Environmental Assessment

ANALYSIS ISSUES CHAPTER 1
The Opine Vegetation Management Environmental Assessment (EA) was originally scoped during March
2002 with other Opine planning area activities, including the Pine Mountain Observatory Master Plan EA
that was analyzed and approved separately. The March 2002 scoping letter requesting public
involvement was provided to 301 individuals, businesses, and organizations that have expressed an
interest in the project development process. A supplemental scoping letter was mailed using the same
mailing list which requested comments regarding proposed closures and decommissioning of existing
system roads excess to current and future management needs. Included in both mailings was The
Bulletin, the local newspaper. Both letters were also mailed to the Confederated Tribes of the Warm
Springs, the Burns Paiute, and The Klamath Tribes. Both letters were also posted on the Deschutes and
Ochoco National Forests and Crooked River National Grassland internet website.
30-Day Comment Period
The Draft EA was made available for a 30-day public comment period September 14, 2005. This letter
was sent to approximately 312 individuals, businesses, Tribes, and organizations that expressed an
interest in the project and was placed on the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests web site. The
preferred alternative was identified. Comments were received from 33 respondents and were grouped into
57 comment groups. The summary of the comments and the response to those comments is located in
Appendix D of the EA.
A number of respondents provided comments on off-highway vehicle use and management that was
discussed in the 30 day comment version of the EA. The final Opine Vegetation Management does not
address OHV management except where road closures/decommissioning and seasonal restriction are
proposed to mitigate the impacts of thinning and fuel reduction treatments on wildlife habitat. Access and
travel management actions, including OHV use and management, other than those described in this EA,
will be analyzed separately.
ISSUES _______________________________________________________________
A total of 124 responses were received from over 100 individuals, agencies, and organizations from the
two scoping letters. These comments can be found in the project files. The comments were grouped and
formulated as issues and used in alternative design to develop mitigation measures, or are addressed under
alternatives considered, but eliminated from detailed analysis or are addressed in the analysis of effect of
actions. No comments were received from the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, the Burns
Paiute, or The Klamath Tribes.
Many of the public comments received were used to focus the analysis in areas where the public desired a
specific resource to be addressed. All comments received have been assessed as to their relevance to each
of the resources being addressed within the Opine planning area. Internal Forest Service comments and
analysis were also used in the development of alternatives.
Many of the comments received were specific to off-highway vehicle (OHV) use on Pine Mountain and
the proposal to establish a designated route system in that area. Decisions regarding the establishment of
such a system and the development of other recreational trails on Pine Mountain are outside the scope of
this analysis and were proposed for analysis under the separate Opine Access Management
Environmental Assessment. That project was subsequently dropped. Information developed and received
for that project may be used as part of the analysis for either the on-going travel management process that
addresses motorized use across the Deschutes National Forest or any following site specific analyses that
would analyze the establishment of a designated trail system in any or all parts of the planning area.
Key Issues: Key issues are issues used to develop alternatives or specific activities of the action
alternatives and to compare alternatives. The following key issues and concerns were the basis for
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