Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

Salmon River/Scott River Ranger District, Klamath National Forest

1

Background

The Klamath National Forest proposes the Craggy Vegetation Management Project to improve 

fire resiliency on National Forest System lands by reducing fuels and stand density in strategic 

areas and within the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI). The project proposes to treat about 10,700

acres within the 29,500-acre project boundary. WUI amounts to about 50 percent of the project 

area (14,550 acres) and proposed treatments in WUI amount to 4,120 acres.

The Craggy Vegetation Management Project is located one mile west of Yreka and 10 miles 

north of Fort Jones, California in Siskiyou County. It is within the Greenhorn Creek, Upper 

Humbug Creek, Lower Humbug Creek, Middle Fork Humbug Creek, and Long Gulch 7th field 

watersheds. The legal location is: Township (T) 46 North (N), Rand (R) 8 West (W), Sections 

13, 23-28, and 32-35; T45N R8W Sections 1-17 and 21-24; T46N R7W, Sections 16-18, 20, 22, 

28, 30, and 32-34; and T45N R7W, Sections 3-5, 8, 9, and 17-20 (Mt Diablo Meridian). Vicinity 

and project maps are enclosed. Elevation ranges from 3,000 to 6,100 feet.

Management Direction

The 1995 Klamath National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan, as 

amended) provides forest-wide and management area (MA) direction for project-level planning 

and incorporates Standards and Guidelines from the Northwest Forest Plan.

Table 1: Management Areas (MAs) found within the project area

Management Area Pages in Forest 

Plan*

Acres within 

Project Area

Project 

Area 

(percent)

Treatment Acres 

Proposed

MA 5- Special Habitat (Calochortus 

persistens)

4-82 to 4-94 1,050 4 750

MA 10- Riparian Reserves (RRs) 4-108 to 4-114 6,250 21 2,480

MA 11-Retention VQO 4-115 to 4-116 10 <1% 0

MA 15- Partial Retention Visual 

Quality Objective (VQO)

4-126 to 4-127 6,520 22 2,180

MA 17-General Forest 4-131 to 4-132 9,130 31 5,270

Private Lands Within Project Area N/A 6,270 21 0

* Page numbers from the July 29, 2010 version of the Forest Plan. Accessed online at 

http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/klamath/landmanagement/planning.

The interdisciplinary team (IDT) designed the project to be consistent with all applicable law, 

regulation, policy, and direction.
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

2

Purpose and Need for Action

There is a need to close the gap between the existing and desired condition, while protecting 

forest resources within the project area. The existing and desired conditions for each item of the 

purpose and need are displayed in Table 2.

1. There is a need for reducing the threat of wildfire to communities in the wildland urban 

interface while moving toward a diverse fire-resilient ecosystem.

The threat of high-intensity wildfire moving toward the communities of Yreka, 

Hawkinsville, Humbug and residences in the Greenhorn area is exacerbated by the recent 

four years of drought and heavy fuels in the project area due to fire suppression and 

resulting growth of brush and dense stand of trees. 

Proposed activities to address this component of the purpose and need include:

• Reducing surface fuels, ladder fuels and crown fuels by thinning plantations and natural 

stands, creating fuel breaks along strategic ridges, removing hazardous fuels from 

roadsides, masticating fuels and prescribed burning of piles and underburning.

2. There is a need for reducing overstocked, drought-stressed and dying trees to promote 

forest health. 

A high level of stand density has led to a project area that is not resilient to insects, disease 

and high-intensity, stand-replacing wildfire.

Proposed activities to address this component of the purpose and need include:

• Reducing stand density by thinning of commercial sized trees (10 inches or greater in 

diameter at breast height) and non-commercial sized trees (less than 10 inches in 

diameter at breast height) in both plantations and natural stands.

3. There is a need for (a) an enhanced early seral foraging and winter range habitat for 

deer and wild turkeys; and (b) for long-term, improved habitat for northern spotted 

owl.

(a) Foraging habitat for wildlife species dependent on early seral vegetation (grasses, shrubs 

and forbs) is lacking; these species are important to hunters. 

(b) Habitat for late-successional species such as northern spotted owl needs to be improved 

in the long term.

Proposed activities to address this component of the purpose and need include:

(a) Encouraging development of early seral habitat by thinning, mastication and prescribed 

burning. 

(b) Encouraging long-term development of late-successional habitat by reducing density of 

stands and improving growth opportunities among mid- and late-successional trees.

4. There is a need for maintained or improved habitat for Calochortus persistens, a Forest 

Service sensitive plant.
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

3

There is a need to address known and potential threats to Calochortus persistens to maintain 

populations so that random natural variation can occur without a negative effect on the 

future viability of the species. Threats include conifer and shrub encroachment that results in

fuel loading; competition from non-native and invasive plant species; high-intensity 

wildfires and fire suppression activities that can negatively affect populations.

Proposed activities to address this need include:

• Reducing conifer and shrub encroachment within two subpopulations of Calochortus 

persistens by hand cutting, in order to improve habitat as outlined in the Conservation 

Agreement. Underburn would be allowed to back through these sub-populations while 

hand-piles would be created outside the flagged population boundaries during the 

dormant growing season. Monitoring of these activities would occur post-treatment.

