sims fire restoration project -...

Sims Fire Restoration Project Riparian Enhancement in the Grapevine Creek Watershed

Zack Mondry, Hydrologist (AIH PH #12-H-4006), ACT2 Enterprise Unit

2/3/17

Executive Summary As required for effects analyses under a categorical exclusion no floodplains, wetlands or municipal

watersheds will be adversely affected by this action, and no extraordinary circumstances exist for this

resource condition. While the Hyampom 6th-Field watershed exceeds the cumulative watershed effects

(CWE) model equivalent roaded area (ERA) threshold of concern (TOC) prior to the Sims Riparian

Enhancement project, project treatments are all manual, will thus not increase computed watershed

ERA values, and will not increase risk to hydrologic function or water quality. Additionally, Resource

Protection Measures (RPM) and Best Management Practices (BMP) specified for the project will

safeguard against adverse effects to water quality. The determination of no adverse effects or

extraordinary circumstances is based on the nature (manual) and extent (< 110 acres) of the proposed

treatments. The primary objective of the project is to rehabilitate and reforest the riparian vegetation

along Grapevine Creek and restore ecological function to the plant community through silvicultural

treatments and the planting of conifers. Project implementation will result in reduced risk of wildfire

and will increase the likelihood of desirable riparian vegetative conditions becoming established.

Affected Environment The Sims Fire Restoration project area encompasses the 4,030 acre Sims Fire that burned in 2004 on

Shasta-Trinity (SHF) and Six Rivers National Forest (SRF) lands northwest of Hyampom, CA (Figure 1).

Hillslopes in the project area are underlain by significant active and dormant landslide terranes. The

area is drained by Saddle Gulch, Canyon, Grapevine and Grouse Creeks, and the South Fork Trinity River.

The only fish-bearing streams in the project area are Grouse Creek and South Fork Trinity River along the

northwestern and northeastern boundary of the project area, respectively (USFS 2014). In 2015 the

Saddle Fire burned approximately 1,330 acres almost entirely within the southern portion of the

previous Sims Fire area (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Location map of the Sims Riparian Enhancement project (green shading) northwest of

Hyampom, CA. The Big Slide Creek-South Fork Trinity River 7th-Field watershed is outlined in yellow.

Orange shading is the 2004 Sims Fire area and black hatching is the 2015 Saddle Fire area. Map scale is

approximately 1:50,000.

Figure 2 View downstream of Grapevine Creek illustrating riparian ground surface and vegetative

conditions in the project area. The Sims Fire burned this area in 2004. Photo by K. Lark.

Sims Riparian Enhancement project treatments are proposed for 108 acres in the Big Slide Creek-South

Fork Trinity River 7th-field watershed all on the SHF. Big Slide Creek-South Fork Trinity River is contained

within the Hyampom 6th-field watershed and the Lower South Fork Trinity River 5th-field watershed

(Table 1).

Table 1 Fifth, 6th, and 7th-Field watersheds containing the Sims Riparian Enhancement project.

5th-field Watershed Acres 6th-field Acres 7th-field Acres

Lower South Fork Trinity River 129,183 Hyampom 36,658 Big Slide Creek-South Fork Trinity River 10,174

Aquatic Conservation Strategy The Land Management Plan (LMP) for the SHF contains the components, objectives and standards and

guidelines for consistency of projects with the Aquatic Conservation Strategy (ACS). The Record of

Decision (ROD) for the LMP is the guiding document for Forest projects; the LMP ROD incorporates the

Aquatic Conservation Strategy standards and guidelines from the ROD for Amendments to Forest Service

and Bureau of Land Management Planning Documents within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl

(commonly known as the Northwest Forest Plan) (USDA Forest Service and USDI Bureau of Land

Management 1994).

The Aquatic Conservation Strategy has four components: Riparian Reserves, Key Watersheds,

Watershed Restoration, and Watershed Analysis. Within Riparian Reserves are standards that prohibit

and regulate activities that retard or prevent attainment of ACS objectives.

ACS Objectives Objective 1: Maintain and restore the distribution, diversity, and complexity of watershed and

landscape-scale features to ensure protection of the aquatic systems to which species, populations and

communities are uniquely adapted.

