21
Scenery Management Specialist Report Pine Valley Fuel Project USDA Forest Service-Dixie National Forest /s/ Nick Walendziak Nick Walendziak, Natural Resource Specialist (Recreation) Date: 9/9/16 Dixie National Forest Pine Valley Ranger District St George, Utah

Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

  • Upload
    others

  • View
    2

  • Download
    0

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Scenery Management Specialist Report

Pine Valley Fuel Project

USDA Forest Service-Dixie National Forest

/s/ Nick Walendziak Nick Walendziak, Natural Resource Specialist (Recreation) Date: 9/9/16 Dixie National Forest Pine Valley Ranger District St George, Utah

Page 2: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Introduction

The Proposed Action (Alternative 2) is to widen and feather the edges of the existing Pine Valley fuel break, Pine Valley Ranger District, Dixie National Forest, UT. The proposed enlargement would increase the total acreage of the fuel break from 184 acres to 1,058 acres. An additional feathering treatment would add another 676 acres of treatment for a total treatment area of 1,734 acres. A major reason for the increase in the acreage is due to the elimination of the 90° corners on the National Forest System lands. At its narrowest point, the fuel break would be 400 feet wide in order to reduce risk to the community from fires burning under 97th percentile weather conditions. This treatment would also increase the physical footprint of the fuel break, creating more opportunities for firefighters to engage in necessary suppression actions with reduced fire behavior.

A shaded fuel break would only be used in the ponderosa pine areas; the P-J/curl leaf mountain mahogany and mountain brush areas of the fuel break would no longer be shaded fuel breaks as 85 to 90 percent of the P-J, mahogany and brush would be removed. The remaining P-J, mahogany, and brush would be near trails and some limited islands which would be left for wildlife habitat and aesthetics. The upland vegetation in the existing fuel break left untreated in areas of dry washes would be treated. Native riparian vegetation would not be treated in this project.

The fuel break will be designed to reduce fire behavior and provide conditions that provide for low resistance to fire control by reducing/altering fuels. The fuel break is designed to limit potential flame lengths during wildfires to less than four feet under 97th percentile weather conditions. To accomplish this, the fuel break would be constructed with the following features:

• Fuel break would be a minimum of 400 feet wide.

• 90° corners would be eliminated to the extent possible on the National Forest System lands by widening and rounding the fuel break boundary.

• 85 to 90 percent of the understory vegetation would be replaced with a less fire prone species that would serve as a green strip around the populated area.

• The overstory would be nearly eliminated except in the ponderosa pine areas and within a 15-foot buffer around the existing trails located within in the P-J/mahogany and mountain brush areas of the fuel break.

• Intermittent and perennial streams containing any deciduous vegetation that enhances stream or floodplain stability would be retained.

Page 3: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Table 1: Treatment types and acres by project area.

Treatment Total Acres Approximate Acres of

Treatment Type Herbicide Treatment Chainsaw Heavy Equipment

Fuel break 1058 221 837 Yes Feathering 676 113 563 Yes

Total 1734 334 1400 No herbicide

or heavy equipment in riparian areas or dry creek

beds

Seeding 1734 acres

In the ponderosa pine stands, existing trees would be utilized to increase the amount of downed woody debris to 5 tons per acre. Only the bole (trunk) of the tree would be left on site. The bole would be limbed, and the resulting slash would be chipped or piled and burned on site. This would result in better habitat for the Northern Goshawk without much of a negative impact on expected fire behavior.

A variety of treatments would be available to the Forest Service to use to carry out this project. This includes heavy equipment with mulching heads which turn the debris into mulch, or chainsaws used to cut vegetation. The resulting debris would be scattered, piled and burned, and/or chipped with a chipper. The proposal also includes the use of herbicide and seeding to aid in replacing the current understory with an understory that is more fire resistant. The acres treated in the mountain brush fuel type would be implemented with either heavy equipment or by hand with chainsaws where slopes do not exceed 30 percent; and by hand with chainsaws in the timbered areas and on the slopes over 30 percent in the mountain brush areas.

The Proposed Action for the Pine Valley fuel break project will tier directly to the Forest Plan. The Proposed Action responds to the need for change and it is consistent with the goals and objectives outlined in the Forest Plan. The Proposed Action will help move the project area toward desired conditions described in that plan. However, this project may be inconsistent with the wildlife hiding cover guideline within the Forest Plan. The Forest Supervisor believes that the benefits this project provides in terms of protecting life and property supports a project-specific Forest Plan amendment to address the wildlife hiding cover for this project area. Therefore, a project-specific Forest Plan amendment to exempt the project from this guideline would be part of the Proposed Action.

