Table of Contents 

Introductory Material 

Front Cover/Acronyms...................................................................................................................................i

Dear Reader Letter ...................................................................................................................................... iii

Abstract .........................................................................................................................................................v

Summary ................................................................................................................................................... S-1

Chapter 1 Purpose and Need

1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1-1 

1.2 Proposed Action .................................................................................................................................. 1-1 

1.3 Purpose and Need................................................................................................................................ 1-2 

1.4 Decisions to be Made .......................................................................................................................... 1-2 

1.5 Management Direction ........................................................................................................................ 1-4 

1.6 Description of the Project Area ........................................................................................................... 1-9 

1.7 Public Involvement.............................................................................................................................. 1-9 

1.8 Consultation....................................................................................................................................... 1-11 

1.9 Significant Issues............................................................................................................................... 1-13 

1.10 Other Issues and Concerns .............................................................................................................. 1-16 

1.11 Federal and State Permits, Licenses, and Certifications.................................................................. 1-18 

1.12 Applicable Laws and Executive Orders .......................................................................................... 1-19

Chapter 2 Alternatives

2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 2-1 

2.2 Changes Made Between the Draft EIS and Final EIS ......................................................................... 2-2 

2.3 Alternatives Considered In Detail ....................................................................................................... 2-2 

2.4 Design Criteria Common to All Action Alternatives.......................................................................... 2-5 

2.5 Comparison of Alternatives............................................................................................................... 2-10 

2.6 Identification of the Preferred Alternative......................................................................................... 2-14 

2.7 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated From Detailed Study ......................................................... 2-17 

2.8 Mitigation .......................................................................................................................................... 2-17 

2.9 Monitoring......................................................................................................................................... 2-17

Chapter 3 Environment and Effects

3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 3-1

3.2 Issue 1 – Roadless Areas..................................................................................................................... 3-7

3.3 Issue 2 – Deer Habitat and Subsistence Use...................................................................................... 3-24 

3.4 Issue 3 – Timber Sale Economics ..................................................................................................... 3-56

3.5 Issue 4 – Cumulative Effects of Logging and Rd Construction on Watersheds................................ 3-69

3.6 Alaska Region Threatened, Endangered, Candidate, and Sensitive Species................................... 3-100

3.7 Wildlife............................................................................................................................................ 3-107

3.8 Timber and Vegetation Resources................................................................................................... 3-138

3.9 Fisheries........................................................................................................................................... 3-151

3.10 Soils and Geology ......................................................................................................................... 3-164

Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS Table of Contents • i
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3.11 Wetlands........................................................................................................................................ 3-176

3.12 Transportation................................................................................................................................ 3-181

3.13 Scenery .......................................................................................................................................... 3-194

3.14 Recreation...................................................................................................................................... 3-207

3.15 Socioeconomics............................................................................................................................. 3-214

3.16 Heritage Resources........................................................................................................................ 3-219

3.17 Non-National Forest System Lands and Uses ............................................................................... 3-224

3.18 Findings and Disclosures............................................................................................................... 3-225

Chapter 4 References and Lists

Glossary..................................................................................................................................................... 4-1 

References............................................................................................................................................... 4-19 

List of Preparers ...................................................................................................................................... 4-26 

List of FEIS Recipients ........................................................................................................................... 4-28 

Index for Chapter 1.................................................................................................................................. 4-33 

Index for Chapter 2.................................................................................................................................. 4-35 

Index for Chapter 3.................................................................................................................................. 4-37 

Appendix A Reasons for Scheduling the Environmental Analysis of 

the Kuiu Timber Sale Project Area

Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. A-1 

Why is Timber from the Tongass National Forest Being Offered for Sale? ............................................ A-2 

How Does the Forest Service Develop Forecasts about Future Timber Market Demand? ...................... A-6 

What Steps Must Be Completed to Prepare a Sale for Offer?.................................................................. A-9 

How Does the Forest Service Maintain an Orderly and Predictable Timber Sale Program? ................. A-10 

How Does the Forest Service Decide Where Timber Harvest Projects should be Located? ................. A-14 

Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................. A-19 

References.............................................................................................................................................. A-20

Appendix B Activity Cards 

Introduction to Appendix B.......................................................................................................................B-1

Unit Cards 101-112 .................................................................................................................................B-11

Unit Cards 204-212 .................................................................................................................................B-26

Unit Cards 302-308 .................................................................................................................................B-54

Unit Cards 401-504 .................................................................................................................................B-64

