Biological Assessment/Evaluation for

Threatened, Endangered, Proposed, and Sensitive

Plant Species

Prepared by:

Blaze Baker,

Botanist

for:

Goosenest Ranger District,

Kiamath National Forest

June 18, 2009

Ranger District: Goosenest

Prepared by: _/s/ Blaze Baker.

Blaze BakerBotanist

Date: __June 18, 2009

Above and Beyond Ecosystems Enterprise Unit

Reviewed by: _/s/ Maria Knight

Maria KnightBotanistKiamath

Approved by:

Allen

Hi-Grouse BA/BE Contact:

Date: _Juiy 31, 2009_

Date:

Maria Knight, 530-468-1238

orBlaze Baker, 559-779-6559

(Maria Knight has the project botany

surveys records on file.)

Goosenest District RangerKiarnath National Forest

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A. Proposed Action 4

B. Resource Protection Measures 4

IV. Existing Environment 5

A. Field Survey 5

V. Effects Of The Alternatives 5

A. Interactions Important to Analysis (General) 5B. Effects of the No-Action Alternative 6C. Effects of All Action Alternatives 6

VI. Determination Of Effects 6References 6

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The Hi-Grouse Project area is located south of the Four Corners snowmobile trailhead and

extends south to the Forest boundary near Little Glass Mountain. The project area encompassesapproximately 7,450 acres in the south east portion of the Goosenest Ranger District.

Legal Description: The project is located in the southwest of the District at T44N, R2E, Sections

25—28; T43N, R2E, Sections 1—4, and 13; T44N, R3E, Section 31; T43N, R3E, Sections 6, 7, and

18; Mt. Diablo Meridian. For a map of the proposed project area, see the 2009 Hi-Grouse EIS.

B. Species Of Concern

Threatened, Endangered, and Proposed

Species list addressed: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) threatened, endangered, and

proposed plant species.

Project area reviewed for presence of populations, habitat, and range: Yes

The Arcata Field Office, USFWS (USD1 2009c), provided the following list of species to theKlamath National Forest (KNF) on March 9, 2009, by quadrangle. This BA addresses these

species:

There were no threatened, endangered, or proposed plant species ofinterest within the Hi

Grouse Project area.

The Hi-Grouse Project is not within the range, and does not contain habitat for any threatened,

endangered, or proposed species within the project area. No federally listed threatened,endangered, or proposed plant species would be affected by this project.

Sensitive

The Region 5 Regional Forester has listed plants for which there is a concern for species viability

as “sensitive.” Sensitive plants are those species which may occur in few to large numbers in asmall localized area, or which may occur in a wide geographical area, but in few numbers inrestricted specialized habitats. Fifty-one Sensitive plant species are known, or thought likely tooccur on KNF (USDA 2006). This BE addresses this list.Only those species of concern that have potentially suitable habitat or documented occurrences inareas that may be affected by the proposed project are discussed in this document. These areasinclude all activities discussed in the proposed action. The following preliminary botanical

review was done to determine species of concern.3
conducted for this species, and no other suitable habitat or populations were found. Three other

species were thought to have low potential to occur in the project area: Cypripediurn

Jäsciculatum, C. montanurn, and Collornia Iarsenii. Field review indicated no habitat present for

these three species. Surveys are not required for species for which suitable habitat is not present,and for which the project area is outside of the currently known range of the species.

II. Current Management Direction

(FSM 2672,41): Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended, and Forest

Service Policy (FSM 2670) direct Federal agencies to ensure that any action authorized, funded,

or permitted by such agencies is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of(1) species

listed, or proposed to be listed, as endangered or threatened by the USFWS, and (2) species listed

as sensitive by the Region 5 Regional Forester, or to cause a trend to Federal listing for species

listed as sensitive (USDA. 1990).

Forest-wide standards and guidelines have been developed that direct the management of

sensitive plant species to ensure the maintenance of reproducing, self-sustaining populations, and

to prevent the need for the species to become federally listed as threatened or endangered

(Klamath National Forest LRMP 1994).

Consultation to Date: No consultation was required as threatened and endangered species arenot suspected or present (USD1 2009c).