This scenery report also includes analysis of the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative.

PROJECT LOCATION

The Pine Valley Fuel Break project is located within the Pine Valley Ranger District of the Dixie National Forest in Washington County, Utah. The project area is located

Page 4: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

adjacent to and around the town of Pine Valley and the Pine Valley Recreation Area. The legal description for the project area is T39S, R14W, Sections 19, 20, 29, 30; T39S, R15W, Sections 13-16, 21-24 (see Figure 5, Vicinity Map). Access to Pine Valley town and the Pine Valley Recreation Area is via Forest Road (FR) 30035. This is a one-way-in, one-way-out road that connects to Highway 18 to the west. This route forks just outside of town, allowing access to the town of Pinto, Utah, to the north via dirt surfaced Forest Road 30011. These two routes are the only ways to access the town of Pine Valley.

PURPOSE AND NEED One of the primary purposes of this project is to meet Forest Plan direction for scenery management. There is a need to improve the visual quality of the existing fuel break to comply with Forest Plan scenery management direction and improve the visual character of the landscape within the project area. There is a need to modify the stark linear edges of the existing fuel break that are visible from Pine Valley to be less dominant on the landscape. A gradual transition from the open fuel break to existing surroundings aids both in further reducing fire intensity and improves visual effects by more closely resembling historic conditions.

EXISTING AND DESIRED CONDITIONS

In April of 2000 the 1986 Forest Plan Visual Management System (VMS) standards and guidelines underwent a formal forest plan amendment. The Scenery Management System (SMS) was adopted and new scenic integrity objectives (SIO) were adopted for each management area.

In VMS standards and guidelines, the Pine Valley area had a visual quality objective (VQO) of “Retention” meaning that management activities are to be subordinate in the landscape. No unnatural line, form, color or texture should appear to be human-made on the landscape. When the 2000 SMS amendment was adopted and a scenic integrity objective (SIO) was adopted, Management Area 1A (Developed Recreation) was assigned an SIO of “High”; Management Area 2B (Roaded Natural Recreation) and 9A (Riparian Management) were assigned an SIO of “Moderate”; and Management Area 10B (Municipal Water Supply Watersheds) was assigned an SIO of “Low”.

The existing fuel break did not conform to the “Retention” standard when it was constructed and does not meet the “High” or even “Moderate” SIO direction. The highly visible fuel break stands out and is easily identifiable as human-made (Figure 1). Limbed up and evenly spaced P-J trees catch the eye and the straight un-feathered edges of the existing fuel break create a stark linear edge. This project is designed to improve scenic integrity by reducing the stark linear edges of the current fuel break.

In addition, a portion of the existing fuel break is located within the Pine Valley Mountains IRA.

Page 5: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 1: Photos of the existing fuel break around the town of Pine Valley, Utah. These photos demonstrate the human-made appearance of the fuel break as it exists currently. CONSISTENCY WITH FOREST PLAN AND OTHER DIRECTION This analysis incorporates by reference the direction provided in the Dixie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, as amended (Forest Plan). All resource plans are required to be consistent with the Forest Plan (16 U.S.C. 1604 (i)). The Forest Plan guides all natural resource management activities and provides the overall guidance for management activities by specifying goals and objectives, desired future conditions, management direction, and standards and guidelines. The Scenery Management System. The National Forest Scenery Management System (SMS) is the process used for planning and design of the visual elements of multiple use land management. Scenery management is based on the criteria and guidelines in the Landscape Aesthetics Handbook for Scenery Management, USDA Handbook Number 701, (USDA, 1995). SMS accommodates ecosystem management and the realistic time frames of natural systems. This system also places importance on establishing which scenic elements forest constituency most value, and identifying ways to maintain or improve on those qualities. SMS Forest Plan Amendment (2000): The Forest Service uses the Scenery Management System as the analysis and management process for scenic resources. This project specifies Scenic Integrity Objectives for Management Areas (MA) in the project area. The SMS Forest Plan Amendment (2000) provided the following initial directions for these areas:

Scenery Management System: “Restore, maintain or enhance landscape scenic quality across the variety of landscape types found on the Forest that meets the needs identified for the allocated use within each management area” (USDA 2000b: 9).

