Forest Management

June 16-17, 2015 Analytical Results, Draft RMP/EIS Prepared By: Abe Wheeler

BLM

Resource Managem

ent Plans for Western O

regon

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BLM

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ent Plans for Western O

regon Next Steps

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Date Event April 24, 2015 Release of Draft RMP/EIS April 24-July 23, 2015 Comment Period May-December 2015 Develop and analyze Proposed

RMP/Final EIS Winter 2016 Publish Proposed RMP/Final EIS Winter-Spring 2016 Protest Period, Governor’s

Consistency Review, Resolution Spring 2016 Record of Decision

To submit comments: Interactive Map: www.blm.gov/or/plans/rmpswesternoregon/interactivemap Email: blm_or_rmpwo_comments@blm.gov Postal: Draft EIS for Western Oregon P.O. Box 2965 Portland, OR 97204

BLM

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ent Plans for Western O

regon Outline

• Brief Overview of Alternatives – Purpose and Need – Harvest Land Base Size – Intensity of Harvest – Restrictions on Timber Harvest

• Historical Context • Analytical Results

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BLM

Resource Managem

ent Plans for Western O

regon Purpose and Need

• Provide a sustained yield of timber • Contribute to the conservation and recovery of

threatened and endangered species, including – Maintaining a network of large blocks of forest to be

managed for late successional forests – Maintaining older and more structurally complex

multi-layered conifer forests • Provide clean water in watersheds • Restore fire-adapted ecosystems • Provide recreation opportunities • Coordinate management of lands surrounding the

Coquille Forest with the Coquille Tribe

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Draft RMP/EIS pg. xxiii

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ent Plans for Western O

regon Moist vs. Dry Forests

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Moist Forest- Coastal/north (Salem, Eugene, Coos Bay) Dry Forest - Interior/south (Roseburg, Medford, Klamath Falls) − Fire Resilience

− Fire Resistance

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regon

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• No Action Alternative (as written, not as implemented): – Moderate intensity regeneration harvest (VRH) in the harvest land base

(HLB). – Commercial harvest allowed in reserves for restoration purposes. – Moderate sized harvest land base. – Survey and Manage

Brief Overview of Alternatives NAA

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 32-33 Figure 2-2

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• Alternative A: – High intensity regeneration harvest (Clearcuts) in the HLB, except driest forests. – Small harvest land base. – Non-commercial restoration of young stands in moist forest reserves, forest

resiliency objectives in dry forest reserves – No surveys for marbled murrelets, red tree voles, or site management for northern

spotted owls

Brief Overview of Alternatives: Alt A

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 41 Figure 2-3/Table 2-4

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• Alternative B: – Moderate intensity regeneration harvest (outside NSO CHU)/low intensity

regeneration harvest (inside NSO CHU), except dry forests. – Moderate sized harvest land base – Active restoration in moist forest reserves; forest resiliency objectives in dry

forest reserves – Survey and protect: marbled murrelet (zone 1 only), red tree voles in north

coast distinct population segment.

Brief Overview of Alternatives: Alt B

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 46-47 Figure 2-4/Table 2-5

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Brief Overview of Alternatives: Alt B vs. Sub-Alt B

Sub Alternative B: Protects ALL historically and currently occupied spotted owl sites by reserving necessary habitat.

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 53-54 Figure 2-5/Table 2-6

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 46-47 Figure 2-4/Table 2-5

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• Alternative C: – High intensity regeneration harvest (Clearcuts), except very dry forests. – Moderate sized harvest land base – Active restoration in moist forest reserves; forest resiliency objectives in

very dry forest reserves – Survey and protect: marbled murrelets in stands >120 years old. – Timber salvage directed in Late Successional Reserves (LSR).

Brief Overview of Alternatives: Alt C

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 58-59 Figure 2-6/Table 2-7

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regon

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Brief Overview of Alternatives: Alt C vs. Sub-Alt C

Sub Alternative C: Protects ALL stands ≥ 80 years by reserving them.

AGE

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 58-59 Figure 2-6/Table 2-7

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 65-66 Figure 2-7/Table 2-8

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• Alternative D: – Mostly northern spotted owl-centric Uneven-aged management. – Moderate intensity regeneration harvest (outside NSO CHU), except very dry forests. – Moderate sized harvest land base – Active restoration in moist forest reserves; forest resiliency objectives in very dry forest

reserves – Survey and protect: marbled murrelet (zone 1 and 2), red tree voles in north coast, and

site maintenance for northern spotted owl current and historic sites.

Brief Overview of Alternatives: Alt D

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 70-71 Figure 2-8/Table 2-9

Resulting Mapped Land Use Allocations (LUA)

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ent Plans for Western O

regon Fire and Fuels Objectives: Common to all Alternatives

• Respond to wildfires in a manner that provides for public and firefighter safety while meeting land management objectives by utilizing the full range of fire management options.