• Reducing fuels so that the threat of high intensity wildfire and the need for heavy fire 

suppression tactics are reduced; this is accomplished by thinning vegetation in the special 

habitat management area outside the Calochortus persistens population boundaries.

5. There is a need for limiting the discharge of sediment to streams from sediment legacy 

sites. 

Direct discharge of sediment to streams during storms has negative effects on water quality 

that need to be addressed to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act.

Proposed activities to address this need include:

• Treating legacy sediment sites to minimize sediment delivery to streams.

Table 2: Existing and Desired Condition

Statement of 

Need

Existing Condition Desired condition

Reducing the 

threat of wildfire 

to communities 

while moving 

toward a 

diverse fireresilient 

ecosystem

About three fire starts per year occur within the 

project area with historic fire-return intervals of 

11 to 55 years. About 75 percent of the project 

area is moderately or severely departed from 

historic conditions (fire-return intervals are 

much longer than historic intervals). Large 

amounts of decadent brush and plantations are 

susceptible to high intensity, stand-replacing 

wildfire.

The project area moves toward more frequent 

fire-return levels and lower intensity wildfires 

with flame lengths below four feet in height in 

the defense zone around communities. Diverse 

vegetation conditions that do not promote highseverity wildfire are present and the area is 

more fire resilient (Forest Plan S&G 22-13, 

National Fire Plan (2000))

Reducing 

overstocked, 

droughtstressed and 

dying trees to 

promote forest 

health

The project area includes highly-stocked 

plantation stands that are reaching 60 to 80

percent of the maximum carrying capacity. A 

limited number of natural stands exist; these 

are suffering from high tree mortality due to 

high stocking levels added to the effects of 

drought.

Stand health is improved and maintained; 

stands are resilient to wildfire and tree mortality 

due to insect and disease infestations. Conifer 

growth and stocking levels provide future 

sustainable timber yields (Forest Plan S&G 21-

58, Humbug Landscape Analysis and Design 

(1993))
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

4

Statement of 

Need

Existing Condition Desired condition

Enhanced 

early-seral 

foraging and 

winter range 

habitat for deer 

and wild 

turkeys; 

Foraging habitat for early-seral wildlife species 

such as deer and wild turkey is at a low level 

and animal access through brush and dense 

tree stands is below optimal conditions. Winter 

range for deer is lacking in the decadent brush 

and hardwood stands. Early-seral habitat 

quality is low to moderate and deer populations 

are low. 

Early-seral habitat is created through creation 

of a mosaic of conditions across the landscape. 

Diversity of brush age classes in chaparral 

increases. Encroachment by small conifers is 

reduced; oak stands and areas with springs are 

enhanced promoting foraging habitat for wildlife 

species dependent on early-seral habitat. 

(Forest Plan S&G 8-59)

Long-term 

improved 

habitat for latesuccessional 

species 

(Northern 

spotted owl)

Nesting, roosting and foraging habitat for 

species dependent on late-successional habitat 

(such as northern spotted owl and fisher) is 

also limited and likely to be reduced due to 

high-intensity wildfires.

Long-term improvement occurs in latesuccessional habitat. Resilience to disturbance

by wildfire, insect, and disease outbreaks is 

increased (Forest Plan S&G 8-11, Humbug 

Landscape Analysis and Design (1993)).

Maintained or 

improved 

habitat for 

Calochortus 

persistens, a 

Forest Service 

sensitive plant

The population of Calochortus persistens

(Siskiyou mariposa lily) within the project area 

is scattered along a six-mile stretch of ridgetop 

within a montane shrub plant community of 

rocky openings on both Forest and private land. 

Surrounding the open shrubby vegetative 

community where Calochortus persistens

occurs is mixed coniferous forest. Threats to 

the plant include increased fuel loading, 

shading, competition by native and non-native 

vegetative species, the risk of high intensity fire, 

and suppression activities.

Random natural variation of Calochortus 

persistens will occur without negative effects on 

the future viability of the species. Occupied 

Calochortus persistens habitat will have less 

than 25 percent total plant cover and a shallow 

or absent litter and duff layer. This open rocky 

habitat will be less susceptible to high intensity 

wildfire and more likely to support lower 

intensity mosaic burn conditions than at 

present. Isatis tinctoria (Dyer’s woad or 

Marlahan mustard), a non-native invasive 

species, will not spread beyond current 

infestation boundaries. (Forest Plan S&G 7-1, 

Calochortus persistens Conservation 

Agreement)

Limiting the 

discharge of 

sediment to 

streams from 

legacy 

sediment sites

Current conditions do not meet water quality 

standards; streams in the project area are listed 

as impaired under section 303(d) of the Clean 

Water Act. Due to past events and activities, 

some segments of the road system (legacy 

sites) are not resilient to disturbance by fire and 

floods which may cause soil erosion or trigger 

debris torrents that remove riparian vegetation, 

reduce stream shade and increase water 

temperatures.

Potential discharge of sediment to streams is 

reduced from the current condition. Untreated 

road sediment sources (legacy sites) do not 

pose substantial risks of material entering 

stream courses (Forest Plan S&G 1-2)

Proposed Action:

The Craggy project interdisciplinary team has come up with the following proposed treatments 

to meet the purpose and need for the project. These treatments are subject to project design 

features (project design features) developed to address overall project objectives, to minimize 

resource impacts, and ensure Forest Plan compliance (see following appendix). A total of 10,700 

acres is being proposed for treatment out of the total project area of 29,500 acres. Strategic 

actions within project boundary will treat about 250 acres of the 1,190-acre defense zone and 

3,870 acres within the 12,350-acre threat zone around the community of Yreka. 