Management Area 1A-Developed Recreation (626.5 acres)

Page 6: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Visual Resource Management Management Direction “Emphasize visually appealing landscapes (vista openings, rock outcroppings, diversity of vegetation, etc.)” (USDA 1986: IV-58).

High Scenic Integrity Objective “Appears unaltered – Landscapes where the valued landscape character appears intact. Deviations may be present but should repeat the form, line color, texture, and pattern common to the landscape character so completely, and at such scale, that they are not evident. For example, clearings created by timber harvest should be similar in size and shape to natural openings in the landscape being viewed so that, when ground cover has become established, the clearing looks completely natural” (USDA 2000b: 13).

Management Area 2B- Roaded Natural Recreation Opportunities (966.5 acres)

Visual Resource Management Management Direction “Design and implement management activities to provide a visually appealing landscape. Enhance or provide more viewing opportunities and increase vegetation diversity in selected areas” (USDA 1986: IV-69).

Moderate Scenic Integrity Objective “Appears slightly altered – Noticeable deviations should remain visually subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example, clearings created by timber harvest are evident, but the natural character of the landscape should still be the primary influence of the view” (USDA 2000b: 13).

Management Area 9A-Riparian Management (31 acres) Visual Resource Management Management Direction “Design and implement management activities which sustain inherent visual values of riparian areas and blend with the surrounding natural landscapes” (USDA 1986: IV-136).

Moderate Scenic Integrity Objective “Appears slightly altered – Noticeable deviations should remain visually subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example, clearings created by timber harvest are evident, but the natural character of the landscape should still be the primary influence of the view” (USDA 2000b: 13).

Management Area 10B – Municipal Water Supply Watersheds (109 acres) Management Area Direction

Page 7: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

“Management emphasis is to protect or improve the quality and quantity of municipal water supplies” (USDA 1986: IV-156).

Desired Future Condition “Area continues to provide multiple resource outputs without impairment of existing water quality or quantity at presently utilized or potential culinary water spring sources. Quantity and/or quality is improved where feasible” (USDA 1986: IV-156).

Visual Resource Management Management Direction “Management activities in foreground and middle ground dominate, but harmonize and blend with the natural setting. Management activities also dominate but appear natural when seen as background” (USDA 1986: IV-157).

Low Scenic Integrity Objective “Appears moderately altered – Deviations may begin to dominate the valued landscape character being viewed, but they should borrow valued attributes such as size, shape, edge effect and pattern of natural openings, vegetative type changes or architectural styles outside of the landscape being viewed. For example, clearings created by timber harvest may begin to dominate the view, but should still borrow from the shape and character of natural openings” (USDA 2000b: 13).

Concern Level 1, 2, and 3 viewsheds However, these initial directions changed again due to Concern Level 1, 2, and 3 viewsheds. Concern Levels represent a method for categorizing the importance of scenic resources to forest visitors. As a result, the Pine Valley Community and Pine Valley Recreation Area are managed at a level of at least high scenic integrity. (Figure 7, Scenic Integrity Objectives and Figure 8, Concern Level 1 and 2 viewsheds) The following explains the rational for this direction: “Concern Level l viewsheds (0-4 miles) should adopt the Landscape Theme of the management area in which they occur. Concern Level l viewsheds are managed at a level of at least high scenic integrity. Critical viewsheds include areas seen from: Honeycomb Rocks, Enterprise Reservoirs, Pine Valley Community, Pine Valley Recreation Area, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Brian Head Peak, Yankee Reservoir, Panguitch Lake, Navajo Lake, Bryce Canyon National Park, Powell Point, Tropic Reservoir, Hell's Backbone Bridge, Highway 12 Overlooks between Teasdale and Boulder, and Capitol Reef National Park. Critical viewsheds receive intensive recreation use that is sustained in nature and/or there is a very high concern for scenic resources. Concern Level l use areas and travelways (corridors <1/2 mile) should adopt the Landscape Theme of the management area in which they occur. Manage the areas seen from Concern Level I use areas and travelways at a level of at least high scenic integrity.