III. Description Of Proposed Action

A. Proposed Action

The Goosenest Ranger District of the KNF proposes to restore ponderosa pine and mixed conifer

forest types, thin, and use fuel reduction techniques on approximately 5,109 acres within the

Goosenest Adaptive Management Area (AMA). The proposed actions were designed to addressthe purpose and need components and move towards the desired conditions while meeting plan

standards and guidelines. This project involves altering stand density, structure, and species

compositions, and the abatement of fuels generated from proposed activities as well as treatmentof pre-existing fuel accumulations. The following treatment activities are included in the

proposed action. Many fuels treatments overlap within any given silvicultural treatment. For

example, thinning may be followed by both fuels abatement and underburning; and fuel treatmentcorridors may overlap other treatments. Silvicultural and fuels treatments and road actions aresummarized in the EIS, following the discussion of all alternatives.

B. Resource Protection Measures

Known Sites: no new sites of known species in the project area were found during the 2007

surveys. One design criteria to address any sensitive plants that may have been missed duringfield surveys was developed.

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protect plants from local soilmovement or heating duringprescribed fire would be

maintained.

Sensitive Fungi and Bryophytes: Sensitive fungi or bryophytes are not suspected in the projectarea.

IV. Existing Environment

A. Field Survey

Surveys for sensitive plants were conducted on August 1, 2, 7, and 9; and October 11 and 13,

2007. Surveys conducted during October were for Ptilidium californicum (see USDA 2007b).Pre-field and field surveys did not yield any locations of sensitive plants, fungi, or bryophyteswithin the I-li-Grouse Project area.

V. Effects Of The AlternativesA. Interactions Important to Analysis (General)Ground disturbance and alterations of the light, moisture, and nutrient regimes within forest andassociated plant environments can affect sensitive plants and their habitats. These effects cantake two forms; either the actual destruction of individuals in a population or the adversemodification of suitable habitat considered critical to maintenance of viable populations (direct

effect), or the modification of habitat to the extent that it prevents future colonization of the site

by a species (indirect effect).

Management activities and their effects on sensitive plants can be both long term and short term.Activities that occur once on a specific population may not affect a population or its habitat if the

species possesses the biological mechanisms to recover; however, repeated activities may have

the potential to significantly impact a population. Activities prescribed by a project may havecumulative effects on the species viability if individually insignificant effects occur over a widegeographic range or on large numbers of sensitive plant populations.The significance of management activities upon sensitive plant species viability depends uponmany factors, including the size of known populations, the wider geographic range of known

sensitive plant populations outside of the project area, and the degree of species sensitivity toshort-term and long-term habitat modification. The alternatives are typically evaluated in terms

of how they would affect sensitive plant species viability in the context of the above factors.

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p

p

p

p

is in a no treatment area. No indirect effects from habitat modification from treatments are

anticipated. The treatments would be within the range of possible natural disturbance (such aswindthrow of trees or wildfire) in the analysis area. Without direct or indirect effects there wouldbe no cumulative effects.VI. Determination Of EffectsAdequate botanical assessment has been completed for this BA/BE. This was based on

recommendations in the botanical review and field surveys for this project, and the projectbotanist’s professional judgment.

No-Action Alternative: No federally listed threatened, endangered, or proposed, plant specieswould be affected by this project alternative. Additionally, it is my determination that the I-liGrouse Project no-action alternative would have no impact on sensitive species.Action Alternatives: No federally listed threatened, endangered, or proposed, plant specieswould be affected by this project alternative. The action alternatives were grouped fordetermination of effects because the effects are the same. Since no sensitive plants are presentwithin treatment units of the project area, there would be no impact to any sensitive species by

implementation of any action alternatives.

References

USDA-Forest Service. 1990. Forest Service Manual: Wildlife, Fish, and Sensitive Plant

Management (section 2670).

USDA-Forest Service. 1994. Final Environmental Impact Statement and Land and Forest

Resource Management Plan. Kiarnath National Forest.

USDA-Forest Service; USD1-Bureau of Land Management. 2004. Final Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement to Remove or Modify the Survey and Manage MitigationMeasure Standards and Guidelines; Forest Service National Forests in Regions 5 and 6 andBureau of Land Management District in Washington, Oregon, and California Within the

Range of the Northern Spotted Owl.

USDA-Forest Service, 2006. 2670: Sensitive Plant Species. October 2006. Klamath National

Forest, Yreka, CA.

USDA-Forest Service. 2007a. Botanical Pre-field Review of Proposed Projects and Results of

Preliminary Field Review, Hi Grouse Project. Appendix A-l, A-2, A-3. Unpublisheddocument on file. Supervisor’s Office, Klamath National Forest, Yreka, CA.

USDA-Forest Service. 2007b. 2670: Sensitive Plant Survey reports, Hi-Grouse Project.

Unpublished notes on file, Supervisor’s Office, Klamath National Forest, Yreka, CA.

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