Influence of the Riparian Enhancement Project on the Objective

Large wood (LW) recruited to upland slopes, riparian reserve areas and stream channels are important

features for the protection of aquatic systems and associated species communities. Project treatments

will not impact existing LW loading except to hasten it somewhat where hazard trees are felled and left

in place as is required by project Resource Protection Measures (RPM). Project treatments are intended

to promote the development of riparian forest vegetation by reducing fuels and thus the risk of high-

severity fire, and by planting and subsequent release of trees for improved growth. Promotion of

riparian forest vegetation will in turn encourage LW recruitment in the project area over time.

Treatments will not retard or prevent attainment of ACS Objective 1, and are expected to benefit the

objective.

Objective 2: Maintain and restore spatial and temporal connectivity between watersheds. Lateral,

longitudinal, and drainage network connections include floodplains, wetlands, upslope areas, headwater

tributaries, and intact refugia. These network connections must provide chemically and physically

unobstructed routes to areas critical for fulfilling life history requirements of aquatic and riparian-

dependent species.


The stream network in the project area is a moderately steep headwater system comprised primarily of

1st and 2nd order intermittent channels that flow into the 3rd order Grapevine Creek. Grapevine Creek

is a perennial non fish-bearing stream. Drainage network connections in the project areas will not be

affected by project activities. No new road segments will be constructed by the project and thus

channel, floodplain, wetland, and upslope area connections should remain as they were prior to project

implementation. Road closure, decommissioning, maintenance, stormproofing and aquatic organism

passage (AOP) have been priorities for the SHF, and much work has been implemented in the Lower

South Fork Trinity River 5th field watershed. This legacy sediment site treatment work will be

documented in an application to the CA North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for

enrollment of the project in the water board waiver program. Proposed treatments will not retard or

prevent attainment of ACS Objective 2 and should enhance the objective over the long-term for the

benefit of aquatic and riparian-dependent species.

Objective 3: Maintain and restore the physical integrity of the aquatic system, including shorelines,

banks, and bottom configurations.


Sims Riparian Enhancement project treatments of cutting, planting, and release may occur to within 5’

of the stream top of bank if treatments will not impact bank stability or reduce shade over perennial

water. Hand piling and burning may occur to within 25’ of defined streams if slope steepness (≤ 25%),

geologic, and soil conditions permit doing so. The manual treatments do not pose a risk to the physical

integrity of the aquatic system. Riparian enhancement treatments will not retard or prevent attainment

of ACS Objective 3.

Objective 4: Maintain and restore water quality necessary to support healthy riparian, aquatic, and

wetland ecosystems. Water quality must remain within the range that retains the biological, physical,

and chemical integrity of the system and benefits survival, growth, reproduction, and migration of

individuals composing aquatic and riparian communities.


The South Fork Trinity River is included on California’s Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 303(d) list as

water quality impaired due to sediment. Sedimentation in the watersheds was judged to exceed the

existing water quality standards necessary to protect the beneficial uses of the basins, particularly the

cold water fishery. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a Total Maximum Daily Load

(TMDL) plan for the watershed in 1998. The South Fork Trinity River is also listed as impaired for

temperature, but no TMDL has been established.

Due to the nature and extent of proposed treatments adverse direct, indirect, or cumulative effects to

hydrologic function or water quality resulting from increased erosion and sedimentation or reduced

stream shade (temperature) are not expected. Additionally, if proposed treatments effectively reduce

risk of high severity wildfire then the projects may provide long-term benefits to water quality because

the risk of post-fire sediment production and reduction of stream shade will be reduced. Proposed

treatments will not retard or prevent attainment of ACS Objective 4 and may benefit water quality by

reducing risk of high severity wildfire and associated post-fire sediment production.

Objective 5: Maintain and restore the sediment regime under which aquatic ecosystems evolved.

Elements of the regime include the timing, volume, rate, and character of sediment input, storage, and

transport.


The assessment of effects of treatments on Objective 5 is the same as that described previously for

Objective 4. Treatments will not retard or prevent attainment of ACS Objective 5 and may be expected

to benefit the objective over the long-term.

