Environmental Assessment

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AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES CHAPTER 3 2 and 3 may or may not be provided to the local economy as it depends on the feasibility of substituting and implementing other ongoing planned projects. Civil Rights and Environmental Justice Civil Rights legislation and Executive Order 12898 (Environmental Justice) direct an analysis of the proposed alternatives as they relate to specific subsets of the American population. The subsets of the general population include ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and low-income groups. Environmental Justice is defined as the pursuit of equal justice and protection under the law for all environmental statutes and regulations, without discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. The minority and low income populations groups living in counties surrounding the fire area work in diverse occupations. Some minorities, low income residents, and Native Americans may rely on forest products or related forest activities for their livelihood. This is especially true for those individuals that most likely reside in the rural Central Oregon communities. Direct and Indirect Effects Alternative 1 – No Action This alternative would continue the local economic situation as described above. Common to all Action Alternatives Within the social context presented above, the action alternatives developed for this project have the potential to bring in workers from the outside to perform logging, pre-commercial thinning, mushroom harvesting, and related activities. The primary services needed by the workers would be food and shelter. Local businesses that can supply food (grocery stores and restaurants) and other services would capture most of the money being spent by the workers in the area. Some businesses may need to increase their employment, either by temporarily adding employees, or giving present employees more hours. This would likely result in increased local household incomes during implementation of project activities. Since these businesses have supported similar workforces in the past, capitol expansion would probably not be required. Since pre-commercial activities are expected to span a period of several years and it is reasonable to expect a good proportion of the work will go to minority-based small businesses, as they have in the past. The vast majority of these businesses and their employees are based along the I-5 corridor, so again most of the disposable income from these activities would not flow into local communities. Resources gathered for subsistence or of cultural importance are not likely affected by any federal action proposed within the fire area. Reducing the amount of dispersed, non-fee camping available in the project area may have a larger impact on lower income families; however, there are numerous other available locations in and near the Opine Vegetation Planning area for free camping. Recent research by the Center for Watershed and Community Health outline both the direct and indirect effects of wildfire on the health and welfare of impoverished individuals, families, and communities. Beside the direct impacts of the fire on potential jobs and income, there are also negative impacts to the value of property and other assets created by the public perception of risk created by local wildfires. The long-term effect of a decrease in a sustainable local timber supply for local mills combined with a shortterm decrease in recreational opportunities can also affect major local employers and taxpayers. This means that the tax base decreases and the costs of sustaining local services cost more. Thus poor householders in local communities are especially vulnerable to the fallout of a wildfire on their local economy. They have limited financial ability to cope with the disruptive effects this may have on local 3-122
AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES CHAPTER 3 economic activity and dependent social services. The effects discussed in this section, are very difficult to measure, but would tend to have a disproportional impact on local low income households. In contrast, minority groups from outside the immediate area would, whether harvesting forest products or helping in pre-commercial thinning efforts, probably see fewer changes in income when compared to other groups. Wildlife The following items are analyzed and effects compared by alternative: • Connectivity and Fragmentation; • Summary of Wildlife Species / Management Indicator Species; • Snags, Green Tree Replacements (GTRs) and Coarse Woody Material (CWM) Habitat; • Special/Unique Habitats; • Ecological Indicator Species/Habitats and Focal Species (Landbirds); • Proposed Endangered, Threatened, and Sensitive (PETS) Wildlife Species; and • Resident and Migratory Landbirds. Connectivity and Fragmentation – Condition of Late and Old Structure Habitat (LOS)/Old Growth Management Areas (OGMAs). Existing Condition The forested portion of the planning area has a significant amount of multi-story Late and Old Structure (LOS) ponderosa pine forest (approximately 5,220 acres or approximately 20 percent of the forest acres) and a very low amount of single-story LOS forest (approximately 644 acres or approximately two (2) percent of the forested acres). Lodgepole forest types include 3,384 acres (13 percent of the forested acres) in the late seral condition. Table 3-38 displays seven structural stages, defines and describes each stage, and displays the alternative label commonly associated with each stage (reference Screens EA, Appendix B revised amendment #2 for definitions similar to these). Table 3-38 Forest Stand Structural Stages Structural Stage Definition Description SS 1 Stand Initiation SS 2 Stem Exclusion, Open Canopy SS 3 Stem Exclusion, Closed Canopy SS 4 Understory Initiation SS 5 Multi-Stratum without Large Trees SS 6 Multi-Stratum with Large Trees SS 7 Single- Stratum with Large Trees Growing space is reoccupied following a stand replacing disturbance (e.g. wildfire, harvest). Usually early seral tree species. Crowns are open growing, canopy is broken, may be a moisture limiting area or maintained by frequent underburning, density management or high water table. Occurrence of new tree stems is mostly limited by light due to tree density. Canopy is closed. Understory establishing under an overstory. Mortality in overstory creates growing space for new trees in the understory. Several canopy layers established due to influence of management, fires, insect & disease group mortality. Large trees (>21” DBH) generally absent as a result of harvest or other disturbance. Multi canopy layers/strata stands with large, old trees. Single canopy layer/strata of large, old trees. 3-123 Grass, forb, seed/sapling dominated. Scattered overstory may be present as in a seed tree or open shelterwood stand. Poles to small saw logs
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United States Department of Agricul
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Abstract: The Opine Planning Area i
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PROJECT LOCATION CHAPTER 1 Figure 1
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PURPOSE AND NEED CHAPTER 1 commerci
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PLANNING DIRECTION - MANAGEMENT ALL
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PLANNING DIRECTION - MANAGEMENT ALL
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OTHER PLANNING DIRECTION & STRATEGI
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OTHER PLANNING DIRECTION & STRATEGI
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ANALYSIS ISSUES CHAPTER 1 The Opine
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ANALYSIS ISSUES CHAPTER 1 overstock
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ANALYSIS ISSUES CHAPTER 1 Soils The
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ALTERNATIVE DESCRIPTIONS CHAPTER 2
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ALTERNATIVE DESCRIPTION - ALTERNATI
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ALTERNATIVE DESCRIPTIONS - ALTERNAT
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COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES CHAPTER
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COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES CHAPTER
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IMPLEMENTATION GUIDELINES CHAPTER 2
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AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT & ENVIRONMENTA
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ISSUE 3 - WILDFIRE RISK - DIRECT &
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AGENCIES AND PUBLICS CONSULTED CHAP
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Environmental Assessment

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