IMPACTS ON VISUAL RESOURCES

Virtually

landscape may be beneficial or adverse, short term or long term. all timber management practices impact visual resources by creating evidence of human presence and disturbing previously undisturbed areas.

As the number of recreationists and viewers increase, the visual impacts of a management activity also increase. A demand increase of 103 percent for pleasure driving and sightseeing is anticipated between 1970 and 1990 (Oregon Department of Transportation 1972). The extent of impacts upon visual resources therefore be projected to increase in direct relation to increased future pleasure driving and sightseeing demands. Additionally, should attitudes or tastes change and viewers decide to prolong the duration of their viewing, the visual impacts of a management activity also increase.

3.9.1 Cutting Practices

It is widely accepted that the selection method is the least disruptive of all silvicultural harvesting techniques (Cook 1968; Douglas 1965). Clearcutting, however, is considered to have significant adverse impacts on esthetic values (Marshall 1925; Smith 1962; Douglas 1965). Within the JKSYUS, there is little natural variation in the vegetative pattern. Simple and uniform textured vegetation is highly vulnerable to impacts of disruption. For this reason, clearcutting would create strongly contrasting geometric forms and vegetative texture groupings on the 4,000 acres to be clearcut. Clearcut units adjacent to forested landscape would produce long-term impacts upon the visual resource.

The falling of merchantable timber through a two-stage shelterwood cutting system would also result in long-term landscape alterations.

The first stage of a shelterwood cut would not impact the visual resource as drastically as clearcutting would. Upon completion of the first harvest cut of the two-stage shelterwood system, impacts upon the visual resource would be comparable to those resulting from clearcutting. Approximately 60,000 acres would be harvested through a two-stage shelterwood system. This includes 10,500 acres in which the overstory would be removed, leaving a well-stocked understory.

Thinning operations on approximately 35,000 acres would produce short-term impacts upon the visual resource. Esthetic value is proportional to depth of view (Methven 1974). Thinning could be effectively used to enhance the environment by increasing depth of view or by changing form, line, texture, color, and vegetative groupings. These long-term enhancements may result in incidental short-term adverse impacts.

3.9.2 Yarding

Vehicle operation associated with yarding would produce short-term and longterm alterations of landscape character. These impacts would be mainly

disturbance of soil and surface vegetation. Ground support yarding systems tend to result in greater areas of severe disturbance of soils per total area logged than do aerial support systems (including skyline). Soils in the JKS YUS are highly reflective of light when disturbed.

3.9.3 Road Construction

Impacts would be both adverse and beneficial. Due to soil colors in many areas of the JKSYUs, road construction would create strong long-term landscape contrasts. Road construction and maintenance could benefit the visual resource by providing scenic access and panoramic views, and by focusing attention on specific scenic features.

Wilderness enthusiasts feel that roads reduce the esthetic value of an area, not primarily because of the roads' appearances, but because they permit people who have little or no appreciation for wilderness values to enter into previously inaccessible areas. They bring in litter, noise, and all the trappings of civilization that accompany people (Cook 1969). On the other hand, the fact that roads do allow more people to view more forest landscape is considered by some to be a benefit in itself (Gruffyd 1964; Olmsted 1967; President's Council on Recreation and National Beauty 1968).

3.9.4 Development and Protection Practices

Burning, fertilization, and herbicide application would produce both shortterm adverse impacts on and long-term enhancement of the visual resource. Scarification would result in short-term disturbances of surface vegetation and soil. Fertilization would benefit the visual resource by providing healthier trees. The application of herbicides would control herbaceous or woody vegetation prior to or following seeding or planting. The dead vegetation resulting from chemical weed and brush control would create highly visible adverse effects on over 29,000 acres.

Smith (1962), Methven (1974), and Schweitzer et al. (1976) refer to unsightly accumulations of slash as an obvious and generally negative consequence of most harvesting methods. Visible or obstructive slash, along with smoke associated with burning are considered esthetically objectionable. Section 3.2 deals with impacts of timber management operations upon air quality and visibility. (Table 3-1).

The degree of impact to the visual quality of the landscape depends upon the amount of visual contrast that is created between the management activity and the existing landscape character. The amount of contrast between a proposed activity and the existing landscape character can be measured by separating the landscape into its major features (land and water surface, vegetation, and structures), and then predicting the magnitude of change in contrast of each of the basic elements (form, line, color, and texture) for each of the features.

IMPACTS ON VISUAL RESOURCES

Contrast rating is applied to all proposed land management activities which disturb the soil, change or remove vegetation, or place a structure in the landscape. It is applied to all areas needing rehabilitation or enhancement. Environmental assessments deal with the application of the contrast rating system to specific timber sales. These assessments would also discuss visual impacts to the 16 residences (including 3 summer homes) within 1 mile of timber sales in the 3-year timber sale plan.

