BUTCHERKNIFE-SLATE VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROJECT 

FISH BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION 

Prepared for the Draft Environmental Assessment 

Wild Rivers Ranger District 

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

Josephine County, Oregon 

/s/ Ian S. Reid 7 October 2008 

IAN S. REID 

District Fish Biologist and Program Manager 

Wild Rivers and Siskiyou Mountains Ranger Districts, 

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 1 of 12 
FISH BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION 

Project name: Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Project 

Administrative unit: Wild Rivers Ranger District, Rogue River-Siskiyou National 

Forest 

Project location by sub-basin, watershed, and subwatershed: Applegate River/Lower 

Applegate River/Slate Creek (>95%), Illinois River/Deer Creek/Clear Creek (<5%) 

Table 1. Potentially affected species, status, and habitats assessed (Pacific Northwest 

Regional Forester’s Sensitive Species List updated January 2008): 

Species 

Common (Scientific) 

Evolutionarily 

Significant 

Unit 

 ESA 

Status 

Resident/

Migratory 

Habitats 

Assessed 

Chinook salmon 

(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) 

Southern 

Oregon and 

Northern 

California 

Coastal 

Not 

Warranted 

R-6 

Sensitive 

M Essential 

Fish 

Habitat 

Coho salmon 

(Oncorhynchus kisutch) 

Southern 

Oregon 

Northern 

California 

Coasts 

Threatened M Critical 

Habitat, 

Essential 

Fish 

Habitat 

Other sensitive fishes potentially found on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

such as Pit sculpin and redband trout (USDA FS 2008a) were not addressed in this 

Biological Evaluation because they do not occur in the action area based on Forest 

Service surveys and professional knowledge. 

Summary of Findings 

I find direct, indirect, and cumulative effects from the proposed action of the 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Project would result in a short term May 

Affect, but Not Likely to Adversely Affect (NLAA) and a long term Beneficial Effect 

determination for SONCC coho salmon and its Critical Habitat, and Beneficial Impact to 

Chinook salmon. 

I also find the No-Action Alternative would have No Effect to SONCC coho salmon and 

its Critical Habitat. And I also find the No-Action Alternative has No Impact to SONCC 

Chinook salmon and Would Not Adversely Affect its Essential Fish Habitat. 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 2 of 12 
My effects determinations were based primarily on the facts that: 1) the proposed action 

would not treat moist riparian areas, landslide-prone areas, or other sensitive locations, 

and would use best management practices to insure water quality is not jeopardized 

downstream of the project area; 2) a hydrologist predicted this project would not cause 

sufficient surface or vegetative disturbance to cause detectable or durable watershed 

effects, 3) much of the treatment area is located away from stream courses; 4) treatment 

of the project area could increase long term landscape resiliency to wildfire and reduce 

downstream physical effects from a large wildfire, 5) road maintenance, 

decommissioning, riparian small-diameter thinning, and instream wood or boulder 

placement could improve riparian and aquatic conditions, but might have some slight 

short term increases in suspended sediment. 

Section-7 Endangered Species Act Consultation with other agencies 

The Butcherknife-Slate vegetation management project was planned under the Healthy 

Forest Restoration Act/Healthy Forest Initiative (HFI). Proposed treatment areas are 

within the WUI of the ‘At Risk’ community of Wonder/Wilderville. Because this is a 

HFI project that supports the National Fire Plan, and the biologist determination was May 

Affect, Not Likely to Adversely Affect threatened SONCC coho salmon, its critical 

habitat, and essential fish habitat, the Joint Counterpart Regulations of the Alternative 

Consultation Agreement between federal regulatory and land management agencies (50 

CFR 402.04) were used to conduct required informal Endangered Species Act section-7 

consultation. The journey-level biologist of record is Ian Reid, who passed the required 

Joint Counterpart Regulations and Alternative Consultation Agreement exam on 20 May 

2004. The line officer of record is Joel King, who passed the required Joint Counterpart 

Regulations and Alternative Consultation Agreement exam in ????. See Appendices in 

this fish Biological Assessment for specific information regarding consistency with the 

Joint Counterpart Regulations of the Alternative Consultation Agreement. 