• Actively manage the land to restore and maintain resilience of ecosystems to wildfire and decrease the risk of uncharacteristic large high-intensity/severity wildfires.

• Manage fuels to reduce wildfire hazard, risk, and negative impacts to communities and infrastructure, landscapes, ecosystems, and highly valued resources.

• Build capacity, in partnership with local, State, and Federal stakeholders, to reduce the risks and threats from wildland fire within the communities bordering Federal lands

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regon

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Fire and fuels

Important variables: – size of Harvest Land Base and – timber management type and intensity

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Influence: • Vegetation structure • Fire resilience • Fire resistance

• Fire hazard • Fire risk

While the approach to Fire and Fuels Management is Common to All Alternatives

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regon

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Intensity of Management Land Use Allocation Management Regime Intensity

Ranking

HLB-HITA, High Intensity Timber Area (ALT A and C)

Even-aged Management, Clearcuts, no retention trees, rapid reforestation

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HLB-MITA, Moderate Intensity Timber Area (Alt B and D), GFMA/NGFMA (NAA)

Two-aged Management, Variable-retention regeneration harvest, 5-15% retention VRH, delayed canopy closure in B/ prompt reforestation in D

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HLB-LITA, Low Intensity Timber Area (Alt B), SGFMA/CONN (NAA)

Two-aged Management, Variable-retention regeneration harvest, 15-30% retention VRH, delayed canopy closure, natural regeneration

5

HLB-UTA, Uneven-aged Timber Area (Alts A, B, C, and D)

Uneven-aged Management, Selection Harvest,, reduced stand densities, increase fire resiliency/forest health, while producing timber.

4

HLB-OHTA, Owl Habitat Timber Area (Alt D)

Uneven-aged Management, Selection Harvest,, promote and maintain owl habitat while producing timber.

3

Reserves, Active Management (Alts A, B, C, and D)

Light to moderate intensity treatments; in moist forests tapering off to zero, in dry forests continuing on a regular cycle.

2

Reserves, Passive Management (All Alternatives)

No Commercial Treatments. Uninterrupted forest successional pathways.

1

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High intensity Timber Area (HITA) No retention = clearcut

Outside Large Blocks, Inside & Outside Critical Habitat

Management Hypothesis Highest timber production yields. Produces uniform stand conditions. Shorter Rotations, Trend towards 60-90

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ent Plans for Western O

regon

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)vest (

Moderate Intensity Timber Area (MITA 5-15% retention = Variable-retention Regeneration Har VRH)

Somewhat equivalent to GFMA/NGFMA in NAA

Outside Large Blocks, Outside Critical Habitat Management Hypothesis: Provides moderate timber production yields. Produces compositionally/structurally complex stand conditions. Longer Rotations, Trend towards 80-140

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Low Intensity Timber Area (LITA) 15-30% Retention = Variable-retention Regeneration Harvest (VRH)

Somewhat equivalent to Connectivity/SGFMA in NAA

Outside Large Blocks, Inside Critical Habitat Management Hypothesis: Provides moderate timber production yields. Produces compositionally/structurally complex stand conditions. Longest Rotations, Trend towards 100-160

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Uneven-aged Timber Area(UTA) – Fire/drought/insect resiliency focused

Uneven-aged Management: – Lowest long-

term timber yields.

– Creates and maintains complex late successional conditions.

– No rotation age. Variable re-entry cycle.

Visually the approach would look similar in many respects to a complex variable-density thinning

Owl Habitat Timber Area (OHTA) – Owl habitat focused

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Uneven-aged Management

Uneven-aged Timber Area (UTA) Heavier

treatments to reduce stand densities, increase fire resiliency/ forest health and produce wood.

Alts A, B, C, and D

Owl Habitat Timber Area (OHTA) Lighter touch

treatments to restore/ maintain NSO habitat and produce wood.

Alt. D only.

Stan

d De

nsity

Time in Decades

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48% 51% 52%

47%

56% 55%

22%

84% 83% 86%

83% 86% 85%

98%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

NoAction

LSR

Alt. A LSR Alt. B LSR Sub. BLSR

Alt. C LSR Sub. CLSR

Alt. DHLB-

OHTA

Ow

l Hab

itat L

UAs

Mat

ure

Mul

ti-ca

nopy

or S

truc

tura

lly-c

ompl

ex (%

)

2013 2223

Strongly Selected For by NSO

Analytical Results: Proportion of owl habitat management areas achieving

Mature Multiple Canopy or Structurally Complex status

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 254; Figure 3-68

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110,272

6,155

117,064

70,664

9,554 10,490

44,831

286

69,967

1,248

1,255 121,447

111,770

1,169

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

Avai

labl

e Ea

rly S

eral

Acr

es

Alternative

Early-seral without Structural LegaciesEarly-seral with Structural Legacies Without Structural Legacies

With Structural Legacies

Alt B = 31,000 acres regen/decade (3.8X) Alt C = 84,000 acres regen/decade (1.6X)

