Impacts would be the same as those of the proposed action. There is a good possibility that O&C lands suitable for sustained yield timber management and possessing wilderness or primitive values could be harvested in the next two decades under this alternative. 8.3b.10 Noise During the first two decades the impacts of noise intrusiveness would be the same as those of the proposed action. 8.3b.11 Ecologically Significant Areas Impacts would be the same as those delineated in Chapter 3. There is a good possibility that areas with ecological values may realize impacts in the next two decades. 8.3b.12 Socioeconomic Conditions Initially, the average timber harvest within the Medford timbershed would be about 1 percent higher than expected from continued current management and approximately equal during the 1990's. Annual local employment and personal income generated by the annual harvest would be about 14 percent higher and public revenues would be about 6 percent greater than would be expected from current management. By the 1990's, the magnitude of the respective annual differences would be about 9 percent and 1 percent (refer to Tables 8-2 and 8-3). This alternative would have the effect of stabilizing the timber industry in the short term and easing its inevitable decline locally. Unlike Alternative No. 3a, this alternative would probably receive a positive reaction by local government, businesses, the timber industry, and others concerned with preserving the stability of the timber industry. Other social impacts would be basically similar to those described in the socioeconomic analysis of Alternative 3a. 8.3b.13 Health Herbicide use is planned on 33,505 acres under this alternative. This is a significant increase over the present situation where no herbicides are used, and a 13 percent increase from the proposed action. The impacts to human health would be expected to be similar in nature to those of the proposed action. ANNUAL HARVEST VOLUME IN MMBF (Scribner Equivalent) 8.3b.14 Energy Use Total energy consumption would be approximately 1.679 trillion Btu ́s. 8.4 FORESTRY PROGRAM FOR OREGON ALTERNATIVE NO. 4 This alternative would provide the Jackson-Klamath SYUs' pro rata share of BLM timber harvest called for in the Forestry Program for Oregon (Oregon State Board of Forestry 1977). This share would be provided by sequential decadal allowable harvests of 18.84 MM cu. ft. (110 MM bd. ft.), 19.18 MM cu. ft. (112 MM bd. ft.), 20.37 MM cu. ft. (119 MM bd. ft.), 21.57 MM cu. ft. (126 MM bd. ft.) for the next four decades. The capacity of the JKSYUs to sustain these cuts, however, would cease at the end of the fourth decade. The sustainable allowable cut beyond that point would be 19.69 MM cu. ft. (115 MM bd. ft.) as shown in Figure 8-5. 1401 120 100 80 60 40+ 20 O O Figure 8-5 Cut with Comparison of Proposed Annual Allowable 40 Burning is planned on 21,730 acres. Maximum levels of particulate and carbon monoxide pollutants would be 51 percent above present levels, and particulates would have significant adverse impact upon air quality locally for short periods throughout the year. About 64,100 tons of soil would erode as a result of yarding, slash disposal, and road construction activities. This is 64 percent below the amount of soil eroded from treated lands in the JKS YUS presently. Site-specific impacts would still be expected on some areas such as low-fertility sites. 8.4.3 Water Resources 8.4.3.1 Water Yield Increased water yield from the BLM-administered lands would be 4,150 acre-feet per year. This is 61 percent less than increases from present activities and less than 1 percent below that which would occur with the proposed action. Streambank erosion would be reduced and channel stability improved when compared to present conditions with subsequent improvement in water quality. Overall yield from major watersheds, however, would however, would not be significantly reduced. 8.4.3.2 Water Quality Sediment Yield Yarding, transportation, gross yarding, and mechanical scarification activities would impact streams by adding 14,755 tons of sediment to them. This is 48 percent below the sediment added from BLM-administered lands presently and 2 percent less than the proposed action. This alternative would have significant adverse impacts on water quality in localized areas. Chemical Quality An additional 20,440 pounds of nitrogen would be added to streams as a result of clearcutting, shelterwood harvest, and slash burning. This represents an increase of less than 1 percent of that added from the areas prior to disturbance, an insignificant amount overall, but significant in localized areas. 8.4.4 Vegetation Adoption of the Forestry Program for Oregon recommendations would result in the following significant impacts to vegetation during the first decade: (a) Early successional stages would be initiated on approximately 28,600 acres based on clearcut and regeneration cut acres. (b) Removal of timber in the 70-200 year age classes would occur on approximately 6,675 acres on high intensity land. This constitutes about 5 percent of the existing timber in these age classes. (c) Old-growth timber (200+ years) would be removed on about 27,000 acres on high intensity lands. This accounts for approximately 27 percent of existing old-growth timber on high intensity lands. (d) Short-term destruction of surface vegetation due to yarding methods (including gross yarding) would occur on about 9,700 acres. This could lead to an increase in soil erosion on these acres. (e) Complete long-term elimination of vegetation would occur on about 8.4.5 Animals During the first decade decade about 84,500 acres would be subjected to habitat modification through harvest, road building, and thinning practices. In most cases, modification would be great enough to change the animal composition and density on those acres. Clearcutting and shelterwood regeneration harvest would cause about a 160 percent increase in early successional stage vegetation. This would benefit those species adapted to exist in this habitat type (see Table 2-6), and potentially could lead to a 160 percent increase in animals that use this habitat. Existing and newly created early successional stage habitat would be modified on 27,220 acres by herbicides used to eliminate competition with favored conifers. This would lower the value of these acres to many animal species by reducing plant structure, diversity and density. About 27 percent of the old growth currently existing on the high intensity lands of the JKSYUS would be harvested during the first decade. This could result in a 27 percent reduction of old-growth dependent species such as the northern spotted owl, redback vole, and pileated woodpecker on those lands. Old growth would be eliminated on the high intensity lands of the JKSYUS by the year 2028 if this alternative were implemented. ALTERNATIVE NO. 4 The use of poison bait for gopher control would have an adverse impact to gophers on the 8,250 acres so treated. Worst case analysis discloses a total of 14,755 tons of sediment (see Section 8.4.3.2) could be deposited in the streams of the JKS YUS. This could be detrimental to an individual stream and its fishery resource, but it would be insignificant to the JKSYUS as a whole. No adverse impacts are expected to occur to any Federally listed threatened or endangered species. The Siskiyou Mountain salamander and the river otter (which are currently undergoing status review) and the northern spotted owl (a species considered threatened by the State of Oregon) could have their habitat reduced or degraded. While individuals may be affected, the species would not be impacted (see Section 3.6.4). Increasing timber management activity during the first four decades would correlate with increasing degradation and alteration of the recreation experience. High quality recreation opportunites would be most available during the first two decades. During the third and fourth decades, recreation resources would be adversely impacted by timber management and road construction activities. Approximately 29,748 acres of harvested land would be previously undisturbed areas. While hunting, camping, and ORV use would probably increase; general sightseeing, fishing, and miscellaneous use reductions would be expected. 8.4.7 Cultural Resources For the first four decades, increasing timber management activity and associated ground surface disturbance would cause some unidentified cultural sites to be inadvertently damaged or destroyed. 8.4.8 Visual Resources The effects of intensified old-growth harvest would adversely impact those people who appreciate the transcendent beauty of these specimens. Impacts of this alternative would be the same as those for the proposed action. 8.4.9 Wilderness Impacts would be the same as those of the proposed action. |