Transcript Authorities to Maximize Restoration

Authorities to Maximize
Restoration
Some Western Oregon Examples
NEPA
• Environmental Assessment
• Environmental Impact Statement
• Categorical Exclusion
http://amforest.org/wpcontent/uploads/2016/05/Existing_Opportunities_to_Increase_Eff
iciencies_in_the_Timber_Sale_Process.pdf
Smart Practices
Maximizing implementation of acres analyzed though
large-landscape EA’s & EIS’s
Supplementing these landscape level documents with
strategic use of Categorical Exclusions – “Filling in the
gaps”
“Filling the gaps”
• McKenzie River Ranger District – Willamette National Forest
• Large landscape-level NEPA documents
2014 EIS considering 2,452 acres & 35 MMBF of timber harvest
2016 EIS considering 4,398 acres & 89 MMBF of timber harvest
“Filling the gaps”
• CatEx to treat up to 70-acre parcels
2014-2016 Categorical Exclusions
 Eleven individual Categorical Exclusions
 497 acres treated
 7.2 MMBF of timber harvested
 $1.2 Million generated
• If replicated across the other 14 Westside Districts
2,505 additional acres treated a year
36 MMBF of additional timber sold a year
$6 Million additional generated a year
CE Sales for Fiscal Year (FY) 14-16
Acres
Decision Name
MBF
TONS
Bid Rate
Total Value
Remarks
Buck TS Units 1-3 & 11
51 acres
Castle Project Decision Memo
851
4,782
52.15/Ton
$249,381.3
0
Castle CE Units was combined with the Horse EA
Units. No gaps
Pup TS Units 1-3, 11-14
55 acres
Pup Project Decision Memo
980
5516
38.66/Ton
$213,248.5
6
This includes 5 acres of gaps
Fritz TS Units 1-4, 12, 13, 15-18,
20-23
59 acres
Fritz Project Decision Memo
1320
6886
29.35/Ton
$202,104.1
0
This includes 5 acres of gaps
Boundary TS Units 1, 2, 10-14
56 acres
Boundary Thin Project Decision Memo
913
5,234
25.56/Ton
$133,781.0
4
This includes 7 acres of gaps
Cub TS Units 1-3
66 acres
Cub Thin Project Decision Memo
510
3,108
24.60/Ton
$76,456.80
No gaps
Pass TS Units 1-3, 11, 21, 22, 31,
& 32
21 acres
Pass Thin Project Decision Memo
260
1,489
23.35/Ton
$34,768.15
This includes 5 acres of gaps
MRRS TS Units 1 & 11
22 acres
MRRS Thin Project Decision Memo
320
1,678
16.32/Ton
$27,384.96
No gaps
Muskee TS Units 1-3, & 31
46 acres
Muskee Thin Project Decision Memo
560
3,211
18.71/Ton
$60,077.81
This includes a one acre gap
Lamb TS Units 1-3, 21, & 22
43 acres
Lamb Thin Project Decision Memo
570
3,240
15.07/Ton
$48,826.80
No gaps
Air TS Unit 1
28 acres
Air Thin Project Decision Memo
284
1339
41.65/Ton
$55,769.35
Air CE Unit was combined with three Goose/Honker
Units. No gaps in Air CE.
D Special Salvage TS (SSTS) Unit
1
2 acres
D Blowdown Removal Project Decision
Memo
41
62 CCF
157.00/CCF
$9,734
68 blowdown and root sprung trees was removed
across 2 acres.
Ollie TS Unit 1-3
47 acres
Ollie Thin Project Decision Memo
583
2504
40.05/Ton
$100,285.2
0
This includes 4 acres of gaps
SR Salvage TS Unit 1
1 acre
SR Danger Tree Removal (DTR) Project
Decision Memo
45
61 CCF
178.00/CCF
$10,858
18 Danger Trees along the 655 road was removed
under this project.
FY 2014 Timber Sales
FY 2015 Timber Sales
FY 2016 Timber Sales
Moral of the story
Large landscape analyses may not, by themselves, capture all
of the acres in need of treatment. Consider taking a page
from McKenzie’s model to fill the gaps. The results are minor
but could be profound if implemented across the Region.
• McKenzie's model
Dedicated program lead
Integrated
District support
Maximizing larger landscape projects
• Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest
 Completed a large landscape EA called “Coastal Healthy Forest Treatments”
in 2006 that encompassed two Ranger Districts.
 A Decision Notice was issued in 2007 authorizing the treatment of 47,329
acres identified in the 2006 EA.
 Monitoring conducted between 2007 & 2014 indicated that only 7,076 acres
of these acres were actually implemented – 15%
 Approximately 630 acres of additional stands, similar in forest type, in need
of treatment identified in the project area.
 What to do?
Maximizing larger landscape project cont.
• Options:
 Initiate a new EA
 Treat a fraction of the 630 acres with the 70-acre Categorical
Exclusion
 Supplement existing NEPA
• New information/changed circumstances
• Significant & substantial
• The Rogue went with option three. However…
Maximizing larger landscape project cont.
• While completing a Supplemental Information Report (SIR*)
they determined that a supplement was unnecessary.
 This report concluded that, as a result of the new information (in
this case monitoring results), adding these 630 acres of new
candidate stands was not significant because the conditions of
these stands were the same as the 40,000 acres yet untreated
stands under the existing decision.
*SIR is the agency’s internal tool used to determine supplementation
Maximizing larger landscape project cont.
• Result:
 The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest treated an additional
154 acres of stands in need of treatment.
 This sale offered 3.1 MMBF of timber to the local industry.
 $266,999 was generated from this sale and returned to the
treasury.
Moral of the story
• Consider revisiting existing NEPA documents to
monitor the level of implementation. If a deficit
in treatment acres exists then consider
opportunities to treat more of the project area.
Questions?
Andy Geissler
Western Oregon Field Forester
American Forest Resource Council
Eugene, OR
[email protected]
541-525-6113