Kelleher, Stephanie
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Joseph Vaile <[email protected]>
Monday, October 31, 2011 1:56 PM
Kelleher, Stephanie
Pilot Thompson Scoping Comments
MedfordDistrictOffice
BureauofLandManagement
3040BiddleRoad
Medford,Oregon97504
Re:PilotThompsonScopingComments.
October31, 2011
Thisletteroffers commentsfrom theKlamath‐SiskiyouWildlands Center(KSWild),OregonWildand
CascadiaWildlandsregardingPhaseTwooftheMiddleApplegatePilot:PilotThompson.Contact
informationforourorganizationsmaybefoundattheconclusionofthisdocument.TheMiddleApplegate
Pilot,asinformedbytheRestorationPrincipalsofDrs.JohnsonandFranklin(“J&FPrincipals”),isa
welcomestepbytheBLMtobeginchangingitsmanagementparadigmfromanemphasisonindustrial
timberextractiontowardforestrestoration.
Broadly,westronglysupporttherestorationoffederalforests,especiallythoseMedfordBLMforeststhat
havebeendegradedbyroadconstruction,damagedbyhigh‐gradeandclearcutloggingandaltered
throughdecadesoffiresuppression.Thinningsmalltreesinoverlydenseforestsispartofarestoration
approachthathelpssupporttheresilienceofpublicforestsandprovidesproductstothelocal
community.
Specifictothisprojectarea,thepubliclandsonThompsonCreekareimportantforthesalmonhabitat
thattheyprovide.The landsalsoincludeolderforeststhatcontributetospeciespersistencethatdepend
onlate‐successionalhabitat.ThompsonCreekitself‐anditstributarystreams‐isalowgradientstream
withspawninghabitatformanyfishspecies,includingthreatenedcohosalmon.TheBLMshouldembrace
thesequalitiesoftheThompsonCreekwatershedandworktofirstprotectwatershedintegrityandlate‐
successionalforeststructure,compositionand functionandthendeterminetheprioritiesforactive
restorationmanagement.
WegenerallysupportthedryforestrestorationprincipalsofDrs.
JohnsonandFranklin(wecommentonthewetforestprincipalsinothervenues).Protectinglargetrees
androadlessareas,thinningforeststhataresiteverifiedasoverlydenseduetofireexclusionand
focusingrestorationactivitiesoutsideofthemostimportantnorthernspottedowlhabitatareall
importantaspectsofthoseprinciplesthatarebeingappliedtothisproject.
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Wecontinuetohaveconcernsthattheseprincipalsmightbeappliedtothebroadlandscapewithout
understandingtheimplicationsofthisapproach.TheBLMshouldadaptmanagementapproachesbased
onthemonitoringdatafromthePilotJoeproject.
Weareactiveintheplanning,collaborationandimplementation monitoringof thePilotJoeproject.But,
therehasnotyetbeenadeterminationifPilotJoestrikestherightbalanceofdryforestrestorationand
late‐successionalhabitatprotection(alongwithspottedowlrecovery).Postprojectmonitoringwillhelp
informwhetherthisistherightapproach,orwhethercertainaspects shouldbemodified.
Pleaserememberthatcomprehensiveforestrestorationincludesmorethanstandlevelsilvicultural
manipulation.Forestrestorationincludesactivitiessuchasroadstormproofinganddecommissioning,
noxiousweedabatementandin‐streamwoodplacement.Thisprojectfocusesonsilviculturalaspectsof
forestrestoration,notthebroadergoalsofforestandwatershedrestoration.Thisprojectwouldbenefit
fromtheinclusionofmorestreamrestoration,roaddensityreductionandnoxiousweedcontrol,among
otherrestorationactivities.
Lastly,pleaseconsidertheconditionofthelandscapeonbothpublicandprivatelandsthenfindtheright
landscape‐levelmixoftreatedanduntreatedstandsnecessarytorecoverspottedowlsandmaintain
viablepopulationsofotherimperiledspeciesthatdependondenseforests.
Considerhowmuchextraspottedowlhabitatneedstobeconservedtomitigatefor thecompetitive
influenceofthebarredowl.
Roads
NoroadsshouldbeconstructedasapartofthePilotThompsonproject.
