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

Final Environmental Impact Statement Rio de los Pinos Vegetation Management Project
Project design criteria for Timber Resources are presented in Chapter 2, Table 2.5-4. One of the
Project design criteria requires that large green or infested tree segments that are six inches or
more in diameter would be skidded to landings for treatment within one year. This project
design criteria is designed to reduce spruce beetle habitat within the treatment areas. This
method of treating large material has been commonly used on other spruce beetle
sanitation/salvage timber sales on the Rio Grande National Forest and has been effective at
minimizing the spread of spruce beetle through logging slash.
Under Alternative 2, artificial regeneration by planting Engelmann spruce is planned for 75
acres. Engelmann spruce is susceptible to armillaria root disease, but this disease usually does
not affect Engelmann spruce until it reaches later seral stages. Engelmann spruce shows greater
resistance to armillaria root disease than other tree species, such as subalpine fir, that could be
regenerated on these sites. Any increase in armillaria root disease following sanitation/salvage
harvesting would not be the result of removing beetle infested or beetle killed trees. Root
systems of beetle killed trees would not be affected in their suitability as a food base by cutting
of the stem. No affects to western spruce budworm activity are expected from this alternative, as
no current budworm activity has been observed within the analysis area. This treatment would be
expected to reduce stand susceptibility to future budworm activity, as stands would become more
open and have less vertical structure, thus impeding larvae survival.
Alternative 3 – Reduced Salvage Harvest
Like Alternative 2, this alternative would designate units where dead and dying Engelmann
spruce are removed for the primary purpose of recovering the lost economic value of dead and
dying trees and to create areas suitable for reforestation. The sanitation/salvage treatment areas
would be the same as Alternative 2.
The project design criteria presented in Chapter 2, Table 2.5-4 regarding slash treatments would
also apply to Alternative 3 but over a smaller area than Alternative 2.
Under Alternative 3, artificial regeneration by planting Engelmann spruce is planned for 56
acres. The effects of armillaria root disease and western spruce budworm would be the same as
those described under Alternative 2 but over a smaller area.
Cumulative Effects:
The cumulative effects analysis for forest condition includes all of the spruce/fir forest lands on
public and private lands within and around the analysis area. The analysis considers spruce
beetle infestations that have been observed in this area during the last seven years and the
potential for future outbreaks over the next 10 to 15 years. The probability for future spruce
beetle outbreaks in this area is high over the next 10 to 15 years due to the current weather
patterns, current spruce beetle populations in the area, and current stand conditions. The
spruce/fir forest in close proximity to the Rio de los Pinos Analysis Area is currently undergoing
Chapter 3 – Affected Environment & Environmental Consequences Page 3-8