6.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LOCAL SHORT-TERM USES OF MAN'S ENVIRONMENT AND THE MAINTENANCE AND ENHANCEMENT OF LONG-TERM PRODUCTIVITY

A

This chapter considers impacts on long- and short-term productivity. long range perspective of the possible effect of the proposed action on overall environmental productivity is provided.

This chapter will also summarize the trade-offs between the short-term uses contained in the proposed action and the long-term resource use and environmental effects of the proposal. The short term discussed is 10 years, the term of the proposed allowable cut plan. The long term is the time after all coniferous trees now standing on the high intensity lands designated for inclusion in the harvest plan would be cut--approximately 60 years and longer.

The short-term use of the high intensity lands for timber harvest would increase the long-term production of wood fibers as old, slow-growing stands are replaced by young, fast-growing stands managed for optimum wood production. In the long term, as the area approaches a balance of age classes, there is potential for increasing the allowable harvest. The trial harvest on low intensity lands may lead to similar results.

In the long term, the harvest of old-growth timber on these lands would encourage the expansion of earlier successional stages of habitat. Some plant and animal species dependent on old-growth community conditions would be reduced in these areas. The habitat changes, on the other hand, would enhance the potential for deer and elk and provide for a greater diversity of small mammals and birds on these areas. The removal of many snags and dead trees in the course of harvesting timber would reduce habitat for cavity

users.

A substantial portion of the old-growth stands remaining on public lands has been designated for harvest, however; 94,543 acres, some of which include old-growth timber, have been excluded from timber harvest and would remain essentially unaltered (see Table 1-8). These lands provide a long-term reserve of old-growth wildlife habitat and are likely to be supplemented by exclusions from harvest in other Federal timber management plans and wilderness designations.

Annual slash burning would have at least at least localized adverse impact on air quality and visibility during burning periods. Slash burning on other lands would sometimes compound this effect, but not cause it to be further dispersed. Logging activities would inevitably cause some erosion and compaction of soil. The resultant long-term loss in soil productivity as a result of compaction would be minimized by project design features and by such practices as ripping, but those soils not treated to reduce compaction would not recover for 35 to 40 years. Sediment accumulation in streams would have adverse effects on aquatic habitat, which would continue over the long term. Although collective timber harvest activity on all lands in the Rogue and Upper Klamath

River drainages would be at a lower level for many years to come than in the recent decade, combined sediment sediment accumulation in streams from all sources would damage aquatic habitat in some stream reaches.

The use of 1,770 acres for new timber management roads would remove that land from vegetative production and wildlife habitat for the long term.

Intensive timber management practices such as herbicide application would favor survival of coniferous trees and discriminate against hardwood trees, shrubs, and herbaceous vegetation. Application of herbicides and fertilizers would increase wood fiber production in the long term and provide for higher rates of harvest in the short and long term.

Access would be increased for recreation users such as hunters, anglers and berry pickers. A consequent increase in dispersed activity visitor use is expected to occur. more managed environment would be less attractive to, and is expected to diminish visitation by, recreationists who seek the beauty and solitude of the old-growth forest, with consequent increase in visitation to remaining unmanaged forest areas in the region.

The loss of old-growth timber from these areas would also change an esthetic resource, particularly for direct direct contact viewers. However, the resultant variation in visual features in the emergent managed forest would have esthetic appeal of a different kind; in some cases visual features would be enhanced for the foreground or background viewer.

The long-term cumulative effect of all the treatments as displayed in Table 1-1 (i.e., the proposed action) is a managed forest which would produce timber on a sustained yield basis. Other values of the present old-growth acreage on high intensity timber management lands would be foregone except on those lands possibly containing old-growth specifically excluded from the

treatments.

CHAPTER 7

Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment

of Resources

7

7. IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES

This chapter identifies the extent to which the proposed action would irreversibly limit the potential uses of the land and resources. The term irreversible means incapable of being returned to its original state. Irretrievable means a resource or value cannot be replaced.

Slash burning could significantly lower the air quality of the JKSYUs with respect to particulates emissions. This could have irreversible impacts on other resources.

The amount of soil that would be irretrievably lost due to the proposal could be 64,250 tons over the decade.

An unknown decline in the water quality of some streams would occur due to contamination by sedimentation, debris slides, nutrient losses from soil on logged areas and application of chemicals.

Approximately 31,200 acres of commercial forest would be converted to early successional stage communities. Approximately 30,000 acres of old-growth Douglas-fir community would be irretrievably lost due to logging operations. Some unidentified endangered plant species could be lost, directly through logging, road construction or herbicide application, or indirectly as a result of habitat changes. Permanent road construction would eliminate vegetation from 1,770 acres.

During the first decade 1,770 acres of habitat would be lost to roads. About 440 of these acres would be eliminated during the first 3 years. These acres could be reclaimed and become productive habitat in future years if the road system is no longer necessary.

Cavity nesting species would be irreversibly impacted as snags and potential snags would be reduced on approximately 33,000 acres.

Habitat for old-growth dependent species would be eliminated on about 30,000 acres during the first decade. This acreage would never again support oldgrowth habitat under proposed management plans.

Currently, there are 23 known pairs of northern spotted owls residing in the JKSYUs. Of these, 14 pairs occupy high intensity forest lands and are not included in the 8 pairs scheduled to receive complete habitat protection. These and other located pairs would receive a minimum of 15 acres of buffer around nesting trees during the nesting season. These acres may be harvested at other times. If remaining habitat is at carrying capacity, then these 14 pairs of owls may be in jeopardy.

An unknown number of Siskiyou Mountain salmanders salmanders may have their habitat destroyed if they exist in an area that is harvested.