Final Environmental Impact Statement Rio de los Pinos Vegetation ...

Final Environmental Impact Statement Rio de los Pinos Vegetation Management Project
Cumulative effects are summarized by alternative below.
Alternative 1 – No Action
Alternative 1, when taken in context of this specific project, and added to the sum total of past,
present, and reasonably foreseeable environmental, social, and economic effects of land
management activities, would have little effect upon the conditions and trends of resources and
values within the project area and adjacent area of influence.
Alternative 1 would continue to provide for a wide variety of recreational and scenic activities
within the Analysis Area. Areas of beetle killed trees would be noticeable and foot access into
these specific areas would become more difficult as dead trees begin to fall to the ground. The
attributes of the IRA would not be changed, other than what is occurring due to the current
spruce beetle outbreak.
Suitable habitat for wildlife species would continue to be present, although the distribution and
amount of older mature spruce fir would be reduced, reducing the habitat effectiveness for
species requiring this habitat type. The value of the mature spruce-fir component to wildlife
species would be impacted, but not to the extent of impacting population trends on the Forest as
a whole.
Soils and watersheds would remain in healthy condition. The vegetative community would
continue to contain a diversity of plant communities, well distributed across the landscape.
These vegetative communities may be at a greater risk for crown fire in the immediate two years
following infestation, due to beetle-killed trees. They may also have a greater risk for fire
severity and intensity in both the short and long term, due to heavy dead fuels.
Heritage, social and economic resources would remain limited with the exception of increased
firewood collection opportunities.
Forest condition as a whole in the Analysis Area would decline in the short and mid-term, due to
the current beetle infestation. Infested areas would be left to regenerate naturally, which would
take more time than if artificially replanted. If current spruce beetle infestation rates continue,
the overall appearance of the Analysis Area would be impacted and some economic values
would be lost due to lost opportunities for timber salvage.
Alternatives 2 and 3
Specialist analyses and reports included within Chapter 3 address the potential impacts of the
action alternatives upon the various resources. Overall, the impacts of the action alternatives
vary by the amount of acres proposed for harvesting and are separated by only a few percentage
points between alternatives. Therefore, the cumulative effects of all action alternatives are
discussed jointly.
Chapter 3 – Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences Page 3-102