176 • Chapter 3 Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS 

Wetlands 

Wetlands are sites which generally have both saturated soils for at 

least a portion of the growing year and vegetation that is adapted to 

wet sites. They are valued for their physical, chemical and biological 

functions. Wetlands moderate flooding, reduce runoff and 

sedimentation, provide wildlife and plant habitat, and may help sustain 

stream flow during dry periods. 

Kuiu Island is a mosaic of forestland and wetlands. Based on the Soil 

Resource Inventory, approximately 17 percent of the Kuiu Timber 

Sale Area is classified with soils capable of supporting wetlands. Most 

of the wetlands are at the head of Saginaw and Security Bays, and at 

the top of the peninsula separating Security Bay from Saginaw Bay. 

Different wetland types are found from sea level to mountain top. 

Resource values associated with these wetlands vary, depending on 

biological qualities, proximity to water bodies and position on the 

landscape. 

Determining what constitutes high value wetlands is largely dependent 

on human use or the perceived benefit of the wetland. Because human 

perceptions change, the values we place on wetlands or upland 

ecosystems also change over time. There are two wetland habitat types 

in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area, covering approximately 200 acres, that 

are currently considered high value wetlands: estuaries (60 acres) and 

tall sedge fens (140 acres). No activities are proposed on these wetland 

types for this project. Listed below are the types and acres of wetlands 

found in the Kuiu Timber Sale Area. A detailed description of wetland 

types are in the Wetlands Resource Report available in the Kuiu 

Timber Sale planning record. 

• Alpine/Sub Alpine Muskegs (1,027 acres or 2.2 percent) 

• Alpine/Sub Alpine Forested Wetlands/ Meadow Mosaic (174 acres 

or 0.4 percent) 

• Estuarine Wetlands (60 acres or 0.1 percent) 

• Forested Wetlands (1,757 acres or 3.8 percent) 

• Muskegs (987 acres or 2.1 percent) 

• Muskegs/Forested Wetlands Mosaic (3,707 acres or 8 percent) 

• Sedge Fens (140 acres or 0.3 percent) 

3.11.1 

Introduction 

3.11.2 

Wetland Types 
Wetlands 3

Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS Chapter 3 • 177 

3.11.3.1 Guidance 

Direction is available in the Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines (p. 

4-111), BMP 12.5, Wetland Identification, Evaluation and Protection, 

and Wetlands Executive Order 11988. 

The Forest Service is required by Executive Order 11990 and Section 

404 of the Clean Water Act to preserve and enhance the natural and 

beneficial values of wetlands whenever practicable while carrying out 

land management responsibilities. 

Past harvest from wetland areas in the Project Area (approximately 

325 acres) is minimal. Less than five percent of the previously 

harvested areas were on wetlands, including forested wetlands and 

wetland complexes. Less than 15 percent of the roads were built across 

wetlands to access timber. 

3.11.3.2 Timber Harvest 

Most wetlands do not support productive forest and are not harvested; 

therefore, timber harvest usually only affects forested wetlands and 

some upland complex areas. The impacts that do occur are generally 

caused by roads and only impact a small percentage of wetlands on the 

Tongass. 

Many of the forested wetland soils capable of supporting forests 

suitable for timber production were included in the suitable timber 

base during the analysis of the Forest Plan. Site productivity for tree 

growth is generally lower than on sites with better drainage. 

Regeneration is expected to occur within five years, just as with other 

forested sites (Julin and D’Amore 2003). 

After harvest in a wetland area, vegetation changes on both low 

volume old-growth and young growth forest stands. A small and 

temporary increase in soil moisture is expected until transpiration and 

interception of rainfall is equivalent to pre-harvest conditions. These 

effects are common to all the action alternatives. Table 3-65 displays 

acres of timber harvested on forested wetland for each alternative. 

3.11.3 

Affected 

Environment 
3 Environment and Effects 

178 • Chapter 3 Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS 

Table 3-65. Acres of wetlands previously harvested and proposed for 

harvest within the Kuiu Timber Sale Area by alternative 

Wetland Type Existing 

Managed 

Stands 

Alt 1 Alt 2 Alt 3 Alt 4 Alt 5 

Alpine/Subalpine Muskegs 15 0 0 0 0 0 

Forested Wetlands 216 0 15 34 62 68 

Muskegs/Forested 

Wetlands Mosaic 94 0 17 24 57 57 

Total Harvest 325 0 32 58 119 125 

3.11.3.3 Roads on Wetlands 

For each action alternative, the amount of proposed NFS and proposed 

temporary roads within wetlands is small in proportion to the amount 

of wetlands within the Project Area and vicinity. While effects to 

wetlands from road construction associated with this and foreseeable 

projects may be long lasting, they are expected to be of limited extent 

and of little consequence due to the abundance of wetlands. 

A direct effect to wetlands is the placement of fill material during the 

construction of temporary roads. Proposed temporary roads would 

cross forested wetland in all of the action alternatives and cross 

muskegs/forested wetlands mosaics in two of the four action 

alternatives (Table 3-66). There would also be a slight alteration of soil 

drainage for several feet on either side of the prism, which can be 

expected to alter vegetation in these areas. Drainage ditches normally 

collect and divert overland flow and shallow surface flow to the 

nearest stream channel. After timber harvest, temporary roads would 

be decommissioned by removing culverts from streams, bypassing 

ditch relief culverts with waterbars and adding extra waterbars as 

needed to control runoff. 
Wetlands 3

Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS Chapter 3 • 179 

Table 3-66. Proposed temporary road miles crossing wetlands 

Wetland Type Alt. 1 Alt. 2 Alt. 3 Alt. 4 Alt. 5 

Forested Wetland 0.0 0.01 0.1 0.4 0.4 

Muskeg/Forested 

Wetland Mosaic 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 

Total Road Miles to be 

Constructed on 

Wetlands 

0.0 0.01 0.1 0.6 0.6 

3.11.4.1 Alternative 1 

Alternative 1 proposes no new road construction, no timber harvest 

and no road closure. This alternative would not be expected to alter the 

current wetlands state through management activities. 

3.11.4.2 Effects to the Action Alternatives 

All NFS roads that are reopened for this timber sale would be put back 

into storage after timber harvest is completed. NFS roads would be 

stored using any combination of tank traps, pulling culverts on the first 

part of the road, and blocking or gating the road. NFS roads in storage 

are system roads and may be reopened for future use. New NFS roads 

would be placed in storage after timber harvest is complete. All 

temporary roads would be decommissioned. Closing the existing roads 

may restore some of the wetland functions. The prism would stay in 

place but drainage would be reestablished. 

There are different amounts of wetland harvest and road construction 

on wetlands for each alternative (Tables 3-65 and 3-66). Among the 

action alternatives, the impacts from the proposed harvest and road 

building thru forested wetlands and muskeg/forested wetland mosaic 

types within the Kuiu Timber Sale Area are not considered significant. 

This is because there are no estuary or tall sedge fens affected and 

because the amount of forested and muskeg wetlands impacted would 

be relatively small in comparison to what is present on Kuiu Island. 

The cumulative effects analysis area was the Project Area. The 

Catalog of Events for Kuiu Island was referenced to determine 

cumulative effects. Cumulative effects include the past harvest of 

wetlands (approximately 325 acres), the currently proposed harvest 

discussed above, and the reasonably foreseeable future harvest of 482 

acres and associated road building analyzed in the Crane and Rowan 

Mountain Timber Sales EIS - all within the planning area. 

The predicted amount of detrimentally disturbed soil due to past, 

present, and foreseeable harvest (325, 125 and 6 acres, respectively) is 

3.11.4 

Comparison of 

Alternatives 

3.11.5 

Cumulative 

Effects 
3 Environment and Effects 

180 • Chapter 3 Kuiu Timber Sale FEIS 

less than six percent of wetland acreage for Alternative 5, the 

alternative with the most wetland acreage. Impacts to the Project Area 

would still be well below the Forest Plan standards and guidelines, 

which state that no more than 15 percent of an activity area can be 

detrimentally disturbed through management practices. 

The proportion of wetlands to be impacted in all alternatives is 

considerably less than the total amount of wetlands available in the 

area. Many of the high value wetland habitats on the Tongass National 

Forest are protected either by land use designations or by standards 

and guidelines specifically addressing wetlands. 

Cumulative effects to wetlands resulting from this project and 

reasonably foreseeable projects are expected to be minor. Effects from 

timber harvest are expected to be temporary. After timber harvest, it is 

expected that wetland function and habitat characteristics would be 

restored through natural processes of vegetation growth and 

succession. While effects to wetlands from road construction may be 

long lasting, they are expected to be limited due to the low number of 

road construction miles through wetlands