USFS

BLM Medford District;

Rogue River National Forest and Siskiyou National Forest Supervisor's Office; Oregon State Forestry Department - Southwest Oregon Unit; and the Jackson County Forestry Department.

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 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 If construction proceeds, approximately 210 acres of BLM administered land presently in the timber base would be withdrawn for reservoir construction.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, 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 Lands for the Applegate and Lost Creek Projects have already been withdrawn from the timber base.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 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.

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 entered into 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).

Purchasers must obtain burning permits from the OSDF in conjunction with required slash disposal operations unless burning is directly supervised by OSDF personnel. Slash burning is allowed to begin only when smoke dispersion conditions are favorable.

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.

OSDF is the primary contractor 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.

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 to ensure close interagency cooperation and attention to water quality problem areas and to develop and implement appropriate control measures and practices for compliance with the provisions of the Clean Water Act.

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.

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 the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (see Figure 2-7).

1.5.3

Requirements For Further Environmental Assessment

This environmental statement may best be described as a regional programmatic statement. The 3-year timber sale plan and 1-year herbicide plan included in this statement typify projected annual programs as summarized for the 10-year period in Table 1-1. The plans are used as the basis for analyzing the environmental impacts that may be incurred during the 10-year period. This environmental statement is considered applicable for the decade unless it is determined through the annual review process that the environmental effects are not adequately described. The annual review process is 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.

When an envionmental assessment discloses that significant impacts cannot be readily mitigated or that the proposed action involves a sensitive issue, a recommendation for preparation of a full environmental statement may be appropriate. The action would not proceed until the decision is made on whether or not to prepare a statement.

In most cases, however, an environmental assessment 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, and this is the second major goal 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

COMPARISON WITH PRESENT 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 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.

of

In 1971, the timber production base (corresponds to high intensity lands the proposal) was determined to be 327,270 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.

The present and proposed harvest levels were computed with field-generated data obtained through inventories. Empiric yield curves which show the average volume per acre by age class (Figures 1-9 and 1-10) display the results from the two inventories:

In addition to basic acreage differences, variation between the two allowable cuts is a factor of the assumptions built into the computations. In 1971 it was assumed that genetically superior planting stock would be used for reforestation. This has not proven to be the case, nor does it appear probable within the next 20 years. Therefore, wood production gains attributable to genetic stock were not included in the proposal.

No regeneration lag was assumed in computing the present allowable cut. It was thought that areas would be fully stocked with seedlings when final harvest cut of a three-stage shelterwood regime took place. Present evidence indicates that this will not occur as assumed. The proposal calls for underplanting following the regeneration cut of the two-stage shelterwood program and recognizes a regeneration period of 4 years.

It would appear that increased application of intensive management practices should offset the downward effect of increased regeneration lag. However, an insufficiency of growing stock (see Figure 1-4) makes it impossible to capture the full allowable cut effect potentially available as a result of the indicated practices.

In summary, the present allowable cut is 128 million board feet compared to a proposal for 115 million board feet, Scribner equivalent, from high intensity land. The major factor in the difference is a 21 percent smaller area allocated to high intensity timber management.

It should be reiterated that an additional 0.86 million cubic feet (5 million board feet Scribner) are contained in the proposed 10-year timber management plan. This volume, however, is not part of the allowable cut, merely trial harvest in the first decade.