Source: USFS Based on estimates provided by: BLM Medford District; INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PROGRAMS Coordination of planning is achieved through interagency involvement pursuant to authorities discussed in Section 1.5.1. Private actions on private lands are regulated, as provided by applicable State law, by Oregon agencies responsible for implementation of each statue. Other Plans A proposed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on Elk Creek, northeast of the community of Trail, is presently in the active, but unfunded category. Construction bids were withheld in 1975 upon request by the State of Oregon until further water quality studies could be conducted and evaluated. If construction proceeds, approximately 210 acres of BLM administered land presently in the timber base would be withdrawn for reservoir construction. Construction of the Applegate dam near the community of Copper began in May 1978, and is scheduled for completion in October 1981. The Applegate dam, together with the Lost Creek dam (already completed by the Corps) and the proposed Elk Creek dam, constitute the Rogue Basin Flood Control Project. Lands for the Applegate and Lost Creek Projects have already been withdrawn from the timber base. Other Agency Roles in BLM Actions Authorities and responsibilities of responsibilities of other agencies are recognized in the preparation of specific management actions to be carried out under provisions of the proposal. While no other agency must endorse the overall management plan prior to its implementation (Section 1.5.1), the agencies discussed below have a role, or provide guidance, in planning and carrying out the treatments listed in Table 1-1. Federal Agencies The Jackson and Klamath SYUS share in part a common boundary with the Rogue River, Winema, Klamath and Umpqua National Forests. Coordination between the BLM District Manager and the Forest Supervisors is routine. Specific project and program coordination takes place as needed between all management levels of each agency and also between resource specialists. A cooperative agreement provides for interagency road use and another agreement relates to range resource matters. The Army Corps of Engineers has the authority, under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-217), to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill materials into any wetlands or streams of the United States with flow in excess of 5 cubic feet per second. Normal silvicultural practices are exempt from regulation. Based on the adequacy of BLM environment protection practices, the Corps has issued BLM a general permit for all such activities. Under the permit, BLM provides the Corps, and certain environmental review agencies, with advance notice of specific projects. The Bureau of Reclamation is also active in the development and maintenance of water resources in the Medford District. A cooperative agreement with INTERRELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER PROGRAMS the Bureau has been drawn that assigns responsibility for management of lands at Hyatt Lake and Howard Prairie Reservoir to the BLM. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administers the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Accordingly, BLM contacts that agency when it is determined that a Threatened or Endangered Species may be affected. The principal Small Business Administration (SBA) program interacting with BLM management in the JKSYUS is the timber sale set-aside program. The purpose of the program is to assure that small businesses (fewer than 500 employees) have the opportunity to purchase their historic share of timber sale offerings. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is responsible for survey, design, and construction of major roads and bridge projects for BLM. These are paid for with appropriate monies collected from road users and supplemented with appropriated funds. Coordination of BLM access road projects is accomplished through the District Engineer in cooperation with the Oregon State Office of BLM and the FHWA. State Government The Oregon State Forester, by means of the Forest Protection Act of 1972, regulates timber harvest methods and supportive practices on all non-Federal lands within the SYUS. Minimum standards are prescribed relating to the following forest practices: Although Federal agencies are not bound by State forest practice rules, Bureau minimum standards meet or exceed State rules. The BLM and USFS, acting jointly, have entered into a Memorandum of a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Forester in this regard. Timber sale contracts provide for the purchasers, or their delegated representatives, to obtain permits for the operation of power-driven machinery from the Oregon State Department of Forestry (OSDF). BLM is a cooperator in the statewide Smoke Management Plan administered by the Oregon State Forester. The primary objective of the plan is to keep smoke from slash disposal operations out of population centers. Slash burning is allowed to begin only when smoke dispersion conditions are determined by OSDF to be favorable. OSDF is the primary contractor for fire protection for fire protection of public lands administered by BLM in the JKSYUs. That department undertakes presuppression and suppression actions for all lands in the area. j COMPARISON WITH PRESENT ALLOWABLE CUT The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) has lead responsibility for statewide water quality management planning in accordance with Section 208 of P.L. 92-500 (Federal Water Pollution Control Act) as amended by P.L. 95-217 (Clean Water Act). BLM and ODEQ have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding which outlines their respective roles in meeting State water quality objectives. The Memorandum assures close interagency cooperation, development and implementation of appropriate practices and control to comply with the Clean Water Act, and compliance with State requirements. BLM forest management practices meet or exceed objectives of the statewide water quality management plan. BLM has issued a right-of-way permit across Federal lands for a portion of the proposed 500-kV transmission line between the Medford and Malin Substations. The distance across BLM lands in the JKSYUs is 24 miles and involves approximately 252 acres of commercial timber land in the JKSYUS. The Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC) will be the State agency granting authority across State, county and private lands. Management of wildlife, including fish, within the JKSYUs is within the JKSYUs is the responsibility of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. BLM, in managing lands under its jurisdiction, considers wildlife habitat a resource category. Cooperative agreements describe the responsibilities of the two agencies. County Government BLM involvement with the four counties in the SYUS is largely via the several boards of county commissioners. Through these bodies, county governments participate in planning for land use, road construction and recreational developments on public lands administered by BLM. They also develop and operate recreation sites on public lands leased under leased under the Recreation Public Purposes Act (see Figure 2-7). and 1.5.3 Requirements For Further Environmental Assessment This environmental statement may best be described as a regional programmatic statement for the proposed 10-year timber management plan. The environmental statement is considered applicable for the decade unless it is determined through the annual review process that the environmental effects are adequately described. not The annual review process is accomplished through environmental assessment of detailed, site specific plans for each type of treatment under consideration for the year. Interdisciplinary impact assessment would be tiered within the framework of this statement. For instance, an environmental assessment of a timber sale, or group of sales, would address the effects of harvest method, yarding system, road construction or reconstruction, gross yarding, slash disposal and any other treatments such as mechanical scarification or ripping of compacted soils which would be conducted under terms of a timber sale contract. It may also discuss the environmental effects of planting when reforestation of the area is planned immediately after harvest. COMPARISON WITH PRESENT ALLOWABLE CUT Forest development treatments such as precommercial thinning, planting (areas other than those covered in timber sale assessments) and gopher control also receive site specific environmental assessment. Assessments addressing specific herbicide projects are prepared and tiered under BLM's FES entitled Vegetation Management with Herbicides: Western Oregon--1978 through 1987. If the annual review through environmental assessment discloses that this timber management ES ES is is inadequate or deficient, it may be supplemented, up-dated or completely re-written to reflect such known inadequacies or changes which have been made in the 10-year plan. This may be done at any time, but at least every 10 years (Section 1.1). When an environmental assessment discloses that significant impacts cannot be readily mitigated or that the specific action involves a sensitive issue, a recommendation for preparation of a full environmental statement on the project may be appropriate. That project would not proceed until the decision is made on whether or not to prepare a statement. If an ES is to be prepared, the project would not proceed until the final statement is completed. In most cases, however, an environmental assessment will either identify modest impacts or lead to mitigation resulting in modest net impacts, thus precluding the need for a statement. With problems and conflicts identified through analysis, it is possible to design the proposed project in an environmentally sensible manner. Where the action is to be accomplished by a contractor, the environmental assessment is a primary means for determining appropriate contract stipulations. Projects to be accomplished by BLM personnel are conducted in accordance with the findings of the assessment. 1.6 COMPARISON WITH PRESENT ALLOWABLE CUT The present allowable cut plan for western Oregon was declared April 7, 1971, for application beginning July 1, 1971 (36 FR 6906). For all public lands administered by BLM in western Oregon the declared annual allowable cut is 1.172 billion board feet, Scribner equivalent. Based on forest resource conditions, other resource considerations, and environmental constraints specific to the Jackson and Klamath Sustained Yield Units, the present allowable cut for the SYUS is 128 million board feet per year (USDI, BLM 1970). In comparing the 1971 declaration to declaration to the proposal, only the allowable cut on high intensity land may be considered. Volume from trial harvest on low intensity lands, while part of the proposal, was not arrived at through the allowable cut planning process. In 1971, the timber production base (corresponds to high intensity lands of the proposal) was determined to be 327,270 acres following exclusions for other resource considerations. This figure compares to 258,597 acres in the proposed high intensity category, a difference of 21 percent. Figures 1-5 through 1-8 display land allocations to the timber production base in 1971 and in the proposal, respectively. |