Page 8: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Concern Level 1 is applied to roads and trails (travelways) and use areas where people have a high concern for scenic resources. Concern Level l areas often have national or regional significance and receive high visitation.” (USDA 2000, Scenery Management System Amendment EA, page 10) Scenic Integrity: Scenic Integrity is a key descriptor for current and desired conditions, defined as "a measure of the degree to which a landscape is visually perceived to be ‘complete’. The highest Scenic Integrity ratings are given to those landscapes that have little or no deviation from the character valued by constituents for its aesthetic appeal (USDA, 1995)." Scenic Integrity Levels describe the current condition of the scenic resource. Scenic Integrity Objectives (SIOs) describe the objectives for management, or the desired future conditions. Table SM-1 illustrates the SMS Scenic Integrity Objectives specified through the SMS Forest Plan Amendment (2000).

Table 2. Scenic Integrity Objectives

Scenic Integrity Objective Definition

Very High

Unaltered-Valued landscape character "is" intact with only minute if any deviations. The existing landscape character and sense of place is expressed at the highest possible level.

High

Appears unaltered- Landscapes where the valued landscape character "appears" intact. Deviations may be present but must repeat the form, line color, texture, and pattern common to the landscape character so completely and at such scale that they are not evident.

Moderate Appears Slightly Altered- Noticeable deviations must remain visually subordinate to the landscape character being viewed.

Low

Appears Moderately Altered- Deviations begin to dominate the valued landscape character being viewed but they borrow valued attributes such as size, shape, edge effect and pattern of natural openings, vegetative type changes or architectural styles outside of the landscape being viewed.

Very Low Appears Heavily Altered- Deviations may strongly dominate the valued landscape character.

Source: USDA, Forest Service. Landscape Aesthetics: A Handbook for Scenery Management. Agriculture Handbook No. 701 (1995).

Affected Environment SCENERY OF THE PROJECT AREA

Page 9: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Landscape Character and Land Use Themes. The scenic value of a landscape is typically measured in terms of its scenic character, which is determined by biophysical/ ecological diversity and cultural attributes that influence the landscape. Natural diversity considers the biophysical/ ecological elements of landform, vegetative variety, and presence of water, rock and soil features, and the effect of such elements on the overall color, shape and texture of the visible landscape. Cultural features include the evidence of built structures or other human-made alterations to the landscape. The presence and placement of these attributes evoke a response in people viewing the landscape. A positive response emerges when natural or cultural landscape features are arranged in a pleasing combination and a negative response occurs when something is out of place or an expectation is not met.

Variety and Attractiveness Pine Valley sets in a valley at nearly 6000 feet surrounded by mountains up to 10,000 feet. The landform, vegetation patterns, water characteristics, and cultural land use have high scenic quality. Water and rockform are present. Pine Valley has a variety of vegetation types surrounding the community and recreation area. (Table 1) Pine Valley is a Class A scenic attractiveness (distinctive), with a minimum of a high SIO. (2000, USDA, Scenery Management System Amendment EA, Page 10 and 14) Visibility As defined in the Landscape Aesthetics Handbook for Scenery Management (USDA, 1995), Concern Level 1 travel routes and use areas are those that are nationally or regionally important locations associated with recreation and tourism use, where there is a high interest in scenic resources. Roads and trails within the project area that would fall into this rating would include FH 035, Canal, Whipple, Browns Point, Forsyth, and Equestrian trail.

Scenic Integrity and Scenic Integrity Objectives. Concerns for the proposed actions will center on effects to primary recreation access. The Forest Plan Management directions for these areas are:

The SIO within the project area is high and consistent with the Concern Level 1 viewsheds. Area with high SIO Appear unaltered: Landscapes where the valued landscape character "appears" intact. Deviations may be present but must repeat the form, line color, texture, and pattern common to the landscape character so completely and at such scale that they are not evident. The following tables lists the SIOs and acres within the project area. Also, Figure 7 represents a map of this table.

Table 3: Scenery Management System SIO Feathering Fuel Break Grand Total High 668.13 1056.91 1725.04 Low 0.89 0.89 Moderate 6.54 0.72 7.26 Grand Total 675.55 1057.63 1733.19

Page 10: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Cumulative Effects Area The cumulative effects area consists of areas located less than 2 miles away from the project boundary. The cumulative effects analysis will discuss how the vegetative landscape may be affected by action or no action in the project area. Past, present, and foreseeable future actions will be considered in this analysis. The community of Pine Valley, Utah and the Pine Valley Recreation Area sets in a valley near 600 feet with mountains surround p to 10,000 feet, resulting in dramatic elevation change. These areas contain varied mixed forest setting (Table 1) with water features such as the Pine Valley reservoir and various riparian areas. The Pine Valley Highway (FH 035) end here and runs west eight miles to the town of Central, UT. Environmental Effects This section describes the effects from implementing the proposed action and all of the project design criteria for the recreation resource. The scenery management resource and in effect the forest visitor experience can be affected by changes to the characteristics of the area. Perceptions of a management activity vary depending on the biases of the individual, making objective measurements to change difficult. The environmental consequences disclosed in this section are presented. Proposed Action Alternative PROPOSED ACTION (ALTERNATIVE 1) The following Project Design Features (PDF) are part of the Proposed Action related to improving the existing condition of scenery management:

Table 4. PDFs for Proposed Action

Scenery

SC-1. Slash and soil exposure shall be minimized by flush cutting stumps, lopping and scattering of debris to no more than 6 inches deep or pile burning slash that is located within 300 feet of visible from roadways (to remain visually unnoticed from roads and appearing as only minor visual contrasts as viewed from road). Avoid touching leave trees with equipment to minimize visible damage.

SC-2. Wherever stumps and other disturbances (slash, soil exposure, and firelines) are prominent within the roadside view (especially the first 50 feet) a follow-up concealment of disturbances shall be done by hand, including raking dirt, duff and small woody debris over and/or around them.

SC-3. Tree marking within 150 ft. from roads shall not be visible.

Page 11: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

SC-4. Fuel break/fireline barricades/closures shall appear natural and blend with the landscape, through the use of native boulders, logs and natural appearing landforms (no dirt piles, trenches, signs or gates).

SC-5. All created edges of units that don’t border private lands shall undulate (every 300 ft shall turn 40 degrees) throughout the landscape to create a natural appearing meadow (i.e. no straight lines).

SC-8. No cutting of vegetation within 75 ft. of a developed camp site including oak brush. No limbing up of vegetation in this area.

SC-9. Aspen will not be cut within clone located by Mitt Moody Campground and the Santa Clara River. Cut ponderosa pine 8 inches or less within aspen clone.

SC-10. Do not cut trees in feathered areas inside stream management zones (SMZ).

SC-11. 15 one-acre leave tree zone patches will be left in feathered areas to be laid out by landscape architect or recreation specialist.

SC-12. In feathered areas, implement a 70% variable cut zone with 50% spacing and 50% clumps of leave trees. Leave trees will be in scattered clumps of 1 tree, 3 trees, 5 trees and 12 trees per acre. Same approach in will be taken in the 40% feathered variable cut zone.

Direct and Indirect Effects The Proposed Action would include the following treatments pertaining to scenery: 1. Accelerate visual quality Treatments would have an immediate positive effect and

improve scenic quality on National Forest System lands by removing existing “hard lines” of fuelbreaks by “feathering”.

2. “Feathering” treatments will take place on the National Forest side of the Pine Valley fuelbreak in an effort to make the edge more visually appealing. The feathered areas will also add to the effectiveness of the fuelbreaks by thinning out fuels adjacent to the fuelbreak. These areas will be treated with heavy equipment and/or chainsaw thinning. Slash will be treated by chipping, scattering or pile burning. No herbicide or seeding will used in the feathered areas. Furthermore, PDF SC-12 is a critical design feature the leave up to 50% clumps of trees to create the appearance of a more unaltered landscape.

3.Fire behavior modification: the feathering extends the effectiveness of the fuelbreak

to change fire behavior and helps the fuelbreak meet Forest Plan SIO’s.

Landscape Character, Variety, Attractiveness and Land Use Themes. In this alternative the fuelbreak treatments would have, timber cutting, slash removal by both machine and hand pilling both within and beyond the visible corridor. Long-term alterations to the scenic character of the project area would be positive in nature, moving conditions more quickly toward the desired future condition of a natural appearing forest.

