4.6. vascular plants, bryophytes, and fungi4.6. vascular ... · vascular plants, bryophytes, and...

table of contrents Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment – Part 4.6

FEIS Volume 3, Chapter 3, part 4.6 – page 1 – Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences

4.6. Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Fungi4.6. Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Fungi4.6. Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Fungi4.6. Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Fungi Introduction Part 3.1 of this chapter describes landscape-scale vegetation patterns. Part 3.2 describes the vegetative structure, function, and composition of old forest ecosystems, while Part 3.3 describes hardwood ecosystems and Part 3.4 describes aquatic, riparian, and meadow ecosystems. This part focuses on botanical diversity in the Sierra Nevada, beginning with an overview of botanical resources and then presenting a more detailed analysis of the rarest elements of the flora, the threatened, endangered, and sensitive (TES) plants. The bryophytes (mosses and liverworts), lichens, and fungi of the Sierra have been little studied in comparison to the vascular flora. In the Pacific Northwest, studies of these groups have received increased attention due to the President’s Northwest Forest Plan. New and valuable scientific data is being revealed, some of which may apply to species in the Sierra Nevada. This section presents an overview of the vascular plant flora, followed by summaries of what is generally known about bryophytes, lichens, and fungi in the Sierra Nevada. Environmental Consequences of the alternatives are only analyzed for the Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive plants, which include vascular plants, several bryophytes, and one species of lichen.

4.6.1. Vascular plants4.6.1. Vascular plants4.6.1. Vascular plants4.6.1. Vascular plants

The diversity of topography, geology, and elevation in the Sierra Nevada combine to create a remarkably diverse flora (see Section 3.1 for an overview of landscape patterns and vegetation dynamics in the Sierra Nevada). More than half of the approximately 5,000 native vascular plant species in California occur in the Sierra Nevada, despite the fact that the range contains less than 20 percent of the state’s land base (Shevock 1996). The Sierra Nevada has long been recognized for its rich endemic flora, important both for the persistence of relict species and for the evolution of new species (Raven and Axelrod 1978). The largest and most dominant organisms within each major vegetation type are the vascular plants - this is especially striking in old forest ecosystems where the largest trees may tower over 250 feet and have life spans over 1,000 years. Vascular plants are defined as those that contain conducting or vascular tissue. They include seed-bearing plants (flowering plants and conifers) and spore-bearing forms, such as ferns. They create the structure of the forest and function as the primary producers, capturing sunlight through photosynthesis and converting it to food consumed by animals and fungi. Vascular plants provide substrate and habitat for other organisms; influence microclimate (such as sunlight, humidity, and temperature); and provide forage, hiding, and thermal cover for vertebrate and invertebrate species. They produce litter fall that contributes to organic matter and soil development. Some species are symbiotic with fungi and other vascular plants, while others fix nitrogen. Trees with dwarf mistletoe develop broom-like structures that function as nesting platforms for birds and small mammals. Many vascular plants have close relationships with specific animal pollinators and predators. Although most vascular plant species are photosynthetic, some species are saprophytes or parasites, and do not manufacture their own food. Non-photosynthetic vascular plant species, such as fringed pinesap and coralroot orchid, are characterized by complex, symbiotic relationships involving both

Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment – Part 4.6


fungi and photosynthetic vascular plants (Furman and Trappe 1971, Wells 1981). Some of these saprophytes may play vital roles, along with fungi and bacteria, in decomposition of organic matter. In addition to their vital role in maintaining a functioning ecosystem, vascular plants provide commercial resources, including timber, forage, and other forest products.

4.6.2. Bryophytes, lichens, and fungi4.6.2. Bryophytes, lichens, and fungi4.6.2. Bryophytes, lichens, and fungi4.6.2. Bryophytes, lichens, and fungi

Shevock (1996) addressed the status of rare and endemic lichens and nonvascular plants for the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project (SNEP). Shevock considered 8 lichen species and 17 mosses as rare in the Sierra Nevada. He did not attempt to assess liverworts or fungi. There is a great need for systematic collecting and taxonomic study of Sierra Nevada bryophytes, lichens and fungi. Besides the small number of specimens available for study, there are currently few botanists trained to study these organisms. The importance of these groups to ecosystem function has been overlooked, and is beginning to receive increased attention by scientists and researchers. 4.6.2.1. Bryophytes Bryophytes are the nonvascular green plants, comprising mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. In contrast to the vascular plants, these plants have poorly developed conducting systems for water and food, and depend on water for reproduction (Vitt and others 1988). Bryophytes are usually low-growing plants found in damp or moist habitats, although some are adapted to dry habitats and a few are aquatic (Pritchard and Bradt 1984). During dry periods mosses can go dormant. When they are dormant, they are dehydrated and respiring at an extremely low rate. At higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada, in meadows and along streambanks, mosses may be the dominant vegetation. Many moss species have crucial roles in the hydrologic cycle and in the ecology of meadows and riparian areas. There are approximately 23,000 species of bryophytes worldwide, more than 1,220 of which have been documented in North America (Shevock 1996). No comprehensive moss flora exists for California, let alone the Sierra Nevada. However, a publication will soon be available entitled: Contributions toward a bryoflora of California I: A specimen-based catalogue of mosses and a key to species (Shevock, pers. comm. 2000). As of 1996, when the SNEP Report was completed, there were 508 moss species recorded in California, 116 species of liverworts, and 8 species of hornworts (Mishler 1995). Although the extent of bryophyte species diversity in the Sierra Nevada has not been thoroughly studied, compared to the Pacific Northwest, species diversity in the more xeric (drier) Sierra Nevada is expected to be relatively low. Bryophyte species tend to be more widely distributed than vascular plant species. However, within a broad overall range, they may occur in very localized patterns in ecologically specific habitats. Of the 17 mosses considered rare in the Sierra Nevada, 4 were placed on the Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region sensitive plant list in 1998. One of them, Orthotrichium spjutii, is endemic to the Sierra Nevada, known only from a single rock face next to a waterfall in the Walker River drainage. The other three species, Bruchia bolanderi, Meesia triquetra, and Meesia uliginosa, have ranges beyond California, but appear to be very rare in the Sierra Nevada. These species all occur in meadows; they are analyzed as members of the riparian guild in the TES plant section below. Bog and fen habitats within Sierra Nevada mountain meadows are often inhabited by mosses in the genus Sphagnum. There are about 17 species of Sphagnum in California. Sphagnum moss is



immensely important ecologically. The presence of Sphagnum tends to indicate acidic conditions, since Sphagnum prefers to grow in acidic areas, and contributes to the acidity by giving off hydrogen ions. Sphagnum has the unique ability to perpetuate the acidic environment that it needs in this manner. Sphagnum has the ability to absorb more than 90 percent of its dry weight in water, because of the unique structure and arrangement of the leaf cells. Because of this, Sphagnum can be crucial in maintaining hydrological conditions in meadows, bogs, and fens. Mosses differ from vascular plants in several important ways with regard to impacts from ground-disturbing activities. Mosses have no root system, instead they are anchored by filamentous root-like structures (rhizoids). They take in any water that touches any part of the plant body. These closely compacted rhizoids can take up water very efficiently from the ground surface, but not below ground. When mosses are trampled by cattle or experience foot or vehicle traffic, they can not spring back from an underground root system the way vascular plants can. Another way mosses differ from vascular plants is in their response to water temperature. Mosses in Sierra Nevada mountain meadows can photosynthesize effectively at temperatures as low as 33 degrees F, in comparison to a lower limit of about 50 degrees F for vascular plants. Mosses cease photosynthesizing effectively at an upper limit of about 77 degrees F (in contrast to vascular plants, some of which can photosynthesize at temperatures of up to 100 degrees F). Above about 77 degrees F, mosses are respiring more rapidly than they are photosynthesizing, meaning that they are using food faster than they are manufacturing it. When the meadow sod is churned up by hooves or wheels, this may disrupt the upwellings of cold water, resulting in higher water temperatures (pers. comm. Norris 2000) Sierra Nevada botanists are beginning to survey for bryophytes during floristic surveys for projects, both to search for the sensitive mosses and to establish baseline data on moss distribution and ecology in Sierra Nevada national forests. Over the next few years, the ability to evaluate the effects of projects on the bryophyte flora should improve as our understanding of these previously overlooked species increases. 4.6.2.2. Lichens Lichens are a unique combination of two different types of organisms, fungus and alga, growing together in a symbiotic relationship. The fungal species captures and hosts microscopic green algae, and becomes a new “plant” body that functions as one organism. The algal cells photosynthesize and produce food that is absorbed by the fungus, which provides the “housing” for the algal cells (Hale and Cole 1988). Lichens have an extraordinary ability to withstand harsh, dry conditions. They function when moistened, but otherwise remain dormant, but alive. The lichen plant body, or “thallus” can be categorized as crustose (crust-like), foliose (leaf-like), or fruticose (“shrub”-like). The crustose species are least well known, as they tend to be the most difficult to identify. Lichens occur in all types of habitats, and often show very specific preferences for particular substrates. Lichens are important in soil formation, breaking down rock by exuding acidic substances (Pritchard and Bradt, 1984). Certain lichen species are highly sensitive to air pollution, several air quality monitoring stations have been established in the Sierra Nevada. Air quality effects on lichens are measured to determine trends in air pollution (Shevock 1996), and because of the sensitivity of some species to air pollutants, lichens are becoming important in air quality monitoring in the Sierra Nevada About 1,000 of the 3,330 lichen species documented for the United States and Canada are known to occur in California (Hale and Cole 1988). Generally, information regarding lichen distributions in the



Sierra Nevada is incomplete, especially compared to the vascular flora (Shevock 1996). Shevock’s survey of the available data in 1996 indicated that there were no lichen species truly endemic to the Sierra Nevada. The aquatic lichen, Hydrothyria venosa, is considered rare enough to be a Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region sensitive plant. As with the bryophytes, there is a great need for further study of lichen ecology and distribution in the Sierra Nevada. Lichens listed as potentially rare in the Sierra Nevada by Shevock (1996) include: Dermatocarpon moulinsii, Dimelaena oreina (atypical forms in the Sierra), Hydrothyria venosa, Hypogymnia metaphysodes, Rhizoplaca glaucophana, Rhizoplaca marginalis, Umbilicaria torrefacta, and Waynea stoechadiana. As more is learned about the distribution and abundance of lichen species in the Sierra Nevada, the list of rare species will change. A new web site listing lichens that are considered rare in California by the California Lichen Society is written and updated by Dr. Richard Moe of UC Berkeley. This site is at http://128.32.109.44/red.html. Some of the lichens on this “red list of lichens for California” include such possibilities for the Sierra as Phaeophyscia decolor, Protoparmelia badia, Xanthoparmelia mougeotii, Hydrothyria venosa, Lichenothelia calcarea, Rhizoplaca glaucophana, Staurothele polygonia, and Thamnolia vermiculars. Only two of these are found in Shevock’s SNEP list. There has not been much collecting of lichens in the Sierra, especially crustose species. The lichen herbarium of T. Elliot Weier, recently incorporated into UC, is rich in crustose specimens from the Sierra Nevada, and could offer an insight into what crustose species might be there. 4.6.2.3. Fungi Fungi are neither plants nor animals, they are organisms without chlorophyll that digest other organic matter to sustain themselves and to reproduce. A typical fungal species exists as a mass of filamentous cells called hyphae that arise from reproductive cells called spores, which at some point in their life cycle give rise to a fruiting body, or “mushroom” that functions to produce more spores (Arora, 1986, Pritchard and Bradt 1984). The importance of fungi in ecosystem function is paramount. Fungi are essential as decomposers, breaking down organic material to make inorganic nutrients available for use by other organisms. The significance of one group of fungi, the polypores and bracket fungi, as described by Arora (1986) serves to illustrate this point:

”Polypores are absolutely indispensable to the forests of this world. They are the major group of wood-rotting fungi. Though they wreak economic havoc (15 to 20 percent of all standing timber in this country is said to be defective or unusable because of fungal decay, more than 90 percent of it caused by bracket fungi; structural timber is also destroyed – in ships, mines, houses, bridges, etc.), the polypores should not be seen as enemies. Without them there would be no logging industry in the first place, every cut stump, felled log, and lopped-off limb would lie indefinitely on the forest floor, the woods would quickly become impenetrable, and new trees would have neither room nor nutrients to grow.”

Many fungi are also essential food sources for animals. (see Section 3.2, Old Forest Ecosystems). In addition, the role of fungi as mycorrizal symbionts for vascular plants is probably far more important than previously thought (Allen, 1991). Mycorrhiza is a mutually beneficial relationship between a fungus and the roots of a plant whereby nutrients are exchanged (Arora, 1986). The plant benefits by acquiring resources through the fungus, enabling the plant to grow faster, produce more seeds, and



compete better. The fungus benefits by acquiring carbohydrates manufactured by the plant through photosynthesis (Allen, 1991). There have been few methodical fungal surveys in the Sierra. The mycological societies of San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Los Angeles have collected in the Sierra, but a comprehensive list has not been published documenting these collections. Both Dr. Dennis Desjardin and the late Dr. Harry Thiers collected in the northern Sierra. From a 1943 list of Sierra fungi by Harry Thiers, several are also found on the “survey and manage” fungus list for the Pacific Northwest. Whether or not they can be considered rare in Region 5 is a question that needs to be researched. Dr. Desjardin has been studying the fungi of the northern Sierra for almost 20 years. His weeklong fungi class at Yuba Pass is well-known, and each year the list of fungi is updated. This list gives current information on past and current finds at Yuba Pass. Recent rare finds have included the hypogeous fungi Alpova olivaceotinctus, Arcangeliella crassa, and the false truffle, Choiromyces alveolatus. The MykoWeb site, http://www.mykoweb.com/Sierra Nevada/main.html, prepared by the San Francisco Mycological Society, presents a list of some fungi found in the Sierra Nevada along with pictures. Cantharocybe gruberi is listed as a “rare” species. A list of the rare fungi of the Pacific Northwest can be found on the website, http://mgd.nacse.org/fsl/survey/RODlist/funtab.html. Some of the fungi on this list might be rare in the Sierra Nevada as well. Additionally, the question of how different forest practices affect mycorrhizae in the soil needs study in California. As noted above, mycorrhizal associations represent a widespread and important form of mutalistic symbiosis in terrestrial ecosystems, and are essential for plant growth and survival. Ectomycorrhizal hosts in the Pacific Northwest are chiefly trees in the pine, oak, birch, willow, and heather families (Pinaceae, Fagaceae, Betulaceae, Salicaceae, and Ericaceae). These hosts support a great diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungi. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) associates with nearly 2,000 species of mycorrhizal fungi. Truffles, which are below ground fungi (hypogeous), are an important food source for small mammals. In the conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, flying squirrels feeding on truffles are an important food source for spotted owls (see section 4.4 on California spotted owls). We know little in the Sierra Nevada about the truffle community, however disturbance which affects the age and composition of the forest will affect truffle abundance and the animals that depend on them (North 2000). Another little understood ecosystem component is the cryptogamic soil crusts which result from an intimate relationship between the top few millimeters of the soil, and an assortment of lichens, mosses, liverworts, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, and bacteria.

4.6.3. Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants4.6.3. Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants4.6.3. Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants4.6.3. Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plants I. Affected Environment

Background

Over 400 vascular plant species are endemic to the Sierra Nevada, and more than half of them are considered rare by conservation organizations or governmental agencies (Shevock 1996). Many of these rare endemic species have a large proportion of their distribution on national forest lands, and have special status as threatened, endangered or Forest Service sensitive species. In contrast, some plant species have wide geographic ranges encompassing many western States, but are rare in the Sierra Nevada. This section focuses on the rarest vascular and nonvascular plant species in the Sierra Nevada national forests.



Selection of Species for Analysis

The Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region sensitive species list was updated in 1998 according to guidelines issued by the Regional Forester in November 1997 (USDA Forest Service 1997). Forest Service botanists compiled existing information on rare, or potentially rare, species from lists maintained by California Department of Fish and Game, USDI Fish and Wildlife Service, and California Native Plant Society. The scientific literature and the California Natural Diversity Database provided information on biology and distribution of species. Botanists evaluated any plant species with global rankings (“G-rankings”) of G1 – G3 for potential inclusion on the sensitive species list. Global rankings are a reflection of the overall status of a species throughout its global range - a ranking of G1 indicates the most restricted distribution and means the species is known from fewer than six viable occurrences or less than 1,000 individuals. (California Department of Fish and Game 2000). Rankings extend to G5, and G1 – G3 are considered to be rare enough to warrant special status and management. Botanists included these species, unless a clear case could be made that a given species did not require sensitive status (for example, new information indicated many more populations of the species than when the G-ranking was assigned). Many hundreds of species were on this preliminary list. Forest Service botanists consulted with each other and with rare plant experts in the scientific community to determine whether a species should be added to the Forest Service sensitive species list, placed on a national forest’s watch list, or removed from further consideration. The resulting Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region sensitive plant list comprises the best available information on rare plant species needing special management attention to maintain their long-term viability. In addition, the Forest Service must ensure that federally or state-listed plant species native to National Forest System lands are protected and recovering (FSH 2609.25, 1.25). Table 4.6.3a shows plant species that have State or Federal status as threatened, endangered, or proposed. Table 4.6.3a. Threatened, endangered, and candidate plant species in Sierra Nevada national forests. Please see Biological Assessment for details on federally listed plants. Species Name Common Name National Forest Federally Listed Species Calyptridium pulchellum (T) Mariposa pussy-paws Sierra and adjacent private lands Clarkia springvillensis (T) Springville clarkia Sequoia and adjacent private lands Orcuttia tenuis (T) Slender orcutt-grass Lassen Senecio layneae (T) Layne's butterweed Eldorado, Plumas Tuctoria greenei (E) Greene's tuctoria Lassen Federal Candidate Species Abronia alpina Ramshaw sand-verbena Inyo State Listed Species Brodiaea insignis (E) Kaweah brodiaea Sequoia (adjacent lands) Carpenteria californica (T) Carpenteria Sierra Clarkia lingulata (E) Merced clarkia Sierra, Stanislaus Of the 367 threatened, endangered, proposed, and sensitive (TEPS) plant species on the revised Regional Forester's TEPS plant list, 156 are found in or near Sierra Nevada national forests. Of the 156 species, 21 have been excluded from detailed analysis in this DEIS as described in Appendix R, Table R.6. These 21 species generally have extremely narrow distributions, growing at high elevations in rocky, relatively inaccessible areas, or they were determined to be unlikely to be



affected by implementation of the alternatives proposed in this FEIS. Table R.6 explains the rationale for not including these 21 plant species. The remaining 135 species constitute the set of Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Sensitive Plant species for the analysis presented here). These 135 species will hereafter be referred to as “rare plants” for ease of reference. Table 4.6.3b summarizes the taxonomic groupings, endemism, and land ownership status of the rare plants. Appendix R, Table R.7 displays legal status (endangered or threatened) and national forest distribution for each species; Appendix R, Table R.8 shows life form, vulnerability rating, and habitat information for each species.



Table 4.6.3b. Summary of endemism, land ownership, and taxonomic characteristics of the 135 threatened, endangered, proposed, and sensitive (TEPS) plant species. Land ownership: Number of

species Endemic to National Forest System lands 27 Endemic to the Sierra Nevada 75 Found on 2 or more national forests 82

Life form and taxonomic grouping: Vascular plants Total: 130

Shrubs 6 Perennial herbs 87 Annual herbs 33 Ferns 4

Lichens 1 Mosses 4

Current and Historic Conditions

The extent to which the current distribution and abundance of rare plant populations differs from historic levels is largely unknown. According to Shevock, (1996), “few plant taxa within the Sierra Nevada appear to be threatened or endangered specifically on account of human actions either through restriction of overall population numbers or restriction of historic range. However, anthropogenic activities during this century have clearly impacted many rare plants….” Shevock does point out that at least three Sierra Nevada plant species are believed to be extinct because of human activities such as conversion of grassland to agriculture: Erigeron mariposanus, Monardella leucocephala, and Mimulus whipplei. Since 1998, several wide-ranging but sparsely distributed species have been placed on the Regional Forester’s sensitive plant list. Species like the clustered and mountain lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripedium fasciculatum and C. montanum) and the four moonwort species (Botrychium ascendens, B. crenulatum, B. lineare, and B. montanum.) have wide ranges across the western United States, but are arguably more at risk in the Sierra Nevada than many of the Sierra Nevada endemics. The lady’s slipper orchids are among the most vulnerable of the rare plant species, and appear to be experiencing declines in number of populations and individuals within populations (USDA, 1999a). Some rare species may have been more common under the land management practiced by American Indians (Anderson and Moratto 1996). For example, the Mono Indians used the tiny seeds of many species in the genus Clarkia as food, indicating that these plants were likely orders of magnitude more abundant than they are today. Eight of the 135 rare plant species are in the genus Clarkia. Primary reasons for this probable decrease are lack of fire and the encroachment of highly competitive European annual grasses and forbs.

Aggregating Sierra Nevada TES Plant Species for Analysis of Environmental Consequences

The 135 rare plant species vary widely in their distribution and habitats, in the number and types of threats they face, the degree to which Forest Service management has affected their status, and in the amount of scientific knowledge available to make meaningful predictions about effects of the alternatives on their long-term viability. In addition, rare plants are distributed on the landscape in a fine-grained pattern. In order to undertake an analysis at the scale of the Sierra Nevada bioregion, species were aggregated using two complementary techniques: (1) vulnerability rankings for species, regardless of habitat, using known threats and population trend, and (2) grouping based affiliation



with broadly defined plant community types described in Munz and Keck (1968) combined with assignments to ecological guilds.

Rating Species Vulnerability

Two factors were combined to assign vulnerability ratings of “high,” “moderate ” and “low” to each of the 135 rare plant species. These were population trend and threats. Data maintained by the California Natural Diversity Database (California Department of Fish and Game, 2000) and the evaluation forms used by the Forest Botanists to revise the Forest Service sensitive plant list in 1998 provided the basis for assigning population trend and threats. Population trend information fell into four categories: declining, unknown, stable, and increasing, in order of ranking for concern. Population trend observations were assigned numerical values based on ranking for concern: declining populations received a value of 10, unknown trend a value of 7, stable population a value of 3, and species with increasing population trend received a zero score. Species with declining trends were assigned the highest value. The second highest population concern ranking was given to species with “unknown” status. Where trends are not known, gaining more information is critical. “Threats” were defined as Forest Service or non-Forest Service activities that currently or potentially have negative effects on rare plant species populations or habitats. Some “threats,” such as grazing or fire, can also be beneficial in some habitats if applied at the proper time and intensity. For this analysis, situations in which they have negative consequences for species were considered. The threats fell into 23 categories: 1) noxious weeds, 2) mechanical treatments, 3) reforestation and site preparation for conifer planting (herbicides, grubbing, scalping), 4) roads, 5) livestock grazing (eating the plants), 6) livestock trampling, 7) catastrophic fire, 8) lack of fire, 9) fire fighting/suppression activities, 10) fuels reduction activities (fuelbreaks, brush piling activities), 11) prescribed burning at any time of year, 12) Prescribed burning in the spring, 13) off-highway vehicles, 14) trails/hikers, 15) camping, 16) illegal plant collecting, 17) rock collecting, 18) mining, 19) hydro/gas/transmission lines, 20) development (urban, ski areas, facilities), 21) flood, 22) erosion, 23) hydrologic change. Threats are shown for each species in Appendix R, Table R.9. For each of the 135 rare plants species, threats were summed. For example, the Mariposa pussypaws, a federally threatened species, has seven known threats: noxious weeds, roads, livestock trampling, off-highway vehicles, hiking trails, urban development, and soil erosion. For statistical analysis, species were given values (scores) based on the sum of the threats. If a species was reported to be affected by 14-18 threats, that species was given a value of 10 for the cluster analysis, 10-13 threats received a value of 7, 6-9 threats a value of 3, 2-5 threats a value of 1, 0-1 threat received a value of 0. (Appendix R, Table R.9). The population trend and threat scores were combined and vulnerability groupings were developed using two statistical procedures, one that created clusters of species and one that evaluated the adequacy of the clusters. The cluster analysis procedure was used to develop groupings of species into high, moderate and low vulnerability categories.



