ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES in rocky mountain coniferous ...

Richard T. Wick
Burlington Northern Inc.
Timber and Land Department
Operations in the timber and land department of Burlington Northern Inc. are
organized around the mu1 tiple uses of forest lands. Primary emphasis is on the
sustained production of forest products under sil vicul tural , environmental , social ,
and economic guide1 ines. Our department, consisting of 157 permanent employees, is
essentially split into separate, but complementary, areas of land management, timber
management, and administrative services. About 100 of these employees have bachelors
or advanced degrees. Besides foresters, special ists in the fiel ds of engineering,
wil dl ife biology, geology, economics, silviculture, and land use planning are repre-
sented. Further division is between the Cascades District, which is headquartered in
Seattle and covers four separate management units totaling about 400,000 acres
(161,880 ha) in western and central Washington and northwestern Oregon, and the Rocky
Mountain District, headquartered in Mi ssoula, Mont, , and covering seven separate
management units total ing about 1,100,OO acres (445,170 ha) In northeastern Washington,
north Idaho, and western Montana. Of this 1.1 mill ion acres, about 840,000 acres
(339,948 ha) are located in Montana. The management units previously mentioned are
the hub of BN's day-to-day operations. Each unit is operated as a separate profit
center, with all activities designed to accomplish set goals within guidelines
established in annually updated 5-year plans. Annual budgets provide the basis for
coordinating the overall activities in the department.
Prior to the development of any forest tract, we go through an extensive in-
house planning process. We util ize a1 1 avai lab1 e resource management tool s, including
computers, topographic maps, inventories, fiel d surveys, aerial photos, and so on.
Our process begins internally with our departmental land classification system. All
lands are classified into one of seven major categories according to their available
resources, topography, 1 ocation, and soi 1 and environmental constraints. A1 1 classi-
fications are re-evaluated on an annual basis. Land parcels in certain classes have
management limitations imposed which shape the extent to which those lands can be
managed. The seven classes are as follows:
1. multiple use class
2. water resource class
3. scenic area class
4. limited use class
5. prescribed development class
6. existing development class
7. quarry mining class
This land classification system is recorded and utilized in two forms: a visual*
map format, and a computer printout by 10-acre (4 ha) tracts. The land classification
system provides us a uniform basis from which to generate specific forest management
prescriptions.
All company activities are planned to maintain or enhance resource values and
preclude unacceptable environmental impacts. To further assure that a complete job
of preplanning has been done and that all foreseeable impacts are considered, we
conduct an environmental assessment. This procedure is prepared in a report form
entitled "Environmental Assessment Report" or "EAR". This report is completed by a
management unjt and reviewed by the district level staff. It focuses attention to
potential effects any development may have on air and water quality; fish and wild1 ife;
soils and productivity; aesthetics; recreation; historical and cultural resources as
well as any legal constraints. Input is solicited from specialists from other