Proposed treatments in the project area:
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

5

• Fuel Breaks (1,450 acres) along strategic road systems and ridges. 

• Prescribed Burning (4,160 acres)

• Mastication (860 acres) to enhance wildlife habitat while reducing hazardous fuels.

• Thinning without Removal of Forest Products (1,350 acres)

• Thinning with Removal of Forest Products (2,880 acres)

Treatments are described in greater detail below.

Fuel Breaks (1,450 acres)

Fuel breaks (300 feet in width) will be placed along key ridges in the project area. Within these 

fuel breaks, conifers less than 10 inches diameter at breast height (DBH), will be thinned 

manually, hand-piled and burned. Areas dominated by brush will be hand-cut, piled and burned. 

Actual treatment will vary in size according to field conditions. In roadside fuel treatments, brush 

and small diameter trees (less than 10 inches DBH) within buffers (about 150 feet wide on either 

side of the road) will be manually cut, hand-piled and burned. Where equipment can remove 

trees without leaving established roadbed, some trees may be removed as biomass. Actual 

treatment may vary in size and width depending on fuel conditions. Trees less than 10 inches

DBH will be variable density thinned to an average spacing. Areas dominated by brush will be

hand cut, piled and burned. Hand-cut and pile fuels reduction/brush encroachment removal work 

may occur through two subpopulations of Calochortus persistens as described in the project 

design features.

Prescribed Burning (4,160 acres)

In the project area, strategic areas will be underburned in blocks according to an approved burn 

plan. Prescribed fire may be used in the MA 5 Special Habitat, Plant Management Area in 

accordance with the project design features. All implementation will be done in coordination 

with the project botanist and timed during the dormant growing season.

Mastication (860 acres)

In the project area, about 860 acres will be masticated. Mastication will be used in areas that are 

dominated by decadent brush. Operation of mastication equipment will be subject to the project 

design features.

Thinning without Removal of Forest Products (1,350 acres)

Thin sub-merchantable trees, (conifers less than 10- inch DBH), using a variable density 

approach. Density may vary to select for the more desirable tree. Leave trees should be disease 

and damage free, have constant or increasing height growth, have a strong live crown-ratio, good 

form, color, needle complement and needle retention. To enhance species diversity there will be 

species-specific preferences for thinning in all units based on topographic location, amount of 

disease present, and desired species composition. Cut trees will be limbed and bucked with 

resulting slash scattered or hand-piled for burning.
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

6

Thinning with Removal of Forest Products (2,880 acres)

Both ground-based and skyline cable-yarding systems will be used to yard thinned trees. Trees 

will be thinned by a combination of hand- and mechanical falling using a variable-density 

thinning approach. Species preference and leave trees will vary by unit and is driven by 

topographic location, amount of disease present, current species composition, and future desired 

characteristics of the stand. Ground-based yarding is proposed for 1,730 acres of which 1,260 are 

in plantations. Skyline cable yarding is planned for 1,150 acres, of which 510 are in plantations. 

Access/Roads

No roads will be added to, or removed from, the National Forest Transportation System as part 

of this project. To reduce log skidding distances and associated impacts to soils and other 

resources, twelve miles of existing roadbeds will be used as temporary roads for short-term 

access. Two miles of new temporary road construction is proposed. All temporary roads on 

existing roadbeds and new temporary roads will be hydrologically stabilized as described in the 

project design features. Existing landings will be used to the extent possible. 

Legacy Site Restoration

Road-related sediment legacy sites in treatment units and along potential haul routes will be 

treated to minimize the risk to water quality. Based on funding and prioritization from water 

quality risk assessment, any or all of the following legacy site restoration activities may be 

carried out:

• Remove fill from streambanks and unstable areas.

• Construct dips at stream crossings to eliminate diversion potential

• Outslope road surface and eliminate in-board ditch or outside berms

• Seed, mulch or plant disturbed areas to control surface erosion

• Stabilize landslides. May include construction of retaining walls

• Upgrade culverts to pass 100-year peak flows

• Reduce road fill volumes at stream crossings to withstand 100-year peak flows and debris 

flows

• Apply rock aggregate to the road surface
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

7

Appendix A Project Design Features for Craggy Vegetation 

Management Project

The Forest Service developed the following preliminary project design features to address 

overall project objectives, to minimize resource impacts, and ensure Forest Plan and/or legal 

compliance. Table 3 displays the design features developed for this project along with the 

applicable Stands and/or alternatives.

Table 3: Project design features

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Air Quality-1 Native surface roads will be watered to suppress dust when needed. All Units

Air Quality -2 Burning will be implemented when smoke is likely to be transported away from 

sensitive locations, when possible. Forecasts of weather in the project area will 

be used to ensure favorable ‘within prescription’ weather conditions for the burn 

and smoke transport. Contingency plans will be developed to minimize smoke 

impacts if meteorological conditions change. 