BuildingnewroadispossiblythemostcontroversialaspectofactiveforestmanagementinSouthern
Oregon.Thereisoftenstronglocaloppositiontocreatingmore roadsonthelandscape.Weappreciatethe
BLM’swillingnesstoplanaprojectwithoutnewroads.
SuggestedAlternative:Weformallyrequestanalternativeforthisprojectthatdoesnotrequirethe
constructionofnewroadsandlessenstheroaddensityintheplanningarea.Whilelimited,short
operatorspursmightbenecessaryonacasebycasebasis,werecommendthatthosearevettedthrough
thecollaborativeprocessforthisproject.
Buildingnewroadsleadstoaseriesofwell‐documentedecologicalandsocialimpacts.Forexample,in
theAppelgateValleyandintheprojectarea,off‐roadvehiclesareverycommon,andseveralareashave
becomedestinationsforORVs.SomeORVusersareverydestructive,andtakeanynewopportunityto
useeventheslightesttrack,orcreatetheirownroutes.Newroadscanbecomevectorsfor thisactivity,
andopenupmoreofthelandscapetoecologicallydestructiveactivity.Anexampleofthisis intheFerris
Gulcharea,withinthePilotThompsonplanningarea.Newroadsalsobecomenewtrashdumpswhereall
sortsofgarbagearedisposedofonthesepubliclands.
Vehiculartravelisthehighestriskvectorfornon‐nativeplantinvasions.Beexplicitaboutmitigation
measuresandtheireffectivenessundersimilarsiteconditions.Learnfrompastoperations.Donotsimply
relyongenericmitigationmeasuresfromtheResourceManagementPlanthathavenotproveneffective
inthislandscape.
ArecentprojectintheAshlandResourceArea(WagnerAnderson),ResourceAreastaffclaimedthatnew
roadconstructiondiscoveredduringimplementationreviewsbyKSWild(thatwerenotanalyzedinthe
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EA)weresimply“operatorspurs.”TheBLMauthorizedtheconstructionofseveraloftheseshortroadsin
thatproject.ThatsortofunanalyzedroadconstructionintheAshlandRAhasusconcernedthat
unanalyzedroadconstructionisthestandardpracticeintheAshlandRA.Pleaserefrainfrombuilding
unanalyzedroadsinthePilotThompson.
Collaboration
WehavebeenveryinvolvedinthecollaborativeprocessaroundtheMiddleApplegatePilotandwehave
offeredlogistical,outreachandtechnicalassistanceintheplanningprocessindozensofmeetingsonthe
pilotovernearlyayear.WeappreciatetheBLM’sopennesstoacollaborativeprocessandhopethatthe
BLMusesthisapproachinmoreprojectsinthefuture.Wefirmlybelieveitistheonlywaytoproduce
goodprojectsthatincorporateauthenticrestorationandcommunitysupport.
FuelsReduction
OneoftheFranklinandJohnsonprincipalsforrestoringdryforestsisassuringthatactivityfuelsare
removed.HowwilltheBLMensurethatthisoccurs?Willitwritethisintothecontract?TheBLMmusttie
theactivityfuelstreatmenttotheprojectinawaythatensuresthatactivityslashisindeedtreated.
Manystandsintheprojectareaareyoungerandwouldbenefitfromintervention.Whattreatmentsare
proposedinnon‐commercialareas?Willthevariabledensityapproachasisoutlinedintherestoration
principlesbeappliedtothenon‐commercialareas?WeaskthattheBLMconsiderleavingall broadleaf
treessixinchesindiameterandgreater.
Yardingandloggingsystems
Lowimpact,innovativeloggingsystemsshouldbeutilizedintheproject.Thatispartofthecharterofthe
ApplegateAdaptiveManagementArea.Workingwithcontractorstodesignandimplementaprojectthat
useslight‐on‐the‐landyardingsystemsiscriticaltothesuccessofthispilot.Yarding cancausesignificant
soildisturbance,whichshouldbeavoided.Pleaseprotectsoilsandriparianareasfromdisturbanceby
employinglow‐impactyardingsystems.
