3

BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION/BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

for

THREATENED, ENDANGERED, SENSITIVE PLANT AND FUNGI 

SPECIES

1st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative Project

Mad River Ranger District

SIX RIVERS NATIONAL FOREST

January 15, 2018

Name ____________________________ Date________________
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1

st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative Project

INTRODUCTION

The objectives of this biological assessment and evaluation are (a) to determine the effects of the

1

st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative project on any Threatened, Endangered, Sensitive 

vascular plant, bryophyte, lichen or fungi species and (b) to insure these species receive full 

consideration in the decision-making process to maintain species viability (FSM 2672.4).

A query on January 2, 2018 of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service IPAC (Information for 

Planning and Consultation) Resource List (IPaC: Explore Location), an on-line species list 

search page, found two Federally listed Threatened plant species; Hoover’s spurge (Chamaesyce 

hooveri) and slender orcutt grass (Orcuttia tenuis). 

Records in the Consortium of California Herbaria (Consortium of California Herbaria: Search 

Page) indicate that Hoover’s spurge and slender orcutt grass are not known from Trinity County, 

but rather occur to the east. Additionally, these taxa are found in vernal pools (Jepson 

Herbarium: Jepson eFlora Main Page) a habitat not known to occur in the project area. 

Hence, no Federally listed plant species are known to occur nor does suitable habitat exist in the 

project area.

CURRENT MANAGEMENT DIRECTION

Current policy for Sensitive plants as stated in the Forest Service Manual includes the following:

 Maintain viable populations of all native and desired nonnative wildlife, fish, and plant 

species in habitats distributed throughout their geographic range on National Forest 

System lands (FSM 2670.22).

 Avoid or minimize impacts to species whose viability has been identified as a concern 

(FSM 2670.32).

If impacts cannot be avoided, analyze the significance of potential adverse effects on the 

population or its habitat within the area of concern and on the species as a whole. (The line 

officer, with project approval authority, makes the decision to allow or disallow impact, but the 

decision must not result in loss of species viability or create significant trends toward Federal 

listing. FSM 2670.32)
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Current policy for Sensitive plants as stated in the Land Management and Resource Plan for Six 

Rivers National Forest includes the following: After completion of the evaluation, proposed 

actions will be prohibited if they are found likely to jeopardize the continued existence of species 

or the maintenance of viable populations throughout their existing range (LRMP S&G 6-2).

DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION

The 1

st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaboration Project would create a shaded fuelbreak 300 feet 

wide along National Forest System roads 2S02, 2S47, 2S48, 2S50, 2S51, 2S52, and 2S53 and one 

motorized trail 8E20. Proposed treatments considered in this project include the following:

 Thin existing stands to retain the best, healthiest trees that have a high canopy capacity (those 

with the strongest crown to bole ratio, have the highest needle or leaf cover and provide the 

most shade to the forest floor), capable of maintaining those objectives for a long period of 

time within the buffer area.1

 Designate for removal suppressed, intermediate, and codominant conifer trees that compete 

with the best, healthiest trees that have a high canopy capacity, retaining an overall basal area 

(BA) or trees per acre (TPA) objective by stand type.

 Reduce fuel loading to 10-20 tons/acre (consistent with Forest Plan Management 

Prescriptions) including brush and down logs.

 Outside the dripline of larger trees designated for retention, provide for crown separation to 

prevent torching while retaining vigorous clumps of healthy intermediate mixed conifer trees 

to provide for more complex stand diversity and a source of future mature trees.

 Retain hardwood trees. Thin hardwood clumps to one to three dominant stems where 

appropriate.

 Trees that provide valuable wildlife structures would be considered as part of the shade 

retention objective.

 No new temporary road construction is permitted. Reuse of existing skid trails, temporary 

roads and maintenance level 1 roads would be prioritized.

 Directional tree felling and cable end-lining would occur in areas requiring limited skidding.

 Where fuel reduction prescriptions result in utilizable material, products such as sawlogs, 

post and poles, commercial and personal firewood would be offered.

 Roadside decking and reuse of existing landings and turnouts would occur. New landings on 

roads would be considered on a limited basis, but would not be located in riparian reserves.

 

1 Torching. Torching occurs where overstory tree crowns are ignited by the flames of a surface fire or 

flames from burning crowns of suppressed and intermediate trees growing underneath them.
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 Retain all snags >20" dbh unless the snag will jeopardize the effectiveness of the fuel break 

or could be considered a hazard tree. Hazard trees that meet the Region 5 Hazard Tree 

Guidelines (April 2012 Report # RO-12-01) will be felled and removed or, if 

unmerchantable, would be left on-site for coarse down wood retention. Snags not considered 

a hazard that are located greater than 100’ from a road may be left standing to be utilized by 

wildlife, or felled and left onsite limbed with bole unbucked.

The action Alternative 2 would alter live and dead surface, ladder and crown fuels on 

approximately 823 acres on national forest land over the next 15 years via the following 

treatments:

 318 acres of mechanical thin from below (TFB) (60+% overstory tree canopy retention) with 

10 to 24 foot inter-tree crown spacing to establish desired shaded (crown) fuelbreak 

conditions in early and mid-mature forested stands, along with mechanical, manual and 

jackpot burning of ladder and surface fuels. Of these acres, 274 acres of TFB would be 

ground skidded and 44 acres of TFB would be cable yarded to remove fuels off-site. 

 108 acres of mechanical thin from below (TFB) (60+% crown closure) with 15 to 24 foot 

inter-tree crown spacing) in 30 to 45 year old, even-age plantations to promote the 

development of shaded fuelbreak overstory, along with mechanical, manual and jackpot 

burning.

 37 acres of mechanical TFB, manual and underburning to establish desired shaded (crown) 

fuelbreak conditions, while enhancing the health of declining oak woodlands.

 152 acres of post-fire mechanical, manual and jackpot burning hazardous fuels reduction 

(HFR) where there is little or no live tree overstory to set the stage for the development of 

shaded fuelbreaks. 

 823 acres of mechanical, manual and jackpot burning fuelbreak maintenance.

Treatment Method Descriptions

Thin from Below (TFB)

Thinning from below is the removal of trees primarily from the lower crown classes to favor the 

upper crown classes (see Table 1 for crown class definitions). Forested stands receiving this 

treatment are over-dense, with high crown density and ladder fuels. Thinning from below 

prescriptions are proposed where sufficient tree canopy is providing shade but intertwined crowns 

would carry flames. The focus of this thinning is to leave the largest trees with the best crowns. 

The trees selected for retention have sufficient capacity to respond to thinning, are generally at or 

above the average canopy height and have the best opportunity to take advantage of resources to 

maintain healthy trees with live crowns to provide shade for the long-term.

To achieve the desired density, thinning would begin with the smallest diameter trees and move 

up in size class until the desired canopy base height, spacing between trees, and spacing between 

tree crowns is met. There would be no diameter limit for treatment based on a description of 
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desired conditions. Rather, selection for leave trees would be based on crown class representing 

crown shading potential

Thin from Below involves the selective cutting (and sometimes disposal or removal) of some 

trees within a stand to allow for growth in the crowns and root systems of the remaining trees, 

thereby lowering the risk for potential mortality from drought stress, insects and disease.

Treatments are designed to maintain and enhance the existing vegetative diversity, including 

hardwoods. 

 Retaining all pre-dominant and dominant trees, while removing suppressed, intermediate, and 

some codominant trees.

 Healthy under-represented tree species that could survive within the stand (i.e., sugar pine, 

ponderosa pine, and incense cedar), or healthy dominant or codominant hardwood trees 

(particularly black oak and Pacific madrone), or pockets of smaller diameter hardwoods 

would also be retained.

Table 1: Crown Class Definitions

Crown Class Definition

Pre-dominant Larger, older trees that pre-date the current age of the stand and have large limbs, 

live-crown ratios generally greater than 50 percent.

