United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Klamath Falls Resource Area
2795 Anderson Avenue, Building 25
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603-7891
Phone: (541) 883-6916 | Fax: (541) 884-2097
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Website: http://www.or.blm.gov/Lakeview/kfra/index.htm
November 27, 2013
IN REPLY REFER TO:
1790 (ORL040)
To All Interested Parties:
Public Scoping Input
The Klamath Falls Resource Area (KFRA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing
the Walter’s Glade Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the effects of various vegetation
treatments on wildlife habitat, soils, hydrology, and other resources. The proposed project area
consists of approximately 5,988 acres of BLM land within the 7,664-acre project boundary,
located in the southwestern corner of Klamath County (see map). Treatments are proposed on
approximately 3,302 acres of BLM lands and would include thinning and hazardous fuels
treatments. The majority of the project area is located within Designated Critical Habitat for the
Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) and proposed management actions will be designed to be
consistent with the NSO Critical Habitat Rule (USFWS 2012) and the Recovery Plan (USFWS
2011) for the NSO.
The BLM is asking for your help in identifying issues and concerns that you may have
regarding the proposed Walter’s Glade project described below. We are seeking your
comments to assist in developing alternatives to the proposed actions.
Purpose & Need for Action
The purpose of this project is to implement objectives in the 1995 KFRA Resource Management
Plan (RMP), which include the following:
•
Produce a sustainable supply of commercial timber products and other forest
commodities to support local and regional timber-related businesses.
•
Improve the resiliency of residual stands to drought, insects, and disease.
•
Conduct active management in NSO Designated Critical Habitat to develop forest
stands into NSO high value habitat, or treat for ecological purposes where
appropriate.
•
Reduce hazardous fuels to lower the risk of high intensity, stand-replacing wildfires.
•
Improve riparian conditions and habitat for associated aquatic species.
Need
The BLM has a statutory obligation under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
(FLPMA), which directs that “[t]he Secretary shall manage the public lands in accordance with
the land use plans developed by him under section 202 of this Act . . .” The KFRA RMP of June
1995 is the current land use plan that guides and directs management on these BLM lands. The
RMP has allocated the majority of lands being analyzed to Matrix, with some being District
Designated Reserve (DDR) and Riparian Reserves (RR). The RMP objective of Matrix lands is
to produce a sustainable supply of timber and other forest commodities as stated in the Oregon
and California (O&C) Lands Act of 1937, which can be met by offering commercial timber
products and other forest commodities to local and regional timber-related businesses. The DDR
and RR land use allocations have goals to protect and enhance conditions of late-successional
ecosystems and meet Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives, respectively.
Proposed Treatments
The following treatments have been identified as part of the proposed action for this EA and will
be applied throughout the “Proposed Treatment Units” shown on the map.
•
Thinning – As part of the proposed action, approximately 1,411 acres would be
commercially thinned (timber sale) using uneven-aged silvicultural prescriptions.
Approximately 534 acres of non-commercial (small diameter) thinning in previously
planted stands and natural stands is also proposed throughout the treatment units.
Manual and mechanical harvesting methods would be used to cut and remove
designated timber. Portions of these areas may be treated with conifer planting and
juniper removal where applicable.
Thinning in Riparian Reserves (RR) may be proposed in these units to promote
and improve hydrologic function once stream surveys are completed for the
analysis
•
Hazardous fuels treatments- A variety of hazardous fuels treatments are
proposed throughout the project area including prescribed fire, manual cutting,
piling and burning, and brush mowing. Hazardous fuels treatments alone are
proposed on 80 acres, however various hazardous fuels treatments are proposed
within thinning units as well.
•
Road Management - Harvesting would occur primarily from existing roads; the
condition of the road system would be improved as needed for forest product
removal. An estimate of approximately one-half (0.5) mile of temporary road
spurs may be constructed where necessary to reduce log skidding distances and
associated impacts to soils and other resources.
Potential Treatments
The “Potential Treatment Units” displayed on the map represent approximately 1,265 acres that
may be analyzed for possible treatment in alternatives to the proposed action, depending upon
further analysis.
Initial Issues and Concerns
Besides internal concerns raised by the interdisciplinary team regarding management of
resources, recent public input, lawsuits, and administrative actions have highlighted the need
to focus our analysis and alternative development on the following potential issues and
concerns:
• Meeting objectives of the Recovery plan and Designated Critical Habitat for the
northern spotted owl
• Providing for sustainable timber production as required by the O&C Act
• Managing timberlands to improve forest health and vigor
• Reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire
Comments Requested
Please submit your comments by December 30, 2013 to be most effective in BLM’s planning
schedule. To submit issues or questions about the proposed treatments, I encourage you to
submit them via email at the following address: [email protected] and identify
your comments as being for the “Walter’s Glade EA.” If you desire to send a letter via regular
mail, please use the address in our letterhead, ATTN: Field Manager.
Once an Environmental Assessment has been prepared, the public will be notified again and
will have an opportunity to review and provide comments on the proposed action and analysis.
For further information, contact Terry Austin at 541-883-6916.
NOTE: Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for
public review at the Klamath Falls Resource Area Office during regular business hours (7:45
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment,
please be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information –
may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to
withhold your personal identifying information from public review or from disclosure under the
Freedom of Information Act, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. All
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be made available for public
inspection in their entirety.
Sincerely,
/s/ Donald J. Holmstrom
Donald J. Holmstrom
Field Manager
Enclosure
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Walter's Glade Environmental Assessment
Klamath Falls Field Office
Lakeview District - Bureau of Land Management
2795 Anderson Ave. #25
Klamath Falls, Oregon 97603-7891
No warranty is made by the Bureau of Land Management as to the accuracy,
(541)883-6916
reliability, or completeness of these data for individual or aggregate use
with other data. Original data were compiled from various sources and may
be updated without notification.
MXD: P:\lak\kfra\ID_TEAM_NEPA\Walters Glade EA\Maps\Walters_Glade_EA_Scoping_131105.mxd
Prepared By: mlimb
Current Date: 11/19/2013 11:44:07 AM