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North Shenandoah Mountain Restoration and Management Project

North Shenandoah Mountain Restoration and Management Project. Vegetative and Silvicultural Review of the Draft Environmental Assessment Public Meeting – August 22, 2019. Existing Conditions. Example of desired conditions – Late successional open – mechanical + fire.

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North Shenandoah Mountain Restoration and Management Project

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  1. North Shenandoah Mountain Restoration and Management Project Vegetative and Silvicultural Review of the Draft Environmental Assessment Public Meeting – August 22, 2019

  2. Existing Conditions.

  3. Example of desired conditions – Late successional open – mechanical + fire.

  4. Proposed Action – Mechanical Treatments

  5. Project Issues -Vegetative and Forestry Resources • Temp roads could spread of invasive and non-native plants. • Timber harvest could reduce carbon sequestration capacity. • Limited capacity - Could lead to conflicting outcomes i.e. advancement of some desired conditions over others, e.g. non-native invasive species treatment and shortleaf pine restoration. • Proposed timber harvest acreage for 13-Mosaics of Habitat does not meet the Forest Plan objectives for early successional habitat. • More of the treatments should be thinnings rather than ESH creation. • Glyphosate may be linked to human illnesses. • Disclose economic costs of activities. • Effects to roadless characteristics of Beech Lick potential wilderness and other areas. • Monitoring of integrated use of harvesting and fire. • Timber harvesting on steep slopes with sensitive soils could lead to erosion and slope stability issues.

  6. Summary of Vegetation / Forestry Effects Analysis Table 32. Summary of early successional habitat (ESH) and open stand structure (Open) improvements by 6th level watersheds (includes improvements by mechanical and prescribed fire operations)*Contributions to early successional habitat and open stand structure conditions from prescribed burning. Assuming one burn will be accomplished on each new large burn block within 10 years. ^The calculations in the totals column (%) are weighted by watershed acreage.

  7. Effects continued • Herbicide application (Glyphosate)- EPA continues to look at new literature on the topic. At this time nothing appears contradict the findings of the Scientific Advisory Panel’s 2017 assessment that it is not a danger to the human environment. • Carbon sequestration – Miniscule effects to carbon storage when one considers the 1.8 million acre GWJNF sink. Lack of management actually pre-disposes the forest to catastrophic disturbances. • Shortleaf pine communities – Conservation of the shortleaf pine community types of the forest. Prevent further loss or disappearance of the species.

  8. Effects continued: • PWA – Potential effects of treatments to wilderness character were found to be substantially unnoticeable. Would provide long-term improvement to the ecological communities in the Beech Lick area. Will not impact the consideration for the potential wilderness area or the wilderness study area for future wilderness recommendations per FSM 1909.15, Chapter 70. • Steep slopes – Design feature: Heavy equipment access and skid trail construction will not occur on sustained slopes over 35%. Some areas in current proposed units will likely be dropped due to sustained steep areas.

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