Proposed Action: The proposed action is vegetation treatment within an approximately 

5,834 acre- forested area to reduce risk of large wildfires and restore historic ecological 

conditions (USDA 2008b). The proposed action includes thinning from below, radially 

thinning, underburning, timber removal and haul, road maintenance and temporary road 

construction. Some treatments could occur in Riparian Reserves, where appropriate, but 

would avoid moist riparian areas and follow best management practices and design 

criteria to insure aquatic habitats are not degraded. In addition, the proposed action 

includes 0.33 miles of road decommissioning, 1.7 miles of road closure, 29 miles of road 

maintenance; and stream, riparian, or fish habitat restoration on 5.4 miles of stream. 

Treatment implementation will not create permanent roads for the purpose of log hauling. 

Any new road segments will be short spurs, located primarily on ridge tops or mid-slope 

and will avoid landslide-prone terrain. Treatments will be site-specific and take into 

account local conditions related to geology, slope stability, and presence of proposed, 

endangered, threatened, or sensitive terrestrial species to minimize environmental 

impacts. 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 3 of 12 
Environmental Baseline: For discussion purposes, the project area refers to the 

immediate area involved in the action (land within the 5,834-acre boundaries), while the 

action area refers to all areas to be affected directly or indirectly by the Federal action 

(such as streams downstream of the project area) and not merely the immediate area 

involved in the action. The action area used in the following analyses encompasses the 

entire 28,400-acre Slate Creek 6th-field subwatershed. The major fish-bearing streams 

inside the project area are Slate Creek and its two primary tributaries, Butcherknife and 

Ramsey creeks. Fish species known to occur inside the project area are coastal cutthroat 

trout, reticulate sculpin, steelhead, and coho salmon. Pacific lamprey and Chinook 

salmon also could possibly occur within the project area and are known to occur within 

the action area. Because of the small portion of land affected in the Deer Creek 

watershed, its ridgetop location, and proposed treatment, that area will not be discussed 

further in this analysis as the proposed action would have No Effect to fish or their 

habitats in the Deer Creek watershed. 

In general, fish habitat quality in Slate Creek on Forest Service lands was moderate to 

high based on wood density, pool abundance, embeddedness and shade according to a 

1991 stream habitat survey (USDI BLM 1996). A 1993 stream habitat survey found 

habitat quality in Butcherknife Creek was low to moderate. Also, a 1990 stream habitat 

survey found habitat quality in Ramsey Creek was low to moderate (USDI BLM 1996). 

Fish habitat in the upper Slate Creek subwatershed (primarily Forest Service land) was 

resurveyed in 1999 by Siskiyou Research Group. Instream large wood densities on Forest 

Service land were moderate to high (Table 2), but still likely below benchmark conditions 

(e.g. Bowers et al. 2001; Fox and Bolton 2007). Based on pool abundance or stream 

gradient (Montgomery et al. 1999), Butcherknife, reach 1 of Ramsey, and reach 1 and 2 

of Slate creeks are the most likely to be used for coho salmon spawning or rearing. 

Table 2. Stream habitat parameters from 1999 habitat inventory. 

Stream Reach Large wood / 

mile 

Percent 

gradient 

Percent pool 

area 

Butcherknife 1 50 4 42

Ramsey 1 (private) 3 4 24

Ramsey 2 47 6 11

Slate 1 46 4 55

Slate 2 41 4 43

Slate 3 37 8 22

Between the 1991 and 1999 surveys, the Northwest Forest Plan (USDA/USDI 1994) was 

adopted protecting streams and riparian areas and processes through the designation of 

riparian reserves. It is likely this legislation will lead to stream habitat recovery on federal 

lands in southwestern Oregon. For example, Gallo et al. (2005) and Reeves et al. (2006) 

assessed 250 sixth-field watersheds in the Pacific Northwest and found a general increase 

in stream habitat quality in the first 10 years after the adoption of the Northwest Forest 

Plan. 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 4 of 12 
Proposed, Endangered, Threatened, or Sensitive Fish Species Present 

No proposed or endangered fishes are found in the project area. One threatened fish 

species, coho salmon, is found inside the project area in Slate, Butcherknife, and Ramsey 

creeks. A sensitive fish species, Chinook salmon, is found inside the action area in Slate 

Creek but downstream of the project area according to summer snorkel survey data. 