Results

The following species were grouped together and are considered in the “high” vulnerability group: Cypripedium fasciculatum, C. montanum, Ivesia aperta ssp. aperta, I. sericoleuca, Erythronium tuolumnense. Botrychium ascendens, B. crenulatum, B. lineare, B. montanum, Clarkia biloba spp. brandegeae, Epilobium howellii, Ivesia webberi, Lupinus citrinus ssp. citrinus, and Pyrrocoma lucida. These species have both high population concern scores and high threat scores. The two Cypripedium species and the four Botrychium species are all recent additions to the sensitive species list and are among the most broadly distributed of the rare species, occurring on 7 Sierran forests. Botrychium lineare has recently been petitioned for Federal listing. The “moderate” grouping was much larger and contained species with a broader range of concern. Some of the species in this second group were noted as having information indicating population declines and so were moved to the “high” vulnerability group. These species were Abronia nana ssp covillei, Astragalus webberi, Brodiaea insignis, Calochortus palmeri ssp. palmeri, Calochortus striatus, Calyptridium pulchellum, Campanula wilkinsiana, Dedeckera eurekensis, Eriogonum umbellatum torreyanum, Fritillaria eastwoodiae, Fritillaria striata, Hydrotheria venosa, Lupinus padre-crowleyi, Meesia triquetra, Meesia uliginosa, Monardella stebbinsii, Orcuttia tenuis, Rorippa columbiae, Tuctoria greenii, and Vaccinium coccineum. On October 18, 2000, a group of botanical experts, comprised of National Forest botanists from the Sierra Nevada, botanists representing the Bureau of Land Management and the US Fish and Wildlife Service, as well as an authority on Sierra Nevada bryophytes were invited to provide information on the ecology and status of the rare plants. The botanists were asked to validate the preliminary vulnerability rankings. In some cases, new information on species was provided, leading to a change in the existing rankings. Information included new observations on perceived trend, condition of Sierra Nevada species occurrences vs. condition throughout the range of the species, effectiveness of current mitigations, and changes in taxonomic status. Overall, the list of high vulnerability species dropped from 33 to 28. Species added to the high vulnerability rank included Clarkia mosquinii, Ivesia aperta ssp. aperta, Lewisia serrata, Lupinus padre-crowleyi, Polyctenium willamisae, Rorippa subumbellata, Silene occidentialis ssp. longistipitata. Those believed to be more appropriately ranked as moderate or low vulnerability were Abronia nana ssp. covillei, Brodiaea insignis, Calochortus palmeri ssp. palmeri, Calochortus striatus, Campanula wilkinsiana, Clarkia biloba ssp brandegeae, Dedeckera eurekensis, Erythronium tuolumnense, Fritillaria striata, Lupinus citrinus ssp. citrinus, Orcuttia tenuis, Tuctoria greenii, Vaccinium coccineum. In November 2000, Forest Service botanists evaluated the list of threats used in the vulnerability analysis and determined for each high vulnerability species the threats of highest concern. This provided a more meaningful way to evaluate the relative importance of the threats in order to better choose measures for effects analysis. These dominant threats were then used as the key risk factors to evaluate the alternatives for the high vulnerability species. Appendix R provides a more detailed explanation of the vulnerability analysis process. It should be noted that although a relative ranking of vulnerability was made, all species in this analysis are federally threatened or endangered, or they are managed under the Forest Service sensitive species program. This means that all the species analyzed will require some mitigation because of their rarity. The purpose of this analysis was to identify among these species those which may be of highest concern for management attention regardless of the alternative selected, as well as identifying which alternatives are most likely to provide for their continued persistence.



Plant Community Associations and Ecological Guilds

Rare plants can be grouped by the major vegetation types they tend to inhabit. Munz and Keck (1968) provided one of the first vegetation classification systems in California, using broad, climatically inferred plant communities. Munz and Keck (1968) identified major vegetation types, for example: woodland, coniferous forest, chaparral, and further subdivided these into plant communities distinguished by the dominant plant species present. Sierra Nevada plant species have been attributed with this information, supplemented with California Native Plant Society (CNPS) habitat types, in the online Calflora database (UC Berkeley 1999). (Appendix R, Table R.10 provides definitions of Munz and CNPS types applicable to this analysis.) This information obtained from the Calflora online database was used to correlate the plant communities inhabited by each rare plant species with the “problem areas” in the EIS: Plants that fell into the red fir or mixed conifer plant communities were considered to correlate to the Old Forest and Fire and Fuels problem areas. This is because the most urgent need for fuels reduction is in conifer forests below 6000 feet elevation, and because old forest management strategies encompass these plant communities. The various riparian or wetland habitats used by Calflora were assumed to correspond to the Riparian, Aquatic, and Meadow problem area, and rare plants in the foothill woodland or chaparral plant communities were assumed to correspond the Lower Westside Hardwoods problem area. Since Munz and Keck defined plant communities in 1968, botanists have worked to refine classification of the vegetation of California. For example the Manual of California Vegetation (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf, 1995) is an ongoing effort to provide a uniform classification of the vegetation of California at a greater level of detail than Munz plant communities. The Forest Service uses the CALVEG classification system, which may prove useful for some species in the future; however, the 135 rare plant species have not yet been attributed with this information. In addition, the level of resolution and accuracy of the Forest Service corporate vegetation data is variable between vegetation types, with more information available for the forest types traditionally used for timber production. Because the CALVEG polygons are based on remote-sensed data, there is not always enough confidence in accuracy to confidently assign rare plant occurrences to specific CALVEG types. Efforts to use CALVEG maps to build predictive models for rare plants at a fine-grained scale have not been successful to date. Munz plant community types, for the most part, represent either one to many CALVEG types (see map entitled Vegetation Types and Ecoregions of the Sierra Nevada). An assumption made for this analysis was that grouping at this coarser scale is appropriate for the problem areas at the Sierra Nevada wide scale, and reduces the error inherent with trying to attribute a plant species with a CALVEG type given the current status of the information. Ecological guilds To better analyze the effects of the alternatives on specific habitat requirements of the rare plants, plant-habitat groupings or “guilds” were developed to analyze the large number of diverse rare plant species, and to describe the range of environments required by rare plant taxa. The term “guild” is used in ecology to mean a group of species that use similar resources in a similar way (Root 1967). Species may be grouped by their specific edaphic (soil), moisture, or canopy closure requirements. For example, a group of plants adapted to riparian forests could be said to comprise a riparian guild. The guilds in this analysis are based on two sources: a literature review of risk factors for vascular plants (Nelson 1999) and a white paper developed to assess plant species diversity for a landscape analysis conducted in the Plumas National Forest (Castro and Hanson 1996). Guilds may be grouped into two major subsets:

• Spatially-defined guilds include species inhabiting mappable landscape features, or patches, expected to remain in a specific geographic location over the next 50 years. Within this



subset, guilds can be further sorted into riparian or terrestrial. Riparian guilds include habitats such as bogs/fens, meadows/seeps, vernal pools, lakeshores or streamsides in non-forested settings, riparian forest, and riparian woodland. Terrestrial guilds are rock outcrops (general, carbonate, ultramaphic, or volcanic) and cliffs (general, carbonate, ultramaphic, or volcanic).

• Temporally-defined guilds include species that require ephemeral habitats that occur in the

forest over successional time. In an ecologically functioning forest, habitats for these species are always present, but their availability varies over time and space. Temporally-defined habitats include: (1) small natural gaps in the forest interior (such the openings created when one or several trees have died – referred to as “gap-phase”), (2) larger openings created by disturbances (such as wildfire, timber harvest, and landslides), and (3) openings only created by fire, since some species are strictly fire-followers, and depend on first order fire effects (such as soil heating) to germinate and reproduce. Species in this last guild are typically seen only the first year or two after a fire. Species can belong to more than one guild. For example, a species may occur in a spatially-defined guild, such as a riparian forest, while also relying on availability of a temporally brief habitat, such as tree-fall gaps, for seedling establishment.

Understanding plant habitat-guild distributions may be useful to assess effects of individual projects, or at the Sierra –wide scale, to assess how Forest Service management could affect species restricted to a small “neighborhood.” For this analysis, the riparian-related guilds (bog/fens, meadows/seeps, vernal pools, shores of lakes or streams in nonforested settings, riparian forest, and riparian woodland) have been grouped to address consequences of aquatic, riparian, and meadow strategies. The terrestrial guilds, whether spatially or temporally defined, are important for assessing the effects of various tree-harvesting and prescribed fire activities.

Current Condition of TES Plant Species by Habitat Guild

This section summarizes the 135 TES plant species by ecological guild, and describes the major threats for each guild. Table 4.6.3c shows how the 135 species are distributed among the spatial and temporal guilds. Tables summarizing potential “threats” to numbers of species follow each guild description. As previously described, threats are defined as Forest Service or other activities that currently or potentially have negative effects on species populations or habitats. (Appendix R, Table R.9 displays threats for each rare plant species.)



Table 4.6.3c. Distribution of the 135 threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant species by habitat guilds. Species may occur in more than one guild, thus the total is greater than 135. Ten species did not fit into guild descriptions. Guild Number of

species Spatially Defined Guilds Meadows and seeps 26 Vernally wet 17 Riparian woodland 6 Riparian forest 13 Bogs and fens 8 Non-forested lakeshore and streamside 11 Rock outcrops 26 Ultramaphic (serpentine) substrates 9 Cliff 8 Edaphic specialists 16 Temporally Defined Guilds Interior (old growth) forest 2 Gap phase 15 Post-fire openings 2 General openings 36 No guild assignment 12

a. Spatially Defined Guilds Riparian Guilds

Part 3.4 “Aquatic, Riparian, and Meadow Ecosystems” of this chapter describes the current condition of riparian habitats in general. The specific characteristics of the riparian guilds described here are adapted from the California Native Plant Society’s Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants (Skinner and Pavlick 1994). Meadows and seeps (26 species)

Meadows and seeps are openings with more or less dense grasses, sedges, and herbs that thrive, at least seasonally, under moist or saturated conditions. They occur on many different substrates. They may be surrounded by grasslands, forests, or shrublands. Meadows are further described under the “Meadows” heading in Part 3.4 “Aquatic, Riparian, and Meadow Ecosystems” of this chapter. Species occurring in the meadows and seeps guild are: Botrychium ascendens, Botrychium crenulatum, Botrychium lineare, Botrychium montanum, Bruchia bolanderi, Calochortus longebarbatus var. longebarbatus, Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri, Calochortus striatus, Campanula wilkinsiana, Draba monoensis, Epilobium howellii, Erigeron multiceps, Erythronium pluriflorum, Ivesia aperta var. aperta, Ivesia aperta var. canina, Ivesia sericoleuca, Ivesia webberi, Meesia triquetra, Meesia uliginosa, Mimulus evanescens, Mimulus filicaulis, Mimulus pulchellus, Oreostemma elatum, Pyrrocoma lucida, Trifolium bolanderi.

Table 4.6.3d. Major threats for meadows and seeps guild.

Action Number of Species Affected (of 26) Hydrologic alteration 26 Stock trampling 24 Mechanical treatments 20 Trails/hikers 18 Roads 19 Grazing 18



Bogs and fens (8 species)

Bogs and fens are wetlands, typically occupying sites sub-irrigated by cold, frequently acidic water. Plant growth is dense plants are typically low growing, dominated by perennial herbs or low shrubs. Saturated soils frequently allow substantial accumulations of peat. Bogs and fens are further described under the “special habitats” heading in Part 3.4 “Aquatic, Riparian, and Meadow Ecosystems” of this chapter. Species in this guild are: Botrychium ascendens, Botrychium crenulatum, Botrychium lineare, Botrychium montanum, Meesia triquetra, Meesia uliginosa, Oreostemma elata, Scheuzeria palustris ssp. Americana

Table 4.6.3e. Major threats for bogs/fens guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 8) Hydrologic alteration 8 Mechanical treatments 8 Stock trampling 7 Roads 7 Off-road vehicles 7

Vernally wet (16 species)

Vernally wet habitats are depressions and swales with relatively impermeable soil that accumulate rainwater during the winter and spring, and slowly dry up with the advent of warm weather. This habitat includes vernal pools and low sites in sagebrush scrub communities. Vernal pools are seasonally wet depressions dominated by annual herbs and grasses adapted to germination and early growth under water. Spring desiccation triggers flower and fruit set. Species in the vernally wet guild are: Ivesia aperta var. aperta, Ivesia aperta var. canina, Ivesia sericoleuca, Juncus leiospermus var. leiospermus, Limnanthes floccosa, ssp. bellingeriana, Lomatium stebbinsii, Mimulus evanescens, Mimulus filicaulis, Mimulus pulchellus, Orcuttia tenuis, Phacelia inundata, Pogogyne floribunda, Polyctenium williamsiae, Polygonum polygaloides ssp. esotericum, Pyrrocoma lucida, Rorippa columbiae, Tuctoria greenei.

Table 4.6.3f. Major threats for vernally wet guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 17) Hydrologic alteration 17 Stock tramping 14 OHV 13 Roads 13 Grazing 11 Mechanical treatments 10 Noxious Weeds 10 Flood 10

Riparian woodland (6 species)

Riparian woodland habitats are dominated by broadleaved, winter deciduous trees with open canopies. These habitats are associated with low- to mid-elevation streams. Most stands even-aged, reflecting their flood-controlled, episodic reproduction. This habitat type tends to occupy more intermittent streams (compared to riparian forests), often with cobble or boulder



dominated bedloads. For the purposes of this range-wide analysis, aquatic and lotic habitats found in the streams themselves are included in this guild. Species occurring in riparian woodland and associated lotic habitats are: Carpenteria californica, Collomia rawsoniana, Erythronium tuolumnense, Lewisia serrata, Mimulus filicaulis, Silene occidentalis ssp. longistipitata

Table 4.6.3g. Major threats for riparian woodland guild.

Action Number of Species Affected (of 6) Hydrologic alteration 6 Mechanical treatments 5 Reforestation 5 Prescribed burning- spring 5 Stock trampling 4 Noxious weeds 4 Trails/hikers 4

Riparian forests (13 species)

Riparian forests are comprised of broadleaved, winter deciduous trees, forming closed canopies, associated with low-to mid-elevation perennial and intermittent streams. Most stands are even-aged, reflecting their flood-mediated, episodic reproduction. For the purposes of this range-wide analysis, aquatic and lotic habitats found in the streams themselves are included in this guild. Species found in riparian forest and lotic habitats are: Botrychium ascendens, Botrychium crenulatum, Botrychium lineare, Botrychium montanum, Campanula wilkinsiana, Collomia rawsoniana, Cypripedium fasciculatum, Cypripedium montanum, Hydrothyria venosa, Lewisia cantelovii, Lewisia serrata, Lupinus padre-crowleyi, Vaccineum coccineum

Table 4.6.3h. Major threats for riparian forest guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 13) Hydrologic alteration 13 Trails/hikers 12 Mechanical treatments 10 Roads 10 Stock trampling 10 Mining 10

Lakeshore and streamside, non-forested (11 species)

Species of open habitats along the margins of natural lakes or artificial reservoirs, or streams in shrublands or grasslands. Vulnerable to impacts from use of these water sources by livestock. Species in this guild are: Botrychium ascendens, Botrychium crenulatum, Botrychium lineare, Botrychium montanum, Bruchia bolanderi, Carex tiogana, Erigeron multiceps, Mimulus evanescens, Navaretia peninsularis, Rorripa columbiae, Rorripa subumbellata



Table 4.6.3i. Major threats for lakeshore guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 11) Hydrologic alteration 11 Trails 9 Stock trampling 8 Grazing 7 Camping 7 Off-road vehicles 7

Non-riparian guilds

Rock outcrops (26 species)

Rocks outcrops are unweathered or barely weathered bedrock, with plant habitat limited to rock crevices and pockets or flats of soil. Expanses of decomposed granite (or other rock type) next to granitic outcrops are considered part of this guild. In some cases species in this guild are found in openings in forest or shrub vegetation that do not appear rocky, but are characterized by very shallow, barely weathered rock forming coarse soil or sand. Sometimes these areas are adjacent to meadows, but do not have the high moisture levels that define meadows. These flat areas are often easily accessible by vehicles and are sometimes used for log landings, borrow pits, roadbed material, and landscape rock. Some plants are restricted to specific types of rocks such as limestone, granite, serpentine, or volcanic. Species restricted to serpentine are assigned to the ultramaphic guild. Species of rock outcrops and shallow rocky openings are: Allium yosemitense, Arabis bodiensis, Astragalus monoensis var. monoensis, Astragalus shevockii, Calyptridium pulchellum, Camissonia sierra ssp. alticola, Delphinium inopinum, Dicentra nevadensis, Erigeron aequifolius, Erigeron miser, Eriogonum breedlovei var. breedlovei, Erogonum prattenianum var. avium, Eriogonum twisselmanii, Eriophyllum congdonii, Eriophyllum nubigenum, Erythronium tuolumnense, Erythronium pluriflorum, Galium glabrescens ssp. modocense, Galium serpenticum ssp. warnerense, Horkelia tularensis, Lewisia disepala, Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus, Mimulus gracilipes, Monardella linioides ssp. oblonga, Oreonana purpurascens, Phacelia stebbinsii, Raillardiopsis muirii

Table 4.6.3j. Major threats for rock outcrop guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 26) Trails/hikers 20 Mechanical treatments 16 Off-road vehicles 14 Roads 13 Stock trampling 11

Ultramaphic (serpentine) specialists (9 species)

This guild includes plants that grow on serpentine rocks and the soils derived from them. Serpentine rocks have iron magnesium silicate and impurities of chromium, nickel, and other toxic elements. As these rocks weather, soils develop that are high in magnesium and iron, low in calcium, and toxic to plants that are not specifically adapted to them. Plants restricted to ultramafic rocks or soils are: Allium jepsonii, Arabis constancei, Calycadenia oppositifolia, Eriogonum tripodum, Monardella follettii, Monardella stebbinsii, Sedum albomarginatum, Senecio eurycephalus var. lewisrosei, Senecio layneae



Table 4.6.3k. Major threats for ultramaphic guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 9) Roads 9 Mining 8 Reforestation 6 Rock Collectors 6 Stock trampling 6

Cliffs (8 species)

Cliffs are defined as steep rock faces, with fissuring, drainage and aspect characteristics more important to the plants than their particular geologic composition. Plants that grow on cliffs of various rock types would fit here. Cliff-dwelling rare plants are: Allium yosemitense, Botrychium lineare, Dedeckera eurekensis, Erythronium taylori, Erythronium tuolumnense, Lewisia cantelovii, Lewisia serrata, and Orthotrichum spjutii.

Table 4.6.3l. Major Threats for cliff guild.

Action Number of Species Affected (of 8) Trails/hikers 6 Plant collectors 5 Mining 5

Unusual Edaphic (16 species)

Species in this guild are found on unusual soil types that do not fit into the previously defined guilds. In some cases, these soil types are easily identifiable on Forest Service soil survey maps. For example, Horkelia parryi is restricted to isolated patches of old tropical soils, which are slightly acidic. See the individual species descriptions at the end of this section for details. Species restricted to unusual soil types are: Abronia nana ssp. covillei, Allium tribracteatum, Arctostaphylos nissenana, Astragalus anxius, Astragalus lentiformis, Astagalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae, Astragalus pulsiferae var. suksdorfii, Dedeckera eurekensis, Eriogonum prociduum, Eriogonum umbellatum var. glaberrimum, Galium glabrescens ssp. modocense, Galium serpenticum ssp. warnerense, Horkelia parryi, Ivesia paniculata, Lomatium stebbinsii, Phacelia monoensis,

Table 4.6.3m. Major threats for edaphic specialists guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 16) Roads 12 Mechanical treatments 10 Stock trampling 10 Off-road vehicles 7 Mining 7

b. Temporally-Defined Guilds Interior forest (2 species)

These are species of shade, protected microclimates, and infrequently disturbed substrates. Because of mycorrhizal associations, these species are intolerant of edge effects that change the



temperature, moisture, and other microclimate conditions. Species in the interior forest guild are the lady’s slipper orchids: Cypripedium fasciculatum, Cypripedium montanum

Table 4.6.3n. Major threats for interior forest guild. Action/Disturbance Number of Species Affected (of 2) Mechanical treatments 2 Reforestation 2 Grazing 2 Stock trampling 2 Catastrophic fire 2 Fire fighting/suppression activities 2 Fuel reduction activities 2 Rx burning-any 2 OHV 2 Trails/hikers 2 Camping 2 Plant collectors 2 Mining 2 Erosion 2

Gap Phase Guild (19 species)

Gap phase development is a term used to describe openings created by death of one or a few overstory trees in an old forest. For purposes of this analysis, gaps are openings no larger than one-half acre. A small disturbance creates the gap in the canopy, without the major soil disturbances and edge effects associated with most forest management activities. The gap phase model can apply not only to forests, but can be extended to any vegetation type, to imply a periodic disturbance regime resulting in small scale disruption of the dominant vegetation plus bare soil, followed by several years without subsequent disturbance. Gap phase species are disturbance followers that do not respond well to major disturbances, but do increase with infrequent, small-scale disturbance. These are matrix species (in other words, not confined to discrete, patchy habitats) that depend on a periodic disturbance pulse, followed by stable conditions. The disturbance event causes an increase in light reaching the ground, and a gap in plant cover, creating favorable conditions for new seedlings to grow. After the seedlings are established, stable conditions favor growth of the seedlings to maturity and reproductive status. Some forest edge species or species that occur under open canopies along artificial forest margins, such as stabilized roadsides and old skid trails, are included in the gap phase guild.

Table 4.6.3o. Major threats for gap phase guild. Action Number of Species Affected (of 19) OHV 14 Mechanical treatments 13 Stock trampling 11 Reforestation 10 Development 10



Fire-following Guild - Openings created by fire (2 species)

The postfire, or fire-following guild is comprised of species that depend on primary fire conditions--heat, ash, smoke) to reproduce. Examples include conifers with serotinous cones (for example, "closed cone" species such as knobcone and lodgepole pine); chaparral shrubs whose seeds require heat for germination (e.g., manzanita or ceanothus); some geophytes that flower en masse after fires (e.g. mariposa lilies); and annuals with long-lived seed banks that germinate in response to ash leachates, smoke, heat, or a combination of those conditions (e.g. whispering bells, golden eardrops). Species in this guild are: Carpenteria californica, Iliamna bakeri.

Table 4.6.3p. Major threats for fire-following guild. Action/Disturbance Number of Species Affected (of 2) Lack of fire 2 Noxious weeds 2 Reforestation 2 Grazing 2

General Openings (36 species)

The general opening guild contains opportunistic species that germinate or invade open areas. For this analysis, the openings will be defined as generally larger than ½ acre. The openings may result from natural events such as landslides, avalanches, or windstorms, as well as from mechanical soil disturbance and opening of the canopy. Species in this guild also respond well to secondary fire effects, such as sunlight from canopy loss and bare soil from duff loss. Examples include shade-intolerant conifers (e.g. Douglas-fir), short-lived perennials and annuals with high fecundity (many seeds) and highly effective seed dispersal mechanisms or persistent seed banks (e.g. Epilobium angustifolium, various thistles, some species of Clarkia, Phacelia, Gayophytum.) Some forest edge species or species that occur under open canopies along artificial forest margins, such as stabilized roadsides and old skid trails, are included in this guild. Species assigned to this guild are: Astragalus webberi, Brodiaea insignis, Calochortus clavatus var. avius, Calochortus westonii, Calystegia atriplicifolia ssp. buttensis, Camissonia sierra ssp. alticola, Clarkia australis, Clarkia biloba ssp. brandegeae, C. biloba ssp. australis, Clarkia gracilis ssp. albicaulis, Clarkia lingulata, Clarkia mosquinii, Clarkia springvillensis, Clarkia stellata, Erigeron multiceps, Heterotheca shevockii, Hulsea brevifolia, Iliamna bakeri, Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus, Lupinus dalesiae, Lupinus padre-crowleyi, Mimulus filicaulis, Mimulus gracilipes, Mimulus pulchellus, Mimulus shevockii, Monardella follettii, Monardella linioides ssp. oblonga, Navarretia setiloba, Penstemon personatus, Phacelia monoensis, Phacelia novenmillensis, Rupertia hallii, Senecio eurycephalus var. lewisrosei, Silene occidentalis ssp. longistipitata, Streptanthus cordatus var. piutensis, Streptanthus oliganthus.