All Units

Air Quality -3 Local residents and landowners will be notified, as appropriate, prior to ignition. All Units

Air Quality -4 Ignition will only take place on permissive burn days as determined by the 

Siskiyou County Air Pollution Control District. 

All Units

Air Quality -5 When possible, schedule burning to minimize impacts to those recreating. This 

may involve burning on low visitor use days in the spring and avoiding burning 

on high use weekends. 

All Units

Botany-1 Calochortus persistens (General Habitat within the Management Area): Within 

the Management Area (MA5) ground disturbance will only occur within 

designated unit boundaries; all equipment and project related disturbance will 

not operate or occur outside those boundaries except on designated road 

systems. No new landings will be constructed within the Management Area, 

existing landings may need some work to be operational, and this work will be 

coordinated with the district botanist. If a landing location is infested with nonnative invasive species consult with the district botanist to determine appropriate 

methods for containing and/or managing the infestation. 

MA 5

Botany-2 Calochortus persistens (Actual Populations within the Management Area): All 

sub-populations within the project area will be flagged with yellow and black 

striped flagging. No equipment/vehicle activity, tree skidding, or any other form 

of ground disturbance will occur within these flagged boundaries. Burn piles will 

not be constructed within flagged areas. 

MA 5

Botany-3 Two sub-populations of Calochortus persistens will be included for fuels removal 

treatment and underburn prescriptions. This work will be implemented with the 

district Botanist and the following design features will be implemented: 1)

Prescribed fire, and removal of brush and small diameter conifers within the subpopulation boundary will only occur outside of the active growing season; 2) 

Burn piles will not be constructed within the flagged population boundaries 

(delineated with yellow and black striped flagging); 3) Monitoring will occur after 

implementation and will include monitoring non-native invasive plant species. 

MA 5

Botany-4 Eriogonum ursinum var. erubescens: All populations within the project area will 

be excluded from all project activities. These locations will be flagged with yellow 

and black flagging prior to project implementation.

Where applicable
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

8

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Fuels-1 A fuels assessment will be conducted on fuel breaks five to ten years after 

implementation to determine if maintenance treatments are needed to maintain 

desired conditions (flame lengths less than 4 feet). If conditions do not meet 

desired conditions, apply a fuels treatment similar to the selected alternative to 

bring fuel breaks within desired conditions.

All Units

Fuels-2 In pile and burn units that have low risk of burning onto private property, allow 

fire to underburn within the designated unit at low intensity. Include measures in 

the prescribed burn plan to minimize the risk of fire escaping designated units.

All Units

Fuels-3 Whole –tree yarding will be required in timber sale contracts to minimize activitygenerated fuels within the stand. Trees will be limbed at the landings. Slash and 

tops will be piled at the landing to reduce to amount of slash left in the stand.

Slash and top piles will either be removed for biomass or burned within landing 

areas.

All Units

Heritage-1 Conduct heritage resource surveys to determine presence of resources within 

the area of potential effects

All Units

Heritage-2 All sites within the area of potential effects will be clearly delineated prior to 

implementation. This includes but is not limited to flagging site boundaries.

All Units

Heritage-3 In the event that new heritage resources are discovered during project 

implementation, the district archaeologist and/or heritage program manager 

must be notified and all activities in the vicinity (150 feet) of the resource shall 

cease until consultations are completed.

All Units

NNIS-1 Equipment and vehicles that leave established road surfaces will be cleaned of 

soil, seeds, vegetative matter, and other debris that could contain noxious 

weeds seeds or propagative material prior to entering and before leaving the 

project area. Areas appropriate for cleaning equipment prior to leaving the 

project area will be designated as appropriate. * See mandatory C-Provision 

6.25

All Units

NNIS-2 High priority NNIS sites will be flagged prior to project implementation with 

orange/black flagging labeled with INVASIVE SPECIES. Equipment, vehicles, 

and personnel will avoid working within these flagged high priority areas. 

Mastication, equipment piling, and burn piling will not occur within these high 

priority areas. 

All Units

NNIS-3 If potential landing sites are infested with noxious weeds, consult with the district 

botanist to determine appropriate methods for containing and/or managing the 

infestation. Methods may include blading infested soil away from activity zones 

and covering this soil; or adding a barrier to the landing so seed banks cannot 

be transported.

All Units

NNIS-4 Any straw or seed placed within the project area must be documented as 

California certified weed free. Other materials where State inspection protocol 

does not exist (gravel, wood chips) used as mulch in the project area should be 

inspected by a Forest Service representative to determine the potential for 

spread of noxious weeds.

All Units

NNIS-5 Any facility that provides material such as rock, gravel, or boulders to be used in 

the project area should be inspected and determined to have limited potential for 

the spread of noxious weeds from stored material. Material stockpiles must be 

noxious weed free.

All Units

Recreation 

and 

Scenery-1

Protect and maintain recreational features and recreational settings along roads, 

trails, and trailheads identified as visually sensitive.

All Units Where 

Applicable
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

9

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Recreation 

and 

Scenery-2

Repair or replace recreational signing or other facilities and trail settings if 

damaged during project implementation.

All Units Where 

Applicable

Recreation 

and 

Scenery-3

Provide visitor information about area/road/trail closures, or other recreation 

setting changes, in news releases, on-site, and on the Forest website.

