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Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

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September 2005 <strong>Land</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>Plan</strong> <strong>Part</strong> 2<br />

<strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Forest</strong> <strong>Strategy</strong><br />

Sespe oil field, <strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> NF Communication tower, <strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> NF<br />

Demand for infrastructure to provide water, energy, transportation, and other community support<br />

needs continues to receive focus. Program emphasis is on managing these uses while preserving<br />

recreation opportunities and resolving natural resource conflicts. Managers expect to annually<br />

reduce backlog of special-use authorizations by approximately five percent (see also <strong>Land</strong>s 2 -<br />

Non-Recreation Special Use Authorizations).<br />

The <strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Forest</strong> contains the only developed commercial quantities of oil and gas<br />

within the California national forests. There are 21 oil and gas leases on 5,642 acres (less than 1<br />

percent of national forest land) that contain about 180 wells and associated facilities. There are<br />

also several active hard rock (e.g., gold) claims and small amounts of mineral material (e.g., sand<br />

and gravel) activity.<br />

Additional development of oil and gas on the <strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Forest</strong> will proceed only as<br />

specified by the decision from the Oil and Gas EIS. Permits for exploration, development, and<br />

operation of additional oil and gas facilities, such as wells, roads, tanks, pipelines, etc. are<br />

subject to further site-specific environmental study and NEPA review and will incorporate all<br />

stipulations and geographic restrictions specified by the Record of Decision for the Oil and Gas<br />

EIS (see also: ME 1 - Minerals <strong>Management</strong>; and ME 2 - Biomass Utilization).<br />

The Livestock Grazing Program on the <strong>Los</strong> <strong>Padres</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Forest</strong> currently consists of 141<br />

livestock grazing areas, of which 101 are active. The national forest manages this program for<br />

the sustainability of forest resources while providing for livestock forage. The Livestock Grazing<br />

Program emphasizes compliance with the Rescission Act of 1995. Priority is given to reviewing<br />

allotments where there are known impacts on natural resources or recreation use (see also LG 1 -<br />

Livestock Grazing and LG 2 - Rangeland Health).<br />

The national forest provides forest products to the public including fuelwood, Christmas trees,<br />

posts, and other plant materials and is expected to continue at or above current levels. The<br />

production of biomass is potentially useful for management of vegetation to achieve desired<br />

conditions (see also: SFP 1 - Offer Special <strong>Forest</strong> Products).<br />

Page 31

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