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Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment EIS
Sierra Nevada Framework For Conservation and Collaboration
USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Region,
Pacific Southwest Region and Pacific Southwest Research Station
November 2000
The Sierra Nevada Framework for Conservation and Collaboration is an effort by the USDA Forest Service to better integrate the latest science and a collaborative approach into national forest management. Part of this effort is the development of an environmental impact statement to update forest plans for national forests in the Sierra Nevada and Modoc Plateau. The Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was released for public review and comment on May 5, 2000, and the 90-day comment period closed August 11, 2000.
Five Problem Areas
The Draft EIS described eight alternatives to address five urgent problem areas for Sierra Nevada national forests: old forest ecosystems; aquatic, riparian and meadow ecosystems; fire and fuel management; noxious weeds; and lower west side hardwood ecosystems. Citizens, elected officials, tribal representatives, land managers, scientists, resource specialists, academicians, and interest groups are among the thousands of people who helped identify these problems areas and contributed to the ideas represented in the alternatives.
The eight alternatives in the Draft EIS included a "no action" alternative to describe a continuation of current management. The remaining seven "action" alternatives reflected diverse approaches to improving national forest management relative to the problem areas and addressing significant issues such as social, economic and cultural concerns, roads and recreation access. All seven action alternatives were based on the science in the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project and more recent studies. Each action alternative was built around a different theme and set of land allocations and associated standards and guidelines. The Draft EIS estimated environmental, social and economic consequences along with outputs for each alternative. To help highlight the complexity of decisions about protection of wildlife habitat and strategic fire and fuels treatments, the Draft EIS identified two alternatives, Alternative 6 and Alternative 8 as Preferred Alternatives.
Public Meetings and Workshops
In an effort to help people understand the Draft EIS and share ideas about improving the draft, over 60 public meetings and workshops were held throughout California and western Nevada during the comment period. In response, the Forest Service received about 9,000 individual letters, facsimiles and e-mails and another 38,000 signatures on petitions and postcard campaigns. Public comment include opinions, concerns and recommendations for the Final EIS. Public comments and additional DEIS information are on our web site at http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/sncf. The Final EIS and Record of Decision will be on the web site, when it has been completed.
Moving from Draft to Final EIS
What we heard - Public comment centered around the same concerns that were displayed in the Draft EIS, including old forests, streams, wildlife habitats, wildfires, access and recreation opportunities, recognition of sub-regional differences and impacts to communities. Public comment and review by scientists and resource specialists suggested many refinements and clarifications that could improve the Final EIS. As a result, we are reviewing many elements of the EIS such as: assumptions about critical elements of wildlife habitat (e.g., canopy closure, forest structure); activities that may/may not be appropriate in certain wildlife habitat; assumptions about future range-wide fire occurrence; appropriate models to predict fire behavior in response to various vegetation treatments; functional and spatial relationship of habitat, urban-wildland interface, and municipal watersheds; assumptions and indicators used to assess social and economic effects; assessment of effects on access and recreation; degree of flexibility in local decisions about how to accomplish range-wide goals; and the appropriateness of sub-regional approaches to management of range-wide problems.
We also are reviewing the EIS to be sure that it appropriately reflects the relationship to other Forest Service plans, programs and projects. Some of these are the national roadless area and road management policies, the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Pilot Project, the Sequoia Monument Plan, the Unified Federal Policy for Watershed Management, the Cohesive Strategy and the National Fire Plan.
What We Are Doing About Wildfire
The Forest Service report, "Protecting People and Sustaining Resources in Fire-Adapted Ecosystems - A Cohesive Strategy" was recently completed. We have reviewed our work with an eye to the Cohesive Strategy and to comments we received on the Draft EIS. The comments have prompted us to re-examine, among other topics, the proportion of mechanical treatments to prescribed fire for treating fuels, the assumptions and modeling related to air quality and the feasibility of proposed treatment levels. Comments also reaffirmed our belief that the range of alternatives captured the current science and public concern about wildfire. From these alternatives, the Record of Decision (ROD) will identify appropriate, strategic fuel treatments in the urban-wildland interface, municipal watersheds, and in habitats for species of concern. We are confident that we can meet the objectives of the Cohesive Strategy and provide for species viability.
What We Are Doing About Protecting Wildlife
Recently, US Fish and Wildlife Service announced its finding that the Endangered Species Act listing of California spotted owl, Yosemite toad and mountain yellow legged frog may be warranted. These three species were identified, along with several others, as species of concern in the Notice of Intent for the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment EIS. Both the Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service feel that immediate steps must be taken and are working closely on developing strategies for conserving habitat for these species. A timely and effective solution to these problems will require the half million acres of Sierra Nevada national forests to bear a large responsibility for providing healthy old forest ecosystems and other wildlife habitats. Ideas such as protection of spotted owl home ranges, appropriate management of old forests and aquatic, riparian and meadow ecosystems are well represented in the Draft EIS. With some additional work and refinement, these concepts will lead to a well-informed, scientifically based decision.
What Comes Next
The Interdisciplinary and Science Teams are updating analyses in the EIS based on scientific review and public comment. Recommendations for a final decision are being developed with additional advice from scientists and resource specialists from state and federal agencies, and from forest supervisors and their staffs. An independent team of scientists will review the scientific information incorporated in the EIS for consistency with current research findings and scientific methods. Ultimately, the Regional Forester's decision will involve balancing risks and managing uncertainties about the probabilities of wildfire and the effects of activities on habitats. We plan to document the Regional Forester's decision with a Final EIS and ROD in December 2000.
Monitoring and adaptive management are critical elements of the Plan Amendment. The Monitoring Team is currently working with other agencies and individuals to develop a monitoring plan to assure consistent implementation throughout the Sierra Nevada Range and Modoc Plateau. Careful monitoring is integral to continued learning, adjusting and improving our management of the national forests.
The vision of the Sierra Nevada Framework for Conservation and Collaboration has been to develop an ongoing collaborative planning process that would continue long after the ROD is signed. The open approach used to develop the EIS is a step toward improved planning processes. The Framework teams are working with other state and federal agencies exploring other possibilities for more collaborative stewardship of the national forests in the Sierra Nevada and Modoc Plateau.
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