Johnny O'Neil Late Successional Reserve Habitat Restoration and ...

miles from the project area. Two other known nest sites are located at Caroline Creek and Dona
Creek, approximately four and five miles from the project area.
Direct and Indirect Effects
Alternative 1-No Action
Under Alternative 1, activities would not occur so no direct or indirect effects would result.
However, fire behavior is expected to increase over time including: a constant or increasing
crown fire potential under both moderate and severe weather conditions; an increase in
surface fire intensity under both moderate and severe weather conditions; and either a
constantly high or increasing level of basal area mortality (Johnny O’Neil Vegetation and
Fuels resource reports). This alternative could result in long-term consequences for bald
eagles by increasing the potential for fire to remove or reduce the desired structural
components of bald eagle nesting and roosting habitat.
Action Alternatives
Direct or indirect effects to bald eagles are not anticipated from thinning activities; habitat
suitable for bald eagle nesting will not be affected and noise activity disturbance to known
eagles will not occur. Smoke generated by prescribed fire activities will occur, but the
effects of smoke to eagles that may be foraging along the Klamath River would not be
different or would not likely exceed smoke naturally occurring from wildfires. Smoke
impacts to air quality would generally be confined to no more than a few hours, or at most
a few days. The cumulative effect of prescribed fire on air quality is short-term, because
once the burn is over and the smoke has dissipated, the effect is over (Final Air Quality
Specialist Report) 4. Action alternatives are expected to decrease the risk of high intensity
fire within the analysis area, thereby providing long-term benefits to eagles and their
habitat in this landscape.
Cumulative Effects
There are no known non-federal timber harvests or other related actions proposed at this time so
cumulative effects are not expected.
Determination
Because of the distance of the project area from known eagle nest sites, the lack of suitable
habitat affected by the project, and the low likelihood that foraging eagles could be affected
by smoke generated by prescribed fire, this project may affect individuals but is not
expected to result in a trend toward federal listing or loss of viability.
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