All Units Where 

Applicable

Recreation

and 

Scenery-4

Provide safety signing along trails, rivers, or roads or temporary road or trail 

closures in active project areas to provide for public safety.

All Units Where 

Applicable

Silviculture-1 Vegetation treatments will be implemented according to a site-specific 

silviculture prescription prepared by a certified silviculturist.

Silviculture-2 Silvicultural prescriptions will reflect the resource and vegetation management 

objectives of the area including biological diversity, long-term site productivity, 

and forest health.

Watershed-1 Operate according to the Forest’s Wet Weather Operation Standards (WWOS) 

(USDA Forest Service 2002). 

All Units

Watershed-2 When working in hydrologic Riparian Reserves: When there is a 30 percent 

chance of rain in the next 24 hours the Timber Sale Administrator (TSA) will be 

on site to insure that winterization or erosion control procedures are 

implemented in a timely fashion and to initiate shutdown or resume operations. 

Operations will not resume until suitable weather, soil, and forecast conditions 

exist.

All Units

Watershed-3 The project is proposed to take place during the normal operating season (NOS) 

that is defined as May 1 to October 31 and in dry periods outside the NOS with 

Line Officer approval. Actions will be restricted during any periods of wet 

weather during the NOS. 

All Units

Watershed-4 To minimize effects to anadromous fish, including spawning, egg incubation, 

and just-hatched fry, no in-stream activities, including water drafting, will occur in 

anadromous stream segments between October 15th and June 15th.

All Units

Watershed-5 Cable corridors will be placed on the landscape as to minimize disturbance to 

unstable lands (such as inner gorges, active landslides and toe zones). The 

layout will avoid yarding logs up the axis of the features. 

All Units

Watershed-6 Tractors and mechanical harvesters will be excluded from active landslides, toe 

zones of dormant landslides and inner gorges. 

All Units

Watershed-7 Commercial harvest will be limited in granitic inner gorges of ephemeral stream 

channels to those reviewed and recommended for treatment by watershed 

specialists. 

All Units

Watershed-8 Hazard trees that have fallen or are felled within RRs will generally be left on 

site. Fallen or felled hazard trees may be removed from RRs if 

i. Trees must be removed to provide safe road passage or campground access 

and function; OR

ii. Those trees would pose a substantial risk to the forest road drainage system 

integrity; AND 

iii. A fisheries biologist determines through site inspection and written document 

that removal of individual hazard trees within RRs is consistent with the Aquatic 

Conservation Strategy Objectives.

All Units
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

10

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Watershed-9 Proposed activities will not reduce site potential effective shade conditions in 

Riparian Reserves. IDT will provide justification and identify the proposed 

canopy reduction and expected recovery time, provide an estimate of the pre‐

and post‐ project shade or solar impacts, and explain how such an exception will 

result in a net long‐term benefit to water quality and stream temperatures.

All Units

Watershed10Skidding equipment will be generally restricted to slopes less than 35 percent 

(unless designated otherwise). Skid trails that connect benches separated by 

short steep slopes (broken ground) can have minor portions of the skid trails on 

slopes greater than 35 percent. 

All Units

Watershed11Mechanized harvesting equipment will be restricted to slopes less than 45 

percent in stands where tractor skidding is used and, where practical, logs 

should be placed in bundles on slopes less than 35 percent (unless designated 

otherwise). Mechanized harvesting equipment will be restricted to travelling in 

straight up and down patterns on slopes above 35 percent. 

All Units

Watershed12Existing skid trails will be reused whenever possible. Use existing skid and 

swing trails instead of building new skid trails unless using existing skid trails will 

have greater negative effects than building new. Do not use existing or construct 

new skid trails in areas (1) in which ground-based mechanical equipment is 

excluded; or (2) on highly erosive soils, active landslides, wetlands or meadows 

(excluding small springs and seeps). Designation of new skid trails will be 

approved by Timber Sale Administrator. 

All Units

Watershed13Take offs of skid trails that intersect roads will be obliterated or effectively 

blocked to vehicle access.

All Units

Watershed14Skidding equipment can operate in terraced plantations with slopes greater than 

35 percent with the following restrictions: terraces will be used that are generally 

wide enough to accommodate harvesting and skidding equipment to limit 

increasing the cut and fill slopes on terraces. Skidding between terraces will be 

limited and locations of these skid trails will be flagged by the Timber Sale 

Administrator with input from the project earth scientist. 

All Units

Watershed15No full bench skid trails will be constructed except in terraced plantations. (Full 

bench skid trails have the entire skid trail cut into the hill slope).

All Units

Watershed16Ground-based skidding will require front-end suspension of logs on skid trails. All Units

Watershed17Skid and swing trails will be waterbarred and/or covered in slash to prevent 

concentration of surface runoff and prevent runoff from the road from entering 

the swing trails. At project completion, permanent operating water bars will be 

installed and/or repaired as necessary on all skid trails, and slash scattered on 

all skid trails if necessary

All Units

Watershed18Take offs of skid trails that intersect roads will be obliterated or effectively 

blocked to vehicle access.

All Units

Watershed19Place corridors for skyline-yarding outside hydrologic Riparian Reserves parallel 

to the stream channel unless field assessment by Earth/Soil Specialist and sale 

administrator determines that placing them within the RR will not substantially 

damage residual trees, soil, or fish.

