San Bernardino National Forest Land Management Plan - Part 2

Land Management Plan Part 2
San Bernardino National Forest Strategy
of this Place. One of the highest waterfalls on the forest (Big Falls) is located near the
community of Forest Falls. Surface and groundwater extraction occurs in the Place.
September 2005
The vegetation includes coastal sage scrub, mixed chaparral, and stands of bigcone Douglas-fir
and canyon live oak and Coulter pine at the lower elevations. Jeffrey, ponderosa, sugar and
knobcone pine, white fir and black and canyon live oak are present at the higher elevations. Poor
air quality affects vegetation health and vigor, as well as obscuring views. Frequent fires have
converted coastal sage scrub and chaparral to nonnative grasslands along the lower slopes.
Noxious weeds are present.
A high fire danger threatening foothill and mountaintop communities is present during much of
the year. The effects of the reoccurring pattern of wildland fire were realized by the high loss of
homes when the Old Fire burned much of this Place from I-15 to the Seven Oaks Dam in 2003.
There is a high potential for erosion and flooding for the next several years. Community defense
zones are a concern as urban development adjacent to the national forest continues to expand and
increase the potential for fire starts. Although an extensive fuelbreak system exists, some
fuelbreaks lack regular maintenance, compromising their potential effectiveness.
City Creek, San
Bernardino Front
Country Place. This
critical biological
zone shows 2003
flood effects after the
wildfires.
This Place is home to diverse and unique plant and wildlife communities. Important habitat for
southwestern willow flycatcher and speckled dace exists here. The only known extant mountain
yellow-legged frog habitat in the San Bernardino Mountains was adversely affected when heavy
rainfall scoured out the creek and the watershed burned in the 2003 wildland fires. A small
number of frogs were salvaged prior to the post-fire flooding event and their offspring may be
reintroduced if it is determined that no frogs survived and if a successful captive breeding
program can be established. This Place contains designated critical habitat for the San
Bernardino kangaroo rat, California gnatcatcher, and the Santa Ana sucker. National Forest lands
near Oak Glen provide a connection to regional habitat linkage connecting the San Bernardino
Mountains to the Redlands Badlands and ultimately to the San Jacinto/Lake Perris Core Reserve.
San Gorgonio River provides a similar habitat linkage to the San Jacinto Mountains to the south.
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