Road Card Introduction ...........................................................................................................................B-95

Road Management Objectives for Existing Roads................................................................................B-103

Road Management Objectives for Planned Roads 46030 and 46031....................................................B-117

Road Management Objectives for Planned Roads 46032 and 46033....................................................B-123

Road Management Objectives for Planned Roads 46034 and 46035....................................................B-130

Road Management Objectives for Planned Roads 46021 and 6427......................................................B-136

Appendix C Agency Responses to Public Comments on the Kuiu 

Timber Sale Area Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Back Cover

ii • Table of Contents Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS 
LIST OF TABLES 

Chapter 1 

Table 1-1. Forest Plan Land Use Designations on Kuiu Island................................................................. 1-7

Chapter 2 

Table 2-1. Proposed activities by Alternative for the Kuiu Timber Sale Area.......................................... 2-9 

Table 2-2. Comparison of alternatives by issue and effects.................................................................... 2-14

Chapter 3 

Table 3-1. Kuiu Island Inventoried Roadless Areas.................................................................................. 3-9 

Table 3-2. Acres of Inventoried Roadless Area within the Project Area .................................................. 3-9 

Table 3-3. North Kuiu Roadless Area LUDs .......................................................................................... 3-10 

Table 3-4. Effects on the North Kuiu Roadless Area by Alternative ...................................................... 3-12 

Table 3-5. Indirect Effects on the North Kuiu Roadless Area by Alternative, including Zones of Influence 

of harvest and road construction.............................................................................................................. 3-13 

Table 3-6. Roadless Area Values as identified in the Forest Plan SEIS (2003)...................................... 3-14 

Table 3-7. Direct Effects on Area 1 (Southern Unroaded Area 2,412 acres) by Alternative .................. 3-20 

Table 3-8. Direct Effects on Area 2 (Middle Unroaded Area 3,302 acres) by Alternative..................... 3-22 

Table 3-9. Indirect Effects on Area 1 (Southern Unroaded Area 2,412 acres) by Alternative................ 3-22 

Table 3-10. Indirect Effects on Area 2 (Middle Unroaded Area 3,302 acres) by Alternative ................ 3-22 

Table 3-11. Historic and current POG acres within WAA 5012 and the Project Area ........................... 3-26 

Table 3-12. Effects of the proposed alternatives on POG habitat within the Project Area (acres remaining 

after harvest)............................................................................................................................................ 3-26 

Table 3-13. Acres of High Volume POG below 800 feet harvested within the Project Area ................. 3-27 

Table 3-14. WAA 5012 deer habitat suitability indices – historic (1954), current (2006), and future (2046) 

condition.................................................................................................................................................. 3-30 

Table 3-15. Direct effects of harvest on important deer winter range in WAA 5012 by Alternative ..... 3-31 

Table 3-16. Subsistence harvest of important game species on Kuiu Island........................................... 3-48 

Table 3-17. Deer habitat capability (deer/mi2) for WAA 5012 by Alternative ...................................... 3-50 

Table 3-18. Suitable and available productive forest land strata and volume estimates for the Kuiu Project 

Area ......................................................................................................................................................... 3-59 

Table 3-19. NEAT_R logging costs by Alternative for haul to Rowan Bay LTF................................... 3-60 

Table 3-20. NEAT_R logging costs by Alternative for haul to Saginaw Bay LFT ................................ 3-60 

Table 3-21. Volume by Alternative and expected bid to Rowan Bay and Saginaw Bay LTFs .............. 3-61 

Table 3-22. Acres of harvest prescriptions by Alternative...................................................................... 3-61 

Table 3-23. Acres of proposed timber harvest by yarding system .......................................................... 3-62 

Table 3-24. Logging and Milling Related Employment and Income...................................................... 3-64 

Table 3-25. Components of the Watershed Analysis.............................................................................. 3-70 

Table 3-26. Interpretation of the Sediment Risk Index (SRI) ................................................................. 3-72 

Table 3-27. Interpretation of the Percentile Ranking for Flood Plain (FP) Stream Channel 

Characterisitcs......................................................................................................................................... 3-73 

Table 3-28. Watersheds within the Project Area, Cumulative Harvest since 1977 and Existing Roads 

(National Forest System and Temporary Roads) .................................................................................... 3-74 

Table 3-29. Changes to the SRI in Watersheds in the Project Area ........................................................ 3-74 

Table 3-30. Stream Channel Condition: Dean Creek .............................................................................. 3-75 