All Units

Watershed20All skyline yarding stands will require one end suspension. Full suspension will 

be required for any yarding across or over perennial and intermittent streams to 

avoid damage to stream banks.

All Units

Watershed21Construct new landings outside both hydrologic and unstable-land Riparian 

Reserves and away from locations where sediment is likely to enter streams 

(areas that have a hydrologic connection to streams).

All Units
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

11

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Watershed22Existing landings will be used to the extent possible. If the existing landings are 

within 50 feet of the slope break to a stream channel or inner gorge they will not 

be used. 

All Units

Watershed23Where yarding/end lining occurs to retrieve logs from unstable lands component 

and hydrologic Riparian Reserve equipment exclusion zones, ensure material 

does not cause gouging that creates a trough for overland flow to enter the 

channel. If gouging occurs, waterbars will be installed or slash applied to the 

area.

All Units

Watershed24Once project activities are completed, re-establish natural runoff patterns on 

those landings used for the project (hydrologic stabilization) to protect water 

quality.

All Units

Watershed25Material will not be sidecast during maintenance, construction or reconstruction 

of landings.

All Units

Watershed26Slash or water bars will be applied to corridors where necessary to minimize the 

concentration of surface runoff and where the ground cover is below 50 percent. 

All Units

Watershed27Use erosion control methods on access and/or main roads that are treated for 

dust abatement to prevent any water leakage from causing sedimentation of 

streams. 

All Units

Watershed28Perennial streams, even if dry, will not be crossed by skid trails. Intermittent 

channels may be crossed when dry and at locations designated by the Forest 

Service. 

All Units

Watershed29Skid trails that cross intermittent streams or dry swales (i.e. depressions in the 

landscape that do not meet definition for a designation as Riparian Reserves) 

will be restored before any storm (with reasonable chance of causing offsite 

sediment movement), or after use is complete. This generally consists of 

removing excess soil, reshaping and waterbarring former approaches, and 

spreading slash on the former crossing.

All Units

Watershed30Limit equipment disturbance within 20 feet on either side of swales by 

minimizing equipment crossings and avoiding running trails up the axis of 

swales. Swales are shallow ephemeral channels that do not meet the definition 

of a Riparian Reserve because they lack annual channel scour.

All Units

Watershed31Masticators will not operate within 150 feet of slope distance on perennial/and 

100 feet slope distance on each side of intermittent streams, or the site potential 

tree height distance on each

side of the stream, whichever is greatest (per NWFP ACS Strategy 8). A 

masticator will not operate beyond the break in slope of any inner gorge. 

Consultation with the Project Fish Biologist and/or Hydrologist will occur to 

determine if any additional buffer width for masticator equipment is needed for a 

particular Riparian Reserve.

All Units

Watershed32Dry intermittent streams may be crossed by a masticator at designated sites 

only after field review and approval by the Forest Service No perennial streams, 

even when dry, will be crossed.

All Units

Watershed33Trees directly rooted into the banks or otherwise and obviously integral to the 

stability of the channel bank will not be removed. Trees in the uplands will be 

directionally felled to protect stream banks. 

All Units

Watershed34Use temporary roads on existing roadbeds instead of constructing new 

temporary roads except: (1) when temporary roads on existing roadbeds are 

located within stream-course Riparian Reserves (unless the only way to access 

the unit will be to use a stream crossing on an existing roadbed); or (2) when 

temporary roads on existing roadbeds are located on highly erosive soils, active 

landslides, wetlands or meadows (excluding small springs and seeps).

All Units
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

12

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Watershed35Temporary roads on existing road beds and new temporary roads will be 

blocked after the harvest season (prior to the first winter after use). All temporary 

roads will be hydrologically restored at project completion, which may include 

road removal of culverts and fills at stream crossings, out-sloping of road 

surfaces, obliteration of road segments, and water barring or covering with 

slash.

All Units

Watershed36Improvements on the existing road to the project area will not over-steepen road 

cuts, will minimize sidecasting, and maintain the ditches and cross drains or any 

outslope of the roadway.

All Units

Watershed37Spot rocking will be used as necessary if small and isolated portions of the road 

system do not adequately dry to allow haul when most of the road is capable of 

haul. Ensure haul over the newly rocked areas will not create adverse impacts, 

such as sediment moving offsite towards channels. 

All Units

Watershed38Drafting from fish-bearing (anadromous) waters

Use NOAA Fisheries Water Drafting Specifications:

• When in habitat potentially occupied by Chinook and coho salmon, intakes will 

be screened with 3/32” mesh for rounded or square openings, or 1/16” mesh for 

slotted openings. When in habitat potentially occupied by steelhead trout, 

intakes will be screened with 1/8” mesh size. Wetted surface area of the screen 

or fish-exclusion device shall be proportional to the pump rate to ensure that 

water velocity at the screen surface does not exceed 0.33 ft./sec.

Use of a NOAA approved fish screen will ensure the above specifications are 

met. 

• Fish screen will be placed parallel to flow.

• Pumping rate will not exceed 350 gallons-per-minute (gpm) or 10percent of the 

flow of the anadromous stream drafted from.

• Pumping will be terminated when tank is full.