Dominant Trees with crowns extending above the general level of the crown cover. Trees from 

the current stand, live crown ratios generally greater than 40 percent.

Co-dominant Trees with crowns forming the general level of the crown cover and receiving full light 

from above but comparatively little from the sides; usually with medium sized crowns 

more or less crowded on the sides. Trees from the current stand, live crown ratios 

generally greater than 30 percent and diameters generally less than 24 inches.

Intermediate Trees shorter than those in the two preceding classes, but with crowns either below or 

extending into the crown cover framed by the codominant and dominant trees, 

receiving a little direct light from above but none from the sides; usually with small 

crowns considerably crowded on the sides. Live crown ratios generally less than 20 

percent.

Suppressed Trees with crowns entirely below the general level of the crown cover receiving no 

direct light either from above or from the sides. Live crown ratios are generally less 

than 20 percent.

 First priority for removal would be the smaller trees having the poorest crown. These trees 

are normally below the average canopy and would eventually die as a result of competition 

for light, water, and nutrients. 

 Some codominant trees would also be removed to improve the function of the fuel break, 

increase growth of adjacent trees and to meet the desired residual stand density. Generally, 

suppressed and intermediate conifers would be removed from the stand. The following 

conditions would be cause for removal of codominant conifers, where:

o Codominant conifers do not have growing space in the canopy for further crown 

development, or removal of codominant trees is needed to reduce stand density to 

desired levels; 

o Removal of codominant conifers adjacent to dominant and predominant conifers 

and hardwoods, or pockets of smaller diameter hardwoods, would facilitate the 

survival of these trees.
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o In areas of conifer-oak mixed stands where co-dominant trees shading healthy 

black oaks that would be able to respond to release. Healthy black oaks would 

meet the following conditions:

 Greater than 6 inch diameter breast height (in the case of groups of trees or in 

stands with very little hardwood component)

 Relatively straight (lean is less than 20 degrees from base to top of crown)

 Have live crown ratio of at least 20 percent

 Will not be knocked down or significantly damaged during operations.

 Basal portion of bole of trunk mostly sound with less than 50% noticeable rot 

or large cavity present.

The removal of commercially valuable timber byproducts (trees greater than 9” dbh) generated 

from implementing TFB treatments would accomplished through 

 Whole tree yarding and yarding tops to landings for disposal by burning or chipping. If 

these areas are not large enough to accommodate the volume of material, existing 

landings along haul routes that are not associated with proposed harvest units could serve 

as alternate sites for the excess material. This material would be made available for 

sawlogs, poles and firewood through commercial sale.

 Any remaining logging/skidding slash concentrations would be treated by one or more 

methods including:

o Lopping and scattering slash to a maximum depth of 18 inches,

o Hand or grapple piling and burning of piles, including jackpot burning,

o Yarding tops and whole tree yarding and piling on landings or disposal areas for 

future treatment by hauling, chipping, burning or firewood gathering,

o Where accessible along roads, larger slash material would be made available for 

public firewood gathering.

Hazardous Fuels Reduction (HFR)

The hazardous fuels reduction (HFR) treatment involves the application of one or more of the 

treatment methods described below. This method is given a unique treatment method, as it 

represents the initial entry to reduce hazardous post-fire fuels, where forests were burned at a 

moderate and high intensity in 2011. Today, jack straw standing snags and fallen dead trees, 

intermingled with brush such as manzanita, occupy these sites.

Mastication

Masticators or grinders are tracked vehicles (sometimes with self - leveling cabs) having a 

forward mounted, rotating head attached to an articulated arm used to shred woody material. 

Mastication would occur in the ground-based treatment units only (less than 35% average slope) 

using low ground-pressure mechanical equipment to cut live vegetation. Shrubs and trees less 

than 9 inches DBH, would be masticated to achieve desired inter-tree (ladder fuel) spacing. 

Mastication may be applied in multiple entries to treat patches of brush within plantations and 

early and mid-seral forests and to treat regrowth and fallen debris to maintain desired fuelbreak 

conditions. 
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Lop and Scatter:

This is a method of slash reduction where down fuel accumulations and concentrations are 

mechanically broken up to a maximum depth of 18 inches (with chainsaws and hand labor) and 

dispersed from dense locations. This places woody material in proximity to the soil, where 

decomposition and soil building processes can begin. 

Hand Cutting of Trees and/or Shrubs

This term applies to the manual cutting of dense brush or saplings (generally trees less than 8 feet 

tall) using chainsaws to reduce fuel loadings. This method entails the removal or rearrangement 

of forest understory vegetation. Spacing of residual leave trees would be approximately 18 feet 

(±25 percent), retaining the healthiest crowns, largest, and tallest fire-resilient trees.

Forest understory vegetation and brush would be treated to an overall spacing of 15’ x 15’ 

between plant stems and/or clumps of brush. In brush/grass dominated areas, an irregular, mosaic 

pattern would be distributed across the treated areas. 

In areas dominated by brush and grass, live trees would be maintained for shade at the 

appropriate spacing and limbed to six feet above the ground to increase the distance to the live 

canopy.

Tree Pruning

The objective of this method is to eliminate ladder fuels by cutting branches from larger trees to 

specified 50 percent live canopy (<6 ft.) or 6-8 ft. heights above the ground. This is typically 

accomplished with chain saws or long-handled pole saws.

Machine or Grapple Pile

This method would utilize equipment to pile slash and surface fuels into larger piles.

Chipping

Roadside mechanical cutting and shredding of existing surface fuels and slash created from tree 

felling and yarding.

Handpile

This term refers to hazardous fuels reduction where down fuel accumulations and concentrations 

are mechanically broken up (with chainsaws and hand labor) and manually piled in 

concentrations of 3-6 feet in diameter. Excessive existing forest debris, along with woody debris 

(slash) from tree felling and shrub cutting, would be manually gathered into small piles. Once 

piled and covered with waxed paper, woody debris would be allowed to cure for approximately 

30 days; prior to ignition. This design feature would allow woody debris to dry out prior to 

burning; promoting rapid consumption of debris to minimize smoke production. 

Jackpot burning

Jackpot burning is the burning of discontinuous, concentrated areas of slash created from 

vegetation treatments (e.g., variable density management thinning). Burning would typically 
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occur following an extended period of dry weather to allow the slash to cure for optimal 

consumption. Wood piles would be burned just prior to or during wet weather conditions to 

ensure controlled fire.

Underburning

Prescribed underburning involves the controlled application of fire to understory vegetation and 

coarse woody material. This would occur when fuel moisture, soil moisture, and weather and 

atmospheric conditions allow for the fire to be confined to a predetermined area and intensity can 

be managed to achieve the desired resource objectives. Where no local features are present to 

contain prescribed fire (roads, trails, streams), manual handline or control line would be 

established along the outside edge of treatment burn areas.

Developing, Establishing and Maintaining Shaded Fuelbreaks

The proposed treatments apply to a diverse range of fuel conditions associated with variable fuel 

profiles, vegetative types, tree densities, tree age and crown classes. The following treatment 

prescriptions would be applied to unique environmental conditions:

Shaded Fuel Breaks

The shaded fuel breaks2 consist of both forests stands with overstory tree canopy and even-age 

plantations. Some the forested stands have been previously entered for individual tree harvest. 

These forested stands within shaded fuel breaks are predominately Douglas-fir dominated, intermixed with incense cedar, ponderosa and sugar pine and hardwoods. 

Shaded fuel breaks are proposed where the existing upper canopy can be maintained 

while reducing the density of boles. 

Shaded fuel breaks are proposed in this project as wide strips, generally between 150 to 

300 feet, around roads, trails, and plantations; and retaining a canopy cover averaging 

60% or greater, depending on the stand type. 

Treatments are proposed that will increase the average height from the ground to the live 

canopy, reduce canopy bulk density, and reduce surface fuel loading. 