Table 3-31. Stream Channel Condition: East Fork Saginaw Creek ........................................................ 3-76 

Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS Table of Contents • 3
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Table 3-32. Stream Channel Condition: West Fork Saginaw Creek ....................................................... 3-77 

Table 3-33. Stream Channel Condition: ADF&G stream #109-45-10090.............................................. 3-78 

Table 3-34. Stream Channel Condition: Security Creek ......................................................................... 3-79 

Table 3-35. Stream Channel Condition: Main Steam Kadake Creek...................................................... 3-81 

Table 3-36. Current Sediment Risk Index (SRI) in Project Area Watersheds, and SRI after Accounting for 

Proposed Timber Harvest and Road Construction .................................................................................. 3-86 

Table 3-37. Summary of timber harvest and road building proposed in Alternative 2, and associated 

changes in cumulative harvest levels....................................................................................................... 3-88 

Table 3-38. Summary of timber harvest and road building proposed in Alternative 3, and associated 

changes in cumulative harvest levels....................................................................................................... 3-91 

Table 3-39. Summary of timber harvest and road building proposed in Alternative 4, and associated 

changes in cumulative harvest levels....................................................................................................... 3-92 

Table 3-40. Summary of timber harvest and road building proposed in Alternative 5, and associated 

changes in cumulative harvest levels....................................................................................................... 3-94 

Table 3-41. Federally listed threatened, endangered, and candidate wildlife species, and Alaska Region 

sensitive wildlife species potential habitat within the Kuiu Timber Sale Project Area......................... 3-101 

Table 3-42. Current Alaska Region sensitive plant species known or suspected to occur on Petersburg 

Ranger District ...................................................................................................................................... 3-104 

Table 3-43. Small old-growth habitat reserve options for VCU 398 .................................................... 3-109 

Table 3-44. Small old-growth habitat reserve options for VCU399 ..................................................... 3-110 

Table 3-45. Small old-growth habitat reserve options for VCU402 ..................................................... 3-115 

Table 3-46. Management Indictor Species............................................................................................ 3-117 

Table 3-47. High value marten habitat (HSI > 0.89) in WAA 5012 remaining after harvest by 

Alternative ............................................................................................................................................. 3-118 

Table 3-48. Open road density in WAA 5012....................................................................................... 3-122 

Table 3-49. Habitat Capability Changes for Sitka Black-tailed Deer ................................................... 3-123 

Table 3-50 Acres of coarse canopy (Volume Class 6 and 7) harvested by Alternative and proportions of 

coarse canopy within the Project Area .................................................................................................. 3-132 

Table 3-51. Species composition of forest lands in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area................................... 3-139 

Table 3-52. Timber volume (mbf) and species composition proposed for harvest by Alternative ....... 3-139 

Table 3-53. Volume strata in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area..................................................................... 3-141 

Table 3-54. Volume strata acres harvest by Alternative........................................................................ 3-142 

Table 3-55. Acres of silvicultural prescriptions by Alternative ............................................................ 3-145 

Table 3-56 Cumulative acres of timber harvest by Alternative............................................................. 3-150 

Table 3-57. Existing and proposed stream crossings needing structures by steam class and 

Alternative ............................................................................................................................................. 3-155 

Table 3-58. Proposed fish stream structure removal ............................................................................. 3-156 

Table 3-59. Landslide studies by Swanston and Marion (1991) and Landwehr (1998 unpub.)............ 3-166 

Table 3-60. Acres previously harvested in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area by MMI Class........................ 3-167 

Table 3-61. Inventory of landslides within the Project Area................................................................. 3-168 

Table 3-62. Acres of detrimental soil disturbance from harvest and temporary road construction by

Alternative ............................................................................................................................................. 3-172 

Table 3-63. Acres of MMI in proposed units by Alternative ................................................................ 3-173 

Table 3-64. Miles of NFS and temporary road by Alternative and MMI class..................................... 3-174 

Table 3-65. Acres of wetlands previously harvested and proposed for harvest within the Kuiu Timber Sale 

Area by Alternative ............................................................................................................................... 3-178 

Table 3-66. Proposed temporary road miles crossing wetlands............................................................ 3-179 

Table 3-67. Existing National Forest System Roads in the Project Area .............................................. 3-185 

Table 3-68. Current and proposed open road density in the Project Area............................................. 3-186 

Table 3-69. Existing and proposed miles of open and closed NFS road and miles of proposed temporary

road construction in the Project Area .................................................................................................... 3-187 