Additional applicable specifications:

• Water drafting by more than one truck shall not occur simultaneously

All Units

Watershed39Drafting from fish-bearing (non-anadromous) waters

Forest Service BMP Handbook direction applies (BMP 2.5)

• Drafting rate should not exceed 350 gpm for streamflow greater than or equal 

to 4.0 cubic-feet-per-second (cfs).

• Below 4.0 cfs, drafting rates should not exceed 20 percent of surface flows.

• Drafting should cease when bypass surface flows drop below 1.5 cfs.

• Intakes, for trucks and tanks, shall be placed parallel to the flow of water and 

screened, with opening size consistent with the protection of aquatic species of 

interest.

Screen sizes are not provided by BMPs. It is the best judgment of the fish 

biologist that screen sizes described by NOAA specifications for steelhead (1/8” 

mesh size) are applicable for rainbow trout.

• Water drafting by more than one truck shall not occur simultaneously

All Units

Watershed40Drafting from non-fish-bearing waters

Forest Service BMP Handbook direction applies (BMP 2.5) 

• Drafting rate should not exceed 350 gallons per minute for stream flow greater 

than or equal to 2.0 cfs.

• Drafting rate should not exceed 50 percent of surface flow.

• Drafting should cease from when bypass surface flow drops below 10 gallons 

per minute.

• Water drafting by more than one truck shall not occur simultaneously.

All Units
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

13

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Watershed41Water drafting sites located in non-fish-bearing waters only may include minor 

instream modification, such as fine sediment removal and building of 

board/plastic dams, at the discretion of the Project Fish Biologist or Hydrologist.

All boards and plastic will be removed after use. Approaches may be rocked.

Water drafting sites located within fish-bearing stream segments may not be 

modified, except rocking the approach to prevent sedimentation

All Units

Watershed42Fueling and servicing of vehicles used for proposed activities will be done 

outside of hydrologic Riparian Reserves.

No fueling/refueling of mechanical equipment will occur within 100 feet of any 

flowing watercourse or intermittent drainage.

Report spills and initiate appropriate clean-up action in accordance with 

applicable State and Federal laws, rules and regulations. The forest hazardous 

materials coordinator’s name and phone number shall be available to Forest 

Service personnel who administer or manage activities utilizing petroleumpowered equipment.

In the occurrence of a spill which may affect listed aquatic species, NOAA 

Fisheries will be notified for emergency consultation.

All Units

Watershed43A spill containment kit will be in place where refueling and servicing take place All Units

Watershed44Mastication equipment will be restricted to slopes less than 35 to 45 percent

depending on the soil type.

All Units

Watershed45Maintain existing coarse woody debris by having ground-based equipment avoid 

the larger diameter logs as much as practical. 

All Units

Watershed46Post treatment soil cover will range from 50-80 percent depending on slope 

steepness, soil texture, and fuel reduction treatments.

All Units

Watershed47For masticators, soil moistures will be below 18percent. All Units

Watershed48Use of mastication equipment will follow forest WWO standards All Units

Watershed49Restrictions for handpile and windrow construction

• Place in a checkerboard pattern whenever possible (not one pile directly above 

another).

• Handpiles must be small in size, 6 feet or less in diameter.

• No handpiles within 15 feet of any perennial or intermittent stream channel.

• Between 15 and 30 feet, handpiles may be constructed only if one of the 

following conditions exist: (1) not granitic soils, (2) slopes is <35percent, or (3) 

ground cover >50percent. If the condition cannot be met, then slash should be 

lopped and scattered.

All Units

Watershed50Burning Handpiles

• See Watershed-51 for handpile construction description

If perennial streams >1 foot width

• Only handpiles greater than 30 feet from the channel may be burned. 

If intermittent and small (<1 foot width) perennial streams

• Hand-piles greater than 15 feet from the channel may be burned.

All Units
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

14

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Watershed51Prescribed fire effects in hydrologic Riparian Reserves will mimic a low intensity 

backing fire, except for hand-piles where higher intensity may occur to consume 

pile material. Ignition of underburns will generally not occur in Riparian 

Reserves, except to minimize the potential for burning material to roll down into 

a Riparian Reserve that would increase the potential for moderate or high 

intensity burns. Approval by the District Fish Biologist is needed for underburn 

Riparian Reserve ignitions.

All Units

Watershed52For underburning, construction of handlines in RRs closer than 25 feet to a 

watercourse shall be avoided where practical. Handline construction in riparian 

vegetation shall be avoided where practical. Handlines will be mitigated 

(waterbarred and covered with organic material) immediately following 

prescribed burning, when safe to do so.

All Units

Watershed53When underburning in Riparian Reserves, at least 90percent of the large woody 

debris will not be consumed, both standing and on the ground.

All Units

Wildlife-1 Retain at a minimum 2-5 snags on an average per acre where available. This is 

to be assessed on a landscape level. Snag retention may not be met equally on 

every acre but will be met at a landscape scale. Retain snags in clump or 

groups, situated around the largest and live trees where possible. Select snags 

with broken tops as first priority.

All Units

Wildlife-2 Marking crews will coordinate with a wildlife biologist to ensure suitable NSO 

habitat is retained as described in the unit specific prescriptions and green 

cards.

All Units

Wildlife-3 A seasonal restriction of February 1st to September 15th will apply to all 

activities that modify habitat (including activities that degrade or are beneficial) 

within 0.25 mile of a NSO activity center or unsurveyed nesting/roosting habitat. 