Shaded fuel breaks treatments will result in lower levels of fuel loading that will vary 

across the different stand types and age classes and include primarily early and midmature stands.

White fir dominated - Thin From Below (TFB)

ADD and discuss LSR stand Rxs

Douglas fir dominated - Thin From Below (TFB)

Early and mid-mature forest stands (X percent of the project area) dominated by Douglas fir, 

inter-mixed with cedar, pine and hardwoods feature varying structural and age classes; as some 

 

2 A shaded fuel break is defined as a wide-strip or block strategically located where fuel volume and forest 

flammability have been reduced and some forest canopy is retained (Agee et al., 1999).
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stand have been previously harvested (commercial thinning, shelterwood and/or seed tree, 

clearcut [some composed of densely stocked commercial size trees; some off-site pine]). 

There is no allowance for tree species preference. Leave tree selection would be based on the 

fullest, live crown characteristics. Inter-crown separation would range from 5 – 10 ft. spacing 

(hardwood canopy would not be taken into account for crown spacing), retaining X-X basal area 

per acre (measured in square feet) retaining a minimum 60% crown. 

Hardwood tree species would only be felled if considered a safety hazard. Cut limbs would be 

lopped and scattered or treated as described below and the main bole retained as LWD and left 

on-site. 

Ladder fuels, brush, and slash concentrations would be treated within 100’ either side of the road 

prism using one or more fuels reduction methods including: chipping (mastication), machine 

piling and burning, lop and scatter, and jackpot burning to lower roadside combustible fuels. 

Table 2. Shaded fuel break treatments by unit number

Unit Acres Treatment Objective Mechanical 

Yarding System

Treatment Method

100 3 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

111 5 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

112 3 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

205 7 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

206 3 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

311 2 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

312 8 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

405 12 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

406 4 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

408 6 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

410 9 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

412 24 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

415 3 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

417 2 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

419 17 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

421 2 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

422 2 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

423 6 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

424 4 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/Chip

509 13 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

605 41 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

611 8 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

614 3 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

616 8 Shaded Fuelbreak Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M/ Chip

617 7 Shaded Fuelbreak Cable TFB/LS/HPB/ Chip

202 Total Acres
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SFB = shaded fuel break; SFB Pole = shaded fuel break with pole-sized material utilization; LS = lop and 

scatter; HPB = hand pile and burn; GPB = grapple pile and burn; M=mastication; Chip = roadside chipping

Oak dominated woodlands – Thin From Below (TFB)

There are 37 acres of early and mid-mature stands dominated by hardwoods and grasses include 

black oak, white oak and big-leaf maple. Through restoration activates, the oak woodlands within 

150 feet of the roadside will also function as shaded fuel breaks.

Fire exclusion has allowed vegetation such as shrubs and Douglas-fir to encroach upon the 

meadows and grassland. Forage value of the meadows for wildlife species has been reduced due 

to the dense brush but also because of the dead and matted grass preventing new growth. The 

project would restore the grassy areas through the use of prescribed fire to rejuvenate and 

reinvigorate the grass and other grassland species and to remove encroaching vegetation. In some 

cases, large diameter (predominant) trees would have debris raked back from the base of the tree, 

to protect the trees during burning. In addition, some pretreatment (hand piling and burning) of 

shrubs and small diameter trees will be done to protect large predominant trees and Forest Service 

Sensitive lichen species during understory burning and in areas of extensive brush in order break 

up the continuity of fuels so as to maintain a low intensity burn. 

Low intensity fire would be allowed to creep into brushy areas, killing the brush and small 

diameter trees, maintaining approximately 10 to 20% of the small trees in these areas. Not all 

areas of brush would be burned; some would be retained as cover areas for wildlife. Some post 

treatment piling and burning may also occur in areas where brush was killed but not completely 

burned. The project area may initially be burned more than once in order to achieve the desired 

results. Burning the area more than once would allow the use of low intensity fire, which would 

maintain 80 to 90% of the overstory trees while reducing the amount of brush and small trees. 

Hand lines would be constructed at strategic control points, especially in vegetation transition 

areas such as between Jeffrey pine-grassland and Douglas fir areas. The lines would be 18” to 20” 

wide and scraped down to mineral soil, outside of the oak woodland areas. 

Once the initial treatment has been completed, maintenance burns would be implemented every 5 

to 15 years or as the need is identified.

 Treatments in oak woodlands would remove smaller conifers (intermediate and suppressed) 

completing with hardwoods, generally less than 8 inches diameter breast height.

 Pre-dominant and dominant conifers would be retained, however, co-dominant conifers that 

are shading oaks that would respond favorably to increased sunlight would be removed.

 Understory burning will be prescribed in the oak woodland to help maintain the desired 

species composition and retard conifer encroachment in these units.

Healthy black oaks would meet the following conditions:

♦ Greater than 6 inch DBH (in the case of groups of trees or in stands with very little 

hardwood component)

♦ Relatively straight (lean is less than 20 degrees from base to top of crown)

♦ Live crown ratio of at least 20 percent

♦ Will not be significantly damaged during operations.
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♦ Basal portion of bole of trunk mostly sound with less than 50% noticeable rot or large 

cavity present.

Table 3. Summary of the proposed oak woodland maintenance activities by unit number

Unit Acres Treatment Objective Mechanical 

Yarding 

System

Treatment 

Methods

404 4 Shaded Fuelbreak/Oak Woodland Maintenance Cable TFB/LS/HPB/UB

416 3 Shaded Fuelbreak/Oak Woodland Maintenance Ground TFB/LS/HPB/UB

610 5 Shaded Fuelbreak/Oak Woodland Maintenance Cable TFB/LS/HPB/UB

613 25 Shaded Fuelbreak/Oak Woodland Maintenance Ground TFB/LS/HPB/UB

37 Total Acres

WTY = whole tree yard and yard tops; HPB = hand pile and burn; GPB = grapple pile and burn; 

M=mastication; Chip = roadside chipping

Developing Shaded Fuel Breaks

Plantations - Thin From Below (TFB)

This treatment would occur on 108 acres, aimed at supporting the integrity of the shaded 

fuelbreak by improving the stand structure, species composition and fire resiliency of the stand. 

This is accomplished by thinning based on crown spacing, which reduces the inter-tree 

competition for sun, water and nutrients. The plantations are categorized with a potential 

utilization of either stand improvement or pole stands and range in age from 30 to 45 years.

Within plantations, variable density spacing would thin trees from 15 to 24 ft. spacing [15+ ft. tall 

or more desired leave trees], depending on the size of trees growing within plantations and 150 ft. 

wide flank around them to a minimum 60% crown closure (where existing road access exists).

There is no allowance for tree species preference. Where trees of different tree species are 

clumped and either will achieve desired canopy closure, preference for leave tree would be native 

species (over planted off-site pine). Residual overstory trees (dominant shade trees) scattered 

within plantations would be retained, except in the event it is highly infested with mistletoe (over 

80 percent) and/or there are visible signs of imminent mortality. These overstory trees would be 

felled and left on-site.

In areas of smaller diameter trees, spacing would be 15 to 24 feet or generally to 60% canopy 

closure. Hardwoods would comprise a portion of the residual stand, with consideration given to 

clump thinning and selection of the best stems to leave. Units receiving TFB treatment occur both 

within and outside of designated fuelbreaks. 

The goal of the treatment is to retain the largest trees with the best crowns promoting bole and 

crown growth and tree vigor. The management of tree densities aims to reduce inter-tree 

competition for limited resources in overstocked, reforested stands (plantations), as 

environmental stressors can make trees prone to disease and insects, slowing growth or resulting 

in tree mortality. As the objective is to develop shaded fuelbreak conditions, maintaining 

sufficient live tree canopy becomes essential to achieve long-term goals.

These trees are generally at or above the average canopy and have the best opportunity to take 

advantage of additional light, water, and nutrients to maintain or increase growth. The treatments 

are designed to maintain the existing native species diversity, including hardwoods.