Assessing the amount of contrast for a proposed activity can give a good indication of the severity of impact and what is required to reduce the contrast to the the criteria for the visual resource management Manual, Visual Resource Management 6300). Visual classes for the JKS YUs are described in Chapter 2, Section 2.11.

as a guide in determining point where it will meet classes of the area (BLM resource management (VRM)

Approximate acreages of public lands within each VRM class are as follows:

The impacts of timber management activities upon VRM Class I lands would be nonexistent as timber harvest is not planned on such lands. The impacts of timber management activities upon VRM Class II, III, or IV land could be insignificant, moderate, or severe, depending upon amount of contrast created. Where the impact is either moderate or severe, the contrast rating would be used to determine the most effective means of mitigating the impact in accordance with the VRM class requirements of the area.

Only about 15 percent of the public lands are classified as VRM Class II. Timber management actions would be designed on these lands so that impacts within this class would be virtually nonexistent. There is a slightly greater chance of adverse impacts occurring in VRM Class III lands. Should adverse impacts occur, the majority of them would be within VRM Class IV lands.

An analysis of the 3-year timber sale plan indicates that 66 percent of the cutting during that period would be within VRM Class IV areas. The cutting areas can further be defined as shown in Table 3-12.

Table 3-12

VRM Classes Affected by Three-Year Timber Sale Plan

Silvicultural practices, vehicle operation associated with yarding, blasting, excavation, and road construction would create significant long-term landscape alterations. Slash burning, thinning operations, vehicle operation associated with yarding and loading, and development and protection practices would create significant impacts in the short term.

The BLM's contrast rating system would be applied to each specific timber sale to assess the severity of impact of the proposed activity. The most effective means of mitigating the impact would be determined, and the BLM would attempt to make the proposed project meet the VRM class requirements of the area.

3.10 IMPACTS ON WILDERNESS VALUES

The proposed initial inventory of road less areas and islands within the JKSYUs has identified 6,100 acre Soda Mountain area for an intensive inventory to determine if it has wilderness characteristics. During the period of review of this area, and until determined otherwise, this area will be managed so as not to impair its suitability for preservation as wilderness. Should any other area of the JKS YUs have wilderness characteristics, these values would be lost as a result of timber harvest and related activities.

3.11 IMPACTS OF NOISE

Timber management activities would have substantial auditory impacts. While only temporary noise sources, motorized vehicles and equipment would greatly impact the quality of the forest experience. The decibel range for chainsaws at 50 feet is about 75-96 dBA and the range for skidders is about 74-92 dBA (Harrison 1974). Chainsaw and skidder activity produce great

IMPACTS OF NOISE

variations in frequency. Figure 3-1 compares octave-band noise levels for all logging machines tested in Myles' Canadian Forestry Service study (Myles et al. 1971). In the average situation, chainsaws and skidders can be heard at a distance of about 1.45 miles with a standard deviation of half a mile. Both chainsaws and skidders should be inaudible 50 percent of the time at 1.5 miles and inaudible 85 percent of the time at 2 miles (Myles et al. 1971). Certain topography or atmospheric conditions could easily increase this distance (Harrison 1974).

Within portions of the ES area, differing background noise levels and noise reduction factors would result in varying degrees of impacts and require different spacing requirements to control noise intrusiveness. Furthermore, the impacts of noise depend upon visitors' expectations of solitude and isolation and quality of forest experience. In many cases, forest users are most affected by a sound's connotation, rather than its level or duration (Parry and Stephens 1969).

The Canadian Forestry service study provides a firm technical basis to justify a point at which mechanized logging operation noise would still be acceptable to other forest users. The study concludes that, in order to produce little or no auditory impact, logging operations should not be permitted closer than a mile from the location of a listener (Myles et al. 1971).

An analysis of the 3-year timber sale plan indicates that 16 residences (including 3 summer homes) are within 1 mile of the proposed timber sales. Auditory impacts to these residences would be moderately significant.

Intrusive sound would have significant adverse impacts upon forest visitors for the duration of the noise. Noise created by timber management activities would most significantly impact those forest visitors with high expectations for solitude or isolation. Noise with unpleasant connotations create the most significant adverse impacts in this case. When the desire and expectation for solitude is not so great, the impacts of noise may be more dependent on the physical properties, intensity, frequency, and intermittent recurrence of the noise.

3.12 IMPACTS ON GRAZING

In the JKS YUs, approximately 402,000 acres are leased for livestock grazing. Figures are unavailable on how much public land leased for grazing is in the commercial forest base. Since only a small portion would be involved in a timber sale or regeneration project in any one year or grazing season, impacts from these treatments are minimal. On an individual basis, a timber sale or regeneration program could have a considerable impact on a small or marginal grazing lessee.