LOP may be lifted if protocol surveys determine NSOs are not nesting in the 

year of action.

All Units

Wildlife-4 For areas not in suitable habitat but will potentially be noise-producing activities 

that are above ambient noise levels within 0.25 miles of an occupied NSO 

activity center or unsurveyed suitable nesting/roosting habitat a seasonal 

restriction will be applied from February 1 thru July 9. LOP may be lifted if 

protocol surveys determine NSOs are not nesting in the year of action.

All Units

Wildlife-5 If surveys are to be implemented, we will follow current NSO protocol guidance. All Units

Wildlife-6 In order to not treat more than 50percent of an occupied NSO home range 

within any given year: Within occupied or unsurveyed suitable habitat, no more 

than 50percent of the nesting, roosting, or foraging habitat will be burned or 

mechanically treated in a single year in any one 7th-field watershed up to 3500 

acres in size. If the 7th-field watershed is >3500 acres, apply the design criteria 

at the 8th field watershed scale or in some other manner that meets the intent of 

the design feature.

All Units

Wildlife-7 No more than 50percent of suitable NSO habitat within 0.5 mile of an NSO 0.5-

mile core will be underburned in a given year.

All Units

Wildlife-8 Maintain existing snag and large down log levels across the landscape where 

fuel loading is not excessive but do not go below Klamath Forest Plan standards 

for snags and logs per acre.

All Units

Wildlife-9 When burning in spring, smoke is managed so that light to moderate, dispersed 

smoke may be present within a canyon or drainage but dissipates or lifts within 

24 hours. When spring burning is conducted within 0.25 mile and uphill of a 

known NSO activity center or within 0.25 mile of unsurveyed nesting/roosting 

habitat (separated by a topographic feature), smoke is managed as described 

above, and ignition should be discontinued if heavy, concentrated smoke begins 

to inundate suitable habitat late in the afternoon

All Units
Craggy Vegetation Management Project Proposal

15

Design 

Feature

Description Applicable Units/ 

Area’s

Wildlife-10 No known bald eagle nest trees, perch trees, or roost trees within winter roots 

areas will be removed or destroyed as a result of prescribed fire or fuels 

reduction activities if discovered.

All Units

Wildlife-11 To minimize smoke effects on bald eagles, prescribed burning will not occur in 

or within 0.5 mile of a known or suspected nest territory from January 1 to 

August 31, or a known or suspected winter roost area from November 1 to 

March 31 if discovered. If surveys demonstrate that nest sites are not active, no 

seasonal restrictions are required.

All Units

Wildlife-12 Activities that create noise above ambient levels within 0.25 mile of active or 

suspected bald eagle nests if discovered, or occur within 0.5 mile line-of-sight of 

such nests, will be seasonally restricted from January 1 to August 31. If surveys 

demonstrate that bald eagles nest sites are not active, no seasonal restrictions 

are required.

All Units

Wildlife-13 Activities that create noise above ambient levels within 0.25 mile of an active or 

suspected bald eagle winter roost, or occur within 0.5 mile line-of-sight of such 

roosts, will be seasonally restricted from November 1 to March 31 if discovered.

If surveys demonstrate that roosts are not being used, no seasonal restrictions 

are required.

All Units

Wildlife-14 In known occupied northern goshawk nest sites and management areas, no 

burning or use of heavy equipment will occur within 0.25 mile of the nest site 

between March 1 and August 31. If protocol surveys are conducted and the site 

is found to be unoccupied, proposed actions may proceed.

All Units

Wildlife-15 In order to avoid direct harm to individual Siskiyou Mountain and Scott Bar 

Salamanders, in occupied sites or areas modeled as has having moderate or 

high likelihood of occupancy, implement burning when salamanders have low 

likelihood of being surface active.

All Units

Wildlife-16 Avoid use of heavy equipment on known Siskiyou Mountain and Scott Bar 

Salamander sites or on suitable talus that has a moderate or high likelihood of 

occupancy.

All Units

Wildlife-17 Treatment units containing suitable Siskiyou Mountain and Scott Bar 

Salamander habitat will be flagged and avoided; flagged areas will be utilized as 

"skips" considered in variable density thinning prescriptions.

All Units

Wildlife-18 >60percent canopy cover existing of the larger mature trees, large DWD, and 

sufficient forest floor litter will be retained within and adjacent to known sites of 

Tehama Chaparral and Blue gray tail dropper.

All Units

Wildlife-19 Heavy equipment will not be used on talus slopes to protect Tehama Chaparral 

and Blue gray tail dropper.

All Units

Wildlife-20 Treatment units containing suitable Tehama Chaparral and Blue gray tail 

dropper habitat will be have these areas flagged and avoided; flagged areas will 

be utilized as "skips" considered in variable density thinning prescriptions.

All Units

Wildlife-20 Treatment units containing suitable Tehama Chaparral and Blue gray tail 

dropper habitat will be have these areas flagged and avoided; flagged areas will 

be utilized as "skips" considered in variable density thinning prescriptions.

All Units

Wildlife-21 Recommend direction felling away from retained hardwoods to minimize logging 

damage.

All Units

Wildlife-22 Recommend directional felling away from meadows. Minimize equipment use on 

sensitive meadow habitats.

All Units