 Treated by hand or by mastication. 
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 Hand treatments would be by chainsaw. 

 Mastication would occur in the ground-based units only (less than 35% average slope) 

and uses low ground-pressure mechanical equipment to cut live vegetation. 

 Material would be masticated up to approximately 6 to 8 inches above the ground 

surface. Approximately 48 acres may be masticated depending on cost and availability of 

equipment. 

 If mastication does not occur the units would be hand piled and burned. Two of the units, 

409 and 615, have larger diameter boles with the potential to be utilized commercially as 

poles.

 Trees will have limbs pruned up to 8 feet on the bole from the ground or half the live 

crown.

Table 4. Plantations – Developing Shaded Fuelbreak treatment methods by unit number

Unit Acres Treatment Objective Mechanical 

Yarding System

Fuels Treatment

409 15 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Ground TFB/WTY/LS/GPB/M

508 12 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M

510 8 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Cable TFB/LS/HPB

606 20 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Cable TFB/LS/HPB

607 11 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M

608 32 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Cable TFB/LS/HPB

615 8 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Ground TFB/WTY/LS/GPB/M

612 2 Develop Shaded Fuelbreaks Ground TFB/LS/GPB/M

108 Total Acres

LS = lop and scatter; WTY = whole tree yard; HPB = hand pile and burn; GPB = grapple pile and burn; 

M=mastication

No live canopy (Post-fire) – Hazardous Fuels Reduction (HFR): 

Hazardous fuel reduction (HFR) would occur on approximately 152 acres. The hazardous fuels 

reduction (HFR) treatment areas are typically dominated by dead standing trees created by the 

2011 Ruth Fire and areas of brush such as manzanita, where sufficient live overstory does not 

exist for the development of a shaded fuel break. 

Approximately X acres are lands dominated by brush and grass with little tree overstory, X acres 

are characterized as mixed and high severity burned forest within 150 feet of roads within the 

project area. These fuels treatments would reduce fuel loadings in order to create a defensible 

space for fire suppression resources, decrease the potential for detrimental wildfire effects to the 

overall project area adjacent to the community of Ruth, and enhance the treated stands resiliency 

to fire.

The proposed action would create strategically located fuel breaks along high use roads, the Jeep 

Trail and ridgetops. 

 HFR treatments include thinning of small trees 8 inches in diameter and smaller, cutting 

of understory vegetation, tree pruning, chipping and/or mastication of brush and small 
15

trees, lopping and scattering of fuel, hand or grapple piling of fuel, and jackpot and, or 

pile burning.

 Biomass removal may be used wherever possible. In areas dominated by brush and grass, 

live trees would be maintained for shade at the appropriate spacing and limbed to six feet 

above the ground to increase the distance to the live canopy.

Jeep Trail 8E20

An exception to this category includes areas within the HFR corridor along the 8E20 

trail, where existing conditions include a live overstory of over-stocked early to midmature white fir stands. However, it is not feasible to reduce the stand density 

substantially through thinning due to logging feasibility constraints. In such cases, the 

HFR corridors will be treated solely for hazardous fuels and not thinned to produce 

material of value. 

Mixed and high severity burn areas 

Mixed and high severity burn areas within the 2011 Ruth Fire footprint account for 

approximately 67 acres of hazardous fuels treatments. The hazardous fuels reduction 

(HFR) treatment areas are dominated by dead trees scorched during the 2011 Ruth Fire 

and areas where post-fire sprouting of brush such as manzanita has become established. 

Along the 8E20 trail, overly stocked live early to mid-mature white fir stands exist. Dead 

snags would either be masticated, pushed over with a small dozer and/or machine piled 

and burned (10 % or piles will be left for wildlife). 

Within riparian reserves, limit snag felling within 160 foot buffer using chainsaws only. 

Pull slash concentrations upslope to the outer 80 feet of riparian buffer. Small meadow 

enhancement area on the south edge of the burn is primarily off site pine and dead burnt 

fir. All dead conifers should be removed. Oaks, madrone, and maples shall be retained 

followed by under-burning.

The following treatments would be applied:

 In high severity burn areas dominated by snags, all green trees will be left.

 In low or moderate severity burn areas, some green trees will be removed.

 Dead snags may be either masticated, pushed over with a small dozer and/or grapple 

piled and burned (10% of piles would be left for wildlife).

 Within riparian reserves, limit snag felling within 160 foot buffer using chainsaws 

only. Pull slash concentrations upslope to the outer 80 feet of riparian buffer.

 Handpile and burn.

 Small meadow enhancement area on the south edge of the burn is primarily off site 

pine and dead burnt fir. All dead conifers should be removed. Oaks, madrone, and 

maples shall be retained followed by broadcast burning.
16

Table 5. Post-fire - Hazardous fuel reduction treatment methods by by unit

Unit Acres Stand Type Logging 

System

Fuels Treatment

308 3 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

414 20 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

420 26 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

506 14 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

507 31 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

511 2 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Cable HFR/LS/WTY/ HPB/ M/ Chip

601 7 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Cable HFR/LS/WTY/ HPB/ M/ Chip

602 5 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

603 7 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

604 12 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Cable HFR/LS/WTY/ HPB/ M/ Chip

609 7 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Cable HFR/LS/WTY/ HPB/ M/ Chip

807 18 Hazardous Fuel Reduction Ground HFR/LS/WTY/ GPB/ M/ Chip

152 Total Acres

HFR = hazardous fuel reduction; LS = lop and scatter; WTY = whole tree yard and yard tops; HPB = hand 

pile and burn; GPB = grapple pile and burn; M=mastication; Chip = roadside chipping

Maintenance of Fuel Breaks

Once TFB and HFR treatments hve been completed, maintenance would be performed as 

needed every 5 to 15 years. The areas may be retreated by utilizing a combination of 

aforementioned treatments.

On slope <35 percent, mastication would be the primary maintenance method. On steeper 

slopes, lop and scatter and handpiling and jackpot burning may be applied.

Understory burning would be the primary maintenance method applied in the oak woodland 

stand. This method would have mutual benefits to maintain the desired species composition 

and retard conifer encroachment. Site-specific review by a fuels specialist would be 

conducted prior to understory burning to assess fuel loading and necessity for manual pretreatment to ensure that a low intensity underburn can be achieved.
17

Fire Line Refresh

Approximately [X] linear feet of existing fireline created during the Ruth Fire in 2011 would 

be manually cleared of vegetation and duff scrapped until bare soil is exposed. The fireline is 

approximately ten feet wide and is located at the western
18

edge of the oak woodland maintenance unit on Forest Road 2S48.
19

Connected Actions

Landings

The project would require 1 to 2 landings/disposal sites per unit. Existing landings, roadside 

turnouts and natural openings would be used to the extent safe and feasible. The majority of 

additional ground and cable landings would be located within the roadbed; however some limited 

expansion may be needed. Landings are up to approximately 0.25 acres in size (1/3 acre for 

disposal sites). 

There are 33 existing landings that would be made available to expedite operations, and 20 new 

landings would be constructed. Existing and new cable and ground landings would be located 

either within, or adjacent to, treatment units. New landings are generally expansion areas that 

exhibit some previous ground disturbance located in natural openings within units or roadside 

turnouts. Construction of new landings will follow all project design features and LRMP 

standards and guidelines. Anchor points above landings/unit would be needed for safety support 

of cable logging systems. Anchor points include 18 to 20” trees, sound snags, or heavy equipment 

parked above the landing. Existing and new landings would be restored following project 

completion.

Change in Road Maintenance Level

Forest road #2S02B (MP 0.0-0.2) is a maintenance level 1 (ML 1) classified road closed to public 

and administrative uses. The maintenance-level classification correlates to how the agency 

administers the intended use—type of vehicle and season(s), closed or open for travel—and 

maintenance frequency and methods, based upon road design, surface conditions, intended 

vehicle speed, season and amount of motor-vehicle use3. 

Machinery access and log hauling would require this segment of road be upgraded to a ML 2 

road, allowing for administrative uses. During operations, regular road maintenance would be 

applied; frequency would depend on road surface type and weather. The road would be 

downgraded to a ML 1 classification and barricaded to prevent motorized access upon completion 

of the TFB and HFR treatments.

Road Maintenance 

In 2015, the forest supervisor authorized the Six Rivers Road Maintenance Project to implement 

road maintenance across the forest (ML 1 to 5), confined to previously maintained surfaces, 

ditches, culverts and cut-and-fill slopes within the road prism, not intended to substantially 

improve conditions above those originally constructed (i.e. did not change maintenance levels). 

The following maintenance would be completed:

 2S02B –Heavy brushing, blading, ditch cleaning, and removal of 5 waterbars.

 2S02C –Pre-haul blading, moderate brushing, ditch cleaning, and removal of 2 waterbars.

 

3 Maintenance Level (ML - The Forest Service maintains NFS roads and NFS trails to meet user needs, 

protect natural resources and ensure public safety. There are five maintenance level classifications (FSH 

7709.56), responsive to road or trail management objectives, design standards, quantity and types of traffic, 

and availability of funds. 
20

 2S47 –Pre-haul blading, light brushing, culvert and ditch cleaning, and berm removal. 

There is a low-water crossing at about MP 0.8 that will likely dry up during the normal 

operating season. If the road is needed for commercial log hauling, it would be identified 

as a specified road. A temporary crossing may be required:

o Involves layering coarse aggregate and removing it post-haul.

 2S48 - Pre-haul blading, light brushing, culvert and ditch cleaning, and removal of 2 

waterbars. A waterline has been ran in the road bed for the last mile. Lands is aware of 

the situation and is looking into it.

 2S48C - Pre-haul blading, light brushing, culvert and ditch cleaning.

 2S49 –Pre-haul blading, light brushing, and ditch cleaning.

 2S50 – Road was recently opened and needs brushing, blading, ditch and culvert 

cleaning.

 2S51 - Road was recently opened and needs brushing, blading, ditch and culvert cleaning.

 2S52 - Road was recently opened and needs brushing, blading, ditch and culvert cleaning.

 2S53 –Heavy blading, ditch cleaning, removal of 2 waterbars, and moderate brushing. 

There is a low water crossing at MP 0.4 on Littlefield creek, the same stream as the 

crossing on 2S02 downstream. A temporary low water crossing may be required:

o Temporary vented ford. Install 3 parallel 36” culverts, 30’ long and build the road 

prism above them. A geotextile would be laid as the foundation of the structure and 

the road prism built on top of it. 

Haul Routes & Temporary Trail and Road Closures

Operations occurring on or along Forest roads and the one forest trail will require temporary 

closures for public safety during logging operations on the timber sales that would result from 

this project. There would be logging equipment operating on and adjacent to these roads that 

involves removal and hauling of logs. There are inherent dangers associated with logging with 

heavy equipment working on and adjacent to the roads, log truck traffic, branches, and other 

debris falling from the canopy. These Forest roads are a single lane roads with minimal turnouts 

and it would be difficult to provide for public safety during logging operations throughout the 

course of the day. These hazards to the public and logging operators would be mitigated through 

the implementation of temporary road and area closures. The following roads and trail would be 

affected by these temporary closures. 

Table 6. - NFTS temporary road and trail closures

Road / Trail Nos. Maintenance Level Operations

2S47, 2S48, 2S49, 2S50, 2S51, 2S52, 2S53, 

2S02

2

Logging operations & hauling

1S23 3

8E20 Motorized Trail

In addition to the roads listed in table X above, the X road and highway 36 would also be used as 

haul routes, but would not require temporary road closures.

Road Decommissioning

The 1st 48 project proposes to decommission Forest Service road 2S54. This Maintenance Level 

(ML) 2 road is 1.95 miles long, and has four low-water crossings and three culverted stream 

crossings. Two of the culverted crossings have small fills (150 and 318 cubic yards). One 

crossing is larger (800 cubic yards). There is a large landslide near milepost 0.65 that 
21

encompasses the entire road prism. This landslide would not be treated, nor would any other 

decommissioning activities take place beyond the slide.

Decommissioned NFTS roads are left in a maintenance-free condition (i.e. remove drainage 

structures, re-establish natural drainage patterns). They are not drivable by motor vehicles and are 

not part of the NFTS. Decommissioning of roads would require the following activities:

 Waterbar. Water dispersion treatments are designed to stop water from concentrating on 

the travelway surface, reduce the potential for stream diversions (i.e., prevent water from 

flowing down the road or trail), which reduces the potential for off-site sediment delivery 

to water resources.

 Remove culverts and associated fill. This action is aimed at eliminating the need for 

road maintenance, re-establishing pre-road construction drainage patterns, and placing 

the stream crossing road fill in stable locations, away from streams.

 Culvert disposal. Culverts, once removed, would be removed from Government 

property and disposed by the contractor.

 Erosion control. Newly excavated stream channel banks and fill disposal sites would be 

mulched to reduce surface erosion. Mulch shall consist of locally available slash, wood 

chips, wood straw, or certified weed-free rice or barley straw.

 Barricade. This includes the placement of an earth mound barrier at the entrance to a 

road or route. The objective is to prevent motorized use and the promotion of passive 

restoration of the travelway.

 Timing. Work would occur after the limiting operation periods (LOPs) for wildlife are 

lifted and before the onset of winter weather.

 Invasive Plant Species & Aquatic Organisms.

o Incorporate, where applicable, the following into Forest road decommissioning 

projects to reduce the risk of an existing invasive plants occurrence from 

spreading occurrence to unoccupied areas as a result of project implementation:

o Where there is a risk of spread of invasive plants from an existing occurrence on 

or along the road to be decommissioned into unoccupied wildland settings (e.g. 

in settings where the vegetative ground and canopy cover in the adjacent habitat 

is minimal), remove entire plant (including roots) mechanically or manually prior 

to decommissioning,

o Mechanically or manually remove any invasive plant occurrence (remove entire 

plant) at the intersection of the decommissioned road and Forest system road.

o Apply ground cover in the form of native mulch/finely masticated material 

spread to depth of 6” over the area where plants were removed, or ,if feasible, 

decompact/rip and revegetate area with suitable native planting stock that 

optimizes resistance to invasive plant establishment (e.g. tree stock, earlysuccessional/disturbance tolerant shrubs).
22

Project Design Features and Mitigation Measures

This project incorporates various project design features that aim to reduce or eliminate impacts 

to resources. Those features germane to the management of Sensitive plant and fungi species are 

identified in the Environmental Effects section below. 

EXISTING ENVIRONMENT

Habitat Characteristics

Average elevation in the planning area is approximately 4100 feet (range 2800-5400 feet). The 

vegetation associations in the project area where the shaded fuel break is proposed include: 

Black Oak-Douglas-fir, Black Oak-Greenleaf Manzanita, Black Oak-Ponderosa Pine, Black OakWhite Fir, Brewer Oak-White Fir, Chaparral-Whitethorn, Deerbrush Shrubland, Douglasfir/Deerbrush, Douglas-fir/Greenleaf Manzanita, Douglas-fir-Bigleaf Maple, Douglas-fir-Black 

Oak, Douglas-fir-Canyon Live Oak, Douglas-fir-Herb, Douglas-fir-Incense Cedar, Douglas-firOregon White Oak, Douglas-fir-Ponderosa Pine, Douglas-fir-White Fir, Grassland-Unknown, 

Gray Pine-White Oak, Mountain Meadow Unknown, Ponderosa Pine-Black Oak, Ponderosa 

Pine-Douglas-fir, Ponderosa Pine-Incense Cedar, Ponderosa Pine-White Fir, Ponderosa PineWhite Oak, White Fir-Black Oak, White Fir-Brewer Oak, White Fir-Douglas-fir, White FirIncense Cedar, White Fir-Ponderosa Pine, White Fir-Red Fir, White Fir-White Fir, White FirWhite Oak, White Oak-Black Oak, White Oak-Buckbrush, White Oak-Gray Pine, White OakWhite Fir, White Oak-White Oak.

