Environmental Assessment

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES CHAPTER 3
accumulate. These accumulations can result in morality of trees that would usually not be killed by low
to moderate intensity fire events. The buildup at the base of trees can result in fire starts that burn with
such intensity that root systems are damaged and the tree cambium destroyed thus killing the tree.
Nearly all existing old growth stands contain continuous vertical fuels; wildfires in such stands would
result in crown fires and subsequent mortality. The height from the ground to the base of the live crown
would remain between five (5) and 31 feet. This would maintain the risk of a surface fire climbing into
the canopy and becoming a crown fire. Tree crowns would also be closer together allowing a crown fire
to spread more easily at lower wind speeds. Crown fires would also increase mortality levels.
In mixed pine stands (lodgepole and ponderosa), similar fuel accumulations and conditions would
continue to exist. Dense lodgepole pine regeneration would continue to create undesirable stand densities
(ladder fuels) that pose continuing and increasing risks to the survival of the larger ponderosa pine during
a wildfire event.
The effects of uncharacteristic wildfire on forest health, wildlife habitat, soils, water quality and
recreational values and as well as the safety of firefighters and the public, would continue to increase. No
safety corridors would be established along Roads 18, 2017, 23, 25, or 2510. Fuels would continue to
accumulate adjacent to or near high use/value special use developments and recreational use areas such as
the Pine Mountain Observatory, the BPA Sand Springs compensation station, and the EFR OHV trail
system.
The risk of wildfire with the potential for loss of critical mule deer winter forage and both hiding and
thermal cover would remain high and increase over time under this alternative. It would forgo the
opportunity to reduce the risk of wildfire occurring in big game hiding and thermal cover which is at high
risk of loss in the event of wildfire. Additionally, uncharacteristic wildfire would also likely result in
habitat losses within OGMA areas as well as the loss of wildlife habitat associated with old growth
ponderosa pine.
Continued transition to an infrequent and intense fire regime would occur in fire dependent ecosystems
that historically experienced frequent, low intensity fire events. In these areas, fire starts that escape
initial suppression action would cycle a high portion of the landscape to an early seral stage. This
includes most of the planning area except areas dominated by lodgepole pine.
No natural fuel reduction activities would be implemented under Alternative 1 and the risk to important
resources and resource values would continue and would increase over time with increasing fuel loadings.
Suppression actions would continue to be hazardous for firefighters. Suppression options would be
eliminated due to lack of escape routes and safety zones. Fireline intensity would prevent direct attack
with ground forces. The effectiveness of aerial delivered retardants would be limited due to long range
spotting. Dozer rather than hand line construction would be necessary due to fire intensity. Public safety
would be compromised due to limited evacuation routes.
The increased risk and probability of a high intensity, uncharacteristic wildfire associated with increasing
fuel loadings would result in the increasing likelihood of the complete lost of understory and overstory
vegetation. Large contiguous areas of dense shrubs, needle cast and grasses have developed in the
absence of the low intensity wildfire historically characteristic of the planning area. These highly
flammable shrubs have the potential for flame lengths of up to 20 to 30 feet. With existing shrub
conditions, the potential exists for fire spread into the canopy of trees allowing for high intensity, stand
replacement crown fire. Although past fuel treatments (i.e. mechanical shrub treatments, mowing, and
prescribed fire) have occurred in the planning area, large contiguous areas of dense shrubs remain.
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