Summary

The Sierra National Forest proposes a project with two principle components: (1) management 

treatments to reduce fire hazard and restore forest resiliency, and (2) research to examine ecosystem 

response to those treatments. The purpose of the project is to provide data on the effectiveness of a 

forest restoration strategy for adaptive management in the southern Sierra Nevada. Data collection has 

been underway since 2000 to characterize and measure baseline (pre-treatment) ecological response on 

the Providence and Bull Units. Post-treatment data would be collected upon completion of the forest 

restoration treatments. The purpose of the management treatments is to reduce the potential fire 

severity in the event of a wildfire; to help protect firefighters, communities and valuable wildlife habitat 

and watersheds in the event of a wildfire; to restore important ecological processes in the ecosystem 

such as low intensity fire and associate nutrient cycling; and to create a patchy, uneven-aged tree 

structure similar to that before fire suppression.

The project area is located approximately 15 miles southeast of the mountain community of Shaver Lake 

and approximately 30 miles northeast of Fresno, CA. The project area is within the High Sierra Ranger 

District, Sierra National Forest, in Fresno County, CA. This action is needed, because the project area 

currently has communities and conifer forests that are likely to be threatened and possibly damaged if a 

wildfire were to occur in hot dry summer conditions. Recent wildfire behavior both locally and 

state‐wide has shown that under the right weather conditions and heavy fuel loadings, devastating 

effects can occur in the form of burned homes, injured or killed firefighters, and severe environmental 

effects to key wildlife habitat and watersheds. The forest is also exposed to multiple stressors (air 

pollution, periodic drought, and high tree density) that will eventually lead to significant tree death, and 

likely an insect outbreak as has occurred in southern California and other parts of the United States and 

Canada.

The Proposed Action, which is the Preferred Alternative, is expected to substantially reduce the 

potential for high fire severity under all but the most extreme weather conditions. This high fire severity 

is commonly characterized by complete mortality of the vegetation, soil damage, water pollution, 

ineffective suppression efforts with associated high financial costs, and loss of life and/or property.

In addition to the Proposed Action (Alternative 5), the Forest Service also evaluated the following

alternatives: 

No Action – no treatments would occur, and currently approved actions would continue. None of 

these actions are focused on meeting the need for and purpose of this project.

Alternative 2 –Under this alternative stand treatments would concentrate on reducing stand 

densities by harvesting trees up to 30 inches dbh according to the KREW Research Project 

uneven-aged management strategy. 

Alternative 3 – Under this alternative the upper diameter limit for harvesting is reduced to 20

inches dbh on the general forest. This design is based on the 2001 Sierra Nevada Framework 

Programmatic Agreement. The upper diameter limit for treatments in Old Forest Emphasis 

Areas would be reduced to 12 inches dbh to minimize the impacts to sensitive species. As part 

of the emphasis on fuels reduction, the defense zone thin would remove trees up to 20 inches

dbh. 

Alternative 4 - The goal of this alternative is to restore heterogeneity (i.e., diversity in plant size, 

type, and density) at the landscape scale to approximate historical condition. This would be 

achieved by creating a mosaic of density and structure based on ecological processes influenced 

by aspect, slope position, site productivity, tree species, and unusual micro‐site conditions.

Based upon the effects of the alternatives, the responsible official will decide which alternative will be 

selected.