Table 4.6.3q. Major threats for general openings guild. Action/Disturbance Number of Species Affected (of 36) Roads 25 Mechanical treatments 23 Development/ski area/urbanization 22 Off-road vehicles 21 Reforestation 19 Lack of fire 19 Stock trampling 14 Mining 14 Prescribed burning – spring 14

Species with no guild assignment (12 species)

The following 12 species did not fit neatly into guilds, but information on their habitat requirements can be found in Section 4.6.3. Many of these are species that inhabit dry openings with fairly deep soil or sand, but not associated with rocks. Abronia alpina, Arabis rigidissima var. demota, Astragalus lentiginosus var. kernensis, Astragalus monoensis var. monoensis, Eriogonum umbellatum var. torreyanum, Fritillaria striata, Horkelia hispidula, Lewisia longipetala, Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea, Penstemon papillatus, Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea.

Table 4.6.3r. Major threats for species with no guild assignment.

Action/Disturbance Number of Species Affected (of 12) Roads 7 Off-road vehicles 7 Trails and hikers 7 Development 7 Grazing 6 Stock trampling 5 Mechanical treatments 5

II. Environmental Consequences Many of the threats to rare plants identified in the preceding “affected environment” section and Appendix R, Table R.9 have obvious direct impacts on plant populations or habitat. For example, livestock trampling or plant collecting directly removes plants or plant parts from an area. Other threats must be assessed for their direct as well as indirect effects. The following list of cause and effect relationships provides the basis for the comparison of alternatives. Threat of catastrophic wildfire. It appears that wildfire alone poses risks to relatively few of the rare plant species (19 species out of 135 - Appendix R, Table R.9), since Sierra Nevada plants have evolved with fire and are generally adapted to survive, or even require fire. Conversely, lack of fire is shown as a threat for 31 species. However, subsidiary activities associated with wildfire suppression during the fire, and road building, salvage logging, and reforestation following the fire, pose risks for 34 species. A key risk associated with wildfire management activities is the potential for spread of noxious weeds because weed seeds are easily transported by fire-fighting equipment into newly burned areas where weeds may an advantage over rare native plants. Mechanical treatment. Mechanical treatments can be broken down into different effects: canopy removal, soil disturbance, and subsidiary disturbance caused by road building, log yarding, and



parking of equipment. Eighty-three of the 135 rare plants are at risk to some degree from mechanical treatments. Sierra Nevada botanists are most concerned about ground disturbance and indirect effects associated with mechanical treatments, such as soil erosion and sedimentation of streams, rather than the removal of trees (although this can pose risks to plant populations and habitats as well). Roads. Of 135 rare plant species, 88 are shown as being in some way threatened by roads and associated activities. Roads pose threats to rare plants by increasing access to habitat and providing an avenue for weed invasion. In addition, roads are commonly located on ridges or placed to take advantage of solid rock outcrops. These same environments provide important habitat for a number of rare species (28 rare plants of 135 occur in the rock outcrop guild). Reconstruction and maintenance of existing roads can directly or indirectly impact rare plant populations by introducing competitive weeds and altering availability of light, nutrients, and moisture. Prescribed fire. Twenty-one of the 135 rare plants are considered at risk from prescribed burning. Many sites will require some initial mechanical fuel treatment to effectively reintroduce fire. The alternatives emphasize different combinations of fire and mechanical fuels treatments. In addition, there may be a higher potential for “spring” burning to meet prescribed burning goals, comply with air quality standards, and adhere to limited operating periods. Plants are physiologically active during the spring, and are more vulnerable to potential adverse effects from prescribed fire during this time. Alternatives that emphasize prescribed burning pose risks for about 30 species of TES plants. These risks must be weighed against those posed by catastrophic fire and the long-term loss of habitat for species (particularly for plant species in some of the temporal guilds, such as the general openings guild).

A. Measures or Factors used to Assess Environmental Consequences

At the level of the entire Sierra Nevada, it is important to acknowledge the limitations of assessing the impacts of the complex set of actions being proposed under each alternative on the 135 rare plant species. As mentioned above, plant species may be rare due to evolutionary history, basic population ecology, historic or current human activities, or, more likely, a combination of these factors. Human activities may or may not be responsible for the current distribution and abundance of the rare plant species. However, an important assumption in this analysis is that certain management actions may enhance or detract from the potential long-term viability of rare plant species. In particular, certain actions may contribute or detract from the availability or quality of habitats that support rare plant species.

Measures used to Evaluate Risk and Uncertainty for the 135 TES Plant Species

Chapter 2 describes how the alternatives use varying degrees of active management and local flexibility. This discussion provides the basis for assessing the overall risk to rare plants as a group. Overall risk to rare plants was assessed by correlating (1) the degree of active management and (2) the amount of local flexibility in each alternative with degree of risk and uncertainty for conserving rare plant populations. The information displayed in Chapter 2 was used to compare risk among the alternatives. Potential for wildfire was also used to gauge overall risk to the entire group of 135 rare plants. Wildfire potential indicates potential levels of activities associated with fire suppression and burned area management, which, as previously described, can adversely affect plant populations and their habitat. Associated with this measure is uncertainty about the locations of future wildfires and possible initial attack and subsequent suppression strategies.



Measures used to Evaluate Effects of Alternatives on Guilds

The measures used to determine the consequences of the alternatives are based on the major threats reported for each guild (as displayed in the preceding “affected environment” section). There is a strong association between the key threats. For example, an increase in catastrophic wildfire brings an increase in mechanical ground disturbance during fire suppression and following the fire. Given these interrelationships, and uncertainty associated with precise locations of disturbances and activities at the landscape or local scale, level of activity provides the most meaningful measure for comparing the alternatives. For the terrestrial guilds, frequency and intensity of soil disturbance, regardless of the specific cause, creates the greatest near-term concern. At the scale of the Sierra Nevada, few distinctions can be made between the alternatives in terms of their relative effects on the gap phase and general opening (temporally-defined) guilds, so these 2 guilds have been combined for the effects analysis. The major threats differ slightly among the rock outcrop, cliff, ultramaphic, and unusual edaphic guilds (spatially-defined). Because all the spatially defined habitats are small (fine-grained on the landscape), the impact of any alternative on rare plants will depend on how individual projects are implemented. Where local soil maps are good, plants inhabiting unusual substrates, such as serpentine outcrops or unusual soils, are easier to protect. The six riparian guilds will be analyzed together, with some key distinctions made when appropriate. Although roads are shown as major threats for most of the guilds (88 of the 135 rare plant species show roads as a threat to some degree), the number of miles of new road construction and miles decommissioned do not vary significantly across the planning area (see section 5.5), so these measures will not be used directly. However, effects of roads are indirectly assessed by examining acres of mechanical treatments and acres of projected to burn in wildfires, because of the increase in road construction, reconstruction and use that accompanies higher levels of activity.

Measures for Rock Outcrop, Cliff, Ultramaphic, and Edaphic Specialists Guild

Recreational activities (trails and hikers, off-road vehicles), mechanical treatments, roads, and stock trampling are the primary threats common to rare plant species in these guilds. Measures used to compare the alternatives include: (1) recreational levels as gauged by amount of increase in visitor use, (2) annual acres of mechanical treatments and prescribed fire, (3) projected wildfire acres burned (due to ground disturbance associated with fire suppression, burned area rehabilitation, and reforestation), (4) livestock grazing, and (5) amount of Known Mineral Deposit Areas withdrawn from mining (see Part 5.4 “Mining and Mineral Resources” of this chapter)

Measures for Riparian Guilds (includes meadows and seeps, bogs and fens, vernally wet, lakeshore, riparian forests and woodlands)

These six guilds will be analyzed together. Hydrologic alteration is the foremost threat to rare plants in the meadows and seeps, bogs and fens, vernally wet, lakeshore, riparian forest, and riparian woodland guilds. Measures are selected based on the following major threats because any one of them can have the effect of altering hydrology in an unfavorable way for riparian-dependent rare plants: Threats generally common to the six riparian guilds include stock grazing and trampling, mechanical treatments, off-road vehicles, trails and hikers, and roads. Measures used to evaluate environmental consequences for riparian-dependent rare plants help to gauge overall ability to meet the Aquatic Management Strategy goals. Specific measures used are: (1) level of livestock grazing and degree of protection for rare plants (2) number of acres of mechanical treatments, (3) recreation



levels, (4) ability of standards and guidelines and land allocations to protect and conserve riparian-dependent TES plants. Rare plants in riparian guilds would benefit most from alternatives that best achieve Aquatic Management Strategy goals. Specifically, the Aquatic Management Strategy goals that focus on species viability, plant community diversity, and special habitats are key aspects of this measure. All of the Aquatic Management Strategy goals address the health of riparian ecosystems, and achieving these goals would therefore contribute to the short- and long-term viability of the rare plants that occur in riparian habitats.

Measures for the Post-Fire Openings Guild

Lack of fire, noxious weeds, reforestation activities, and grazing are the main threats for the post-fire openings guild. Measures that reflect these threats include: (1) projected acres burned by wildfire under each alternative, (2) estimated amount of prescribed burning, and (3) potential for noxious weed spread.

Measures for Interior Forest Guild

The interior forest guild consists of only two species: the clustered and the mountain lady’s slipper orchids. These two orchid species are considered highly vulnerable and in need of special management attention to address an apparent decline in their Sierra Nevada populations. Many threats were listed for these species, but the primary threats related to the alternatives are: mechanical treatments, prescribed burning, reforestation activities such as herbicides, livestock grazing and trampling, catastrophic fire and mining. For this guild, the comparison of the alternatives is focused on habitat needs for these two species. Known requirements for these species were compiled as part of implementing the “Record of Decision for Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management Planning Documents within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl” (USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land Management 1994). Both of these species are managed under the “survey and manage” direction for old growth associated species. Seevers and Lang (1998) make recommendation about conservation measures that can be taken to improve the outlook for these orchids. One recommendation is to maintain at least 60 percent canopy cover in and near occupied habitat for lady’s slipper orchids. Region 5 has begun a conservation assessment for these species, and through cautiously implemented adaptive management, it is anticipated that ecological needs of these species will be clearer within a few years. Measures used to evaluate alternatives are: (1) number of acres of mechanical treatments, (2) acres of prescribed burning, (3) potential for catastrophic fire, and (4) livestock grazing levels.

Measures for Gap Phase and General Openings Guilds

Mechanical treatments, development, stock trampling, off-highway vehicles, reforestation activities, and roads are the main threats common to species in the gap phase and general openings guilds. Although noxious weeds were not identified as a threat at this time in the Sierra Nevada, openings of various sizes are known to provide inroads for noxious weed infestations. Measures selected to reflect threats to plant species in the gap phase and general openings guilds are: (1) estimated acres of mechanical treatments, (2) acres of prescribed fire, (3) potential for wildfire, and (4) livestock grazing levels.



B. Assumptions and Limitations Assumptions about Modeling Habitat for Plants

Plant habitat can be modeled by combining broadly defined vegetation types with the guild concept and vulnerability ratings. This approach can be used to evaluate effects on rare plant species in logical groupings that are meaningful at the bioregional scale, even though the distribution of any one species may be quite limited. The model highlights habitats that may be at risk, thereby potentially extending the utility of this process to more common plant species in the future.

Limitations of the model

Limitations of using vulnerability ratings. Estimates of population trend and threats to plant species are, for the most part, qualitative assessments based on professional judgment of Sierra Nevada national forest botanists working with other expert botanists. For a large percentage of the rare plant species, population trends are unknown. In addition, for most species, little is known beyond the most basic life history characteristics. Identified threats to species include activities and disturbances that were perceived by local botanists as having a high likelihood of occurring in the future. Limitations of using habitat associations and guilds. The habitat association and species guild approach may miss key features of plant habitat. Important examples are the necessary habitat features that maintain associated mycorrhizal fungal species or pollinators. In a natural forest setting, canopy cover, soil characteristics, and moisture regimes occur along a gradient, not as discrete categories such as named guilds. Individuals or populations of a species will occur along this gradient, with greater representation within some range of values of light, temperature, soil, and other conditions. Naming guilds is a rough approximation of this range of values and cannot hope to capture all the environmental nuances required by plants for successful reproduction and establishment.

Assumptions about how implementation of Standards and Guidelines affects species viability assessments

Judgments about viability of rare plants and conservation of habitat under each alternative rest on the assumption that the following standards and guidelines would be consistently implemented across Sierra Nevada national forests for all action alternatives:

• Conduct field surveys for Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Sensitive (TEPS) plant species early enough in the project planning process that the project can be designed to conserve or enhance TEPS plants and their habitat. Conduct surveys according to procedures outlined in the Forest Service Handbook (FSH 2609.25.11). If additional field surveys are to be conducted as part of project implementation, survey results must be documented in the project file.

• Minimize or eliminate direct and indirect impacts from management activities to TEPS plants

unless project is designed to maintain or improve populations.



The following standards and guideline applies for the Preferred alternative only (Modified 8),

• Prohibit or mitigate ground ground-disturbing activities that negatively affect hydrologic processes that maintain water flow, water quality, or temperature critical to sustaining bog and fen ecosystems and the plant species dependent on them during project analysis, survey, map and protect bogs and fends from activities such as trampling by livestock, pack stock, humans, and from wheeled vehicles. Criteria for defining bogs and fens include, but are not limited to: presence of sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.), presence of mosses in the genus Meesia (Meesia spp.) presence of sundew (Drosera ssp.). Complete initial inventories of fens and bogs within active grazing allotments prior to re-issuing permits.

In addition, the Preferred Alternative (Modified 8) will contain a commitment that at least 2 conservation assessments per year are completed for the 28 high vulnerability species identified in this analysis.

Assumptions Related to the Five Problem Areas Distribution of High Vulnerability Species by Guild and Major Vegetation Type

A subset 28 of the 135 rare plant species was identified as being particularly vulnerable. The Munz plant communities (types) most likely to be affected by actions in this FEIS were identified, based on the five problem areas and likelihood of specific management activities occurring in those community types. Most of the activities proposed in the FEIS would be conducted in habitats that have historically been the focus of timber production, particularly the yellow pine type (Table 4.6.3s) and, indirectly, the chaparral type (Table 4.6.3u) because these types interface in a complex mosaic. Actions proposed in this FEIS would also affect plant communities in aquatic, riparian, and meadow ecosystems and hardwood ecosystems (Tables 4.6.t and 4.6.3v). Appendix R, Table R.13 provides definitions for these Munz types (yellow pine, foothill woodland, chaparral, and valley grassland).



Table 4.6.3s. High vulnerability species occurring in the yellow pine type as defined by Munz and Keck (1968) (includes the mixed conifer belt). These species are most likely to be affected by management activities aimed at reducing fuels if they are in general forest, or by grazing and trampling by livestock if they occur in meadows surrounded by forests.

Species Guilds Webber’s milkvetch, Astragalus webberi General openings

Meadows and seeps Riparian forest Upswept moonwort, Botrychium ascendens Non-forested lakeshore Bogs and fens Meadows and seeps Riparian forest Scalloped moonwort, Botrychium crenulatum Non-forested lakeshore Meadows and seeps Riparian forest Western goblin, Botrychium montanum Non-forested lakeshore

Mosquin’s clarkia, Clarkia mosquinii General openings Interior forest Clustered lady’s slipper orchid, Cypripedium fasciculatum Gap phase Interior forest Mountain lady’s slipper, Cypripedium montanum Gap phase

Butte County fritillary, Fritillaria eastwoodiae Gap phase Meadows and seeps Sierra Valley ivesia, Iversia aperta var aperta Vernally wet Meadows and seeps Dog Valley ivesia, Iversia aperta var canina Vernally wet Meadows and seeps Plumas ivesia, Ivesia sericoleuca Vernally wet

Webber’s ivesia, Ivesia webberi Meadows and seeps Riparian woodland Riparian forest Saw-toothed lewisia, Lewisa serrata Cliff

Stebbins’ monardella, Monardella stebbinsii Ultramafic) Meadows and seeps Sticky pyrrocoma, Pyrrocoma lucida Vernally wet

Tahoe yellow cress, Rorippa subumbellata Non-forested lakeshore Gap phase Western campion, Silene occidentalis ssp. longipetala General openings

Table 4.6.3t. High vulnerability species occurring in the foothill woodland type. These species would be affected by the hardwood strategy.

Species Guilds Mariposa pussypaws, Calyptridium pulchellum Outcrop

Outcrop, cliff Tuolumne fawn lily, Erythronium tuolumnense Riparian woodland

Butte County fritillary, Fritillaria eastwoodiae Gap phase Stebbins’ monardella, Monardella stebbinsii Ultramaphic Western campion, Silene occidentalis ssp. longipetala Gap phase



Table 4.6.3u. High vulnerability species occurring in the chaparral type Species Guilds Butte County fritillary, Fritillaria eastwoodiae Gap phase Stebbins’ monardella, Monardella stebbinsii Ultramafic

Gap phase Western campion, Silene occidentalis ssp. longipetala General openings

Table 4.6.3v. High vulnerability species not listed in the Calflora database as occurring in the Yellow Pine, Foothill Woodland, or Chaparral Munz types, but affected by the Aquatic, Riparian, and Meadow strategy.

Species Guilds Meadows and seeps Riparian forest Slender moonwort, Botrychium lineare Cliff

Subalpine fireweed, Epilobium howellii Meadows and seeps

Veined water lichen, Hydrothyria venosa Riparian forest (aquatic) Riparian forest Father Crowley’s lupine, Lupinus padre-crowleyi General openings

Meesia triquetra (moss) Bogs and fens Meesia uliginosa (moss) Bogs and fens Flat pod polyctenium, Polyctenium williamsiae Vernally wet

Tahoe yellow cress, Rorippa subumbellata Non-forested lakeshore

In general, the level of risk to TES plants posed by each alternative is determined by examining how the alternative would affect the species habitat. Of particular concern are TES plants that depend on structurally intact and fully functioning old forest, riparian, aquatic, meadow, and hardwood ecosystems. The approach to evaluating the consequences of each alternative on TES plants rests on the following assumptions about the problem areas: Fire and fuels. Generally speaking, plant species would benefit from alternatives that lead to reintroduction of regimes under which both rare and common plant species in the Sierra Nevada evolved. The caveat is that mechanical treatments and out-of-season burning, which may be needed to safely return to historic burning patterns, have the potential to damage or eliminate rare plant populations. This is particularly a concern for plant species in the temporally-defined guilds, as changes in disturbance regimes are expected to change habitat conditions for these species. Mechanical fuels treatments and prescribed fire influence the number and size of openings (temporally-defined habitats) within the matrix vegetation. This is not as great a concern for spatially defined habitats, where areas occupied by rare plants can be delineated and avoided during these activities. Old forest. Although there is a suite of non-TES understory herbaceous plants characteristic of mature forests (Rundel and others 1990), only 2 of the 135 TES plant species are believed to be at least partially old forest dependent. Species within the “interior forest” and “gap phase” guilds were considered as candidates, but based on habitat information and the opinion of Forest Service botanists, the list was narrowed to two species: the clustered lady's slipper orchid and the mountain lady’s slipper orchid. Activities that change the understory and soil characteristics of old forests would have greater effects on these species, due to direct impacts on the plants as well as indirect impacts to pollinators and mycorrhizal fungi. While many vascular plants colonize quickly and have short reproductive cycles, most species closely associated with late successional and old growth forests are long-lived perennials. Many woody and herbaceous vascular plants are extremely long-



lived, requiring decades to reach reproductive size (Coleman 1995). Reestablishment in disturbed sites may be slow, particularly for species with limited dispersal capabilities. Riparian, aquatic, and meadow ecosystems. TES plant species that depend on riparian, aquatic, and meadow habitats would benefit most from alternatives that best met the Aquatic Management Strategy goals. Management activities in riparian areas have differential effects on plant species. In some cases, reduced levels of certain activities (such as mechanical treatments, road construction, grazing, and mining) are expected to benefit rare plant species. In other situations, some vegetation management may be desirable to restore habitat. For example, some riparian understory species may presently exist under much more dense canopy than prior to fire exclusion. These species may benefit from thinning and underburning if these treatments restore optimal light levels or germination conditions. Noxious weeds. Activities that increase the likelihood that noxious weeds could be introduced or spread to rare plant species populations and suitable habitat are detrimental to these species. Alternatives that increase human access or soil disturbance in rare plant habitat are likely to increase risk of noxious weed introduction and spread. Rare plant species at lower elevations are more at risk for population and habitat loss due to higher levels of management activities and more favorable conditions for weed germination and establishment (longer growing seasons and milder temperatures). Lower westside hardwoods. TES plant species that occur in foothill woodland (blue oak woodland) frequently have only a small proportion of their entire range on national forest lands, with most populations occurring on private land subject to development and other impacts. Therefore, the importance of collaboration and cooperation with other agencies and private landowners to conserve these species throughout their range is crucial. For example, the Federally listed (threatened) plant, Mariposa pussypaws, is known from eight occurrences, and is at great risk from residential development and OHV disturbance. The one occurrence on Federal land is fenced and apparently stable, but at least two of the occurrences on private land have not been seen in at least 5 years, despite searches by botanists. It is assumed that improved coordination and cooperation among agencies and landowners will increase the likelihood of successful conservation of these foothill species.

C. Effects of the alternatives on TES plants Overall evaluation of risk

Risk associated with Degree of Active Management at the bioregional scale:

To the extent that management activities (especially mechanical fuels treatment, prescribed fire, road use, construction, and maintenance, and other ground disturbing activities) pose a risk to rare plant species, the level of activity proposed under the different alternatives is one measure of potential risk. This does not imply that TES plants would only benefit if the Forest Service adopted a strategy of little to no active management; however, chances of inadvertently damaging known or as yet undiscovered rare plant populations and their habitat increases as the level of ground disturbing activities increases. In comparison with existing management (Alternative 1), Alternative 2 proposes the lowest level of activity and therefore the least risk in the short-term; Alternative 5 poses a low to moderate risk; Alternatives 3, 6, 8, and Modified 8 pose moderate risk; and Alternatives 4 and 7 pose the greatest risk to TES plants.



Risk associated with Degree of Management Flexibility at the local level

The alternatives provide differing levels of risk because they offer differing degrees of local discretion. All action alternatives (Alternatives 2 through Modified 8) have standards and guidelines that provide direction for protecting TES plants. Despite the improvement in direction provided by standards and guidelines, the ability of national forests to implement this direction is dependent upon whether or not adequate botanical expertise is on staff at the ranger district and forest levels. Current botanical staffing levels limit the possibility of thorough floristic inventory and monitoring for all ground disturbing projects. Thus, for this analysis it is assumed that a higher level of local discretion also carries some risk since under these conditions the likelihood of inadvertent damage to rare plant populations and habitat rises. In Chapter 2, alternatives 2 and 5 have relatively low levels of local discretion, alternative 8 is rated low to moderate, 6 and 7, and Modified 8 are moderate, 3 is moderate to high, and alternative 4 has the highest level of local flexibility.