Seral stages range from Grass/Forb to Old-growth, with a majority of the project area composed 

of early seral conditions (Table 1).

Table 7. - Seral Stage Composition in Shaded Fuel Break

Seral Stage % of Acreage in the Fuelbreak

Grass/Forb 00.7%

Shrub 05.6%

Pole 08.9%

Early mature 42.5%

Mid-mature 29.1%

Late-mature 09.3%

Old-growth 03.0%

A species list for the units is included in the administrative file. 

Sensitive Species 

Prefield Analysis
23

Methodology

A pre-field analysis was used to determine which units to survey within commercial timber, 

biomass, and shaded fuelbreaks. The analysis included review and consideration of 1) the Forest 

Sensitive species database and associated spatial layers of known occurrences relative to the 

project area, 2) Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial layers of the vegetative subseries 

and stand age in which the project occurs, 3) elevation gradient of the project area, 4) land-use 

history, 5) aerial photo interpretation, and 6) professional knowledge of Threatened, Endangered 

and sensitive species habitat and distribution on the Forest. 

As a result of potential habitat information garnered from review of the spatial coverages, air 

photo review, field reconnaissance, and intuitively controlled surveys in the stands, a total of 

340.7 acres of the approximately 809.7 acres proposed for treatment were surveyed. Units or 

portions thereof not subject to survey were plantations, portions of natural stands characterized as 

even-aged early mature stands with little stand structure, riparian reserves since these areas are 

essentially protected from intensive activities, and units within vegetation types not considered 

suitable for sensitive species. An example of the latter could be the Douglas-fir-Canyon live oak 

subseries, which is characterized by high surface rock content, a characteristic not suitable for the 

target species.

Based upon prefield analysis, no federally listed or proposed plant species are associated with the 

1

st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative project planning area. The non-fungal Sensitive species 

targeted for field surveys were: mountain lady’s slipper (Cypripedium montanum), fascicled 

lady’s slipper, (Cypripedium fasciculatum), small-flowered calycadenia (Calycadenia micrantha),

the veined water lichen (Peltigera gowardii). Surveys were conducted for Sensitive fungi species

by a mycologist who focused on areas of suitable habitat. His report and survey field forms can 

be found in the project record. Targeted Sensitive fungi species included Boletus pulcherrimus, 

Dendrocollybia racemosa, Phaeocollybia olivaceae, Sowerbyella rhenana, and Tricholomopsis 

fulvescens.
24

Table 8. - Sensitive Species Considered in the Project as a Result of Pre-field Analysis

Common Name Scientific Name Known (K) or 

Potential (P)

Taxonomic 

Group

General Habitat/Substrate

Bryophyte

Bug-on-a-stick Bauxbaumia viridis P Bryophyte Late decay class down logs

Vascular Plants

Small-flowered 

calycadenia

Calycadenia micrantha P Vascular 

plant

Dry open rocky grassland and 

hillsides

Fascicled lady’s 

slipper

Cypripedium 

fasciculatum

P Vascular 

plant

Mature forest

Mountain lady’s 

slipper

Cypripedium 

montanum

P Vascular 

plant

Mature forest

Lichen

Waterfan lichen Peltigera gowardii K Aquatic 

Lichen

Cool mountain streams that 

run year round.

Fungi

N/A Boletus pulcherrimus P Fungus Mature 

forest/ectomycorrhizal

N/A Dendrocollybia 

racemosa

P Fungus Mature forest/parastitic

N/A Phaeocollybia olivacea P Fungus Mature 

forest/ectomycorrhizal

N/A Sowerbyella rhenana P Fungus Wet mossy areas under 

conifers/saprobe on litter

N/A Tricholomopsis 

fulvescens

P Fungus Mature 

forest/ectomycorrhizal

Surveys for the 1

st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Project for all Sensitive species in Table 2, except for 

the fungi species, occurred in July 2017 when they were identifiable. 

Approximately 58% of the proposed fuelbreak was considered unsuitable habitat for Sensitive 

species and therefore was not surveyed. Unsuitability related to seral stage and resultant stand 

conditions, specifically those units/areas in the shrub-harvest, pole-harvest, early mature with 

harvest and early mature stands seral stages. Table 1 above displays the percentage of each seral 

stage within the fuelbreak. All mid mature, late mature and old-growth within the fuelbreak was 

surveyed. In addition dry, open rocky grassland and hillsides were surveyed for Calycadenia 

micrantha.

Because the Sensitive fungi species noted above are also managed under Survey and Manage 

standards and guideline surveys were conducted in November utilizing Survey and Manage 

survey protocols. Surveys for Sensitive fungi in non old-growth stands are not required as it is 

likely that the biology of fungal organisms, specifically the body being underground in the form 

of bundles of threads, called mycelium, and the nature of the project which is designed to retain 
25

habitat components for fungi. However, because commericial treatments are proposed in oldgrowth habitat within the fuelbreak, Survey and Manage protocols require equivalent effort 

surveys (strategic surveys) (USDA/USDI 2001). 

Survey Results

Table 4 displays a summary of the survey results relative to units within the proposed 

action. 

Table 9 - Sensitive Species Detected In the Project Area

Species Taxonomic 

Group

Unit

Mountain ladys-slipper

(Cypripedium 

montanum)

Vascular plant In inner gorge of Dashields Creek in 

riparian reserve. Site buffered; 

flagged and painted

Waterfan lichen (Peltigera 

gowardii)

Lichen In Dashield Ck. south of Unit 418 

and in riparian reserve in Units 

412 and 421. 

The following provides information on what is known or suspected about the biology and ecology 

of the species with relevance to the proposed activities and effects analysis that follows. With 

regards to Sensitive fungi, little if any information is known about management effects to a 

particular species, therefore, species will at times be addressed in the context of their particular 

habit or taxonomic group. 

ENVIROMENTAL EFFECTS

The Mountain lady-slipper was the only Sensitive species locationed are within fuel break units . 

Project design features associated with activities within the fuelbreak units are shown in Table 10. 

Mountain lady’s-slipper – Affected Environment

Mountain lady’s slipper is found in a broad range of habitats throughout the western United States 

and Canada. In California, there are roughly 200 populations of mountain lady’s slipper, however, 

between 50-70 percent have not been visited in the last 5 years (Kaye and Cramer 2005).

Including the one detection associated with this project, there are currently 17 extant populations 

of mountain lady’s slipper on Six Rivers National Forest ranging from the Orleans Ranger 

District to Mad River Ranger District. 

Habitat attributes related to aspect (northerly), canopy cover ( greater than 60 percent) and seral 

stage (mid-mature and older), and the population sizes (fewer than 10 stems) in the project area 

are in keeping with those attributes ascribed the species by Kaye and Cramer (2005) in the 

Region 5 Forest Service Conservation Assessment for this species. Besides the aforementioned 

habitat attributes assigned mountain lady’s slipper, this species also requires the presence of a 

fungus in its early stage of development thus the presence of host trees and organic matter that 

favor fungal associations are also critical habitat element. 
26

Conditions conducive for the health of existing mountain lady’s slipper populations are those that 

provide for partial canopy cover, native understory and forest floor species associates, host 

species for mycorrhizal fungi and organic matter cover on the forest floor that sustains the fungus, 

and suitable habitat surrounding the parent population for subsequent recruitment.