SeveralBLMtimbersaleshaveledtoalossofsoilthroughroadconstructionandtractoryarding.Soilloss
withrespecttomethodofharvestisdirectlyrelatedtotheamountofsoildisturbed andbaredbyharvest
activity,especiallythedensityofskidtrailsandroadsrequiredtoaccess thetimber.Megahan(1981)
foundtractorloggingongraniticstoresultintwenty‐eightpercentofthesoildisturbed,groundcables
withtwenty‐threepercent,suspendedcableswithfivepercentandhelicopterloggingwithtwopercent.
InaTrinityCountystudyonmixedsoiltypes,skidtrailsaveragedfourtoeightpercent
(6‐12km/sq.km)forclearcutareas(Scottetal.,1980).
http://www.krisweb.com/biblio/klamath_srcd_sommarstrometal_1990.pdf
Ground‐basedloggingcauseshigherincidencesofrootdamageandscarringofresidualtrees(compared
toskylinesystems).Kellog,L.,Han,H.S.,Mayo,J.,andJ.Sissel,“ResidualStandDamagefrom
Thinning‐YoungStandDiversityStudy,”CascadeCenterforEcosystemManagement.
Therestorationprincipalsincludeavariabledensityapproachtobettermimicthehistoricvariabilityin
theprojectarea.Traditionalyardingsystemscannotaccomplish thevariabledensitythatwas
characteristicintheplanningarea.Pleasedesignyardingsystemstokeeptheskipsandusethis
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opportunitytodemonstratehowthatcanbeaccomplishedwithoutlosingtheelementsonthelandscape
thattheprinciplesaredesignedtoprotect.Weareconcernedwiththeflexibilityaffordedtogapsize.
SurveyandManage
PleasefullyimplementtheSurveyandManageprogram.WeurgeyoutoapplySurveyandManage
exemptioncriteriatothisproject,includingthelegacytreeexemption,andthedryforestrestoration
exemption.
OwlandPacificFisherHabitat
TheBLMneedstoensureNorthernspottedowlhabitatispreservedinthecourseofthisproject.The
BLMneedstounderstandtheimplicationsofdowngradingowlhabitatbeforeit proceedswiththismodel
acrossthelandscape.LatesuccessionalforestconnectivityisimportanttomaintainintheMiddle
ApplegateWatershed(SeeMiddleApplegateWAat96).Thereisa needtomaintaincomplexforest
structure(includingdeadwoodandshrubs)whenapplying"treatand maintain”inthisproject.Please
havethemarkingcrewsunderstandtheimplementationrequirementssothatthesestructuresarenot
lostoncetheoperations commence.
Oneofthepurposesofthisprojectis“incorporatingelementsofactivemanagementproposedbytheUS
FishandWildlifeServiceinthedraftrevisedRecoveryPlanfortheNorthernSpottedOwl.”Northern
SpottedOwlhabitatremainsanissueintheprojectarea.WeareintriguedbytheLSEAapproachthatDrs.
JohnsonandFranklindescribedforapplicationtothisproject. Pleaseavoidowl“take”bymakingthe
LSEAslargeenoughforowlnesting,roostingandforagingaroundhighuseareas.Pleaseconsider
focusingthinningactivitiesonsmall‐diametertreesinavariable“thinfrombelow”toretainmatureand
late‐successionalforestcharacterwhereitstill exists.
WatershedConcerns
PleasenoteandadheretotheWatershedAnalysisrecommendationsfortheproject.TheMiddle
ApplegateWA(1996version1.3)isrepletewithrecommendationstoreduceroaddensities toprotect
waterqualityandfishhabitat.TheBLMshouldavoidcumulativeimpactsofthisprojectonwatershed
healthandotherresourcesofconcern.
Takecautioninthenon‐commercialunitsifyouareenteringriparianreservesbynotallowingground‐
disturbingequipmentinsideofriparianreserves..Threatenedandsensitivefishspeciesandtheircritical
habitatexistnearanddownstreamoftheprojectarea.Aquaticconservationisthereforeasignificant
issueforthisaction.
Thankyouforconsideringthesecomments.
/s/JosephVaile
KlamathSiskiyouWildlandsCenter
JosephVaile
ConservationDirector
P.O.Box102
Ashland,OR97520
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CascadiaWildlands
JoshLaughlin
CampaignCoordinator
P.O.Box10455
Eugene,OR97440
OregonWild
DougHeiken
POBox11648
Eugene,OR97440
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