Objective 6: Maintain and restore in-stream flows sufficient to create and sustain riparian, aquatic, and

wetland habitats, and to retain patterns of sediment, nutrient, and wood routing. The timing,

magnitude, duration, and spatial distribution of peak, high, and low flows must be protected.


The character of in-stream flows will not be impacted by treatments due to their nature (manual) and

limited extent (< 110 acres). The manual vegetative treatments produce no change in computed

watershed % ERA and are not expected to affect the timing or duration of in-stream peak or high flows.

Treatments will not retard or prevent attainment of ACS Objective 6.

Objective 7: Maintain and restore the timing, variability, and duration of floodplain inundation and

water table elevation in meadows and wetlands.


Floodplains, meadows and wetlands are uncommon in the project area, in part because stream channels

are deeply incised in to the landscape. Nonetheless, the assessment of effects on objective 7 is the

same as that described previously for Objective 6. Because treatments will not change the timing or

duration of in-stream peak or high flows the project will not retard or prevent attainment of ACS

Objective 7.

Objective 8: Maintain and restore the species composition and structural diversity of plant communities

in riparian areas and wetlands to provide adequate summer and winter thermal regulation, nutrient

filtering, appropriate rates of surface erosion, bank erosion, and channel migration, and to supply

amounts and distributions of coarse woody debris sufficient to sustain physical complexity and stability.


The primary objective of the project is to rehabilitate and reforest the riparian vegetation along

Grapevine Creek and restore ecological function to the plant community through silvicultural treatments

and the planting of conifers. The desired outcome from the project is in direct alignment with ACS

Objective 8. The proposed treatments will not retard or prevent attainment of ACS Objective 8 and are

expected to enhance the ability of the riparian vegetation to provide all ecological processes and

functions outlined in Objective 8.

Objective 9: Maintain and restore habitat to support well-distributed populations of native plant and

invertebrate riparian dependent species.


The majority of the project area experienced high severity fire during the 2004 Sims Fire, rendering the

habitat unsuitable for many native plant and invertebrate riparian dependent species. The post-fire

vegetation has been dominated by hardwood resprouts and the native, riparian communities have been

slow to recover. The proposed treatments and desired outcome of the project is to restore the health

and function of the native ecosystem, thus providing more suitable habitat for native plants and

invertebrate riparian dependent species. The proposed treatments will not retard or prevent

attainment of ACS Objective 9 and are expected to enhance the quality and quantity of available habitat

for native plants and invertebrate riparian dependent species.

Cumulative Watershed Effects

Policy The Forest Service Region 5 FSH 2509.22 Soil and Water Conservation Handbook [Chapter 20] requires

that the Forest Service assess and consider the potential for cumulative watershed effects of proposed

activities (USDA 1988). The stated objective of Best Management Practice 7.8 (USDA 2011) is to:

“protect the identified beneficial uses of water from the combined effects of multiple

management activities which individually may not create unacceptable effects, but collectively

may result in degraded water-quality conditions”

The SHF employs an equivalent roaded area model after Haskins (1986) to assess potential watershed

effects of past, ongoing, and reasonably foreseeable natural (e.g. wildfire) and anthropogenic (e.g.

timber harvest) activities. The ERA metric is the percentage area of a watershed that is estimated to

have similar hydrologic function as an area of forest road.

Existing Conditions Table 2 2017 baseline % ERA values computed for 5th, 6th, and 7th-Field watersheds containing the Sims

Riparian Enhancement project.

Equivalent roaded area (ERA) Watershed Acres baseline % TOC %

Lower South Fork Trinity River 129,183 7.0 13.0

HyampomA 36,658 17.9 14.0B

Big Slide Creek-South Fork Trinity River 10,174 10.7 14.0C

A-Hyampom is the 6th-field watershed used in the SHF ERA model (C. Mai, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Personal

Communication). While Hyampom does not appear in the FS corporate database the corresponding Pelletreau-

South Fork Trinity watershed (36,669 acres) from the corporate database is nearly identical in size (36,658 acres)

and shape to Hyampom.

B-The Hyampom watershed is described as extremely sensitive in the SHF Land Management Plan (LMP pg. 4-25)

and assigned a TOC of 12%. However, a TOC of 14% is currently used in the SHF ERA model.

C- TOC for the larger Hyampom watershed is reported because the TOC is not developed at the smaller 7th-field

watershed scale on the SHF.

Note that the Hyampom 6th-Field watershed exceeds the TOC prior to the Sims Riparian Enhancement

project. This watershed condition results from ERA produced by a combination of private timber

operations and roads, Forest Service land management activities, and wildfire.

Riparian Reserves Project activities will occur adjacent to permanently flowing and seasonal streams. On the SHF Riparian

Reserves are established for all defined stream channels and unstable landforms (active landslide and

inner gorge terrane) per the Standards and Guidelines of the LMP. Riparian Reserve widths are defined

based on stream type per the LMP as displayed in Table 3.

Table 3 Definition of Riparian Reserve widths on the SHF.

Fish-bearing streams Permanently flowing non-fish-bearing streams

Seasonally flowing or intermittent streams and unstable or potentially unstable areas (active landslides and inner gorges)

A distance equal to the height of 2 site potential trees or 300 feet slope distance (600 feet total, including both sides of the stream channel), whichever is greatest.

A distance equal to the height of 1 site potential tree or 150 feet slope distance (300 feet total, including both sides of the stream channel), whichever is greatest.

A distance equal to the height of 1 site potential tree or 100 feet slope distance (200 feet total, including both sides of the stream channel), whichever is greatest.

The Sims Riparian Enhancement project is proposed to occur within Riparian Reserves. However, none

of the activities will use ground disturbing heavy equipment (all manual implementation) and RPM and

BMP are specified to protect hydrologic function and water quality.

Direct and Indirect Effects

Treatments with Potential Effects Table 4 Treatment acres of the Sims Riparian Enhancement project.

Watershed Project Project

7th-field watershed acres acres (total) acres (mechanical)

Big Slide Creek-South Fork Trinity River 10,174 108 0

Manual Treatments

All of the Sims Riparian Enhancement project treatment acres will be manually implemented. Manual

treatments include hand cutting, hand piling and burning, planting, and release. Hand cutting, planting,

and release may occur to within 5’ of the stream top of bank if treatments will not impact bank stability

or reduce shade over perennial water. Piling and burning are generally permissible to within 25’ of

stream channels. The potential direct and indirect effects of hand treatments include:

Water quality pollution by spilled petroleum fuel or lubricants

Increased solar insolation and water temperatures resulting from decreased shade

Erosion and sedimentation from burned pile areas

Mechanical Treatments

No acres are proposed for mechanical treatment in the Sims Riparian Enhancement project.

Resource Protection Measures 1. Hand cutting, planting, and release may occur to within 5’ of the stream top of bank if

treatments will not impact bank stability or reduce shade over perennial water. 2. Hand piling and burning may occur to within 25’of defined streams if slope steepness, geologic,

and soil conditions permit doing so without adverse effects to hydrologic function and water quality.

3. Hand piling will be limited to slopes ≤ 25% gradient. 4. Hand piles of thinned fuels will be placed in a checkerboard pattern whenever possible. 5. Windrows will not be constructed in Riparian Reserves. 6. Prescribed fire is allowed to back closer than 25’ to stream channels, and hand fire line is not

required to control prescribed fire in Riparian Reserves. 7. Hazard trees within riparian reserves will be felled and left on site.

Best Management Practices To prevent adverse effects to hydrologic function and water quality BMP were selected from both the

National Best Management Practices for Water Quality Management on National Forest System Lands

manual (USDA 2012) and the Forest Service Region 5 BMP manual (Tables 5 and 6).

Table 5 National BMP specified for the Sims Riparian Enhancement project.

Best Management Practice Objective

Road-10. Equipment Refueling and Servicing Avoid or minimize adverse effects to soil, water quality, and riparian resources from fuels, lubricants, cleaners, and other harmful materials.

Table 6 Forest Service Region 5 soil and water BMP specified for the Sims Riparian Enhancement project.

Best Management Practice Description

BMP 1-8 Streamside Management Zone Designation. To designate a zone along riparian areas, streams and wetlands that will minimize potential for adverse effects from adjacent management activities. Management activities within these zones are designed to improve riparian values.