Mountain lady’s-slipper – Direct and Indirect Effects

Project design features to support the conditions conducive to the health of mountain lady’s 

slipper are outlined below. There would be no direct or indirect effects to mountain lady’s slipper 

under the no action alternative since there would not be activities occurring, or under the action 

alternative, based on the following:

The site occurs in the riparian reserve and is afforded protection under this land allocation. 

Additionally, a no disturbance buffer was flagged in the field. No activities would occur in 

this buffer; therefore, there would be no direct effects.

Edge effects are reduced to a negligible level in light of the buffer size of 0.40 acres whose 

effectiveness is enhanced due to its proximity to a thinned stand (versus regenerated stand).

In terms of indirect impacts, the buffers were delineated in the field to account not only for 

protection of the plants but to account for habitat elements associated with mountain lady’s 

slipper, specifically overstory shading and existing canopy layers, existing moisture 

conditions, maintenance of coarse woody debris, maintenance of existing tree, shrub and forb 

diversity, and adequate habitat around the existing plants for short-range dispersal of seeds 

and rhizome.

Waterfan lichen – Affected Environment

The waterfan lichen is endemic to North America. It has been historically reported in all 4 major 

mountain chains in the United States but has apparently been extirpated in most of the 

Appalachians (Dennis et al. 1984). There is one occurrence on Six Rivers National Forest along 

Dashield Creek within the project area.

The waterfan is an aquatic lichen and as such it’s characteristic habitat is cool pollution free 

moving water in mountain streams where where it occurs on submerged rocks. It is a good 

indicator of water quality.

Waterfan lichen – Direct and Indirect Effects

Due to it’s occurrence in a riparian environment it is unlikely that the waterfan lichen would be 

subject to direct effects. However, it is vulnerable to indirect effects arising from upstream 

treatments that would impact water quality particularly with respect to stream temperature. 

Activities that cause a local rise in stream temperature can have a potential affect on the lichen. 

The critical temperature above which degradation rapidly occurs is in the 15 to 18 degree celcius 

range. Any environmental change that would raise the stream temperature into or over this range 

for an extended period would have a detrimental effect on this lichen (Davis 1999). High severity 

wildfires can drastically reduce canopy cover thereby pose the greatest risk of increasing stream 

temperatures. Hence, fuel treatments proposed within the planning area that are designed to 

reduce the risk of high severity wildfires can aid in providing for the lichens persistence.

Sensitive Fungi Species – Affected Environment
27

Little if any information is known about management effects to a particular Sensitive fungus; 

therefore, species will be addressed in the context of their particular habitat and ecological 

function. The three fungi species listed that may occur within the project area can be divided into 

three groups: saprobic, mycorrhizal, and parasitic. Sowerbyella rhenana is saprobic meaning that 

it is a decomposer, thriving on the litter and duff of the forest floor. Litter saprobes, such as this 

species, can extend over a large area, via mycelial networks. Relatively shady and moist to mesic 

mature stands with various sized litter (including some coarse woody debris) describe the habitat 

for saprobes. Phaeocollybia olivaceae, Boletus pulcherrimus and Tricholomopsis fulvescens are

mycorrhizal. Mycorrhizal fungi form interdependent relationships with their host tree, exchanging 

nutrients, minerals, and water. Dendrocollybia racemosa is parasitic on decaying fungi. Common 

to all of these fungal groups are habitat conditions characterized by shady, mid- to late-mature 

stands with conifer or hardwood hosts and ample organic substrate (e.g. leaf, needle, woody 

debris). Networks of fungal hyphae or mycelia (the body of the fungus) group together into 

strands. These networks scavenge nutrients from the surrounding soils, acting as an extension to 

the root system. These hyphae can grow to infect nearby plant roots and can eventually connect 

neighboring plants. This network facilitates carbon transfer from the host to the fungus. Networks 

also facilitate water transfer (Bruns 1995). 

Management that retains living trees (the host) and the important underground linkages for 

mycorrhizal fungi via the mycelial network will maintain habitat parameters for mycorrhizal 

species (Amaranthus and Perry 1994). Likewise, management that retains overstory canopy and 

the litter and coarse woody debris of the forest floor will maintain habitat parameters for saprobes 

(Norden et al. 2004). Factors considered when assessing risk to sensitive fungi were overstory 

shading, presence of host trees or shrubs, and presence of litter, duff and coarse woody debris.

Issues to consider when evaluating effects to Sensitive fungi for the 1

st 48 project pertain to 

activities occurring in mid-mature and older stands, which only includes fuels projects and the : 

a) extent of understory vegetation removal, b) burn intensity and d) burn interval.

Sensitive Fungi Species – Direct and Indirect Effects

Effects are discussed in light of the magnitude of change in potentially suitable habitat as a result 

of project implementation. Effects are associated with activities occurring within the mid-mature 

and older stands slated for treatment.

Direct and indirect negative effects associated with actions proposed under Alternative 2 pertain 

to removal or severance of mycelial components (which comprise the fungal organism) residing 

in the organic or topsoil layer for mycorrhizal fungi, reduction in canopy shade and organic forest 

floor cover, reduction in the abundance of host trees and refuge species to sustain inoculum 

through periods of successional change in the stand, removal or reduction of forest floor organics 

and coarse woody debris which form the primary micro-habitat for saprobic species, and 

breakdown of soil structure (e.g., compaction) which not only affects the mycelia therein but also 

damages fine root tips to which the mycelia attach (Amaranthus et al. 1996).

Silvicultural and fuels design, project design features and LRMP Standards and Guidelines 

reduce the level of negative direct and indirect impacts to sensitive fungi. Silvicultural and fuels 

design includes: a)) the nature of the silvicultural treatments (thinning from below, variable 

density, retention of existing species diversity) that allow for structural diversity, retention of host 

trees and partial shade to the forest floor, and b) the nature of the fuels treatment in the units 

which focus on thinning, pruning and piling of small diameter trees and shrubs within a limited 
28

space near roads. Project design features and LRMP guidelines oriented toward soils or wildlife 

that also benefit sensitive fungi and include: 

For each unit, soil porosity would be maintained to at least 90 percent of its natural condition over 

at least 85 percent of the unit area.

Skid roads and trails would be limited to no more than 15 percent of the harvest area. 

At the end of project activities, a layer of litter and duff would occur over at least 50 percent of 

the activity area. 

In all treatment units, retain at least five logs per acre of existing coarse woody debris (at least 20 

inches in diameter and 10 feet long) on the ground.

All existing large snags (20 inches or greater in diameter) would be retained in units unless they 

pose a safety concern. 

While not eliminating effects to fungi, it is assumed by managing for habitat elements in stands to 

be thinned, adverse effects to sensitive fungi species can be reduced. Effects of relatively smallscale activities are not likely to significantly reduce the fungal species diversity that was in place 

prior to the disturbance (Durall et al. 1999). In certain areas in a stand, meso-habitat features 

would be impacted by skidding, felling of canopy trees, yarding tops, end-lining or pile burning, 

but mycelial networks can extend several meters through the forest floor, so conceivably 

localized impacts may impact or sever part of the fungal individual but would not necessarily 

impact the entire body of the organism. Furthermore, if vegetative and soil conditions are retained 

in places within the unit, spores stored in the soil provide a propagule for development of fungi 

after the disturbance. These impacted areas would recover in time and along with it the 

development of fungal communities (Dahlberg and Stenlid 1995).

Based on the aforementioned, implementation of Alternatives 2 may affect individuals, but is not 

likely to result in a trend toward Federal listing or loss of viability of sensitive fungi species. 

Cumulative Effects to Sensitive Botanical Species

Implementation of this project is not expected to result in any direct or indirect impact to 

either the mountain lady’s slipper or the waterfan lichen; therefore, there would be no 

cumulative effects posed by this project to these Sensitive Botanical species.

Sensitive Fungi

Implementation of this project may directly or indirectly impact sensitive fungi species. 

Cumulative effect activities and events relate to clearcutting (or similar cutting) in mid- and older 

seral stages and wildfire intensities. 

As mentioned above in the introductory section, past logging methods in the planning area 

emphasized clearcutting, which removed habitat associated with sensitive fungi. While fungi can 

tolerate low intensity fire, a wildfire that is stand replacing, like clearcuts, also removes habitat 

for sensitive fungi. The practice of clearcutting and past high intensity wildfires have influenced 

the percentage of the planning area within a given seral stage; however, the current distribution of 

mature seral stages (habitat for sensitive fungi) is still within the Douglas-fir recommended 

management range thresholds for the planning area and within the white fir recommended 

management range thresholds within the south zone.

Silvicultural prescriptions are no longer oriented toward clearcutting, but focus more on thinning. 

The scale and intensity of foreseeable future timber (e.g., Cedar Gapxxx) and fuels activities in 
29

logged stands on the Forest, along with project design features, are not likely to significantly 

degrade habitat for sensitive fungi. Thinning prescriptions coupled with recommended 

management range guidelines for the mid-seral and older stands would further reduce the 

significance of concerns for retention of fungal habitat in the future. Foreseeable future wildfire 

in conifer stands is expected to be of mixed severity and as such is not likely to negatively impact 

sensitive fungi, and may actually benefit fungi by diversifying the structure of forest floor 

organics. 

While local extirpations may have occurred and may occur in the future these losses would not 

constitute a trend toward Federal listing or loss of viability as a result of cumulative effects in the 

planning area. Future extirpations would be limited by type of prescription, project design 

features, and recommended management range guidelines. Other factors include a) the potential 

for sensitive fungi to occur underground or associated with stable substrates (logs) in undisturbed 

stands surrounding the affected area, b) the ability of spores to move into a disturbed area from 

the surrounding forest and persist as mycelia underground or in the substrate, and c) the 

geographic distribution of most of these species south (as far as the northern Sierras) of the 

project area and into the Pacific Northwest.

Determination

Based on the above it is my determination that the 1st 48 Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative 

project will not affect either the mountain lady’s-slipper orchid (Cypripedium montanum) or the 

waterfan lichen (Peltigera gowardii). 

With the aforementioned project design features in place for Sensitive fungi species, the 1st 48 

Roadside Fuelbreak Collaborative Project may affect individuals but is not likely to lead to a 

trend toward Federal listing or a loss of viability for Boletus pulcherrimus, Dendrocollybia 

racemosa,, Phaeocollybia olivaceae, Sowerbyella rhenana , Tricholomopsis fulvescens.
30

Date

Botanist
31

Literature Cited:

Amaranthus, M.P., and D.A. Perry. 1994. The functioning of ectomycorrhizal fungi in the field: 

linkages in space and time. Plant and soil 159: 133-140.

Amaranthus, M.P. and D. Page-Dumroese, A. Harvey, D. Cazares, and L.F. Bednar. 1996. Soil 

compaction and organic matter removal affect conifer seedling nonmycorrhizal and ECM root tip 

abundance and diversity. USDA Forest Service PNW-RP-494, 12pp.

Bruns, T.D. 1995. Thoughts on the processes that maintain local species diversity of 

ectomycorrhizal fungi. Plant and Soil, Volume 170, Number 1: 63-73.

Dahlberg, A. and J. Stenlid. 1995. Spatiotemporal patterns in ectomycorrhizal populations. 

Canadian Journal of Botany 73 (Supplement): S1222-S1230. 

Durall, D.M., Jones, M.D., Wright, E.F. Kroeger, P., Coates, K.D. 1999. Species richness of 

ectomycorrhizal fungi in cutblocks of different sizes in the Interior Cedar-Hemlock forests of 

northwestern British Columbia: sporocarps and ectomycorrhizae. Canadian Journal of Forest 

Research. 29, no. 9. p. 1322-1332.

Davis, W. C. 1999. Doctoral dissertation, Arizona State University, Arizona.

Dennis, W.M., P.A. Collier, P. DePriest and E.L. Morgan. 1984. Habitat notes on the aquatic lichen

Hydrothyria venosa J.L.Russel in Tennessee,Bryologist 84:402-403.

Kaye, T. N. and J.R. Cramer. 2005. Conservation Assessment for Cypripedium fasciculatum and 

Cypripedium montanum, Region 5, USDA Forest Service. 50pp. On file Six Rivers National 

Forest. 

Norden, B., M. Fyberg, F. Gotmark, and B. Olausson. 2004. Relative importance of coarse and fine 

woody debris for the diversity of wood-inhabiting fungi in temperate broadleaf forests. Biological 

Conservation 117, pp. 1-10. 

USDA/USDI 2001. Record of Decision and Standards and Guidelines for Amendments to the 

Survey and Manage, Protection Buffer, and other mitigation Measures Standards and Guidelines.

https://www.blm.gov/or/plans/surveyandmanage/files/12-2001_record_decision.pdf
32

Pacific Fuzzwort – Affected Environment

Pacific fuzzwort has a relatively broad distribution in the North Pacific. Its range extends from Japan and 

Russia, then into southeastern Alaska, British Columbia, Pacific Northwest states, Idaho, Montana and 

reaches the southern edge of its range in northern California. In California, 60 percent of the approximately 

115 occurrences are located on Six Rivers National Forest (Harpel and Hoover 2006). 

Pacific fuzzwort most often occupies the northern face and base of mature Douglas-fir and White Fir trees. 

These trees are often legacy trees of late-mature and old-growth ages. Within Kelsey Peak, one occurrence of 

Pacific fuzzwort was detected in Unit 60 on a 25 inch diameter Douglas-fir tree in a mid-mature stand at 

3,800 feet. The location of the occupied tree is along or within close proximity to a proposed stretch of 

temporary road. 

Pacific fuzzwort is a bryophyte, a liverwort specifically. Bryophytes lack the vascular system found in seed 

plants and therefore depend on their immediate surroundings for moisture and nutrients. They reproduce 

asexually by fragmentation (the fragmenting of the thallus that is the body of the organism) or the 

development of gemmae (plant tissue) which separate from the parent plant. Sexual reproduction occurs 

through the release of spores. Fragmentation for a liverwort that occupies the bole of the tree limits dispersal 

opportunities to those very close to the existing occurrence. Release of spores is also limited to proximity to 

the “parent” thalli since moderate to long-range wind dispersal is restricted to non-existent near the forest 

floor (compared to spore dispersal for species that occupy mid-to-upper canopy positions). Given the location 

of Pacific fuzzwort at the base or very low bole of a tree, it is fair to say that dispersal for this species is 

limited (Harpel and Hoover 2006). 

Potential threats to Pacific fuzzwort associated with project activities pertain to extent of canopy opening and 

vegetation manipulation in the vicinity of the documented occurrence which could increase drying effects of 

solar radiation and wind, removal of mature trees around the occupied tree which would remove sites for 

future dispersal opportunities, and broadcast burning that could result in torching the base of the occupied 

tree.

Pacific Fuzzwort – Direct and Indirect Effects

The following project design feature (also identified in Chapter 2) would maintain conditions conducive to 

the persistence and health of Pacific fuzzwort, specifically maintenance of micro-climatic conditions 

associated with the base of a mid-late mature age tree within the stand, shade in the surrounding canopy and 

subcanopy, and retention of suitable substrate for future recruitment via fragmentation or spore dispersal. 

There would be no direct or indirect impacts to Pacific fuzzwort under the no action alternative, since there 

would not be activities occurring, or under any of the action alternatives based on the following (Hoover 

2010):

A no-disturbance buffer of 0.5 acres was established around the occupied tree to ensure the retention of 

the existing vegetation and stand structure, which provide shade to the forest floor surrounding the 

occupied tree. The buffer also includes mature trees for future dispersal opportunities.

Thinning silviculture treatments surrounding the buffer would provide peripheral shade to the buffer and 

potentially suitable substrates by the retention of pre-dominant, healthy dominant and codominant 

conifers.