Evaluation of Effects on Guilds Consequences for Rock Outcrop, Cliff, Ultramaphic, and Edaphic Specialist Guilds

Recreation levels for the alternatives vary depending on how much land in restrictive allocations, and which set of standards and guidelines applies (see Section 5.6 – recreation). Alternatives 4 and 7 are expected to have the same rate of increase of visitor use as under current management (Alternative 1). Alternative 5 has a 14 percent reduction from the current rate, Alternatives 3, 8, and Modified 8 have about a 10 percent reduction, and Alternative 6 has about a 6 percent reduction from the current rate of increase. Please see section 5.6 for details. The rare plants that are impacted by trails and hikers, off-road vehicles, and other recreational activities would be best protected under Alternative 5, and least protected under Alternatives 1, 4, and 7. Part 3.5 “Fire and Fuels” of this chapter presents estimates of acres treated annually by mechanical and manual methods. The average number of acres treated by mechanical or manual methods is greatest under Alternatives 1, 4, 7, and Modified 8. (72,000, 86,000, 70,000, and 69,000 respectively). These alternatives present the highest risk to species in the spatially defined, non-riparian guilds. Number of acres treated mechanically under Alternatives 3 and 6 are moderate at 30,000 and 33,000 respectively), presenting a moderate risk, and mechanical treatment levels are lowest under Alternatives 2 and 5 at 7,000 and 9,000, presenting a low risk. To put these numbers in perspective, even under alternative 4, treating 86,000 acres per year amounts to treating less than 1 percent (0.74 percent) of the 11.5 million acre planning area per year. Also relevant are number of acres treated annually by prescribed burning. Alternative 6 has the highest number of annual acres proposed for prescribed burning (approximately 83,000 acres per year), followed by Alternatives 8 and 7 with 69,000 and 60,000 acres respectively. Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5 have intermediate levels of prescribed burning, ranging from 39,000 to 54,000 acres annually. Alternative Modified 8 has 25,000 acres of prescribed burning, while Alternative 2 has the lowest number of acres at 15,000. The risk to rare plants in these guilds rises with the overall number of acres treated. However, as with the mechanical treatments, the alternative with the highest number of acres proposed treats less than one percent of the planning area.



Another way to view the risk is to consider the total number of acres treated by each alternative for fuel hazard reduction. The following ranking includes prescribed burning and mechanical treatments only; it does not include acreage estimates for re-treatments or maintenance treatments. Alternative 4 has the highest overall treatment acreage at approximately 133,000 acres, followed by Alternative 7 at 130,000 acres, Alternative 1 at 117,000 acres, and Alternative 6 at 116,000 acres. Alternatives 3, 8, and Modified 8 have intermediate treatment acreages at 84,000, 83,000, and 94,000 respectively. Alternatives 5 and 2 have the lowest number of combined acres at 49,000 and 22,000. These treatments are targeted to a very specific portion of the 11.5 million-acre planning area, primarily the urban wildland intermix zone and strategically placed fuels treatments designed to change wildland fire behavior in high hazard areas identified in this FEIS. The proposed fire and fuels treatments for Modified Alternative 8 would treat and maintain 30 percent of the landscape over time. The primary mechanism for protecting rare plants in treatment areas would be accomplished during project level planning. Section 3.5 of this chapter displays projected wildfire acres per year as averages from the SPECTRUM model. Risks to plants in these guilds from catastrophic wildfire and associated management during and after wildfire are greatest under Alternatives 1, 2, and 5; (80,000 acres per year projected to burn under Alternative 2), moderate under Alternatives 8, and Modified 8, and progressively lower in Alternatives 6, 3, and 4, lowest number of acres (less than 50,000 acres) projected to burn in wildfires under Alternative 4. Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8, and Modified 8 propose new mineral withdrawals (see Chapter 5, Section 5.4 on mining). Alternative 2 proposes withdrawing up to 75 percent of the acreage in Known Mineral Deposit Areas (KMDAs) and up to 78 percent of the active mining claims. Alternative 5 proposes withdrawals of up to 45 percent of the acreage of KDMAs and 40 percent of the active claims. Alternatives 6 and 8 propose withdrawals of up to 11 percent of the acreage of KDMAs and up to 9 percent of active claims. Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 7 do not propose new mineral withdrawals, but they do have specific mining restrictions in their standards and guidelines. Standards and guidelines for mining in Modified Alternative 8 provide an intermediate amount of potential protection for rare plants, since withdrawals are to be determined when landscape analysis is done for Critical Aquatic Refuges. Consequences for Riparian Guilds

Standards and guidelines under all action alternatives (2 – Modified 8) improve long-term conditions of riparian ecosystems. Riparian area standards and guidelines address roads, recreation, vegetation management, grazing, and fuels reduction. Modified 8 is the only alternative that specifically requires inventory and protection of bogs and fens. The alternatives that best support achievement of the Aquatic Management Strategy goals minimize impacts to TES plants that occur in these habitats. Overall, Alternatives 2 and 5, 8 and Modified 8 support the Aquatic Management Strategy goals in riparian habitats more strongly than the other alternatives. Alternatives 2 and 5 give high priority to reducing risks to native plants (including TES plants) and riparian habitats in general. Alternatives 6 and 8 also support achievement of Aquatic Management Strategy goals, but to a lesser degree than Alternatives 2, 5, and Modified 8.



Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8 and Modified 8 designate emphasis watersheds and critical aquatic refuges (critical refuges in Alternative 5); watershed restoration would have priority in these areas, and management would benefit riparian vegetation. Alternative 2 would prohibit timber harvesting in critical aquatic refuges. Alternative 5 proposes both critical refuges and aquatic diversity areas. Timber harvest and mechanical treatments could be conducted in these areas only where a landscape/watershed analysis identified them as part of opportunities contributing to the Aquatic Management Strategy goals. Critical refuges and aquatic diversity areas under Alternative 5 and critical aquatic refuges under Alternatives 2, 6, and 8 would be proposed for mineral withdrawal. Mineral withdrawals would result in fewer negative impacts to riparian habitats and their associated rare plants. Under Alternative Modified 8, Critical Aquatic Refuges are designated, and whether or not mineral withdrawals occur is deferred to the Forests upon completion of Landscape Analysis. Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 7 do not designate emphasis watersheds or critical aquatic refuges, and have less specific direction for reducing the risks to riparian habitats. Alternative 3 allows harvest within riparian areas provided these activities minimize soil disturbance and retain forest structure that avoids abrupt transitions between uplands and riparian areas. Alternative 4 has the least specific direction for reducing risks to riparian habitats. Alternative 4 would allow timber harvest (green and salvage) and mechanical fuels reduction in the green and gray zones of riparian areas. Alternative 1 lacks Sierra Nevada-wide direction for achievement of Aquatic Management Strategy goals, and does not provide uniform direction for managing riparian habitats. Impacts to some riparian habitat components are further discussed below. Each riparian habitat component is described under headings tied to the Aquatic Management Strategy goals. Ability to meet Aquatic Management Strategy goal for water quality and quantity. High water quality is important for the aquatic lichen, Hydrothyria venosa, and influences the health and vigor of other riparian vegetation, including riparian dependent TES species. Water temperature, turbidity, and chemical and nutrient concentrations are key water quality attributes for this rare lichen (Davis 1999). Water quantity is also important for all riparian vegetation, including TES species. The alternatives would affect water quality in different ways. (Refer to Section 3.4 in this chapter.) The alternatives propose different ways to manage roads, reduce wildfire effects, manage mining (by proposing mineral withdrawals in certain areas), and enhance specific resources by establishing special management areas (such as emphasis watersheds and critical aquatic refuges). Riparian vegetation management, livestock grazing, and developed recreation would be expected to impact water quality as well. Implementation of Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8 and Modified 8 would maintain or improve water quality at higher levels compared to Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 7. This is because Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8 and Modified 8 would establish various combinations of emphasis watersheds, aquatic diversity areas, critical aquatic refuges, and critical refuges. Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 7 do not establish these areas that specifically target watershed restoration. Therefore, it is assumed that risks to water quality would be greater under these alternatives.



Ability to meet aquatic management strategy goal for riparian plant community diversity. Alternative 5 would be the most effective in maintaining or improving the overall health of riparian plant communities. Alternatives 2, 6, 8 and modified 8 would also maintain or improve riparian plant community health, but to a lesser degree than Alternative 5. Alternatives 1, 3, 4 and 7 would be the least effective in maintaining or improving riparian plant community health. Alternative 5 would prohibit heavy equipment in the green zones of riparian areas; heavy equipment could be operated in gray zones where landscape analysis had demonstrated that it would benefit water quality or aquatic- and riparian-dependent species in the short- and long-term. Under Alternative Modified 8, a peer review process would need to demonstrate that management is needed within Riparian Conservation Areas (see Chapter 2). Recovery rates for riparian habitats would generally be expected to increase in areas where management activities were limited, such as riparian areas in Alternatives 2, 5, 6, and 8. Ability to meet aquatic management strategy goal for special aquatic features (Springs, Vernal Pools, Meadows, Bogs and Fens). Risks to special habitats (such as springs, bogs, and fens) would be reduced under implementation of Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8, and Modified 8. These alternatives establish specific areas where watershed restoration would be emphasized and, in the case of green zones in Alternative 5 and critical refuges in Alternative 2, where damaging management activities would be reduced or eliminated. In addition, springs, bogs, and fens that overlap with occupied TES amphibian, willow flycatcher sites, willow flycatcher emphasis habitat, or important bird areas (IBAs) would have reduced risk associated with livestock grazing. Alternative 8 Modified has a 300-foot buffer for Special Aquatic Features, which is larger than for the other alternatives. The standard and guideline for protection of bogs and fens makes Alternative 8 Modified superior to the others from the standpoint of protecting these fragile areas and the rare plants dependent upon them. Ability to meet aquatic management strategy goal for watershed condition. Management activities in upland and transition areas can impact riparian plant communities. These impacts usually result from removing vegetative and other soil cover. Management activities, such as timber harvest, road construction, mining, livestock grazing, water diversion, and prescribed fire, remove vegetation and disturb soils. Alternatives 2, 5 and 8 propose fewer management activities across landscapes, and would therefore generally maintain the greatest soil cover. Levels of management activities under Alternatives 3 and 6 would have less risk to watershed conditions than Alternatives 1, 4, and 7. Implementation of Alternatives 1, 4, 7, and Modified 8 would have higher risks of impacts to watershed conditions as these alternatives have higher levels of upland mechanical fuel treatments, although Modified 8 has larger Riparian Conservation Area buffers than 1, 4, or 7, thus entails less risk. Ability to meet Aquatic Management Strategy Goal for Floodplains and Water Tables. Riparian vegetation distribution and vigor is highly dependent on moisture availability in the water table. Livestock grazing, recreational activities, and other management activities that reduce vegetative cover can increase erosion, which may lead to down cutting of streams and lowering of water tables. When the water table is lowered, less moisture is available for riparian vegetation, and less desirable vegetation begins to replace desired riparian plants.



Alternatives 2, 5, and 8, and to a lesser degree Alternative 6 and Modified 8, would reduce management-related risks to water tables, based on a comparison of grazing standards and guidelines and restrictions on management activities in riparian areas and other areas (such as critical aquatic refuges). Alternatives 1, 3, and 7 would be less effective in reducing these risks. Alternative 4 would be the least effective alternative in reducing risks to floodplains and water tables. Risk to riparian systems posed by wildfire acres burned. Loss of vegetation from wildfires can increase erosion and degrade riparian habitats. The severity of these impacts would vary based on existing site conditions and the severity and location of the wildfire. The alternatives propose different strategies for reducing fuels, emphasizing various combinations of prescribed fire and mechanical fuels treatments. Section 3.5 of this chapter displays projected wildfire acres per year as averages from the SPECTRUM model. Risks to plants in these guilds from catastrophic wildfire and associated management during and after wildfire are greatest under Alternatives 1, 2, and 5; (80,000 acres per year projected to burn under Alternative 2), moderate under Alternatives 8, and Modified 8, and progressively lower in Alternatives 6, 3, and 4, lowest number of acres (less than 50,000 acres) projected to burn in wildfires under Alternative 4. Livestock effects on riparian and meadows ecosystems – grazing levels. For rare plants in riparian habitats, grazing and trampling by livestock is the most difficult threat to assess because exactly where the cattle will graze and trample is unpredictable. All the action alternatives are expected to help alleviate impacts to rare plants in riparian habitats. For species in mountain meadows but not specifically in bogs and fens (meadows and seeps guild), Alternatives 2, 5, 8, and Modified 8 provide the most protection, and are expected to provide the most rapid rate of improvement in ecological condition in poor sites (see Section 5.3, Grazing). Alternative Modified 8 specifically states that utilization levels will not exceed 30 percent in early seral meadows or if sensitive species are being impacted. Alternatives 1,3,4, and 7 would be expected to exhibit slower rates of recovery and provide less protection for rare plants due to the higher levels of livestock utilization permitted and the higher level of local discretion. For species of bogs and fens, the standard and guideline in Modified 8 provides superior protection by requiring inventory for bog and fen habitats and protection from impacts. Recreation impacts to riparian guilds. Recreation levels for the alternatives vary depending on how much land is in restrictive allocations, and which set of standards and guidelines applies. Alternatives 4 and 7 are expected to have the same rate of increase of visitor use as under current management (Alternative 1). Alternative 5 has a 14 percent reduction from the current rate, Alternatives 3, 8, and Modified 8 have about a 10 percent reduction, and Alternative 6 has about a 6 percent decrease. Please see section 5.6 for details. The rare plants that are impacted by trails and hikers, off-road vehicles, and other recreational activities would be best protected under Alternative 5, and least protected under Alternatives 1, 4, and 7. Consequences for Post-Fire Openings Guild

In contrast to the other guilds, species in the post-fire openings guild generally respond favorably to wildfires, especially in chaparral. They are adapted to stimuli associated with fire to cue their germination, and they thrive and reproduce only in the immediate post-fire



environment. Therefore, projected wildfire acres can be interpreted as potentially beneficial to this suite of species. As displayed in Section 3.5 Alternatives 2 and 5 are projected to result in significant increases in wildfire acres burned over current management, Alternatives 8 and Modified 8 would bring about moderate reduction in overall acres burned by wildfires, and Alternatives 3, 4, 6, and 7 would reduce the number of acres burned by wildfire. The benefits of prescribed burning are less clear. Alternatives that estimate a relatively large number of acres of prescribed burning have a greater likelihood that some of this burning would be conducted during the spring. This may or may not harm fire-followers. Studies are needed to ascertain the effects of spring burning on fire-adapted herbs and shrubs. Alternative 6 has the highest number of annual acres proposed for prescribed burning (approximately 83,000 acres per year), followed by Alternatives 8 and 7 with 69,000 and 60,000 acres respectively. Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5 have intermediate levels of prescribed burning, ranging from 39,000 to 54,000 acres annually. Alternative Modified 8 has 25,000 acres of prescribed burning, while Alternative 2 has the lowest number of acres at 15,000. The potential for noxious weed spread is greatest under Alternatives 1, since the standards and guidelines for weed management would not be in place. Under alternatives 4 and 7, the risk of weed spread is moderate, the new weed strategy has slightly less chance of succeeding under alternatives with higher levels of ground-disturbing management activities. Under alternatives 2, 3, 5, 6, 8 and Modified 8, the risk of weed spread is lowest for plants in the post-fire openings guild. Consequences for Interior Forest Guild

The need to maintain canopy cover of at least 60 percent in lady’s slipper habitat appears to be met under all alternatives. All alternatives have the common objective of increasing numbers of large trees and increasing canopy cover and density. Thus, at the Sierra-wide scale, the alternatives do not substantially vary for this habitat requirement. Site-specific attention to appropriate canopy cover and soil characteristics will be needed to ensure viability of lady’s slipper orchids. The likelihood of wildfires extirpating populations of lady’s slipper orchids is highest under Alternatives 1, 2, and 5. The risk is moderate under Modified 8, and least under alternatives 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8. The danger of losing populations to wildfire is offset by the risk of damage to soil structure, mycorrhizal relationships, and reductions in canopy cover caused by mechanical treatments. The alternative that provides best for the lady’s slippers is Modified 8, because of the commitment to conservation assessments for high-vulnerability species. Both lady’s slipper orchid species are in this category. Consequences for Gap Phase and General Openings guilds

The description of consequences under rock outcrops, cliffs, ultramaphic, and edaphic specialist guilds shows how the alternatives vary in acres of mechanical treatments, prescribed fire, overall treatment acres, wildfire risk, and recreation levels. The overall risk of direct damage from fuels reduction treatments to species in the gap phase and general openings guilds is lowest under alternatives 2 and 5, moderate under alternatives 3, 8, and Modified 8, and highest under alternatives 1, 4, 6, and 7. The risk of damage caused by fuels treatments is balanced by the risk of damage from activities associated with wildfires. Wildfire risk is greater than under current management under alternatives 2 and 5, and sequentially lower



under alternatives 8, 8 Modified, 7, 6, 3, and 4. These two types of risks tend to balance each other out, making it difficult to assess which alternative provides best for species of openings. Meaningful conservation will occur during project planning at the site-specific project level. The way that livestock affect species of temporally created openings is best gauged by overall number of cattle present on the allotments. The more livestock present, the higher the likelihood that damage will be done to species in the gap phase and general openings guilds. Generally these areas would be affected by livestock traversing them or using them for resting areas, rather than because they contain forage. Alternatives 2, 5, and 8 would have the lowest grazing levels and the greatest number of grazing restrictions. These alternatives would have lower numbers of cows or sheep than under current management and thus less likelihood of trampling through openings such as those required by species in these guilds. Alternatives 3, 6 and Modified 8, 6, and 7 have moderate reductions in Animal Unit Months over the present level. Alternatives 1, 4, and 7 place fewer restriction on grazing use, and allow the greatest degree of local discretion for determining season of use and stocking rate. Hence, risks to gap phase and general openings guild species are greater under these alternatives.

Consequences for high vulnerability species in relationship to the guilds

Of the high vulnerability species identified in this analysis, 10 species are in the riparian guilds, 6 are in the cliff or rock outcrop guilds, 7 are in either the gap phase or general opening guilds, 2 are in the interior forest guild, and 2 have “no guild” assigned (Brodiaea insignis and Fritillaria striata). Relative effects of the alternatives on these species are reported in the preceding effects sections for each of the named guild groupings. Fritillaria striatus and Brodiaea insignis fall within the Valley Grassland Munz type, and effects by alternative reported for the foothill woodland ecosystem are most applicable for these species at the Sierra-wide scale. Because these species are of particular vulnerability concern, they will require a higher level of management attention during landscape/watershed analysis or project development to identify and monitor both populations and habitat. Existing Condition and Environmental Consequences for rare plant species The following summarizes what is known about the existing condition, threats, and ecological requirements for each of the 135 Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive plants known to occur in the Sierra Nevada national forests. Refer to Appendix R, Tables 6-9 for summaries of this information. The Biological Evaluation determination (FSM 2670) that most appropriately reflects the consequences is found at the end of each species summary (for federally listed species, see Biological Assessment). For the most part, the determination does not vary among the alternatives. For all 135 TES plant species, it is assumed that all 8 action alternatives provide for improved conservation and protection of TES plants over existing direction because of Standards and Guidelines and because of improved opportunities for conservation of rare plants under all action alternatives. Biological Evaluations and Biological Assessments will be done for all ground-disturbing projects, and it is important to note that the site-specific planning level is in many ways, more meaningful for making determinations about viability than at the level of this programmatic planning document. This section supplements the preceding section, where the consequences of the alternatives on the ecological guilds are presented as relative risk to guilds. Please refer to that section to better understand the evaluation of the differences among the alternatives. Also, refer to the following section and to Table 4.6.3w for a display of viability outcomes as required by the National Forest Management Act. For such fine-grained resources as rare plants, the differences among the



alternatives do not result in differences in Biological Evaluation determinations for most of the individual species, thus the evaluation of consequences to guilds is most likely to show any differences that may exist for the habitats required by rare plants at the bioregional scale. Abronia alpina (Ramshaw Meadows abronia): This plant is endemic to Ramshaw and Templeton Meadows on the Inyo National Forest in Tulare County. It is narrowly restricted to the sandy meadow margin habitat on the borders of these meadows, where it is extremely vulnerable to trampling of the highly erosive sand. This species is not assigned to a guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable but the total population size is known to fluctuate widely. Therefore, it is difficult to determine trend. Identified threats to this plant include: trampling by livestock and recreationists and possible lodgepole invasion of habitat. The Inyo National Forest has taken measures to protect populations from trampling, and additional conservation actions are identified in a draft Conservation Agreement with US Fish and Wildlife Service. This species is in the low vulnerability group. For this species, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Grazing will continue in the area surrounding Ramshaw Meadow at some level under all the alternatives, and some incidental trailing through the habitat is possible. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Abronia nana ssp. covillei (Coville's dwarf abronia): This plant is known to grow in several areas but is not widespread. It grows on dry, carbonate slopes ranging from the San Bernardino Mountains to the New York, Inyo, and White Mountains; and in southwest Nevada. It grows in joshua tree woodland, pinyon juniper woodland, upper coniferous forest, and great basin scrub plant communities. It is assigned to the edaphic specialists guild. It is uncommon in the San Bernardino Mountains; known from about 5 locations. Two occurrences are known to grow on Inyo National Forest system lands. It is known to occur only in the Sheep Range of Clark County, Nevada. The trend for those plants growing in the San Bernardino Mountains is that those plants are in decline due to carbonate mining. The trend for other occurrences is unknown. Threats to this plant from management activities include carbonate mining, off-road vehicles, and livestock trampling. This species is in the moderate vulnerability group. One of the two Sierra Nevada occurrences is being impacted by grazing. Because this species grows in dry upland areas and grazing impacts are caused by trampling rather than directly by foraging, the differences among the alternatives with regard to grazing utilization levels do not change the outcome for this species. Some impacts from cattle trampling are likely to continue under all alternatives. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Allium jepsonii (Jepson's onion): This plant is known to grow in Butte and Tuolumne Counties. In Butte County, it is known to grow in serpentine soils in foothill woodland or mixed conifer forest. This plant is in the ultramafic guild. On the Plumas NF, it is known to occur on serpentine soils near Sawmill Peak, along Rocky Ridge, and near Hungary Hunt Peak. The trend for this plant in Butte County appears to be stable for those plants located on rock outcrops. However, population numbers may fluctuate in serpentine soils located off the outcrops depending on climatic fluctuation. The trend in Tuolumne County appears to be stable but there are mining activities proposed in the area. This species is in the moderate vulnerability group. For Allium jepsonii, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Allium tribracteatum (three-bracted onion): This plant is known to grow in the Crandall Peak and Hull Creek areas of Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties. Populations range in size from 5 individuals to more than 10,000 individuals. These plants are known to grow in chaparral and in lower and upper montane coniferous forests. This plant is grouped into the edaphic specialists guild. These onions grow on gravelly lahar (volcanic mud flow soils that are often referred to as lava caps). Lava caps are considered extremely fragile habitats that are subject to erosion and compaction when disturbed. The trend for these plants is unknown. This species is in the moderate vulnerability group. Management activity threats include recreation activities including off-road vehicles and timber harvest activities. For Allium tribracteatum, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Allium yosemitense (Yosemite onion): This plant is known to occur primarily in Mariposa County in the Merced River drainage. The Northernmost population is located in Tuolumne County in the Tuolumne River drainage. This plant has been found in rocky sites of granitic and metamorphic origin. This plant in the rock outcrop and cliff guilds. There are 13 known occurrences, 9 of which are located on the Sierra NF, 3 on Stanislaus NF, and 2 in Yosemite National Park. Populations generally consist of several hundred plants. Most populations are described as dense and vigorous. However, the population located at the El Portal barite mine is in decline and does not appear to be recovering from mining operations. The overall trend for these plants appears to be stable in other locations. Threats to this plant from management activities include use and maintenance of a recreational trail, and mining. A Memorandum of Understanding among the Forest Service, Caltrans, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Bureau of Land Management, and California Department of Fish and Game has been effective in minimizing threats to this plant within the Merced River canyon since 1994. This species is in the low vulnerability group. For Allium yosemitense, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Arabis bodiensis (Bodie Hills rock cress): This plant is known to occur in Fresno, Inyo, Mono, and Tulare Counties in California; and in western Nevada. It is known to grow in the Sweetwater Mountains, Bodie Hills, and in the southern and central high Sierra Nevada. There are 8 occurrences in California and 7 in Nevada. Some occurrences are in National Parks, and at least one is within national forest wilderness. It grows in the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. It is believed that the generalized habitat where it occurs indicates that it may be more widespread. Threats to this plant from management activities include impacts from sheep grazing, noted at one occurrence location. This plant is in the moderate vulnerability group. For Arabis bodiensis, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Arabis constancei (Contance's rock cress): This plant occurs on serpentine soil in scattered locations in the Plumas National Forest and southernmost part of the Lassen NF, in Plumas and Sierra Counties. There are 34 known occurrences on the Plumas National Forest in several parallel bands of serpentine. In some occurrences on the Plumas NF, the species grows on serpentine rock and in others on a developed serpentine soil. It is placed in the ultramafic guild. On the Lassen National Forest only one occurrence is known, and it occurs within a late-successional reserve under existing land plan direction. The known occurrences of this plant seem to be stable if they have not been impacted. However, many of the known occurrences have been impacted by various activities including mining, road building, timber harvest, off-road vehicle use, and recreation activities.