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Table 3-70. Existing NFS road miles that would closed after timber harvest....................................... 3-188 

Table 3-71. Acres of harvest in distance zones by Alternative ............................................................. 3-196

Table 3-72. Project Area Acres by Existing Visual Condition.............................................................. 3-197 

Table 3-73. Project Area acres by Forest Plan adopted visual quality objective .................................. 3-198 

Table 3-74. Percentage of Allowable Visual Disturbance by VCU and Alternative ............................ 3-206 

Table 3-75. Existing Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) Classes within the Kuiu Timber Sale 

Area ....................................................................................................................................................... 3-207 

Table 3-76. Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) class acres in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area........ 3-208 

Appendix A

Table A-1. Projected Tongass National Forest Timber Harvest – in Million Board Feet 

(MMBF) ................................................................................................................................................... A-8 

Table A-2. Accomplishments in Gate System and Timber Pools (MMBF)........................................... A-13 

Table A-3. Timber Volume Involved in Appeals and/or Litigation....................................................... A-14 

Table A-4. Annual Distribution of Forest Plan Allowable Sale Quantity (mmbf) by 

District.................................................................................................................................................... A-16 

Appendix B 

Table B-1. Channel Types in or adjacent to proposed harvest units.........................................................B-8 

Table B-2. Stream Value Classes..............................................................................................................B-8 

Table B-3. Stream classes, species of concern, and construction timing windows for 

stream crossings on designated roads proposed for reconstruction.........................................................B-99 

Appendix C 

Table C-1. Letters received from Agencies, Organizations, and Individuals............................................C-2 

LIST OF FIGURES 

Figure 1-1. Vicinity Map of Kuiu Timber Sale ......................................................................................... 1-3

Figure 1-2. Land Use Designation Map of Kuiu Timber Sale .................................................................. 1-8

Figure 2-1. Alternative 1 No Action....................................................................................................... 2-19

Figure 2-2. Alternative 2 ........................................................................................................................ 2-21

Figure 2-3. Alternative 3 ........................................................................................................................ 2-23

Figure 2-4. Alternative 4 Proposed Action............................................................................................. 2-25

Figure 2-5. Alternative 5... ..................................................................................................................... 2-27

Figure 3-1. Roadless Areas and Unroaded Areas.................................................................................... 3-16

Figure 3-2. Deer Winter Range (Current Condition) .............................................................................. 3-36

Figure 3-3. Deer Winter Range for 2046................................................................................................. 3-38

Figure 3-4. Coarse Canopy Forest........................................................................................................... 3-43

Figure 3-5. Watersheds and Streams....................................................................................................... 3-96

Figure 3-6. Managed Stands, Roads, Landslides..................................................................................... 3-98

Figure 3-7. Kuiu Island Old-growth Habitat Reserves.......................................................................... 3-112

Figure 3-8. Small Old-growth Habitat Reserve Options in VCUs 398, 399 and 402 ........................... 3-114

Figure 3-9. High Value Marten Winter Habitat .................................................................................... 3-120

Figure 3-10. MMI-3 and MMI-4 Soils within the Kuiu Timber Sale Area........................................... 3-171 

Figure 3-11. Adopted Visual Quality Objectives.................................................................................. 3-205

Figure 3-12. Area of Potential Effect for Heritage Resources............................................................... 3-223

Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS Table of Contents • 5
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Figure A-1. Tongass Timber Harvest, 1998-2006.................................................................................... A-4 

Figure A-2. 1997 Forest Plan Timber Resource Suitability Analysis.................................................... A-15 

Figure B-1. Unit Pool ................................................................................................................................B-9

Figure B-2. Proposed Road Maintenance Levels..................................................................................B-101

List of Charts

Chart 3-1. Change of cumulative harvest levels in the Project Area over 30 years for Alternative 1, the 

No-Action Alternative. This calculation accounts for unharvested units in the Crane and Rowan Mountain 

Timber Sales ROD, but does not account for road clearings. ................................................................ 3-84

Chart 3-2. Change of cumulative harvest levels in the Project Area over 30 years for Alternative 4, the 

alternative proposing the highest number of acres for harvest. This calculation accounts for unharvested 

units in the Crane and Rowan Mountain Timber Sales ROD, but does not account for road clearings.. 3-85 

Chart 3-3. Forest Land Classification in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area .................................................. 3-140 

Chart 3-4. Kuiu Timber Sale Area landslide comparison...................................................................... 3-168

6 • Table of Contents Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS