere

d S

pec

ies

Act

No

rth

west

Fo

rest

Pla

n P

rote

cti

on

Bu

ffer s

peci

es,

2001

RO

D –

Ma

nagem

en

t fo

r C

erta

in B

at

Ro

ost

s

an

d C

av

ity

Nest

ing B

ird

s

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

(F

ore

st S

ervic

e)

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

s. (

NT

MB

)

or S

urvey &

Ma

na

ge S

ps.

(S

& M

)

Gra

ss/F

orb

Sh

ru

b

Sa

pli

ng/

Po

le

Sm

all

Forest

Ma

ture

Fo

rest

Old

Gro

wth

Fo

rest

Ca

ves,

Bu

rro

w

Cli

ffs,

Rim

s

Do

wn

Wo

od

Sn

ag

s

Talu

s

Rip

ari

an

Hammond’s

flycatcher

NTMB 2 1 1

Hermit warbler

NTMB 2 1 1 1 1

Horned lark

NTMB 1

Hutton’s vireo

NTMB 1 1 1 1 1

Northern

goshawk

NTMB 2 2 2 2 1 1 2

Oak titmouse NTMB 2 1 1 1

Olive-sided

flycatcher

NTMB 2 2 1 1 2 2 1

Orange-crowned

warbler

NTMB 2 1 1 2 2 2

Oregon vesper

sparrow

NTMB 1

Pacific-slope

flycatcher

NTMB 2 2 1 1 1

Purple finch

NTMB 2 2 1 2 2 1 1

Red crossbill

NTMB 2 2 1 1

Rufus hummingbird

NTMB 2 1 1 2 2 2

Varied Thrush

NTMB 2 2 1 1

Vaux’s swift

NTMB 2 2 2 2 1 1 1

Western bluebird

NTMB 1 1 2 2 2 2 1

Western

screech-owl

NTMB 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2

Willow Flycatcher

NTMB 1

Wilson’s

warbler

NTMB 2 2 1 1 1 1

Winter wren

NTMB 2 2 2 1 1 1 2 2

Wrentit NTMB 1 1 2 2 2

Great gray owl

S & M 1 2 2

Red tree vole

S & M 2 2 1

TOTAL #

PRIMARY

USERS

17 18 13 17 27 34 6 5 12 22 2 24

TOTAL #

SECONDARY

USERS

18 15 20 32 28 20 3 3 3 6 2 13


B. SPECIES OBSERVATIONS

Table 6 shows the species of concern status and what is known about the distribution and

abundance of these species on the Siskiyou portion of the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest.

Known observations are identified at three spatial scales:

at the Forest scale (Siskiyou portion of RRSNF);

within the fifth-field watershed(s) containing the project areas; and

the project areas (areas associated with treatments of managed stands as part of the

Proposed Action.

Table 6. Species of Concern - Known Locations


Status SIGHTING LOCATIONS, SURVEYS, COMMENTS

COMMON

NAME

En

da

ng

ere

d S

pec

ies

Act

No

rth

west

Fo

rest

Pla

n P

ro

tecti

on

Bu

ffer

specie

s, 2

00

1 R

OD

– M

an

ag

em

en

t fo

r

Certa

in B

at

Ro

ost

s a

nd

Ca

vit

y N

est

ing

Bir

ds

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

ecie

s (N

TM

B)

or S

urv

ey &

Ma

nag

e S

peci

es

(S&

M)

Nu

mb

er o

f d

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

Sis

kiy

ou

po

rti

on

of

RR

SN

F

Nu

mb

er o

f D

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

fift

h-f

ield

wa

tersh

ed

s co

nta

inin

g t

he

pro

ject

area

Nu

mb

er o

f k

no

wn

dete

cti

on

s w

ith

in

pro

ject

are

as

DIS

TR

IBU

TIO

N –

% o

f S

uit

ab

le

Ha

bit

at

Su

rvey

ed

on

SIS

NF

COMMENTS

Marbled murrelet T 723 169 1




COMMON

NAME E

nd

an

gere

d S

pec

ies

Act

North

west

Forest

Pla

n P

rote

cti

on

Bu

ffer

specie

s, 2

001 R

OD

– M

an

agem

en

t fo

r

Certa

in B

at

Roost

s an

d C

avit

y N

est

ing

Bir

ds

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

ecie

s (N

TM

B)

or S

urv

ey &

Ma

nag

e S

peci

es

(S&

M)

Nu

mb

er o

f d

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

Sis

kiy

ou

po

rti

on

of

RR

SN

F

Nu

mb

er o

f D

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

fift

h-f

ield

wa

tersh

ed

s co

nta

inin

g t

he

pro

ject

area

Nu

mb

er o

f k

no

wn

dete

cti

on

s w

ith

in

pro

ject

are

as

DIS

TR

IBU

TIO

N –

% o

f S

uit

ab

le

Ha

bit

at

Su

rvey

ed

on

SIS

NF

COMMENTS

Fringed myotis PB R6 0 0 0




COMMON

NAME E

nd

an

gere

d S

pec

ies

Act

North

west

Forest

Pla

n P

rote

cti

on

Bu

ffer

specie

s, 2

001 R

OD

– M

an

agem

en

t fo

r

Certa

in B

at

Roost

s an

d C

avit

y N

est

ing

Bir

ds

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

ecie

s (N

TM

B)

or S

urv

ey &

Ma

nag

e S

peci

es

(S&

M)

Nu

mb

er o

f d

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

Sis

kiy

ou

po

rti

on

of

RR

SN

F

Nu

mb

er o

f D

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

fift

h-f

ield

wa

tersh

ed

s co

nta

inin

g t

he

pro

ject

area

Nu

mb

er o

f k

no

wn

dete

cti

on

s w

ith

in

pro

ject

are

as

DIS

TR

IBU

TIO

N –

% o

f S

uit

ab

le

Ha

bit

at

Su

rvey

ed

on

SIS

NF

COMMENTS

Acorn woodpecker MIS 143 25 0




COMMON

NAME E

nd

an

gere

d S

pec

ies

Act

North

west

Forest

Pla

n P

rote

cti

on

Bu

ffer

specie

s, 2

001 R

OD

– M

an

agem

en

t fo

r

Certa

in B

at

Roost

s an

d C

avit

y N

est

ing

Bir

ds

Sen

siti

ve (

Forest

Serv

ice)

Ma

nag

emen

t In

dic

ato

r S

pec

ies

from

Sis

kiy

ou

LR

MP

Neo

-Tro

pic

al

Mig

rato

ry B

ird

Focal

Sp

ecie

s (N

TM

B)

or S

urv

ey &

Ma

nag

e S

peci

es

(S&

M)

Nu

mb

er o

f d

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

Sis

kiy

ou

po

rti

on

of

RR

SN

F

Nu

mb

er o

f D

ete

cti

on

s w

ith

in t

he

fift

h-f

ield

wa

tersh

ed

s co

nta

inin

g t

he

pro

ject

area

Nu

mb

er o

f k

no

wn

dete

cti

on

s w

ith

in

pro

ject

are

as

DIS

TR

IBU

TIO

N –

% o

f S

uit

ab

le

Ha

bit

at

Su

rvey

ed

on

SIS

NF

COMMENTS

Olive-sided flycatcher

NTMB 34 0 0


III. EXISTING CONDITIONS - HABITAT ASSOCIATIONS

This project proposes treatments in naturally regenerated stands which are between 52 and 100

years old and currently in a forest stand condition that is classified as young/small and mature

forest. Some intermediate silviculture treatments (i.e. thinning) have occurred in portions of 7

Equine units. Units east of the Wildhorse road #3318 were under-burned during the Biscuit Fire

of 2002. The Equine Thin Silvicultural Report describes the stands as having a quadratic mean

diameter (QMD) varies from 11.6” to 25.1” with average of 17”. The average heights for each

stand ranged from 63’ to 113’ with an average of 87’. Basal area was high across nearly all of

the stands with an average of 301. Also the trees per acre (TPA) varied greatly from 92 TPA to

460 TPA with an average of 214. Stands have one canopy layer which generally ranged from 60

to 95% canopy closure.

There is little tree species diversity in the project stands, with Douglas-fir estimated to compose

over 95% of stand composition. Hardwood species are the next largest component while other

conifers are limited in abundance and distribution throughout the Equine stands. Port-Orford-

Cedar is found in some units along riparian areas and sugar pine and western white pine have

only been detected in a few units in very limited numbers.

While the vast majority of trees in these stands are 60-100 years old and even-aged, there are

some older remnant trees. These trees survived the stand replacement fires that regenerated

these stands, and they are scattered throughout some units. In some cases they are single trees,

while other areas have groups of older trees up to a half acre in size. These trees range from 34”

DBH to in excess of 60” DBH. Thinning will occur in the younger cohort (52-100 years old)

around these remnant trees, however, the remnant trees would not be targeted for removal in the

prescription.

The Rock Quarry Expansion unit is in a natural Douglas-fir stand 150+ years old which would be

classified as suitable spotted owl nesting, roosting and foraging habitat. Trees with suitable

marbled murrelet nesting platforms do not occur within the unit, but immediately adjacent to it.

Estimated tree size class acres are displayed below in Table 7. Alternative 2 stand tree size

classes are based on stand exam quadratic mean diameter (QMD) information. Analysis Area

and 5th

Field Watershed information are based on PMR satellite imagery data. Table 7. Estimated Tree Size Distribution for the Treatment Units, Analysis Area and Watersheds. (FS only)

Size Class Units

Acres

Analysis Area

(1.3 mi. Buffer)

Acres

Lower Rogue, Illinois-Lawson

& Pistol River Watersheds

Acres

> 32” DBH & > 40% canopy

closure

1 3,449 17,889

21-31” DBH & > 40% canopy

closure

28 5,291 27,944

9-20” DBH & > 40% canopy

closure

522 5,798 24,048


A. HABITAT ACCOUNTS

To provide for the needs of wildlife species of concern, the range of conditions they are adapted

to should be sustained. Species are the result of their past adaptations, and their survival can

only be assured if the conditions they are adapted to are maintained.

Disturbance and site productivity influence these habitat elements. Site productivity is

influenced heavily by climate and geology. Climate (especially available moisture) and geology

(parent material for soil) have the greatest influence on a site’s ability to produce these habitat

elements (Krebs 1985). Good soil and high moisture-availability combine to produce abundant

vegetation, and a high amount of vegetation produces many animals.

Common Habitats

Common habitats include sapling / pole (5-10” DBH) and small (10-21” DBH) forest. Table 8

summarizes the size class and seral stages of historic and current conditions in the 5th Field

watersheds associated with this project. The 1948 county timber typing estimated 22% and 8%

respectively within the two fifth-field watersheds associated with the project areas. Currently

there is an estimated 41% of sapling/pole habitat and 20% of small forest habitat.

Table 8. Historic seral stage and existing size class of forested habitat in the Project area

Seral Stage Size Class Historic

Acres %

Existing

Acres %

Mature

Forest

21” + DBH

& > 40%

Canopy

Closure

67,167 57% 45,833 39%

Small

Forest

9-20” DBH

> 40%

Canopy

Closure

9,413 8% 24,048 20%

Other

Less than

9” DBH or

less than

40%

canopy

cover

41,878 35% 48,578 41%

Total 118,458 100% 118,458 100%

Twenty-three of the species analyzed use sapling/pole habitats for their primary needs.

Temporary road construction and helicopter landing clearing will impact an estimated 2 acres of

sapling/pole habitat, which is less than 1% within the watersheds.

There is an estimated 522 acres of proposed treatment stands that are best represented by the

small (10-21” DBH) forest habitat type or approximately 2% of this habitat type within the

watershed. Seventeen of the species analyzed use small forest habitat for their primary needs;

none of these are listed as Threatened or Endangered. See Table 5 for more details.


Late-Successional Forest (especially Old-Growth)

“Late-successional forests are those forest seral stages that include mature [21-32” DBH or 80-

200 years of age] and old-growth [>32” DBH or >180-200 years old] age classes.” (NWFP

FSEIS Vol. 1, Glossary, p. 9 and ROD, p. B-1) (NWFP FSEIS Vol. 1, p. 3&4 – 13 and 3&4 -

26). “Although the processes that cr

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