Threats to this plant from management activities include mining, timber harvest, road construction, off-road vehicle use, and recreational collecting of serpentine rock. This species is in the moderate vulnerability group. For Arabis constancei, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Arabis rigidissima var. demota (Carson Range rock cress): This plant is proposed for state listing as critically endangered in Nevada. There are only two occurrences known in California. The California occurrences are located near Martis Peak. There are eleven occurrences known to occur in Nevada in the Carson Range. Two other Nevada occurrences are located on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit near Mr. Rose in Washoe County. The California occurrences are located in Placer and Nevada Counties. This plant is known to grow in rocky openings above 7,500 feet. This plant has not been assigned a guild. These habitats are generally considered alpine habitats that are limited in distribution and are fragile, i.e. short growing season and not much resilience to disturbance. The trend for this plant is unknown although it appears to be stable on the LTBMU. Threats to this plant from management activities include ski area development; timber harvest; recreation trail construction, maintenance and use; and any activities that degrade air quality, cause erosion, or aid in illegal plant collection. The vulnerability rating for this species is low. For Arabis rigidissima var. demota, the alternatives do not differ significantly. Therefore, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Arctostaphylos nissenana (Nissenana manzanita): This plant is known to occur in Tuolumne and El Dorado Counties. There are 11 known occurrences. The El Dorado County occurrences are located on National Forest System lands (4) and private lands (6). Occurrences range in size from 5 to large number of individuals covering about 245 acres. The trend for these shrubs is unknown. It grows in areas of low productivity, usually on metamorphics. It is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. Threats from management activities include fire suppression activities such as landings and jump-off points, off-road vehicle use, fuel reduction projects, and special use permits for radio transmitters, etc. This shrub is in the low vulnerability group. Because more than half the occurrences are on private land subject to urban development, the outlook for this species as a whole is uncertain. On National Forest System lands, all alternatives have similar potential for continued threats from fire suppression and special uses. For Arctostaphylos nissenana, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus anxius (trouble milk-vetch): This plant is endemic to Ash Valley in Lassen County, California and the surrounding acres. There are 4 known occurrences: 1 large occurrence on BLM and private lands that totals about 10,000 plants, and 3 occurrences on Modoc National Forest system lands that total less than 1,500 individuals. The BLM occurrence is entirely within the Ash Valley Research Natural Area thus is protected from mining, logging, and woodcutting. This plant is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats from management activities include road construction, timber management activities such as landing placement, and location of salt licks. This plant is in the low vulnerability group. Alternatives 4 and 7, with higher numbers of acres of mechanical treatment, pose a moderate risk of inadvertent damage to Astragalus anxius plants and habitat, 3, 6, and 8 pose a moderate risk, and 2, 5, and Mod 8 the lowest risk. For Astragalus anxius, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Astragalus lentiformis (lens-pod milk-vetch): There are 55 documented occurrences of this perennial herb, all of which are located within the boundaries of the Plumas NF. These occurrences are restricted to the Beckwourth Ranger District of the Plumas NF. This plant is found on volcanic soils, between 4,500 and 6,500 feet in elevation in eastside pine, eastside pine/sagebrush scrub, or sagebrush scrub/grassy flats. It occurs in the edaphic specialists guild. The tolerance of this milk vetch to disturbance is unknown. This plant is known to grow in Plumas County from Squaw Valley, Lake Davis, and Claireville Flat east to Frenchman Lake. The trend for this narrow endemic is unknown. Botanists on the Plumas National Forest have observed that it is a disturbance follower that probably evolved with the natural disturbance of fire. Threats from management activities include fire suppression, livestock grazing, timber harvest, road construction, mining, reservoir construction, and utility line construction. However, as mentioned above, certain levels of soil displacement and disturbance may be beneficial. This species is in the moderate vulnerability group. For Astragalus lentiformis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus lentiginosus ssp. kernensis (Kern Plateau milk-vetch): In California, this plant is found on the Kern Plateau in Tulare County from Bald Mountain north to Volcano Creek. One occurrence is known from Charleston Peak in Nevada. This plant is known from less than 20 occurrences. The California occurrences are entirely within the Sequoia and Inyo national forests. It grows on dry gravelly or sandy slopes and flats usually around the large meadows of the upper Kern Plateau. It is often associated with Rothrock sagebrush, big sagebrush and/or lodgepole pine. It is not in a guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. Identified threats from management activities include cattle trampling, roads, and motorized and non-motorized recreational use. This species is in the moderate vulnerability group. The management direction in the action alternatives does not differ significantly with regard to habitat of this species. Grazing levels vary among alternatives, but the associated trampling cannot be directly correlated with utilization levels and trample and chisel standards. The 8 action alternatives provide improved direction for project-level survey and protection of sensitive plants, thus conservation of Astragalus lentiginosus var. kernensis would be improved over Alt. 1. For Astragalus lentiginosus var. kernensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus monoensis var. monoensis (Mono milk-vetch): The Mono milk vetch is an endemic of Mono County. It is reported from 19 occurrences with more than 100,000 individuals. It is primarily found in open pumice sand flats. This plant is not in a guild. Most occurrences are located on Inyo National Forest system lands and adjacent BLM lands. Monitored populations have fluctuated since 1982, but appear to have a stable trend overall. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing and trampling, road construction and maintenance, and timber harvest, although there is an apparent tolerance to least some periodic disturbance, based on the presence of plants on roadsides and turnouts. This plant is in the low vulnerability group. For Astragalus monoensis var. monoensis any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae (Pulsifer's milk-vetch): This plant is known to occur in Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, and Sierra Counties and in the state of Nevada. This narrow endemic is known from 6 occurrences on the north and eastern granitic slopes of Sierra Valley and in the Long Valley area near Beckwourth Pass on Plumas National Forest (4), on BLM (1) and private lands (1). It is also known from Lassen County and south Washoe County in Nevada. It is known to grow in volcanic soils in great basin scrub, pinyon and juniper woodlands, and lower montane coniferous forests



(Skinner and Pavlik 1994). This plant is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. The vulnerability grouping is moderate. Threats from management activities include utility line construction, road building, and fire salvage activities. This species does recruit after disturbance, but it is unknown to what extent disturbance causes extirpation and seed burial. For Astragalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus pulsiferae var. suksdorfii (Suksdorf's milk-vetch): This plant is known to occur in scattered locations in Plumas, Lassen, Shasta, and Modoc Counties in California. It is distantly disjunct in Washington state where it is state listed as threatened. There are 30 occurrences known in California, 2 which have not been relocated in recent years. On the Lassen National Forest this plant grows in loose sandy or gravelly soil openings in sagebrush scrub, lodge-pole, or eastside pine. On the Plumas National Forest it grows specifically on gravelly volcanic scalds and not in scrub or open pine. This plant is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. In some cases the adjacent habitats are occupied by the rare Astragalus lentiformis. Habitat is similar on the Modoc where it is associated with the rare Ivesia paniculata. The trend for Suksdorf's milk-vetch is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock trampling, off-road vehicles, and road construction. The vulnerability grouping is moderate. For Astragalus lentiformis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus shevockii (Shevock's milk-vetch): This plant is known from about 16 occurrences. It is an endemic to the lower portion of the Little Kern River drainage on the Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County. It is found in open Jeffrey pine forest with sandy, granitic soils and pine needle duff. This plant is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend is unknown. No threats are known. For Astragalus shevockii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Astragalus webberi (Webber's milk-vetch): This plant is a geographically restricted legume species that is limited to less than 10 populations in Plumas County. It was historically recorded as occurring in Sierra County in the Sierra Valley area. The sierra Valley occurrence has not been relocated since it was first recorded by Lemmon and associates. It is found on open brushy slopes and flats in pine forest or mixed pine and oak forests. The Plumas National Forest reports that this species is not habitat specific. This plant grows in the general openings guild. It is one of the few members of the genus that is native to the west slope of the northern Sierra Nevada. Most of the known occurrences are along highways on cutbanks or just within the forest edge. The trend is that this plant is declining. It isn't clear why this plant is no longer found in the 2 occurrence locations where it has disappeared, since no disturbance is evident at those sites. Threats from management activities include road maintenance and construction, trash dumping, vehicle parking, and timber harvest. For Astragalus webberi, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. The decline this species is experiencing is not helped nor made worse by any of the alternatives, although Alternatives 4 and 7 pose the highest level of risk because of the high level of ground-disturbing management activities. Conservation of this plant needs to be addressed at a site-specific level, and because it is a high-vulnerability species, it is a priority species for a conservation assessment and strategy under Modified Alternative 8. Botrychium ascendens, B. crenulatum, B. lineare, B. montanum (moonworts): The moonwort Botrychium are small, inconspicuous, perennial ferns. They are distributed across North America (B. ascendens to British Columbia and Nevada, B. crenulatum to Washington and Utah, and B.



montanum to British Columbia and Montana) but nowhere are they abundant. Overall plant numbers in California are low, and each occurrence often consists of only a few plants. It is difficult to tell the various Botrychiums apart. Botrychiums can be hidden by the taller grasses and other vegetation growing with them, and may have been overlooked because of this. B. ascendens and B. crenulatum grow in wet to moist meadows, while B. montanum is found in shaded coniferous forest areas near streams. They grow in moss, grasses, sedges, and rushes and other vegetation. The moonworts are grouped into the meadow and seeps, bogs and fens, nonforested lakeshore, and riparian forest guilds. The moonworts are sensitive to drought and may not appear in dry years. Botrychium are closely associated with mycorrhizal fungi at all life stages, so the most important habitat requirements are probably maintaining shade, soil moisture, and organic matter, and avoiding disturbance such as defoliation or root/mycorrhizal disruption. The trend for these moonworts is unknown. Identified threats from management activities include grazing and trampling by livestock, road construction and maintenance, recreation use, and harvesting of the plants as special forest products. The improved riparian protection under all the alternatives is expected to contribute toward conservation of these species. The higher level of activity under Alternative 4 poses more risk to these species. Because the Botrychium species are all identified as high-vulnerability species, they have priority for a conservation assessment and strategy under Modified Alternative 8. For the four sensitive Botrychium species, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Brodiaea insignis (Kaweah brodiaea): This plant was found historically in the lower Kaweah River drainage primarily, and also in the lower Tule River drainage, in Tulare County. Some of the occurrences on private and CDFG lands may have been extirpated since the 1980s. Historical occurrences and the re-introduced site in Tule Canyon between Lumreau and Coffee Camp (on Sequoia National Forest land) have not been re-located in recent years. This plant has been assigned to the general openings guild. The trend historically has been decline, but it is possibly stabilized currently. Threats from management activities include road maintenance and livestock grazing. Development is also a threat. The alternatives do not differ significantly in their effects on this plant. For Brodiaea insignis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Bruchia bolanderi (Bolander's candle moss): This moss is endemic to the California and Oregon. In the Sierra Nevada, it is known from fewer than 10 occurrences from Yosemite National Park south to Sequoia National Forest in Tulare County. It grows in meadow habitats in mixed conifer plant and subalpine communities. It is assigned to the meadow and seep and nonforested lakeshore guild. This moss grows in ephemeral habitats such as the sides of erosional ditches or streams in wet meadows. According to Dr. Dan Norris (Norris, pers. comm. 2000), this moss is more widespread than previously thought. This moss grows in ephemeral habitats along streams in wet meadows. In Oregon, it grows as individual plants among grasses or in large colonies in openings on disturbed soil with organic content. (Christy and Wagner, 1996). The trend is unknown. Threats include trampling of stream banks and any other activity that would increase erosion or alter hydrology. Alternatives 5 and Modified 8 provide the most assurance of conservation for this meadow plant because they have more stringent grazing guidelines, and Alternative 1 provides the least assurance because it doesn’t have the improved standard and guidelines for plant protection that the 9 action alternatives do. For Bruchia bolanderi, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Calochortus clavatus var. avius (Pleasant Valley mariposa lily): This plant is known to grow on the Eldorado National Forest and adjoining private lands in the area between Union Valley Reservoir and the North Fork of the Mokelumne River. It is currently known to occur at 124 locations within about 420 square miles. Of the 124 occurrences, 10 are located on private lands, 2 are located on private and National Forest lands, and the remaining 112 occur entirely on federal lands. (Dirk Rodriguez, Eldorado National Forest, 1998.) This plant grows on a variety of soils that include serpentine, volcanics, metamorphic, and sedimentary. These plants have been found in semi-open pine over bear-clover, and in areas with black oak, ponderosa pine, and canyon slopes, spurs, and ridges with southerly aspects. The guild for this plant is general openings. The trend for this plant is that it appears to be stable on the Eldorado NF. Individual numbers can fluctuate year-to-year due to climatic triggers and disturbances such as fire. Threats from management activities inlcude timber harvest, off-road vehicle use, livestock grazing, road construction and maintenance, use of herbicides, fire suppression, soil movement (land slides) and development. Of the 124 known occurrences, 30 occur within the geologically unstable Highway 50 corridor. For Calochortus clavatus var. avius, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Calochortus longebarbatus var. longebarbatus (long-haired star tulip): This plant is known to occur in Modoc, Shasta, and Siskiyou counties, and in the states of Oregon and Washington (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). It grows in seasonally wet meadows, often on edges of yellow pine forests or sagebrush flats. The guild for this plant is meadows and seeps. The number of known occurrences on the Modoc National Forest has increased due to extensive surveys on that forest. Recent monitoring of 6 occurrences on the Modoc National Forest indicates prolonged grazing has long-term effects. Overall trend is unknown at this time. Identified threats from management activities include livestock grazing, timber harvest, and right-of-way use such as natural gas pipelines. Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8, and Modified 8 provide better for the long-term conservation of this species because of the more restrictive grazing guidelines. For Calochortus longebarbatus var. longebarbatus, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Calochortus palmeri ssp. palmeri ( Palmer's mariposa lily): This plant occurs in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County, the Piute, Breckenridge, and Tehachapi Mountains of Kern County, the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, the La Panza range of San Luis Obispo County, the San Rafael Mountains of Santa Barbara County, and the Sespe Creek area in Ventura County. This plant occurs in meadows and seeps in chaparral and lower montane coniferous forest. The guild for this plant is meadows and seeps. The trend for this plant is unknown. However, according to CNPS Inventory this species is declining rapidly. Threats due to management activities include livestock grazing and trampling, off-highway vehicle use, and flooding and erosion caused by management activities. Alternatives 2, 5, 8, and Modified 8 provide better for the long-term conservation of this species because of the more restrictive grazing guidelines. For Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Calochortus striatus (alkali mariposa lily): There are nine general locations known for this plant that contain about 38 occurrences. This plant is known to occur from the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains to Nevada in Los Angeles. It is also known form San Bernardino and Nevada Counties in the western Mojave Desert and in the state of Nevada. It also occurs near Lake Isabella at the base of



the Piutes, the South Fork of the Kern River, and at low elevations of the Scodies. This plant occurs in alkali seeps, meadows and/or springs in moist creosote bush scrub. The guild for this plant is meadows and seeps. The trend for this plant is that it is in decline. Potential threats due to management activities include livestock grazing and trampling, mining, and off road vehicle use. Alternatives 2, 5, 6, 8, and Modified 8 provide better for the long-term conservation of this species because of the more restrictive grazing guidelines. At this point in time, Calochortus striatus, is not located within grazing allotments, so any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Calochortus westonii (Shirley Meadows star tulip): This plant is known to occupy an area about 50 miles (north-south) by 16 miles (east-west) in the Tule River and Kern River drainages of Tulare and Ken Counties. Habitat for this plant is typically partially open mixed conifer/black oak and associated dry meadow edges. Soils may be granitic or metamorphic and dry out early in the season. The guild for this plant is general openings. The trend is unknown but is presumed to be stable. It is believed that this plant can tolerate moderate disturbance and has the potential to colonize new sites when habitat conditions are suitable. Potential threats to the plant include timber harvest, livestock grazing, and noxious weed introduction and spread. For Calochortus westonii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Calycadenia oppositifolia (Butte County calycadenia): There are 3 occurrences on the Plumas NF, and 25 occurrences on private property. Population numbers range from very few to many. This plant is known to occur in Butte County only. The habitat is not specific. The guild for this plant is ultramafic outcrops. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, road construction and maintenance, off-road vehicle use, and development. Activities outside federal lands are more determining of the long-term future of this species. For Calycadenia oppositifolia, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Calyptridium pulchellum (Mariposa pussypaws): This plant is known from fewer than 10 occurrences. Only one occurrence is located on public land. It is known to occur in Mariposa and Madera Counties. This plant grows in foothill woodland and chaparral plant communities in gravel soil. The guild for this plant is rock outcrop. The trend is that this plant is in decline due to habitat alteration on private land. Threats on public lands include invasion by weedy plants (such as grasses) that encroach into the gravelly habitat and compete with this rare plant. See Biological Assessment for further information on this species. The alternatives do not vary in their effects on the one occurrence on National Forest System lands, which is fenced and protected. Calystegia atriplicifolia ssp. buttensis (Butte County morning-glory): This plant is moderately abundant within a limited range. It is limited to northern Butte, Tehama, and Shasta Counties. Most occurrences are located on private land. This plant grows on dry, mostly open slopes in pine forests and chaparral. This plant is in general openings guild. It is often found in disturbed areas such as skid trails, roadsides, thinned areas versus dense woods. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats include timber harvest, off-road vehicle use, and road construction and maintenance. The alternatives do not vary significantly for the few occurrences on National Forest System lands. For Calystegia atriciplifolia ssp. buttensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Camissonia sierrae ssp. alticola (Mono hot springs evening-primrose): This evening primrose is known from 16 occurrences. Numbers of plants within these occurrences varies per year due to rainfall patterns. It occurs in Madera and Fresno Counties. Plants are found in gravel and sandy soil in pans and ledges of granite outcrops. This plant is in the rock outcrop and general forest openings guilds. The trend is apparently stable. Threats include recreation use, road construction and maintenance, hydroelectric developments and facilities, and livestock trails. For Camissonia sierrae ssp. alticola, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Campanula wilkinsiana (Wilkin's harebell): This bellflower grows in relatively high elevation, perennially- wet streambeds and springs in the Trinity Alps and on Mount Shasta. It is known to occur in Trinity and Siskiyou Counties in California. One disjunct population in the northern Sierra Nevadas of Tehama County has not been seen since 1942 and may have been a mislabel of the specimen. This plant has been assigned to the meadow and seep and riparian forest guilds. The trend for this plant is declining. Threats to the plant from management activities include recreational trampling, road-building, timber harvest, and/or any activity that changes the water flows (especially at peak and base) in the watershed. Protective standards for riparian and meadow habitats under all the action alternatives should provide for conservation of Campanula wilkinsiana habitat. For Campanula wilkinsiana, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Carex tiogana (Tioga Pass sedge): This grass-like plant is restricted to central eastern Sierra in Mono County, from Parker Pass north to Virginia Lakes area. There are two occurrences on National Forest System lands on the Inyo National Forest and one on the Toiyabe NF. The guild for this plant is non-forested lakeshore. The trend and threats from management activities are unknown. The restrictions on trampling and chiseling from livestock and recreational activities may make Alternatives 5 and Modified 8 superior to the other alternatives for this species. For Carex tiogana, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Carpenteria californica (tree-anemone): This plant occupies a 225 square mile area of the San Joaquin and Kings River drainages. It inhabits a unique type of mixed chaparral, which is notable for the presence of Carpenteria as well as the absence of chamise. It is assigned to the fire opening and riparian woodland guilds. The trend appears to be stable. Threats include urban development on private land. Threats from Forest Service management activities include fire suppression, prescribed fire at the wrong time of the year, activities that promote invasive exotic weed infestation, and livestock grazing and trampling. Alternatives such as 6 and 8 that promote more prescribed burning and mechanical treatments potentially benefit this species, provided weed infestations are kept from worsening. For Carpenteria california, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Clarkia australis (Small's southern clarkia): This annual plant is known from less than 10 occurrences, some of which are quite extensive, comprised of up to 255 colonies. This plant is easily confused with Clarkia virgata, but recent genetic research has shown that true C. australis is known primarily from the Groveland Ranger District of the Stanislaus National Forest, with one occurrence within Yosemite National Park. Plants generally grow in ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forest, mostly on south aspects from 3300 to 6000 feet elevation. Clarkia australis is assigned to the general



openings guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include mechanical treatments, herbicide treatments during reforestation and site preparation, road maintenance, and possibly a lack of natural fire. For Clarkia australis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Clarkia biloba ssp. australis (Mariposa clarkia): This plant is known from less than 30 occurrences on Sierra and Stanislaus NFs, BLM, and private lands. Plants are known to occur in mixed chaparral/oak woodland habitats, and in openings in chamise chaparral habitats, on steep slopes. This plant is assigned to the gap phase and general openings guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats include road maintenance (includes herbicide spraying, road widening, and ditch cleaning), and any activity that promotes invasive exotic weed infestation. These plants are also located in areas that are naturally subject to frequent slope movement. In the Merced River Canyon, where most of the occurrences exist, a Memorandum of Understanding among the Forest Service, Caltrans, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Bureau of Land Management, and California Department of Fish and Game has been effective in minimizing threats to this plant since 1994. For Clarkia biloba ssp. australis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Clarkia biloba ssp. brandegeae (Brandegee's fairyfan): This plant is known to occur in Butte, Nevada, and Eldorado Counties, in Chaparral and Cismontane Woodlands (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). This plant is assigned to the gap phase and general openings guilds. Most occurrences are known to be located on road cutbanks. Most occurrences are on private land in areas subject to intense development pressures. General trends overall are unknown. This species is probably a fire follower. Threats include road construction and maintenance, and fire suppression. For Clarkia biloba ssp. brandegeae, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Clarkia gracilis ssp. albicaulis (white-stemmed clarkia): This plant is known to occur in Butte County. It occurs on Plumas National Forest and private lands. Each occurrence is composed of many individuals in a small cluster. It grows in the general openings guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. Threats from management activities include road construction and maintenance. For Clarkia gracilis ssp. albicaulis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Clarkia lingulata (Merced clarkia): This plant occurs in 2 populations in Mariposa County next to State Highway 140. The number of individuals in each population varies from year-to-year based on precipitation. It grows in mixed chaparral/woodland habitats, i.e. the general opening guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. Threats from management activities include noxious weed infestation and roadside maintenance activities. Much of the habitat is generally inaccessible. Therefore natural threats such as massive landslides are more of a concern. A Memorandum of Understanding among the Forest Service, Caltrans, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Bureau of Land Management, and California Department of Fish and Game has been effective in minimizing threats to this plant since 1994. The alternatives do not make a difference for this species, except that all the action alternatives provide improved direction on noxious weed management. For Clarkia lingulata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Clarkia mosquinii (Mosquin's clarkia): The plant is known to grow in Butte and Plumas Counties. This species is probably a fire-follower. It is placed in the general opening guild. This species has is high vulnerability because of the high risk to occurrences on private land and the need for openings created by fire. Trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include road construction and maintenance, and timber harvest. The outlook for this species is poor except for under the Preferred Alternative, which provides for the preparation of conservation assessments for high vulnerability species identified in this EIS. Since the primary concern for this species is based on threats outside of national forest lands, the determination for Clarkia mosquinii is that any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing for occurrences on National Forest System lands. Clarkia springvillensis (Springville clarkia): This plant is known to occur in Tulare County on National Forest System, BLM, California Department of Fish and Game, Tulare County Department of Education, and private lands. It is found in annual foothill grasslands, blue oak woodlands, and chamise chaparral plant communities. It is placed in the general openings guild. The trend for these plants is unknown. Numbers of plants within occurrences tend to be seasonally cyclic. Threats from management activities include road construction and maintenance, livestock grazing, and noxious weed infestation, although the Sequoia National Forest has taken measures to protect populations from excessive grazing and trampling. See Biological Assessment for further information on this species. Clarkia stellata (Lake Almanor fairyfan): This pink flowered annual is known from Plumas, Tehama, Nevada, Placer, and Yuba counties, and possibly Lassen county. It is known to grow in openings within conifer forest. It is placed in the gap phase and general opening guilds. The trend for this plant is increasing on the Tahoe and Lassen NFs and unknown for the Plumas NF. It frequently grows in areas that have been disturbed such as plantations and roadsides. This species appears to be a fire-follower. Threats include road construction and maintenance, timber harvest, and fire suppression. Noxious weed introduction and spread are also threats. For Clarkia stellata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Collomia rawsoniana (Rawson's flaming trumpet): This is a riparian perennial that is largely confined to streamsides and meadow edges. It is also sometimes found in areas where subsurface water is present away from streams and/or meadows. The entire distributional range of this relict species is confined to a 15 by 10 mile area in Madera County. Over 95 percent of the species range is located on the Minarets/Mariposa Ranger Districts of the Sierra NF. Research results suggest that this plant flowers best at a certain balance between light and shade. It is placed in the gap phase, riparian woodland, and riparian forest guilds. The trend is estimated to be stable as long as protective guidelines are maintained. Threats due to management activities include timber harvest, road building, livestock grazing, potential hydroelectric development, recreational trampling, fire suppression, and any other activity that would cause watershed degradation. For Collomia, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Cypripedium fasciculatum (Clustered Lady's Slipper Orchid): This plant is known to occur in Butte, Del Norte, Humboldt, Nevada, Plumas, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, San Mateo, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba counties, and in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. There are many occurrences, but most contain few plants. This plant is



