Transcript File - Sierra Water Workgroup

Sierra Water Workgroup Water Summit
Kings Beach, California
June 11, 2013
Barry Hill, Hydrologist
Pacific Southwest Region
USDA Forest Service
CALIFORNIA’S NATIONAL FORESTS
• 18 National Forest
units in the Pacific
Southwest Region
• 21 million acres
• Headwaters of most
major rivers
• About 50% of the
runoff in the state
• Affected by climate
change
FOREST PLAN COMPONENTS, 2012
RULE
Assessment
• Plan development
o Desired Conditions
o Objectives
o Standards/Guidelines
o Suitability of lands—priority watersheds
• Monitoring
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FOREST PLAN RULE, 2012
GUIDELINES
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Multiple use of renewable resources in perpetuity
Maintain long-term health and productivity of land
Sustainable, integrated resource management
Watersheds with ecological integrity
Capacity to provide ecosystem services
These benefits include…clean water….
Compliance with Clean Water Act
Best available science
FOREST PLAN RULE, 2012 , PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION
• Required for all phases of plan development
• Outreach required to tribes, Federal and State
agencies, local governments, individuals, public
and private organizations
• Consultation with tribes if requested
• Incorporation of native knowledge and land ethics
• Coordination with other planning efforts
REGIONAL LEADERSHIP INTENT,
ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION
From this point forward, Ecological Restoration will be the
central driver of wildland and forest stewardship in the Pacific
Southwest Region, across all program areas and activities.
Future Land and Resource Management Plans, other strategic
plans and project plans will identify Ecological Restoration as a
core objective. Our Ecological Restoration work will include
coordination and support for all wildlands and forests in the
Region to promote an “all lands” approach to restoration. It will
lead to a new way of doing business with our partners and
neighbors, to coordinate work and priorities across forests and
wildlands regardless of ownership.
IRWMP Plans
4. Resource Management Strategies
The IRWM Plan must document the range of RMS considered to
meet the IRWM objectives and identify which RMS were
incorporated into the IRWM Plan. The effects of climate change
on the IRWM region must factor into the consideration of RMS.
RMS to be considered must include the RMS found in Volume 2
of the CWP Update 2009. At the time of issuance of these 2012
Guidelines, DWR is in the process of developing CWP Update
2013. Update 2013 may include additional or different RMS.
Consideration of such alternate RMS is encouraged, but not
mandated.
FOREST MANAGEMENT STRATEGY,
CWP UPDATE 2009
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Meadow restoration
Fire and vegetation management
Riparian forests
Forest roads
Urban forests
IRWMP PLANS
13. Relation to Local Land Use Planning
IRWM Plans must contain processes that foster communication
between land use managers and RWMGs with the intent of
effectively integrating water management and land use
planning. IRWM Plans must document:
Current relationship between local land use planning, regional
water issues, and water management objectives.
Future plans to further a collaborative, proactive relationship
between land use planners and water managers.
IRWMP PLANS
The IRWM Plan must contain the following items:
A public process that provides outreach and an opportunity to
participate in IRWM Plan development and implementation to the
appropriate local agencies and stakeholders, as applicable to the
region, including the following:
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Wholesale and retail water purveyors and wastewater agencies
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Flood control agencies
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Municipal and county governments and special districts
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Electrical corporations
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Native American tribes
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Self-supplied water users
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Environmental stewardship organizations
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Community organizations
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Industry organizations
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State, federal, and regional agencies or universities
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DAC members
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Any other interested group appropriate to the region
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IRWMP GRANT CRITERIA (1/2)
• Include regional projects or programs
• Effectively integrate water management programs and
projects within a hydrologic region
• Effectively resolve significant water-related conflicts within
or between regions
• Contribute to attainment of one or more of the objectives of
the CALFED Bay-Delta Program
• Address critical water supply or water quality needs of DACs
within the region
• Effectively integrate water management with land use
planning
IRWMP GRANT CRITERIA (2/2)
Address statewide priorities (partial list):
• Expand Environmental Stewardship
• Practice Integrated Flood Management
• Protect Surface Water and Groundwater Quality
• Improve Tribal Water and Natural Resources
• Ensure Equitable Distribution of Benefits
A Groundhog Day moment?
SUMMARY
• Both National Forest and IRWMP planning efforts
strive to improve water resources
• Both planning processes require public involvement
• The scales of National Forest and IRMWP plans are
similar
• Coincident development of National Forest and
IRWMP plans presents a major opportunity
EXAMPLE: TROENDLE AND OTHERS,
2007, Northern Sierra Nevada
• 12 acres of thinning, 20% basal area reduction  1
ac-ft/yr of water
• Repeated every 15 years for continued effect
• Effects may not be measurable