Environmental Assessment

ALTERNATIVE DESCRIPTION – ALTERNATIVE –TREATMENTS CHAPTER 2
No road reconstruction would be required on existing system roads. Thirty-seven (37) miles of system
roads would have maintenance performed prior to commercial harvest activities to bring them up to
standard for log haul. Table 2-2 displays the specific activities proposed and the roads on which those
activities would be done.
Table 2-2 Proposed Road Maintenance Activities - Alternative 2.
ROAD
NUMBER
FROM MILE POST TO MILE POST
2-20
NUMBER OF
MILES
CLAY/CRUSHED AGGREGATE
18 17.095 (Opine Bdy) 26.585 (Opine Bdy @ 1840 Junction) 9.49
CRUSHED AGGREGATE (4 inch)
23 6.733 18.682 (@ 22 Junction) 11.95
2510 1.560 (OHV Staging Area) 5.120 (Opine Bdy) 3.56
2017 3.598 (National Forest Boundary) 8.127 (2017-500 Junction) 4.53
DRAINAGE WORK (ARMORING ROLLING DIPS, LEADOUTS, & OUTSLOPES, BRUSHING, AND SHAPING)
2017 8.127 (2017-500 Junction) 12.509 (23 Junction) 4.38
2310 0.000 (23 Junction) 3.000 (Project Bdy) 3.00
Alternative 3
This alternative was developed in response to concerns and comments received during scoping that were
expressed about the effects of proposed treatments on wildlife and wildlife habitat, specifically mule deer,
hiding and thermal cover and the availability of bitterbrush, and important winter browse species for
wintering mule deer. This alternative proposes a variety of vegetation (commercial and non-commercial
thinning) and fuels reduction treatments on 17,226 acres. This includes approximately 7,118 acres of
thinning treatments in ponderosa and lodgepole pine stands. Within these treated stands are also
proposed 5,855 acres of fuels reduction treatments. An additional 10,108 acres of fuel reduction
treatments in xeric shrublands and forest stands are proposed outside of the commercial and noncommercial
treatments.
This alternative does not treat any of the areas that would require a Forest Plan Amendment under
Alternative 2, except for the units that would not meet hiding cover requirements after proposed
treatments. This proposed non-significant Amendment 2 would waive S&G WL-54, which requires that
30 percent of the National Forest land within each Implementation Unit (IU) be in hiding cover. This
amendment would be specific to the MA-9 and MA-15 land allocations on Pine Mountain located in IU
#52 and the MA-15 allocation associated with the Pumice Springs OGMA in IU #57.
Alternative 3 includes the following activities:
Commercial Thinning Harvest with Non-Commercial Thinning Units
• Thin to reduce stand competition, culture large trees and retain a combination of single story and
multi-story canopy (3,855 acres);
Non-Commercial Thinning Units
• Thin to reduce stand competition, culture large trees and move towards a single story canopy
(3,263 acres);
Total: 7,118 acres
Fuels Reduction in Commercial Units
• Fuels Reduction units underburning (731 acres);
• Fuels Reduction units with burning beneath the dripline (1,891);