Analytical Results: Abundance and complexity of early seral stage

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 252-253; Figure 3-67

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No Action

Alt. A

Alt. B

Sub. B Alt. C

Sub. C

Alt. D

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2013 2023 2033 2043 2053 2063 2113 2213

Harv

est L

and

Base

Mat

ure

or S

truc

tura

lly-

Com

plex

(%)

Year

No Action Alt. A Alt. B Sub. B

Analytical Results: Three patterns of Structural Stage Progression in the Harvest Land Base

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 250-251; Figure 3-65

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Analytical Results: Intensity of Management; contribution to ASQ timber harvest

917

719 686

447

280

556

332

455

209 124

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

HITA Even-agedManagement

No Action HLBTwo-aged

Management

MITA/LITA Two-aged

Management

UTA FireResiliency

Uneven-agedManagement

OHTA NSOHabitat Uneven-

agedManagement

Tim

ber P

rodu

ctio

n Ra

te

(Boa

rd F

eet p

er A

cre

per Y

ear)

Coastal/North Interior/South

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 263-265; Figure 3-72

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Analytical Results: BLM timber harvest, historical context

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

1,800

1942

1947

1952

1957

1962

1967

1972

1977

1982

1987

1992

1997

2002

2007

2012

BLM

Tim

ber S

ales

(Mill

ion

Boar

d Fe

et)

Year

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 237-238; Figure 3-58

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regon

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Analytical Results: BLM timber harvest, historical context

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 Sol

d Ti

mbe

r Vol

ume

(Mill

ion

Boar

d Fe

et)

Fiscal Year

HLB (ASQ) Regeneration Harvest HLB (ASQ) ThinningReserve (Non-ASQ) Thinning 1995 Declared ASQAverage of Total Volume Sold Average ASQ Volume Sold

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 269-270; Figure 3-73

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Resource Managem

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Analytical Results: Total Harvest (ASQ + Non-ASQ)

277 234 234

120

486

332

176

122

15 97

98

69

67

4

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Tota

l Tim

ber H

arve

st (M

BF)

ASQ Non-ASQ

Average of total timber volume sold (1995-2012) = 167

400 249 332 218 555 399 180

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 270-271; Figure 3-74

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Analytical Results: Restrictions on timber harvest in the harvest land base

Alternative Marbled Murrelet

Red Tree Vole

Northern Spotted Owl

Site Management Survey and Manage Totals

No Action 4 47* - Unknown 51*

Alt. A - - - - - Alt. B 6 6 - - 12 Sub. B 6 6 115 - 127 Alt. C 2 - - - 2 Sub. C - - - - - Alt. D 29 4 57 - 90

*Timber volume reduction due to predicted RTV site management was not deducted in the final expression of projected no action alternative ASQ.

Example: Alt D 176+90 =266

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 265-267; Table 3-62

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regon

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Analytical Results: Non-ASQ harvest flow; coastal/north vs. interior/south.

Alternative B example

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

2023 2033 2043 2053 2063 2113 2213Non

-ASQ

Acr

es T

reat

ed/D

ecad

e

Non-ASQ Acres Treated

0

20

40

60

80

2023 2033 2043 2053 2063 2113 2213

Non

-ASQ

Vol

ume

Harv

este

d (M

BF)

Non-ASQ Volume Harvested

Coastal/North Interior/South

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 273-274; Table 3-65

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Analytical Results: Harvested acres by harvest type

42,200

83,691

58,454

110,570 15,315

71,700 59,369

45,748

73,013

14,901

26,757

68,580

42,147

45,403 34,063

103,059

43,932

30,711

17,379

19,957

2,539

884 (Salvage)

2,642

1,498

3,587

2,308

1,640

0

20,000

40,000

60,000

80,000

100,000

120,000

140,000

160,000

180,000

No Action Alt. A Alt. B Sub. B Alt. C Sub. C Alt. D

Harv

est P

er D

ecad

e (A

cres

) Av

erag

e of

firs

t tw

o de

cade

s

Clearcut Commercial Thinning Selection VRH Salvage

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 277; Figure 3-75

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Natural Hazardous Fuel Treatments

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Non-commercial natural hazardous fuel treatment acres by treatment type and BLM district/field office(2003-2012)

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Analytical Results: Acres vs Volume; coastal/north vs interior/south

9,332

3,941

8,035

6,300

9,230 9,295

6,836 6,372

4,575

9,329

5,739

8,613

7,489 7,120

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

No Action Alt. A Alt. B Sub. B Alt. C Sub. C Alt. D

Acre

s/Ye

ar

230

179 218

155

391

300

123 165

67 109

58

163

93 57

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

No Action Alt. A Alt. B Sub. B Alt. C Sub. C Alt. D

Volu

me

MM

BF/

Year

Coastal/North Interior/South

Draft RMP/EIS pg. 278-279; Figure 3-77 and 3- 78

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Questions?