considered threatened in the states of Idaho and Washington. It is a candidate for state listing in Oregon. This plant is known to occur on the Mendocino, Six Rivers, Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, Lassen, Plumas, and Tahoe NFs. It grows in moist conifer forests in partial shade and often on slopes. It is placed in the interior forest, gap phase, and riparian forest guilds. Formal studies of the response of Cypripedium species to disturbance are limited. However, it has been noted that when the vegetative stems of this plant are damaged, the plant showed reduced vigor the following year. In addition, it appears that in some cases C. fasiculatum does not tolerate low intensity fire that eliminates the duff layer (Harrod et. al. 1997). It appears that the optimum habitat conditions for C. fasciculatum are not found in early successional communities. Most populations are found in areas with relatively closed canopies that develop later in succession (Harrod et. al. 1997). A mycorrhizal symbiont(s) that is only found in mid-to-late successional forest communities may be necessary for Cypripedium species viability (Seevers and Lang, 1998). The trend for this plant is that it is declining, although further research may show that in some cases plants are merely dormant rather than extirpated. The Federal Register (9/30/93) lists the habitat for this plant as declining. The life history of Cypripedium fasciculatum appears to be quite complicated. The tiny seeds require the presence of a mycorrhizal fungus (possibly a Rhizoctonia) before they will germinate and that the fungal symbiont is necessary for development of plants, possibly throughout the life of the plant. Therefore establishment of new populations requires suitable conditions for the fungus, which are presumed to be moist and shady with adequate organic material to support growth of the fungus. Cypripedium fasciculatum has an apparent intolerance to intense disturbance that directly reduces the duff layer. Threats from management activities include any direct ground disturbance activities including timber harvest, mechanical fuels reductions, intense fire, recreation, livestock grazing, road and trail maintenance, and illegal collection. (Much of the information on Cypripedium fasciculatum is summarized from Seevers and Lang, 1998). All the action alternatives provide better for the conservation of Cypripedium fasciculatum than Alternative 1. Alternative Modified 8 provides additional assurance of long-term viability for this species because of the commitment to a conservation assessment. For Cypripedium fasciculatum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Cypripedium montanum (mountain lady-slipper orchid): The habitat for this plant is broad including moist conifer forests (Douglas fir, white fir, mixed conifer) in partial shade (canopy closure is generally between 60 and 80 percent) and often on slopes. It is also known to occur in oak woodlands and riparian areas. It is placed in the interior forest, riparian forest, and gap phase guilds. The range of distribution includes many counties throughout California from Del Norte to Sierra County. It also occurs in 6 other western states. The Six Rivers, Shasta-Trinity, Klamath, Sierra, Modoc, Lassen, Stanislaus, and Plumas National Forests have known occurrences of this plant. Trend appears to be down based on what is known about the complicated life history which includes mycorrhizal relationships, limited establishment factors, apparent intolerance to intense disturbance, and location (lands available to timber harvest). Threats due to management activities include ground disturbing activities including timber harvest, wild and/or prescribed fire at intense level, recreation, land exchange, livestock grazing, and poaching. Populations are often very small and highly isolated. There are concerns regarding overall viability related to the small size of occurrences and associated genetic fitness. (Much of the information on Cypripedium montanum is summarized from Seevers and Lang, 1998). All the action alternatives provide better for the conservation of Cypripedium montanum than Alternative 1. Alternative Modified 8 provides additional assurance of long-term viability for this species because of the commitment to a conservation assessment. For Cypripedium montanum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Dedeckera eurekenisis (July gold): This plant occurs in the Inyo, Last Chance, Panamint, and White Mountains. Nine of the 20 known occurrences are partially or entirely on the Inyo National Forest in Inyo and Mono Counties. The remaining populations are under the jurisdiction of BLM. It is known to occur in mixed desert scrub habitats on calcareous substrates, frequently on steep scree slopes and less commonly in adjacent washes. It is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. However, reproductive capabilities are limited and no seedlings or juvenile plants have been located in any populations. The trends for population size are unknown, but the lack of recruitment is cause for concern. The lack of regeneration appears to be the result of genetic factors affecting ovule abortion. Threats include mining and off-road vehicle use. For Dedeckera eurekensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Delphinium inopinum (unexpected larkspur): This plant is found in disjunct populations mostly in the Sequoia, Sierra, and Los Padres NFs. It is also found in Sequoia National Park and on BLM lands. It occurs in Fresno, Tulare, Inyo, Kern, and Ventura Counties. The habitats for this plant are dry rock outcrops and open rocky ridges in pine and red fir forests. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats from management activities include recreation trail construction, maintenance, and use; off-road vehicle use; timber harvest; and mining. For Delphinium inopinum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Dicentra nevadensis (Tulare County bleeding heart): This plant is known to occur in Fresno and Tulare Counties on Sequoia and Sierra NF, and Sequoia National Park. It grows in sandy, gravelly crevices and openings in usually dry, granitic soils. These habitats are potentially sensitive to disturbance. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include road maintenance, timber harvest, and recreational use (which includes illegal collection). For Dicentra nevadensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Draba monoensis (White Mountains Draba): This is a newly described species (1998). It is known to grow in wet alpine meadows at high elevations. It is placed in the meadow and seep guild. It is an endemic to the White Mountains in Mono County, California. There are 2 known occurrences. Both occurrences are on Inyo National Forest System lands. Trend is unknown. Threats due to management activities include research and/or recreational trampling and road maintenance. Wild horses may also be a threat (trampling). See consequences for riparian guilds. For Draba monoensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Epilobium howellii (subalpine fireweed): The subalpine fireweed grows in wet meadows and mossy seeps in subalpine coniferous forest, i.e. the meadow and seep guild. This plant is known from only 4 occurrences (documented from herbarium collections - no information given on numbers of plants in each occurrence). This species may have been overlooked in the past and therefore may be more common. However, based on current information, it is assumed to be very rare. It is known to occur in the Yuba Pass area in Sierra County, and 350 miles south to Fresno County, as well as the Twin Lakes area in Mono County. These sites are within the Tahoe, Sierra, and Inyo National Forests. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats due to management activities include road maintenance, recreational trampling, off-highway vehicle use, livestock grazing and trampling, and any other



activity that would change the flow and/or amount of water in wet meadows and mossy seeps. All the action alternatives provide better for the conservation of Epilobium howellii than Alternative 1. Alternative Modified 8 provides additional assurance of long-term viability for this species because of the commitment to a conservation assessment. For Epilobium howellii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Erigeron aequifolius (Hall's daisy): This plant is known from Tulare to Fresno County. Most of the recorded occurrences are in the Sequoia National Forest with occurrences also known in Sierra and Inyo NFs, and Kings Canyon National Park. One disjunct population is also known to occur on BLM land in Kern County. It grows on steep, rocky, granitic crevices with little or no competition from other species. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. Recreational hiking and rock climbing are threats to this plant. Populations are relatively stable due to the steep, rugged nature of the habitat, which makes the habitat inaccessible for timber harvest, livestock grazing, and most recreational activities. For Erigeron aequifolius, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Erigeron miser (starved daisy): This plant is known to occur in Nevada and Placer counties (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). It is a localized endemic of rocky places. The habitat for this plant is limited and fragile, i.e. short growing season and not much resilience to disturbance. There are currently over nine known occurrences all located in the Sierra Nevada Crest zone. This plant is known to grow in the clefts between granite outcrops at high elevations on the Tahoe National Forest. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. Most of the known occurrences appear to be stable. Threats to this plant include chemical leaks/spills from adjacent roads, pipelines and railroads; rock climbing; educational activities (geology and botany student collections), i.e. special forest product collection; and invasive exotic weed infestation. For Erigeron miser, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Erigeron multiceps (Kern Valley daisy): The habitat for this plant includes the drier portion of meadows (meadow edges) near mixed conifer and/or aspen plant communities, and gravelly creek banks and sandy flats. This plant has also been found on old roads, and in annual drainages and washes. This plant is placed in the general opening and meadow/seep guilds. Distribution is restricted to the northeastern portion of the Kern Plateau of Tulare County. It is known to occur on Sequoia and Inyo National Forest System lands and in Sequoia National park. The trend is unknown. Threats due to management activities include recreational use of the habitat, livestock grazing, and timber harvest. For Erigeron multiceps, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum breedlovei var. breedlovei (Breedlove's buckwheat): This buckwheat is restricted to the Piute Mountains of Kern County. It is found primarily on metamorphic (limestone/dolomite) rock outcrops, ridges, and summits (with some on granitic), in Jeffrey pine forests. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant is stable. Threats from management activities include timber harvest and mining. For Eriogonum breedlovei var. breedlovei, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum prattenianum var. avium (Kettle Dome buckwheat): This buckwheat is found from Fresno County north to Madera County. It occurs on the Sequoia and Sierra NFs. It is placed in the



rock outcrop guild. The trend is apparently stable. Threats include trail maintenance and construction, road maintenance and construction, mining, timber harvest, livestock trampling, and recreational activities such as camping and off-road vehicle use. For Eriogonum prattenianium var. avium, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum prociduum (prostrate buckwheat): This buckwheat is found in Lake and Klamath Counties in Oregon, Hays Canyon in Nevada, and Lassen and Modoc Counties of California. It grows on dry, rocky volcanic slopes and hills mostly in yellow pine and juniper woodlands. It is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. In Oregon there are concerns that this plant may be in a downward trend. In California this plant appears to be stable though very few young plants have been observed within occurrences. The location of occurrences for this plant make them ideal for road, landing, and salt lick placement. Mining is also a threat. For Eriogonum prociduum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum tripodum (tripod buckwheat): This shrubby buckwheat is known to occur in Amador, Colusa, El Dorado, Lake, Mariposa, Napa, Placer, Tehama, and Tuolumne Counties. It is known to grow in chaparral and cistmontane woodlands on serpentine soils (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). It is placed in the ultramaphic guild. There is one known occurrence of this species on the Eldorado National Forest and another occurrence on private land south of the town of Placerville. These occurrences contain an estimated 100+ and 50+ individuals respectively. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats include recreational activities such as off-road vehicle use, and invasive exotic weed infestation. Serpentine soils are extremely susceptible to accelerated erosion. For Eriogonum tripodum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum twisselannii (Twisselmann's buckwheat): This buckwheat is endemic to the Slate Mountain area of Tulare County. It occurs on the Sequoia NF. It is found on dry, granitic outcrops in Jeffrey pine-red fir forests. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats include timber harvest and off-trail recreation. For Eriogonum twisselmannii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum umbellatum var. glaberrimum (green buckwheat): The green buckwheat is found in California in Modoc County and in Oregon in the Warner and Steens Mountains. It occurs on the Modoc NF. Habitat for this buckwheat is sand and gravel soil within sagebrush plant communities. It is placed in the edaphic specialists guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include road construction, timber harvest activities such as the placement of landings, and prescribed burns. For Eriogonum umbellatum var. glaberrimum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriogonum umbellatum var. torreyanum (Donner Pass buckwheat): The current known distribution of this buckwheat is a thin 34 kilometer long, 2-6 kilometer wide band along the eastern side of the Sierra Crest (Sierra, Nevada, and Placer Counties). The species is known from highly erosive volcanic soils (meiss). It is known to occur on the Tahoe NF; about 7,000 individual plants scattered through sixteen occurrences. It has not been assigned to a guild. Initial evaluation of trend indicates a lack of stability, i.e. decline. Threats include mining, livestock grazing (sheep), timber harvest



activities, recreational activities including established ski areas, and possible wildlife introduction. For Eriogonum breedlovei var. breedlovei, alternatives 1 through 8 are likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing, and Alternative Modified 8 may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or lead to a trend toward federal listing. This is because under Modified 8, a commitment to conservation assessments for high vulnerability species such as this one. Eriophyllum congdonii (Congdon's woolly sunflower): This sunflower is known from the Sierra National Forest to the Stanislaus National Forest in Mariposa County. It also occurs in Yosemite National Park. It grows in cracks and on talus of metamorphic rocks in chaparral, cismontane woodland, and lower coniferous forest plant communities. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. Threats include mining, timber harvest, reforestation activities (especially herbicide use), road maintenance, trail reconstruction and maintenance, and recreational activities such as trampling. A Memorandum of Understanding among the Forest Service, Caltrans, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Bureau of Land Management, and California Department of Fish and Game has been effective in minimizing threats to this plant in the Merced River Canyon since 1994. For Eriophyllum congdonii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Eriophyllum nubigenum (Yosemite woolly sunflower): This sunflower is known to grow on the Stanislaus National Forest and in Yosemite National Park. It grows in open, rocky, shallow-soils n montane manzanita chaparral and upper montane coniferous forest. It is placed in the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant is unknown on the Stanislaus National Forest and stable in Yosemite National Park. Threats include fuelbreak contruction, trail reconstruction, rock climbing/scrambling, and other recreational activities. For Eriophyllum nubigenum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Erythronium pluriflorum (Shuteye Peak fawn lily): The range of distribution is locally abundant within a restricted geographic area, i.e. Madera County. This plant is known to occur in rocky sites and meadow-type sites in red-fir, lodgepole pine and/or subalpine forest dominated by western white pine and Jeffrey pine. It is assigned to the rock outcrop and meadow and seep guilds. The trend appears to be stable. Threats due to management activities include off-highway vehicle travel, livestock trampling, timber harvest, recreational use, and special use permits such as radio towers. For Erythronium pluriflorum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Erythronium tuolmnense (Tuolumne fawn lily): This fawn lily is known to occur only in Tuolumne County. It occurs on Stanislaus National Forest and private lands. These plants grow under broad-leaved upland forest, chaparral, and lower-montane coniferous forest plant communities. This species is placed in the riparian forest, cliff, and rock outcrop guilds. The trend for this plant is that it is in decline. Threats include livestock grazing; road construction, maintenance and use; recreation activities such as camping and off-road vehicle use; timber harvest activities; herbicide use; and special forest product (horticultural) use. For Erythronium tuolumnense, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Erythronium taylori (Pilot Ridge fawn lily): This fawn lily is currently known from the Stanislaus NF. It is known from one occurrence that was discovered in 1996. The cliffs on which the first



occurrence was found appear to be different in age and composition than the surrounding quartzite parent material of Pilot Ridge. This ridge is in the Sierran mixed conifer plant community. This plant is placed in the cliff guild. The trend for this plant is probably stable. Threats are unknown. For Erythronium taylori, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Fritillaria eastwoodiae (Butte County fritillary): The known range of this plant has historically been Shasta, Butte, and Yuba Counties in five distinct stable population centers. It is found on unprotected private land and National Forest System lands mostly on the Plumas NF. The majority of occurrences are known from locations that have not been disturbed. A small percentage are known from areas that are believed to have experienced a light disturbance. Forty-four occurrences are known from the Plumas National Forest but some have not been relocated after more than ten years after the occurrence was first discovered. Nine small occurrences of F. eastwoodiae have been discovered on the Tahoe NF. One unconfirmed occurrence is reported from the Lassen NF. This plant is known to grow in chaparral, mixed conifer, and ponderosa pine in open stands of timber. It grows on a variety of soils. Many of the flowers of the known F. eastwoodiae plants have only anthers present, thus seed production is not occurring. It is assigned to the gap phase guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. However, some of the occurrences on the Plumas National Forest have not been relocated. Some of the plants on the Plumas and Tahoe NFs are not reproducing. Threats include timber harvest, livestock grazing, off-road vehicle use, fire suppression, prescribed fire, and road construction. This species habitat is threatened by encroachment of woody vegetation when fire and other disturbances that would remove that woody vegetation are eliminated from that habitat. However, prescribed fire and other disturbances can kill or damage these plants if soil moisture is too high at the time of disturbance, or the disturbance is too severe. For Fritillaria striata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Fritillaria striata (striped adobe-lily): This plant is known to occur from Tulare County to Kern County. All known occurrences are on private lands. Some occurrences are near the boundary of the Sequoia NF. This plant is found in pockets of adobe clay soils in blue oak woodlands and grasslands. This plant is not assigned to a guild. The trend for this plant is that it is in decline. Threats are occurring on private lands in the form of agriculture activities, development, and livestock grazing. For Fritillaria striata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Galium glabrescens ssp. modocense (Modoc bedstraw): This plant is known to occur only in Modoc County in the central and southern Warner Mountains on Modoc National Forest and BLM lands. It is found on gravelly slopes, under the edges of rocks, and within sagebrush. It is assigned to the edaphic specialist and general outcrop guilds. The trend is stable. Threats include recreation activities including trail construction, maintenance, and use; and timber harvest activities. For Galium glabrescens ssp. modocense, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Galium serpenticum ssp. warnerense (Warner Mountains bedstraw): This bedstraw is known to occur in California on the Modoc National Forest and within the Warner Mountains in Oregon. It is found on talus slopes and in sagebrush plant communities. It is assigned to the edaphic specialists and general outcrop guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats include timber sale activities such as landing and road development, prescribed fire, and invasive-exotic weed infestation. For Galium



serpenticum ssp. warnerense, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Heterotheca shevockii (Shevock's hairy golden aster): This tall perennial herb is a localized endemic restricted to the Kern River Canyon between 1500 and 2600 feet. It occurs on the Sequoia National Forest and adjacent private lands in Kern County. This plant is scattered throughout the canyon, in what might be called one large metapopulation. Plants are more numerous toward the base of the slopes, near the Kern River and along State Highway 178. Plants respond well to disturbance, including fire. Habitat is granitic soils in interior live oak woodland. The blooming period is August through December. (Shevock, pers. comm. 2000). The guild for this plant is general openings. The trend is unknown, but there appear to be few threats at this time, primarily road maintenance and urban development. For Heterotheca shevockii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Horkelia hispidula (White Mountains horkelia): This plant is restricted to the White Mountains area of the Inyo NF. It is known from Inyo and Mono Counties. It is found in various sagebrush scrub plant communities frequently in small swales and drainages. It is not assigned to a guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats include livestock grazing and trampling, and road construction and maintenance. For Horkelia hispidula, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Horkelia parryi (Parry's horkelia): This plant is known to occur in Mariposa, Calaveras, Amador and Eldorado Counties. It is known to occur on the Stanislaus NF, private, and BLM lands. It grows in old tropical soils that are slightly acidic in plant communities that usually resemble Ione Chaparral (Holland 1986) or Ione Manzanita series (Sawyer and Keeler-wolf 1995). This plant is assigned to the edaphic specialists guild. The trend is stable for those occurrences located on the Stanislaus NF. The trend for other occurrences is unknown overall. Threats from management activities include reforestation and timber harvest activities, off-road vehicle use, and fuelbreak maintenance. For Horkelia parryi, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Horkelia tularensis (Kern Plateau horkelia): This plant is known to occur in Kern County on Sequoia National Forest lands. It is found in metamorphic or granitic gravelly soil located on rock outcrops and ridges in the upper montane coniferous forest plant community. It is assigned to the rock outcrop guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats from management activities include timber harvest activities, livestock grazing, and recreational activities. For Horkelia tularensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Hulsea brevifolia (short-leaved hulsea): This plant is known from less than 25 occurrences in the Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo NFs and in Yosemite National Park. It grows in granitic or volcanic soils in openings and in shade of mature forests. It is assigned to the gap phase and general opening guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include off-road vehicle use, timber harvest, reforestation, road and trail maintenance and construction, and possibly early season prescribed burning. For Hulsea brevifolia, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Hydrothyria venosa (veined water lichen): This aquatic lichen is known from less than 20 occurrences in California. It is found in cold unpolluted streams in mixed conifer forests along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada on the Sequoia, Sierra, and Stanislaus NFs. The California occurrences are disjunct from other occurrences in the United States. It is assigned to the riparian forest guild. This species is in decline throughout its historic range. None of the occurrences located on National Forest System lands are located in protected areas under current LRMPs. Identified threats due to management activities are any that change either the water chemistry, alter the stream channel, or significantly alter the riparian vegetation. These changes would increase the water temperature and/or increase water flows that scour the gravels and rocks where this lichen is attached. For Hydrothyria venosa, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Iliamna bakeri (Baker's globe mallow): This showy, perennial mallow is known from the Modoc Plateau and northern Cascade in northeastern California (Modoc, Lassen, Shasta, and Siskiyou Counties) to southern Oregon. (An apparent waif has also been recently collected from Tehama County.) Less than 25 occurrences are reported across its range. Occurrences are highly scattered and usually associated with fire or other large disturbance. It grows in large openings within sagebrush, juniper woodlands, lava beds, or forested areas. It is assigned to the post-fire and general opening guilds. The trend is unknown. As a fire dependent species, many times it will come back as the dominant species in the first year after a fire but is soon outcompeted by other plants. Many of the known occurrences are remnant plants from older fires. A recent review of this plant found it much more rare than previously thought in California and Oregon. Threats from management activities include fire suppression, livestock grazing, plantation maintenance, and any other management activity that would allow competition of other plant species. For Iliamna bakeri, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Ivesia aperta var. aperta (Sierra Valley Ivesia): Ivesia aperta var. aperta is known from Plumas, Sierra, and Washoe and Storey Counties in California and Nevada. The majority of occurrences in California are located in the Sierra Valley area. Most of the known occurrences are located on private land. This plant is found at meadow edges, in ephemeral stream channels, in meadow flats, and on gentle, rocky slopes near springs. It occurs in sagebrush plant communities at the floor of the eastern Sierra Nevada. The hydrology of these habitats is easily changed, and they are prone to rapid erosion. This plant is assigned to the meadow and seep and vernally wet guilds. This plant appears to be in decline across its range. Reproduction does not appear to be occurring at levels that would maintain viability. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing and trampling, road construction and maintenance, mining, fire suppression activities (fire camps), and off-road vehicle use. Occurrences on private lands are threatened by habitat conversion, etc. The Tahoe, Plumas, and Toiyabe NFs have a conservation strategy in place for management of this plant. The most common management prescription is for protection from direct and indirect impacts. For Ivesia aperta var. aperta, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Alternatives with more restrictions on grazing provide better for conservation of this species (2, 5, 8, Mod 8), and because it is a high vulnerability species, Ivesia aperta var. aperta will have a conservation assessment conducted under Alternative Modified 8. Ivesia aperta var. canina (Dog Valley Ivesia): Ivesia aperta var. canina is known only from the Dog Valley area, Toiyabe National Forest, in Sierra County. This location is about 2 miles from the eastern boundary of the Tahoe NF. The habitat for this plant appears to be similar to Sierra Valley



