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

Final Environmental Impact Statement Rio de los Pinos Vegetation Management Project
sale administrator with assistance from hydrology and soil specialists. Disturbance within the
WIZ in the watershed of concern would be limited to upgrading existing system road crossings.
With regard to the two wetland features noted on page 3-29, they were visited by the TEAMS
soil scientist in August 2009 (see report dated 10-06-09). These features were delineated during
tree marking operations and placed within streamside management zones marked for protection.
As a result of this comment, soils design criteria was improved to ensure that wetland protection
is evaluated and determined adequate before project implementation.
Forest Service Response to Comment 1-3:
The third sentence in the comment “One important criterion is to keep activity 100 feet away
from the WIZ” is incorrect. That would result in a 200 ft buffer on streams. The limitations on
activity pertain to the area within the WIZ, or within 100 feet of intermittent and perennial
stream channels. With regard to percent of the watershed within the WIZ, please see response to
Comment 1-1. No logging will be allowed in the WIZ (FEIS Table 2.5-5) unless needed for
designated road crossings and these are limited.
Forest Service Response to Comment 1-4:
The discussion in the DEIS regarding the wet seepage areas was intended to show that not only
will the 100 ft WIZ adjacent to streams be protected from disturbance, but that any areas having
riparian vegetation or wet conditions due to seeps will also be protected (See Appendix A maps
and FEIS p. 3-24).
The project area was evaluated by qualified experts. During this analysis, it was evaluated by a
watershed hydrologist and two soil scientists, including a 2009 field evaluation by the Enterprise
Team soil scientist. The area was also previously analyzed for the County Line Vegetation
Management Project by the Forest soil scientist and hydrologist. In response to this comment a
section specific to wetlands has been added to the FEIS.
Forest Service Response to Comment 1-5:
Soil moisture will depend on growth of regeneration that has not been killed by spruce beetles
and the amount of shrub and grass vegetation that will increase in beetle impacted areas. If some
areas do become more saturated, monitoring by the sales administrator and application of design
criteria in Table 2.5-6 will keep detrimental impacts to soils within Forest Plan standards.
Forest Service Response to Comment 1-6:
Logging over frozen soils or packed snow has been proven to reduce impacts to soil resources.
The commenter is correct in that snow and frozen ground conditions will vary from year to year,
depending on timing of snow and onset of cold-warm weather. However, limitations on logging
on saturated soils will apply regardless of these fluctuations (FEIS Table 2.5-6, p. 3-31).
Logging activities would continue once soil conditions have improved.
Forest Service Response to Comment 1-7:
No harvest will occur within the WIZ, unless site-specifically approved by a hydrologist or soil
scientist. As described in response to Comment 1-2, only limited disturbance and equipment
entry associated with road or skid trail crossings will occur within the WIZ.
Chapter 6 -- Response to Comments Page 6-2