Riparian Reserves serve as Streamside management zones (SMZs) as described in the hydrology report and the Riparian Reserve RPMs. Project activities within Riparian Reserves are more limited. This includes equipment exclusion zones.

BMP 1-19 Stream Course and Aquatic Protection. The objectives of this BMP are to conduct management actions within these areas in a manner that maintains or improves riparian and aquatic values.

Protections associated with the Riparian Reserve system are designed to maintain or improve riparian values.

BMP 2-11 Equipment Refueling and Servicing. Prevent fuels, lubricants, cleaners, and other harmful materials from discharging into nearby surface waters or infiltrating through soils to contaminate groundwater resources.

Refueling should be done outside of Riparian Reserves to minimize risk. A spill prevention and countermeasure plan (SPCC) is required if any mobile fuel source exceeds 1,320 gallons.

BMP 6-3 Protection of Water Quality from Prescribed Burning Effects. To maintain soil productivity, minimize erosion, and minimize ash, sediment, nutrients, and debris from entering water bodies.

Fires will be allowed to back into near-stream vegetation, but pile ignition and burning will be set-back 25’ from defined channels.

No Effect Analysis The Sims Riparian Enhancement project will have minimal effect on hydrologic function and water

quality because of the nature (manual implementation) and extent (< 110 acres) of the treatments.

Manual treatments produce minimal ground disturbance. The SHF ERA model provides context for

potential hydrologic effects of project activities by indexing them to hydrologic effects produced by

forest roads via disturbance coefficients. Disturbance coefficients are interpreted as representing the

fraction of hydrologic effects expected from the activity as compared to hydrologic effects produced by

a forest road of equivalent area. The SHF ERA model assigns a disturbance coefficient of 0.05 to manual

pile and burn treatment acres in the first year after treatment with disturbance decreasing in

subsequent years.

A spatial analysis of treatment area slopes was performed based on LiDAR data. The analysis

determined that 23 acres of the proposed treatment area had slopes ≤ 25%. These acres are the

maximum area where pile burning treatments are allowed. Twenty three acres with a disturbance

coefficient of 0.05 produce an ERA of approximately 1 acre in the 10,000 acre Big Slide Creek-South Fork

Trinity River watershed. This minimal disturbance will not produce adverse effects to hydrologic

function or water quality, and watershed function is further protected by prescribed RPM and BMP.

Based on this analysis no direct or indirect effects to hydrologic function or water quality are expected

to occur as a result of project implementation.

Cumulative Effects Because no direct or indirect effects are expected from project implementation no cumulative effects

will occur.

California Water Quality Control Board Waiver Per the CA North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Order Number R1-2015-0021 activities

that have a moderate potential impact to water quality are Category B activities. Understory or pile

burning within Riparian Reserves is considered a Category B activity and thus it is anticipated that the

Sims Riparian Enhancement project will require water board waiver program enrollment in order to

proceed. The application for waiver program enrollment will document legacy sediment site treatments

that have been implemented in the project watersheds.

References Haskins, D.M. 1986. A Management Model for Evaluating Cumulative Watershed Effects. California

Watershed Management Conference, November 18-20, West Sacramento, California.

Mai, C. 2017. Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Headquarters.

North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, 2015. Order No. R1-2015-0021. Waiver of Waste

Discharge Requirements for Nonpoint Source Discharges Related to Certain Federal Land Management

Activities on National Forest System Lands in the North Coast Region.

USDA. 1988. R5 FSH 2509.22 - Soil and water Conservation Handbook. USDA Forest Service, Pacific

Southwest Region. San Francisco, CA.

USDA and USDI BLM. 1994. Record of Decision for Amendments to Forest Service and Bureau of Land

Management Planning Documents within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl.

USDA. 2011. R5 FSH 2509.22 - Soil and Water Conservation Handbook, Chapter 10 - Water Quality

Management Handbook. USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region. Vallejo, California.

USDA. 2012. National Best Management Practices for Water Quality Management on National Forest

System Lands, Volume 1: National Core BMP Technical Guide. USDA Forest Service, National

Headquarters. Washington, DC.