Ivesia. The Toiyabe National Forest is currently in the process of developing a conservation agreement with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). This conservation agreement will outline management plans for keeping this plant from being listed as threatened or endangered. Some of the Sierra Valley Ivesia occurrences that are located on Plumas and Tahoe NFs may be Dog Valley Ivesia. This plant is assigned to the meadows and seeps and vernally wet guilds. The trend appears to be down based on the need for a conservation agreement. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, off-road vehicle use, recreation activities, mining, prescribed fire, timber harvest support activities, reservoir proposals, and any other activities that would change the hydrology of the area. For Ivesia aperta var. canina, Alternatives 1 through 8 are likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing, and Alternative Modified 8 may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Modified 8 involves a commitment to conducting a conservation assessment for this high vulnerability species, thus the conservation outlook for this species is improved over the other alternatives. Ivesia paniculata (Ash Creek Ivesia): This plant is only found in and around Ash Valley in Lassen County on BLM, private, and Modoc National Forest lands. It grows on open volcanic ridges, gravelly flats, and openings within juniper and eastside pine forest plant communities. It is assigned to the edaphic specialists guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats include timber harvest activities, and road construction and maintenance. For Ivesia paniculata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Ivesia sericoleuca (Plumas Ivesia): This plant is found in the vernally wet parts of meadows and alkali flats, and in vernal pools. These habitats are not widespread and are sensitive to changes in hydrology and to erosion. It is known to occur on National Forest System and private lands in Plumas, Placer, Sierra, and Nevada Counties. It is assigned to the meadow/seep and vernally wet guilds. This plant has a downward trend across its range due to lack of reproduction, and levels of disturbance that are occurring at known sites. Threats from management activities include recreation activities, off-road vehicle use, fuelwood gathering, target shooting, livestock grazing, mining, fire suppression camps, military practice camps, timber harvest activities such as landings, road building and maintenance, land exchange, wildlife introduction (turkeys), and any activity that changes the hydrology and/or increases erosion. The Tahoe, Plumas, and Toiyabe NFs have a conservation strategy in place for management of this plant. The most common management prescription is for protection from direct and indirect impacts. For Ivesia sericoleuca, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Alternatives with more restrictions on grazing provide better for conservation of this species (2, 5, 8, Mod 8), and because it is a high vulnerability species, Ivesia sericoleuca will have a conservation assessment conducted under Alternative Modified 8. Ivesia webberi (Webbers Ivesia): This plant is known to occur on open patches of dry, barren ground of volcanic ash in Sagebrush Scrub. It has been found on open summits and ridge tops, and in meadow areas on drier, raised hummocks. Portions of potential habitat for this species (on the Tahoe National Forest and Plumas National Forest) were surveyed as part of a cost-share agreement with The Nature Conservancy and the Tahoe and Plumas National Forests in 1990. Only one occurrence of this plant was discovered within the Tahoe National Forest administrative boundary. This occurrence is located in Sierra Valley area on private property. The rest of the known occurrences for this species are located on the Toiyabe National Forest and Plumas National Forest. This plant is



assigned to the meadow and seep guild. The trend for this plant is currently unknown. However, the habitat is similar to that of Sierra Valley and Plumas Ivesia. Therefore this plant may also be in a downward trend due to lack of reproduction or recruitment of new plants. Threats from management activities are the same as those listed for Plumas Ivesia. For Ivesia webberi, Alternatives 1 through 8 are likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing, and Alternative Modified 8 may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Modified 8 involves a commitment to conducting a conservation assessment for this high vulnerability species, thus the conservation outlook for this species is improved over the other alternatives. Juncus leiospermus var. leiospermus (Red Bluff dwarf rush): This small, annual rush grows in the northern Sacramento Valley (Butte, Tehama, and Shasta Counties), and is disjunct on Lassen National Forest lands in eastern Shasta County. There is also an unconfirmed report from Placer County. Most occurrences are on low elevation private lands. Much of this type of habitat on private land has been altered or is threatened. This plant grows on vernal pool edges and seasonally wet swales with clay soil and relatively low cover. It is assigned to the vernally wet guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. However, some occurrences on private land appear to have been extirpated. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, road construction, timber harvest, and any activity that changes the hydrology of the wet areas where it grows. For Juncus leiospermus var. leiospermus, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lewisia cantelovii (wet-cliff Lewisia): This plant is known to grow on wet metamorphic and granitic rock cliffs and outcroppings in the Feather and Yuba River drainage systems in Plumas, Sierra, and Nevada Counties, and in Shasta County along the Sacramento River above Shasta Reservoir (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). This plant is typically associated with moss or club moss growing on rock formations within these river canyons. It is assigned to the riparian forest and cliff guilds. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. However, monitoring of known occurrences on the Tahoe National Forest in 1999 and 2000 showed dramatic reductions in some locations due to poaching of the plants. If this poaching rate continues, the overall trend for this plant will decline. Threats to this plant from management activities include developed trails and other trails near occurrences (increases access), mining, reservoir/hydroelectric development, prescribed fire, road maintenance, rock sources, plant collecting, and dispersed camping. Many of the occurrences located on the Tahoe National Forest are in areas that are popular river recreation sites. The Eldorado, Plumas, Shasta Trinity, and Tahoe NFs completed a conservation strategy for this plant in 1997. The most common management prescription is for protection from direct and indirect impacts. For Lewisia cantevolii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lewisia disepala (Yosemite lewisia): This Lewisia is known to occur in Mariposa, Madera, Fresno, Tulare, and Kern Counties on National Park, National Forest System, and BLM lands. It grows on pans and shelves of granite gravel found on and next to outcrops surrounded by coniferous forest. Plants emerge in the winter, and bloom and set fruit by early in the spring; in many cases before access roads are clear of snow. This plant is assigned to the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats include off-road vehicle use; recreational activities including hiking, camping, target shooting, and rock collection; timber harvest activities; and fuelbreak construction. For Lewisia disepala, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing



Lewisia longipetala (long-petaled lewisia): These plants are known to occur in a narrow band of subalpine plant communities at the Sierra Nevada summit, west of Truckee and south to Desolation Wilderness in El Dorado, Fresno, Nevada and Placer Counties. This plant is endemic to the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and Eldorado and Tahoe NFs. The habitat for this plant is the north/northeast side of the ridgetops where snow persists late into the season. This plant is not assigned to a guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats include ski area development; timber harvest activities; recreation trail construction, maintenance, and use; and plant collection. For Lewisia longipetala, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lewisia serrata (sawtoothed Lewisia): The habitat for this plant is steep, metasedimentary bedrock outcrops and cliffs in the American River watershed. Most plants are found in the inner gorges of perennial streams, although a few occurrences are found near seeps and intermittent streams. The factors responsible for the limited distribution of this plant have not been identified. This plant is assigned to the riparian woodland and forest guilds. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. Monitoring on the Tahoe and Eldorado NFs has shown no declines except for those sites that have experienced poaching (illegal collection of plants). Threats are very similar to those listed under Lewisia cantelovii. The main risk factor for this species is illegal poaching by plant collectors. Severe losses to poaching were noted in 2000. The Eldorado, Plumas, Shasta Trinity, and Tahoe NFs completed a conservation strategy for this plant in 1997. The most common management prescription is for protection from direct and indirect impacts. For Lewisia serrata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Limnanthes floccosa ssp. bellingeriana (Bellinger's meadowfoam): This plant is known from southern Oregon (Jackson and Klamath Counties), and is disjunct in eastern Shasta County, California. One historic and two recent Lassen National Forest occurrences are known from the north part of the Hat Creek Ranger District. The habitat for this plant is moist meadow and seasonally moist-wet sites in stony, clay flats or on gentle slopes. This plant is placed in the vernally wet guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, timber harvest, recreation activities, fire suppression, prescribed burning, and road construction and/or maintenance. For Limnanthes floccose ssp. bellingeriana, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lomatium stebbinsii (Stebbins lomatium): This plant is known to occur in Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties. All except one occurrence is located on private lands. The remaining occurrence is located on Stanislaus National Forest system lands. These plants grow in chaparral and lower and upper montane coniferous forest plant communities in gravelly lahar (volcanic mud flow soils often referred to as lava caps). Lava caps are extremely fragile and subject to erosion and compaction when disturbed. This plant is assigned to the vernally wet and edaphic specialists guilds. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats to known occurrences include recreation activitie such as off-road vehicle use, and timber harvest. For Lomatium stebbinsii,, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus (orange lupine): This plant is restricted to Madera and Fresno Counties on public and private lands. It grows in granite outcrops and the associated gravel soil within



chaparral, foothill woodland, ponderosa pine and mixed conifer forest plant communities. It is assigned to the general openings and rock outcrop guilds. The trend for this plant is unknown, but it is likely stable on National Forest System lands and at risk on private lands. Threats from management activities include development and maintenance of transmission line corridors including herbicide use; off-road vehicle use; illegal dumping; livestock trampling and bedding; timber harvest activities; and infestation of invasive-exotics. The greatest threat to occurrences on private land is development. This plant appears to tolerate some limited disturbance of its habitat, especially when the disturbance occurs while the seeds are dormant. For Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lupinus dalesiae (Quincy lupine): This plant is known to occur in Butte, Plumas, Sierra, Yuba, and Nevada Counties in California. It occupies metasedimentary and metavolcanic open canopy sites in mixed conifer forest plant communities. It is assigned to the gap phase and general opening guilds. The trend for this plant is stable. Threats include road construction and maintenance; timber harvest, release, and site preparation activities; mining, and off-road vehicle use. Development is a threat on private lands. For Lupinus dalesiae, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Lupinus padre-crowleyi (Father Crowley's lupine): It is found in the eastern Sierra Nevada from Summit Meadows in Tulare County to Wheeler Ridge in Mono County. All occurrences are located on the Inyo NF. This plant is known to grow in flats and meadows in the sagebrush scrub plant community. It is assigned to the general opening and riparian forest guilds. Trend for this plant is unknown. However, initial review of monitoring data from 4 plots indicates a downward trend. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, road construction and maintenance, and recreation. For Lupinus padre-crowleyi, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing Meesia triquetra (moss): This moss is limited in distribution and numbers in California. Occurrences are known from Sierra, Sequoia, Plumas, and Tahoe NFs and Sequoia National Park. This moss seems to prefer acidic meadows with Sphagnum (sphagnum moss), Drosera (sundew), and Vaccinium (huckleberry) associates. Cold spring fed fens in the meadow also seem essential. It requires permanent saturation and is not found in meadows that dry out. It is assigned to the bog and fen and meadow and seep guilds. The overall trend for this moss is that it is in decline. It may be extremely sensitive to alterations in meadow hydrology, especially when accompanied by an increase in temperature. Threats from management activities are any that change the hydrology of meadows; i.e. timber harvest, livestock grazing, road construction, construction of fuel breaks, recreation activities, etc. Collection may also be a threat. For Meesia triquetra, Alternatives 1 –8 are likely to lead to a trend toward federal listing because there is no specific direction for protection of bogs and fens. Alternative Modified 8 may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing, because of the standard and guideline requiring inventory and protection of bogs and fens. Meesia uliginosa (moss): The range for this moss is disjunct, but it is known to occur from Siskiyou County south to Tulare County. M. uliginosa is known from fewer than 10 collections. Populations of M. uliginosa are reported to be small and infrequently encountered. Most known occurrences are located in the southern Sierra Nevada. This moss grows in permanently wet, primarily spring fed meadows. These meadows are generally in the upper levels of mixed conifer to subalpine forests.



Occurrences are not restricted to a particular meadow type. This moss is assigned to the bog and fen and meadow and seep guilds. The trend is in decline since several historic sites have not been relocated and/or the habitat has been degraded. Threats from management activities are any that change the hydrology of meadows; i.e. timber harvest, road construction, construction of fuel breaks, recreation activities, etc. Collection may also be a threat. For Meesia uliginosa, Alternatives 1 –8 are likely to lead to a trend toward federal listing because there is no specific direction for protection of bogs and fens. Alternative Modified 8 may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing, because of the standard and guideline requiring inventory and protection of bogs and fens. Mimulus evanescens (ephemeral monkeyflower): This annual monkeyflower is known from only a handful of scattered locations in northeastern California, eastern Oregon, and southwest Idaho. It is known to grow in Modoc and Lassen Counties in California. This plant is known to grow in wet to moist soil near seasonal wetlands in the sagebrush plant community. It is assigned to the meadow and seep and vernally wet guilds. Since this is a newly described plant species, and little is known about it, the trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock trampling or any other activity that would change the hydrology of the occurrence area. For Mimulus evanescens, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Mimulus filicaulis (slender-stemmed monkeyflower): This plant has a fairly narrow range of distribution in that all but one occurrence have been found south of the Main Fork of the Tuolumne River. It is known to occur on the Stanislaus NF, Yosemite National Park, and on private properties. This monkey flower occurs in a variety of ephemerally wet sites in westside ponderosa pine, mixed conifer, and montane chaparral plant communities. It is assigned to the meadow and seep, vernally wet, and riparian woodland guilds. Trend for this plant is unknown on the Stanislaus National Forest and stable in Yosemite National Park. Threats from management activities include timber harvest, reforestation, recreation, and road maintenance. For Mimulus filicaulis, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Mimulus gracilipes (slender-stemmed monkeyflower): This monkeyflower is known to occur in Mariposa, Tuolumne, and Fresno Counties on Sierra NF, Yosemite National Park, and private lands. It grows in the gravel near and on rock outcrops and in burned areas in chaparral, foothill woodland, and lower coniferous forest plant communities. Some populations of this species appear to exist as dormant seeds in the soil seed bank except for areas recently burned/disturbed. The guilds for this plant include rock outcrop and general openings. The trend is unknown. Threats include noxious weed infestation, road maintenance, fire suppression, and possibly others. The biggest threat on private lands is development. For Mimulus gracilipes, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Mimulus pulchellus (pansy monkeyflower): This plant is known to occur in the Sierra Nevada in Calaveras, Mariposa, and Tuolumne Counties. This monkeyflower grows in vernally wet areas in lower coniferous forest. It is assigned to the general opening, vernally wet, and meadow and seep guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats include off-road vehicle use, timber harvest and livestock grazing on National Forest System lands. Residential development is the major threat to occurrences located on private properties. For Mimulus pulchellus, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Mimulus shevockii (Kelso Creek monkeyflower): This plant is an endemic to the tip of the southern Sierra Nevada range in Kern County. Occurrences are known from BLM and private lands. It is not known to occur on National Forest System lands. It is found on coarse, sandy, loam and loose, granitic gravels and sands in Joshua tree and pinyon-pine woodlands. These habitats and plants are vulnerable to disturbance. This plant is assigned to the general openings and gap phase guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats include development, off-road vehicle use, and livestock grazing and trampling. For Mimulus shevockii, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Monardella follettii (Follett's monardella): The known distribution of this plant is from the Northern Sierra Nevada in Plumas and Nevada Counties (Skinner and Pavlik 1994). There are 6 known occurrences at this time, 4 located on National Forest System lands on the PNF, one occurrence located on private lands west of the TNF, and one on the LNF. This plant is known to grow on serpentine soils that are open and partially under a canopy in mixed conifer forest. It is assigned to the ultramafic and general openings guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats include timber harvest and associated activities such as landing placement; road construction and maintenance; and fire suppression. Development is the major threat on private properties. For Monardella follettii, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Monardella linoides ssp. oblonga (flax-like monardella): This plant is found in Kern, Tulare, and Ventura Counties. All known occurrences are found on National Forest System lands. It grows on rock outcrops and decomposed granite soils in the yellow pine forest plant community. It is assigned to the general opening and rock outcrop guilds. The trend is stable to increasing. Threats include road and trail mintenance and off-road vehicle use. One known occurrence was treated with a thinning prescription and it responded well. Another known occurrence responded well after a wildfire. For Monardella linioides ssp. oblonga, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Monardella stebbinsii (Stebbin's monardella): This species is known from only five locations in Plumas County. It is known to grow on barren, sandy to gravelly ledges on steep outcrops or steep scree slopes of serpentine in the North Fork Feather River drainage. It occurs on Plumas National Forest system lands. Due to the steep unstable scree habitat, additional fieldwork is needed to determine the complete range of this species. Two of the occurrences are found along roadways, which has impacted the species. It is assigned to the ultramafic guild. The trend for this plant is that it is in decline. Threats include any management activities that would contribute to landslides, road maintenance activities, using these habitats as rock sources, and mining activity. For Monardella stebbinsii, any alternative may affect individuals, but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Navarretia peninsularis (Baja navarretia): This plant is known from the Tehachapi Mountains to Baja California. It occurs in San Diego, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Kern, and Ventura Counties. The occurrence record listing Ventura County may be in error. This plant is typically found along the edges of vernal creeks, meadows, and snowmelt seeps within pinyon-juniper woodland and yellow pine forest plant communities. It is assigned to the lakeshore guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include gold-panning, off-road vehicle use, camping, and livestock grazing. For Navarretia



peninsularis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea (yellow bur navarretia): This plant is a highly localized subspecies that is restricted to a narrow east-west band that is 18 miles long and 8 miles wide in El Dorado County. About two thirds of the occurrences are located on federal land and the rest are found on private land. These plants grow in openings in or adjacent to mixed conifer forest plant communities. Most are found on a very shallow, cobbly, sandy loam soil. This plant is not assigned a guild. The trend is stable. Threats from management activities are not expected to be detrimental unless whole occurrences are extirpated since this species responds well to disturbance. Threats on private property include development. For Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Navarretia setibiloba (Piute Mountains navarretia): This plant is found in Kern and Tulare Counties. All known occurrences are located on private and BLM lands. These plants grow in heavy, clay soils in the foothill grassland, blue oak, and pinyon-juniper woodland plant communities. This plant is assigned to the gap phase guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include development, off-road vehicle use, and livestock trampling. For Navarretia setiloba, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Nemacladus twisselmannii (Twisselmann's nemacladus): The 2 known occurrences of this plant are known from Tulare and Kern Counties on Sequoia National Forest system lands. It grows on arid, decomposed granitic gravels and sand that are located on ridgetops and rock outcrops in open Jeffrey pine forest plant communities. It is assigned to the gap phase guild. The trend is unknown. There are no anticipated threats. For Nemacladus twisselmanii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Orcuttia tenuis (slender Orcutt grass): This plant is found in northern California in Lake, Sacramento, Tehama, Shasta, Siskiyou, Lassen and Plumas Counties. These locations are located in the Sacramento Valley, Sierra Nevada foothills, Cascades, and Modoc Plateau. The Lassen National Forest is the only known National Forest to have this plant. This plant is limited to vernal pools. It is assigned to the vernally wet guild. The trend for this plant is appears to be stable on National Forest and BLM lands. Some private land occurrences in the Sacramento Valley have been extirpated. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, recreation, trail construction, off-road vehicle use, and any activity that would change hydrology and or soil movement. Please see Biological Assessment for the determination. Oreonana purpurascens (purple mountain-parsley): This plant is known to occur on the Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park in Tulare County. It is found on ridgetops and rock outcrops and in gravelly openings of decomposed granitic or metamorphic soils in red fir forest plant communities. It is assigned to the rock outcrop guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable. Threats from management activities include timber harvest, and related activities, road construction, trail maintenance, trampling, and off-road vehicle use. For Oreonana purpurascens, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Oreostemma elatum (Plumas aster): This plant is known from eight occurrences in Plumas County (Plumas National Forest system and private lands). It grows in perennially wet meadow habitats in mixed conifer plant communities. It is assigned to the meadows and seeps and bogs and fens guild. The trend for this recently described species is unknown. Threats from management activities include mining, road building, livestock grazing, and recreation activities. For Oreostemma elatum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Orthotrichum spjutii (moss): This moss is known from only one site in the world, on a rock face in the high Sierra Nevada in the Sonora Pass area. The occurrence is in Mono County on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. This moss seems to have very restricted microsite requirements, growing on continuously misted, shaded granitic rock faces. This moss is assigned to the general cliff guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include over-collection and rock climbing. For Orthotrichum spjutti, Alternatives 1 –8 and Modified 8 may affect individuals but are not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Modified 8 has the best conservation outlook because of the commitment to conservation assessments for high vulnerability species. Penstemon papillatus (Inyo beardtongue): This plant is endemic to the eastern Sierra Nevada. All known occurrences are located in the Inyo National Forest except for one occurrence that is also partly located on private land. It occurs in Inyo and Mono Counties. This plant grows on slopes in rocky openings of pinyon pine, mountain mahogany, sagebrush scrub, Jeffrey pine and lodgepole pine plant communities. It is not assigned to a guild. The trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, road and trail construction and maintenance, and recreation use. The portion of the occurrence located on private land may be threatened by development. Penstemon personatus (closed-throated beardtongue): This plant is known to occur in Butte, Nevada, Plumas, and Sierra counties. There are three known occurrences on or near Tahoe National Forest system lands. Two occurrences are known from the Lassen NF. On the Plumas NF, this species is known from two large population centers east and south of Bucks Lake with thousands of plants and five smaller occurrences, the smallest with less than 10 plants on the western half of the Plumas NF. This plant is known to grow in westside mixed conifer and/or red fir plant communities. It is assigned to the gap phase and general opening guilds. The trend appears to be stable. This plant appears to tolerate limited disturbance that does not change the microhabitat. Threats from management activities include road construction and maintenance, timber harvest activities, timber site preparation and release, high intensity burn piles, livestock grazing, mining, and off-road vehicle use. For Penstemon personatus, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Phacelia inundata (Playa phacelia): This plant is known to occur in Modoc and Lassen Counties in California, western Nevada, and southern Oregon. Until recently, Oregon and California both listed this plant as rare in the state but more common elsewhere. Though it is widely scattered throughout three states, records indicate only 13 occurrences are known. This plant is known to occur in alkaline flats and dry lake margins. It is assigned to the vernally wet guild. The trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock trampling and any activity that changes the hydrology of the occurrence. For Phacelia inundata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Phacelia monoensis (Mono County phacelia): This plant is known to occur in Mono County of California, and Esmeralda and Mineral Counties of Nevada. There are less than 40 occurrences known. Population size varies from year-to-year for this annual plant. This plant appears to prefer disturbed areas where it colonizes barren or sparsely vegetated soils. It is found in low sagebrush steppe or pinyon-juniper woodlands. It is assigned to the edaphic specialists general openings guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include any activity that promotes invasive weed infestation, mining, and road maintenance. For Phacelia monoensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Phacelia novenmillensis (Nine Mile Canyon phacelia): This plant is known to occur in Tulare, Inyo, and Kern Counties. It is known to occur on Sequoia National Forest and BLM lands. Habitat consists of dry, disturbed banks and gravelly, rocky soils in Jeffrey pine and pinyon-juniper woodland plant communities. It is assigned to the general opening guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include activities off roads (vehicles and foot), recreation development, and livestock grazing. For Phacelia novenmillensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Phacelia stebbinsii (Stebbin's phacelia): This plant is limited in distribution, i.e. the Rubicon and American River drainages. This plant is currently known to exist only within the greater boundaries of the Tahoe and Eldorado NFs, with occurrences located on private and National Forest System lands. It is known to grow on a wide variety of soils. It is assigned to the gap phase and rock outcrop guilds. On the Eldorado NF, the trend appears to be stable. On the Tahoe NF, the trend is unknown. Threats on the Eldorado National Forest are unlikely except for possible hydroelectric development due to remoteness of habitat. Threats on the Tahoe National Forest include mining; road and trail construction; and recreation activities such as fishing, off-road vehicle use, dispersed camping, hiking, and river access for swimming. For Phacelia stebbinsii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Pogogyne floribunda (profuse-flowered pogogyne): This annual is limited to the Modoc Plateau in northeastern California in Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Lassen Counties. Almost all of the roughly 45 occurrences known are on Lassen or Modoc National Forests, or BLM lands. This plant grows in silver sagebrush basins, vernal pool edges, swales, and other seasonally wet, eastside areas. It is assigned to the vernally wet guild. The number of known occurrences has been increasing over the last few years due to increased survey efforts. However, the trend is unknown. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing and trampling, off-road vehicle use, road construction, and development of wetlands. Both the Modoc and the Lassen NFs have active wetland development programs. For Pogogyne floribunda, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Polyctenium williamsiae (William's combleaf): This plant is known from northwestern Nevada in Washoe, Nye, Lyon, Douglas, Esmeralda, and Mineral Counties. It also occurs in Mono County, California. Two occurrences are located on private lands but the majority of occurrences are located on federally owned lands (BLM, DOD, and Inyo and Toiyabe NFs). Polyctenium williamsae and P. fremontii var. confertum have recently been determined to be the same species, i.e. P. williamsae (Morefield, pers. comm. 1998). This plant is found around the margins of seasonal lakes on volcanic substrates in pinyon-juniper/sagebrush plant communities. This plant is assigned to the vernally wet



guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include cattle trampling, off-road vehicle use, mineral exploration and development, road construction, and water improvements. For Polyctenium williamseae, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Polygonum polygaloides ssp. esotericum (Modoc County knotweed): This plant is found in Modoc County on National Forest, BLM, and private lands. It is known to occur in vernal swales. It is assigned to the vernally wet guild. The trend for this plant is unknown. Threats from management activities include road construction and wetland development. For Polygonum polygaloides ssp. esotericum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Pyrrocoma lucida (sticky Pyrrocoma): This plant is found in meadows and alkali flats in Plumas, Sierra, and Yuba Counties. Occurrences are found on Plumas and Tahoe National Forest System and private lands. It is assigned to the meadow and seep and vernally wet guilds. The trend for this plant is that it appears to be in decline. Sticky Pyrrocoma grows in habitats similar to Ivesia sericoleuca. These habitats are fewer in number. Also, most occurrences are either unprotected on private land or repeatedly grazed on National Forest System lands. Threats from management activities include reservoir development, meadow restoration, off-road vehicle use, recreation activities, fire suppression camps, military camps, prescribed burning and other fuel treatments, timber harvest associated activities such as landings, fuelwood gathering, and land exchange. For Pyrrocoma lucida, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Alternatives with more restrictions on grazing provide better for conservation of this species (2, 5, 8, Mod 8), and because it is a high vulnerability species, Pyrocoma lucida will have a conservation assessment conducted under Alternative Modified 8. Raillardiopsis muirii (Muir's raillardella): This plant occupies about a 200-mile band of the southern Sierra Nevada from Fresno to Kern Counties. There is also one disjunct population in the Los Padres NF. It is known to occur on National Forest System, BLM, and Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park lands. The habitat for this plant is granite ledges and cracks and/or gravelly or sandy flats within openings in chaparral, ponderosa pine, or mixed conifer forest plant communities. This plant is assigned to the rock outcrop guild. The trend appears to be stable. Threats from management activities include trail use by recreation users, livestock trampling, trail maintenance, and road maintenance. For Raillardiopsis muirii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Rorippa columbiae (Columbia yellow cress): This plant is found scattered from Washington and Oregon (along the Columbia River) to northern California. In California it is known to occur in Modoc, Siskiyou, and Lassen Counties. This mustard family perennial is found in very diverse habitats that are inundated with water for at least part of the year; i.e. river banks, streams, wet meadows, lakeshores, or playas that are seasonally inundated. This plant is assigned to the vernally wet and nonforested lakeshore guilds. The trend appears to be in decline. Most of the Washington occurrences were extirpated by damming of the Columbia River system. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, timber harvest associated activities, road maintenance, and any activity that alters the hydrology of occurrences. In 1996 an interagency Conservation Strategy was developed in cooperation with interested federal and state agencies across California, Oregon and Washington to provide direction for minimizing or eliminating threats to this plant. For Rorippa



columbiae, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Rorippa subumbellata (Tahoe yellow cress): This plant is geographically restricted to the shoreline of Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada. It grows in the sandy substrate with little to no soil formation and good drainage. Plants are found where beaches are wide enough to offer a back beach area, out of wave action and behind the highest debris deposit line. There are six population sites on National Forest System lands and others on state and private lands. This plant is assigned to the lakeshore guild. The trend is difficult to assess since the shoreline habitat is constantly changing, i.e. it has an unknown trend. Threats from management activities include shoreline development and recreation activities. This plant is state endangered and a Federal candidate species. For Rorippa subumbellata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Rupertia hallii (Hall's rupertia): This plant is known to occur in a small area near the Butte and Tehama County line, near Butte Meadows and Campbellville. Known occurrences are located on Lassen NF, BLM, and private lands. It grows in openings in lower mixed conifer areas, pineries, or brushy black oak stands. It is assigned to the general opening guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include timber harvest, road construction and maintenance, and fire suppression. For Rupertia hallii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Scheuchzeria palustris var. americana (American Scheuchzeria): This perennial plant is known from only three extant occurrences in California: Willow and Domingo Lakes in Lassen National Forest and Little Willow Lake in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Historic records include a collection from Big Meadows that was inundated by the creation of Lake Almanor, and a vague report from Sierra County which has not been reconfirmed. Outside of California, it occurs in scattered locations up to Alaska and in eastern North America. It grows in sphagnum bogs. It is assigned to the bog and fen guild. The trend for this plant appears to be stable at Lassen National Forest occurrences. However, it was extirpated at Lake Almanor and has not been relocated in Sierra County. Threats from management activities include recreational trampling, helicopter mechanical treatments (dragging logs through bogs) livestock grazing, horticultural gathering, and any activity that changes the hydrology of the bog. For Nemacladus twisselmanii, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. However, Alternative Modified 8 contributes best to viability of this bog species because of the standard and guideline for inventory and protection of bogs and fens. Sedum albomarginatum (Feather River stonecrop): This plant is distributed on scattered serpentine areas in Butte and Plumas Counties, mainly on the Plumas National Forest in the Feather River drainage. Only one occurrence is known from the Lassen NF, covering about 20 acres and containing an estimated 1,000 plants. This occurrence is on the southwestern edge of the Lassen National Forest in the Yellow Creek area of the Almanor Ranger District. There are 20 documented occurrences of this species on the Plumas National Forest that vary in size from a few individuals to many acres in size. This plant grows in serpentine rock cliffs, outcrops, and slopes in mixed-conifer forests. Often, its microhabitat is shaded part of the day, either by trees or other rock outcrops. It occurs on both east and west facing slopes, generally in very steep areas. This plant has not been observed on disturbed sites on the Lassen National Forest. It is assigned to the ultramafic guild. The trend appears to be stable for most occurrences. A small portion of the occurrence along Highway 70 was obliterated to



rebuild the road (1986). Transplanting was attempted and only 25 of the 300 plants survived. Threats from management activities include road construction and maintenance, mining, horticultural collecting, and rock source use. For Sedum albomarginatum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Senecio eurycephalus var. lewisrosei (cut-leaved ragwort): This plant is distributed on serpentine areas in Butte and Plumas Counties, mainly in the Plumas National Forest. Three occurrences are known from the Lassen NF. There are 25 occurrences of this species on the Plumas National Forest in two bands of serpentine in the North Fork drainage of the Feather River and in the French Creek Basin. This plant grows in serpentine influenced soils and rocky areas in mixed-conifer forests. Its habitat requirements are apparently less restrictive than the other serpentine species, since it extends to serpentine influenced soils and is not limited to serpentine rock outcrops. This plant is found in disturbed and undisturbed habitats, including old road cuts, roadsides, skid trails, and at the edges of burn piles. However, it is not more visibly abundant in disturbed than undisturbed areas and its presence near some roads is probably more an indication of its midslope preference than roadside preference. It is assigned to the general opening and ultramafic guilds. The trend appears to be stable. Threats include timber harvest, off-road vehicle use, and prescribed burning on private lands. Threats from management activities on public land include road construction. For Senecio eurycephalus var. lewisrosei, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Senecio layneae (Layne's ragwort): This plant is known to occur in El Dorado and Tuolumne Counties. There are about 36 occurrences of this species. Of the 32 known occurrences in El Dorado County, four are located on the Eldorado NF, one is located on a state-owned ecological preserve, and the remainder are found on private lands in and around the community of Cameron Park. It grows on serpentine or gabbro soils in chaparral and cismontane woodland plant communities. It is assigned to the ultramafic guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include development, livestock grazing, road construction, and off-road vehicle use. For Senecio layneae, please see the Biological Assessment. The alternatives do not differ significantly for this species. Silene occidentalis ssp. longistipitata (western campion): This perennial has been historically reported from eastern Shasta to northern Butte and northwestern Plumas Counties. Within the last 60 years, only eight occurrences have been seen (and three of these have not had plants in subsequent years), all on or near Lassen National Forest lands. This plant grows in openings in coniferous forests. It is assigned to the gap phase, general openings, and riparian woodland guilds. The trend is unknown. Threats include timber harvest, and recreation activities such as dispersed camping and off-road vehicle use. For Silene occidentalis ssp. longistipitata, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Streptanthus cordatus var. piutensis (Piute Mountains jewel-flower): This plant is found in the Piute Mountains of Kern County on BLM, Sequoia NF, and private lands. It grows on various soils along roadbanks and cliffs in pinyon-juniper woodland plant communities. It is assigned to the general openings guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include road maintenance and widening. For Streptanthus cordatus var. piutensis, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Streptanthus oliganthus (Masonic Mountain jewel-flower): This jewel-flower occurs in Inyo and Mono Counties in California; and in Lyon, Mineral, and Esmeralda Counties in Nevada. It occurs on



Inyo and Toiyabe NF, and BLM lands. It typically grows on rocky slopes or talus, or in ravines, on sandy or gravelly soils of decayed granite or decomposing volcanic rock. On the Toiyabe National Forest it has been reported to grow along roadsides and in old mine dumps. It is assigned to the general opening guild. The trend is unknown. Threats include mining, livestock grazing, road maintenance and off-road vehicle use. For Streptanthus oliganthus, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Trifolium bolanderi (Bolander’s clover): This plant is found in Mariposa, Madera, and Fresno Counties. It occurs in 38 meadows on Sierra National Forest system lands and in 8 meadows in Yosemite National Park. It is restricted to montane meadows between 6800 and 7300 feet elevation. It is assigned to the meadow and seep guild. The trend appears to be stable. However, there is a lack of information regarding the response of this plant to cattle grazing and trampling. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, timber harvest, hydroelectric development, and other special use activities. For Trifolium bolanderi, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Tuctoria greenei (Greene’s tuctoria): This plant is extant in Tehama, Butte, Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, and Shasta Counties. It has been extirpated from Madera, Fremont, and Tulare Counties. This is a vernal pool plant. It is assigned to the vernally wet guild. The trend is that this plant is declining. About 1/3 of the known occurrences are extirpated. Most occurrences are on private land. Threats from management activities include livestock grazing, and any activity that changes the hydrology of the vernal pool. Only one population of this federally listed plant occurs where this EIS could have any effect on its habitat: a vernal pool on private land within the administrative boundary of the Lassen National Forest. Alternative Modified 8 may provide best for this plant because the 300 foot buffer for vernal pools extends from the edge of the vernal pool on private land onto National Forest System lands where permitted cattle graze. Please see Biological Assessment for more details. Vaccinium coccinium (scarlet huckleberry): The current distribution of the "Scarlet Huckleberry" is from Nevada County north to Alaska. In the Klamath Range and in Oregon this plant isn't as habitat specific. This plant is known to grow in moist slopes, drainages and meadows within mixed conifer or red fir forest. It is assigned to the riparian forest guild. The trend for this Vaccinium appears to indicate that it is in decline due to impacts and disease. However, there are some questions regarding whether this Vaccinium is a valid species. Threats to this moist habitat include mining, timber harvest, fuelwood gathering, livestock grazing, road construction and maintenance, and recreational activities. It is believed that periodic fire may benefit this plant. For Vaccinium coccineum, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing. Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea (grey-leaved violet): This plant is known from Fresno, Tulare, and Kern Counties and the San Bernardino Mountains. It is known to occur on San Bernardino, Sierra, and Inyo NFs and other lands. It grows on slopes and sand flats bordering meadows in red fir forest through the foxtail forest and above timberline. It is not assigned to a guild. The trend is unknown, but during the field season of 2000, many additional occurrences were discovered on the Inyo National Forest. Threats include development on private property and off-road vehicle use and livestock grazing on public lands. For Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea, any alternative may affect individuals but is not likely to contribute to a loss of viability or to lead to a trend toward federal listing.



Estimating potential for individual species viability by alternative

As in the focal animal species analysis, a set of “outcomes” was used to evaluate the potential for long term species viability based on habitat and population conditions likely to occur under each alternative. The outcome statements used were modified to reflect the naturally limited and patchy distribution of TES plant species, however this concept was difficult to apply to rare plants. For the 28 high vulnerability species, the primary measure used for comparing the alternatives was the set of “key” threats, those believed to have the most impact on the rare species. The alternatives were assessed as to their likelihood of mitigating or exacerbating the key threats. Forest Service botanists determined how well each of the alternatives provided habitat support for rare plant populations on National Forest System lands using one set of statements. They also assessed the potential outcome for the species populations throughout their distribution using a second set of outcome statements. The following outcome statements were used to characterize current habitat on National Forest System lands in relationship to historic (pre-1850) conditions. Current conditions (alternative 1) were also projected into the future (50 years from present) for the different alternatives. In the outcome statements, “well-distributed” is in reference to the historic range of the species, not necessarily the entire 11 national forests in the planning area. “Stable” implies self-sustaining populations that are reproducing sufficiently that extinction probability is low.

Environmental Outcomes on National Forest System Lands A. Habitat is of sufficient quality, distribution, and abundance to allow the species population

to remain stable or stabilize, well distributed, across National Forest System (NFS) lands

B. Habitat is of sufficient quality, distribution, and abundance to allow the species population to remain stable or stabilize, but with significant gaps in the historic species distribution on NFS lands. These gaps cause some limitation in interactions among local populations.

C. Habitat only allows continued species existence in isolated patches relative to the historic

distribution, with strong limitations on interactions among or within local populations.

D. Habitat conditions likely result in the loss of populations (occurrences) such that the potential for extirpation from NFS lands is high.

E. The cumulative effects of all threats to the species were described using the following

population outcome statements. This portion of the analysis provides information relevant to the entire distribution of the species, on and off National Forest System Lands.

Population Outcomes, All Lands A. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions allows the species

population to remain stable or stabilize, well distributed across its historic range.

B. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions allows the species population to remain stable or stabilize, but with significant gaps in the historic species distribution. These gaps cause some limitation in interactions among or within local populations.

C. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions only allows

continued species existence in isolated patches relative to the historic distribution, with strong limitations on interactions among or within local populations.



D. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions likely results in the loss of populations (occurrences) such that the potential for species extirpation is high.

It is assumed that for all the rare plant species, the pre-1850 condition is best described by “A” for both types of outcome statements. Table 4.6.3w displays the best professional judgment of Forest Service botanists for the current outcomes and for the next 50 years under each alternative. When considering any one rare plant species with an extremely limited distribution, there may not be discernable differences among the alternatives that would translate to different viability outcomes. When looking at guilds, the alternatives can be seen to differ. The guild concept is a habitat model that helps to display how the alternatives might vary over such a large planning area (11.5 million acres). Conservation of these fine-grained species is best defined and achieved at a more site-specific scale than the entire Sierra Nevada. The selection of a particular outcome statement for a species was based in part on the following logic: For species that have a large proportion of occurrences on private lands, the population outcome (all lands) was judged to be poorer than the habitat outcome on National Forest System lands, especially when urban development was given as one of the primary threats. For many species, the default outcome statement was “B” for habitat outcomes because there is no evidence that many rare species were ever more common. Outcome “A” may be more appropriate, but “B” is chosen to be conservative. For high vulnerability species listed in the affected environment section, the outcome was generally judged to be better under Alternative Modified 8, because this is the only alternative that contains a commitment to preparing a minimum of 2 conservation assessments per year for the 28 high vulnerability plant species identified in this FEIS. For species of bogs and fens with poor outcomes under Alternatives 1-8, Alternative Modified 8 was judged to better provide for viability because of the specific Standard and Guideline for inventory and protection of bog and fen habitats.



Table 4.6.3w. Comparison of Habitat and Population Outcome Class for Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Plant species by alternative. SPECIES NAME Current

Habitat Current

Population Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6 Alt 7 Alt 8 Mod 8

H = Habitat, P=Population H P H P H P H P H P H P H P H P H P

Abronia alpina B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Abronia nana ssp. covillei B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Allium jepsonii B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Allium tribracteatum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Allium yosemitense A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Arabis bodiensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Arabis constancei B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Arabis rigidissima var. demota B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Arctostaphylos nissenana B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Astragalus anxius A B A B A B A B A B A B A B A B A B A B

Astragalus lentiformis B B C C B B B B C C B B B B C C B B B B Astragalus lentiginosus var. kernensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Astragalus monoensis var. monoensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Astragalus pulsiferae var. pulsiferae C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Astragalus pulsiferae var. suksdorfii C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Astragalus shevockii B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Astragalus webberi D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Botrychium ascendens C C C C C C C C D D C C C C C C C C B B

Botrychium crenulatum C C C C C C C C D D C C C C C C C C B B

Botrychium lineare C C C C C C C C D D C C C C C C C C B B

Botrychium montanum C C C C C C C C D D C C C C C C C C B B

Brodiaea insignis N/A* C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C

Bruchia bolanderi B B C C B B B B C C B B B B C C B B B B

Calochortus clavatus var. avius B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B



SPECIES NAME Current Habitat

Current Population

Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 Alt 6 Alt 7 Alt 8 Mod 8


Calochortus longebarbatus var. longebarbatus B B C C B B B B C C B B B B C C B B B B

Calochortus palmeri var. palmeri C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Calochortus striatus C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Calochortus westonii C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Calycadenia oppositifolia B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Calyptridium pulchellum B C C D C D C D C D C D C D C D C D C D Calystegia atriplicifolia ssp. butensis B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Camissonia sierrae ssp. alticola B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Campanula wilkinsiana B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Carex tiogana B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Carpenteria californica B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Clarkia australis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Clarkia biloba ssp. brandegeae B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Clarkia biloba ssp. australis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Clarkia gracilis ssp. albicaulis B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Clarkia lingulata A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Clarkia mosquinii C C C D B D B D C D B D B D C D B D B D

Clarkia springvillensis A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Clarkia stellata B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Collomia rawsoniana B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B A A

Cypripedium fasciculatum C C C C B B B B C C B B B B C C B B B B

Cypripedium montanum C C C C C C C C D D C C B B C C B B B B

Dedeckera eurekensis A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Delphinium inopinum A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Dicentra nevadensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Draba monoensis B B B A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Epilobium howellii C C C C B B B B C C B B B B C C B B B B




Current Population



Erigeron aequifolius A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Erigeron miser B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Erigeron multiceps B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B Eriogonum breedlovei var. breedlovei B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Eriogonum prattenianum var. avium B B B B A A A A B B A A A A B B A A B B

Eriogonum prociduum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Eriogonum tripodum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Eriogonum twisselmanii A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A Eriogonum umbellatum var. glaberrimum C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Eriogonum umbellatum var. torreyanum D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D C C

Eriophyllum congdonii B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Eriophyllum nubigenum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Erythronium tuolumnense B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Erythronium pluriflorum B B B B B B B B B B A A B B B B B B A A

Erythronium taylori B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Fritillaria eastwoodiae C C C D B D B D B D B D B D B D B D B D

Fritillaria striata B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C Galium glabrescens ssp. modocense B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Galium serpenticum ssp. warnerense B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Heterotheca shevockii A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Horkelia parryi B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Horkelia tularensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Hulsea brevifolia B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Hydrothyria venosa C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C B B

Iliamna bakeri B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Ivesia aperta var. canina C C D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D C C




Current Population



Ivesia aperta var. aperta C C C D C D D D C C B C C C C C B C B C

Ivesia paniculata B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Ivesia sericoleuca C C C D C D D D C C B C C C C C B C B C

Ivesia webberi C C D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D C C Juncus leiospermus var. leiospermus C C C C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Lewisia cantelovii B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Lewisia disepala B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Lewisia longipetala B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Lewisia serrata B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Limnanthes ssp. bellingeriana B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Lomatium stebbinsii B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Lupinus citrinus var. citrinus B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Lupinus dalesiae B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Lupinus padre-crowleyi B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Meesia triquetra D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D C C

Meesia uliginosa D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D C C

Mimulus evanescens C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Mimulus filicaulis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Mimulus gracilipes B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Mimulus pulchellus C C C C C C C C C C B C C C C C C C B C

Mimulus shevockii N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B N/A B

Monardella follettii C C C C B B C C C C C C B B C C B B B B

Monardella linoides ssp. oblonga A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

Monardella stebbinsii C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Navarretia peninsularis B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Navarretia prolifera ssp. lutea B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Navarretia setiloba N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C




Current Population



Nemacladus twisselmannii B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Orcuttia tenuis A C A C A C A C A C A C A C A C A C B B

Oreonana purpurascens B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Oreostemma elatum C C C C B B C C C C B B B B C C B B B B

Orthotrichum spjutii C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Penstemon papillatus B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Penstemon personatus B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C

Phacelia inundata B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Phacelia monoensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Phacelia novenmillensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Phacelia stebbinsii B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Pogogyne floribunda B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Polyctenium williamsiae B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B Polygonum polygaloides ssp. esotericum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Pyrrocoma lucida C C C D C D D D C C B C C C C C B C B C

Raillardiopsis muirii B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Rorippa columbiae C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Rorippa subumbellata C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C

Rupertia hallii B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C Scheuchzeria palustris ssp. americana C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C B B

Sedum albomarginatum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B Senecio eurycephalus var. lewisrosei B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Senecio layneae B C B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B Silene occidentalis ssp. longistipitata C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C C B B

Streptanthus cordatus var. piutensis B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Streptanthus oliganthus B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B




Current Population



Trifolium bolanderi B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Tuctoria greenei N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C N/A C

Vaccinium coccineum B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B

Viola pinetorum ssp. grisea B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B *N/A = no known populations on FS lands

Environmental Outcomes on National Forest System Lands

A. Habitat is of sufficient quality, distribution, and abundance to allow the species population to remain stable or stabilize, well distributed, across National Forest System (NFS) lands B. Habitat is of sufficient quality, distribution, and abundance to allow the species population to remain stable or stabilize, but with significant gaps in the historic species distribution on NFS

lands. These gaps cause some limitation in interactions among local populations. C. Habitat only allows continued species existence in isolated patches relative to the historic distribution, with strong limitations on interactions among or within local populations. D. Habitat conditions likely result in the loss of populations (occurrences) such that the potential for extirpation from NFS lands is high.

Population Outcomes, All Lands A. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions allows the species population to remain stable or stabilize, well distributed across its historic range. B. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions allows the species population to remain stable or stabilize, but with significant gaps in the historic species distribution.

These gaps cause some limitation in interactions among or within local populations. C. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions only allows continued species existence in isolated patches relative to the historic distribution, with strong limitations on

interactions among or within local populations. D. The combination of environmental (habitat) and population conditions likely results in the loss of populations (occurrences) such that the potential for species extirpation is high.