Page 12: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Understory grasses and forbs would also increase due to more open stand conditions, especially where P/J is removed. Evidence of the proposed activities such as fresh stumps, skidding disturbance, site clearing, slash piling and burning would be evident during the short-term (1 to 5 years). During and after cutting activities, visitors will likely perceive a change in the broader landscape and may perceive a temporary reduction in scenic quality in immediate foreground and middleground views due to slash and ground disturbance. Scenic quality would increase as slash is piled and burned, and associated ground disturbance is obscured by regeneration and other vegetative growth. Disturbances would be evident, but would not dominate the view following clean-up of slash (Brunswick 1997). Risk of wildfire effects would be greatly reduced due to the removal of standing and downed fuels. The landscapes in the project area would continue to rate as Class A for scenic attractiveness. Visibility A dominance of the existing fuelbreak vegetation edges would not continue. The fuelbreak would blend with the natural landscape and appear more unaltered. Scenic Integrity and Scenic Integrity Objectives. Due to the removal of the hard lines by feathering and the grasses that would accumulate on the forest floor, the “natural appearing” theme from the Forest Plan should be achieved but not under the No Action. Although it would be evident, treatment activity would not further degrade scenic integrity, which is currently High. This means that deviations would not continue to dominate the valued landscape character, but would borrow valued attributes such as size, shape, edge effect and pattern of natural openings, vegetative type changes. There would be a short-term impact to the natural-appearing landscape. As temporary site impacts from cutting begin to fade (1-5 years), the Scenic Integrity Level should meet High in Pine Valley, Scenery Integrity Objective (SIO) for each management area. High scenic integrity is achieved when the valued landscape character "appears" intact. Deviations may be present but must repeat the form, line color, texture, and pattern common to the landscape character so completely and at such scale that they are not evident. Conclusion The Proposed Action meets the Purpose and Need by creating a fuelbreak and feathering that is intended to change fire behavior and meet the SIO’s compared to the No Action. Cumulative Effects of Proposed Action Disruptions in recreation use within the analysis area due to the proposed management actions may cause some recreation participants to move elsewhere during implementation. Such disruptions in recreation use would be short in duration. The Proposed Action would cause no cumulative impacts within the analysis area.

Page 13: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

The Pine Valley fuelbreak will be widened with the proposed action and blend into natural vegetation within the project area. Natural features such as the valley, mountain, water features, varied vegetation and rock outcrops will continue to dominate the landscape. No action Alternative Landscape Character, Variety, Attractiveness and Land Use Themes: Under No Action, the fuelbreaks would gradually revegetate and disappear. No maintenance would be done and the communities of Pine Valley would be left defenseless, with no place to take a stand against a wildfire coming from or into these towns. No action would have a no effect on the existing fuelbreak lines that do not meet the SIO’s for the area. If a large-scale wildfire were to occur, the visual effect could be that of a high intensity, stand replacing fire and would greatly affect these communities and National Forest lands as well. Tourists and recreationists would likely continue to visit the areas and recreate as they do today. The landscapes in the project area would continue to rate as Class A for scenic attractiveness. Visibility. A dominance of fuelbreak vegetation edges would continue. Scenic Integrity and Scenic Integrity Objectives. For many decades, there would be a continued negative impact to the valued natural-appearing landscape. Current scenic integrity is High in Pine Valley, due to degradation caused by the hard lines of the existing fuelbreaks. This means that landscapes appear unaltered and intact. Conclusion The No Action would not mitigate the violation of the SIO’s at Pine Valley. Cumulative Effects of No Action The cumulative effect of doing nothing will be to leave these landscapes in an unnatural appearing condition. The diminished landscape character will be impacted for many years to come. The No Action Alternative would cause no cumulative impacts within the analysis area in the short term. The long term impacts from selecting the no action alternative may be a denser, overstocked forest that may decrease the scenic quality over time. Consideration of Available Science

Page 14: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

The techniques and methodologies used in this analysis are considered the best available science. The analysis relies on identified methods and reference materials. The best available science is a composite of several elements. These elements may include but are not limited to:

• On-site data and history. • Scientific literature. Literature reviewed and cited is listed in References. • The conclusions are based on scientific analysis and demonstrate a thorough

review of relevant scientific information. We also acknowledge that there may be incomplete or unavailable information, scientific uncertainty, and risk.

APPENDIX OF FIGURES

Page 15: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 2, Project Vicinity

Page 16: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 3, Management Areas

Page 17: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 4, Inventoried Roadless Areas

Page 18: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 5, Unroaded/Undeveloped

Page 19: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 6, Transportation Plan

Page 20: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 7, Scenic Integrity Objectives

Page 21: Scenery Management Specialist Reporta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic.download.akamai.com/... · subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. For example,

Figure 8, Concern Level 1 Roads REFERENCES USDA Forest Service. 1986 Dixie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. USDA. 2000b. Scenery management system EA (SMS). Cedar City, UT: USDA Forest

Service, Dixie National Forest.