Environmental Assessment

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES CHAPTER 3
local economy. This alternative may have negative impacts to the local economy because timber-related
jobs would not be maintained.
Although Alternative 1 would generate no current revenues to return to the Treasury of the United States
of America there is a cost resulting from the expenditure of planning monies. Since there are no revenues
predicted it is not possible to calculate a benefit/cost ratio.
Direct and Indirect Effects of Alternative 2 and 3
The harvest units under Alternative 2 and 3 have measurable economic potential in terms of the volume
of raw materials that could be harvested. When the harvest related revenues and costs alone (including
planning) are analyzed the PNV is a negative $700,978 (Alternative 2) and negative $600,784
(Alternative 3) with a benefit/cost ratio of $0.13 for both alternatives.
An estimated 58 timber and timber-related jobs would be created or maintained. Indirect benefits from
employment would contribute to the local economy. The number of jobs maintained or created was
calculated by using figures for the Deschutes National Forest from Appendix B-5 of the FY 1997 Timber
Sale Program Annual Report. Excluding firewood from the volume harvested on the Deschutes National
Forest in Fiscal Year 1997, an estimated 9.6 jobs per million board feet were maintained or created.
Cumulative Effects
The cumulative effects of all alternatives with regard to economic efficiency in the foreseeable future are
based on costs and revenues. The cumulative effects on forest resources are discussed in other reports of
this EA. All resources have a value, though many are difficult to identify in dollar terms.
In all alternatives the possibility of wildfire is high because of the location, weather and vegetation. What
varies between alternatives in regards to fire is the fuels and future stand structure following
implementation of the EA. The level of fuels remaining will contribute directly to the investment needed
when fires return to the project area. The fuels accumulating in the next three decades may need
treatments to protect the developing young ponderosa pine forest. These treatments may include
prescribed fire or mechanical mowing of the shrub layer.
In Alternative 1 no treatment would occur. Future fires within the perimeter of the Opine Vegetation
Management area would have the potential to be more difficult to control due to the high fuel loading.
This potential could require more resources to control fire, create increased dangers to wild land fire
fighters and increase costs to contain a fire. Future expenses to thin stands under Alternative 1 would be
needed.
Alternative 2 and 3 includes commercial and non-commercial tree harvest and fuels reduction that
reduces future fuel loads. Resources required to control or manage fires could be substantially less than
Alternatives 1. These alternatives have the best opportunity to accelerate the establishment and
development of a large diameter ponderosa pine stand and provides the best assurance that the stand can
develop past the age when small diameter trees are susceptible to ground fire mortality. Alternatives 2
and 3 provides the most current and future opportunities for employment in the woods industry.
Over the last 10 years, an annual average of approximately 68.2 MMBF of timber has been sold from the
Deschutes National Forest. In the near future, the amount of timber offered for sale is expected to be near
this annual average. The Deschutes National Forest is expected to continue offering timber for sale and is
expected to continue making contributions to the local economy as a result of timber harvest activities. If
Alternative 1 was chosen, the project area would not contribute any additional benefits to the local
economy as a result of timber harvest. In this scenario, the projected amount of volume from Alternative
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