Coho salmon (Threatened) 

Coho salmon in the Rogue River basin are part of the Southern Oregon Northern 

California Coasts (SONCC) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU), and were listed as 

Threatened under the Endangered Species Act on 6 May 1997. Critical habitat was 

delineated by NOAA Fisheries on 5 May 1999, and includes all streams within the 

Project area that are accessible to the species. Abundance of the SONCC ESU has 

declined from an estimated 150,000 to 400,000 native fish to about 10,000 wild fish 

(Federal Register 1999) because of overharvesting, habitat degradation and loss, and 

hatchery interactions (Weitkamp et al. 1995). Within the Rogue River basin, recent 

population estimates of wild coho salmon have ranged from 1,261 fish in 1993 to 12,213 

in 2001 (ODFW 2004). 

The Slate Creek subwatershed is an important area for threatened coho salmon spawning 

and rearing. Vogt (2004) estimated about 22 miles of coho salmon use in the Slate Creek 

subwatershed. The subwatershed produced an average of about 100 coho salmon smolts 

per mile (about 2,200 total smolts) of available habitat during a smolt production study 

between 1999 and 2004 (Vogt 2004). Based on land ownership and stream morphology 

patterns, it is likely about 15 to 30 percent of this annual production (330 to 660 smolts) 

is attributable to streams managed by the Forest Service in the Slate Creek subwatershed. 

Chinook salmon (Sensitive) 

Chinook salmon in the Rogue basin are part of the Southern Oregon Northern California 

Coastal (SONCC) ESU, and were not warranted for federal protection under the 

Endangered Species Act on 9 September 1999. Essential fish habitat for SONCC 

Chinook salmon is identified under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Most Rogue River basin 

Chinook salmon have a four to five year life cycle, spending three to four years in the 

ocean and less than a year in freshwater (Groot and Margolis 1998; Jacobs 2003). The 

Rogue River basin contains both fall and spring Chinook salmon runs, and the lower 

Applegate River watershed and Slate Creek subwatershed contain primarily fall Chinook 

salmon, which spawn in the fall, hatch in late winter, and enter the estuary by the 

following fall. 

Fall Chinook salmon is often the most abundant salmonid in the Rogue basin with recent 

annual estimates ranging from 150,000 to 291,000 wild adults (Jacobs 2003), although 

recent years have seen a sharp and significant decline in Chinook salmon runs along the 

Pacific Northwest coast. Slate Creek is an extremely important spawning tributary for 

Chinook salmon. In 2004, population estimates were about 159,000 juvenile Chinook 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 5 of 12 
salmon produced in the Slate Creek watershed (Vogt 2004), one of the highest densities 

observed in the Rogue River basin during a 5-year study. Vogt (2004) also estimated fall 

Chinook salmon use approximately 14 miles of spawning habitat in Slate Creek and its 

tributaries. It is unknown if Chinook salmon spawn within the project area, although they 

do spawn or rear on Forest Service land in Waters Creek, another large Slate Creek 

tributary outside the project area. 

Determination of Effects: 

While many uncertainties exist about effects of wildfire to fish (see Bisson et al. 2003), in 

general, direct or short-term physical effects from large scale wildfire can include 

reduction in ground and canopy cover and an increase in water temperature, erosion and 

sedimentation rates, and changes in pH and chemical concentrations (Rieman and 

Clayton 1997; Benda et al. 2003). These physical effects can be manifested in fish 

individuals and populations by altered behavior, reduced fitness, and subsequent declines 

in population abundance and distribution. Conversely, wildfires can improve fish habitat 

and increase fish production through increased input of large wood, gravels, and nutrients 

(Dwire and Kauffman 2003; Minshall 2003; Spencer et al. 2003). 

In Oregon's Siskiyou Mountains, summer water temperature increased as much as 10° C 

in small streams that were intensely burned by the Silver Fire and lost canopy cover 

(Amaranthus 1990). However, Amaranthus (1990) found water temperatures did not 

increase at the mouth of large, fish-bearing streams downstream of the fire area, possibly 

due to increased base flows or groundwater recharge. In Glade Creek, seven-day average 

maximum temperatures increased 0.7° C the summer following the Quartz Gulch Fire, 

while no increase was observed in an adjacent unburned watershed (Reid unpub. data). In 

Glade Creek, Sedell (2003) found an increase in large wood and bank instability, and a 

decrease in deep pool frequency the year following the Quartz Fire. 

Effects of fire-caused physical changes to fish populations vary based on fire intensity; 

physical watershed parameters such as geology, drainage density, slope, land 

management, precipitation, and vegetation; and connectivity and abundance of fish subpopulations (Rieman and Clayton 1997; Dunham et al. 2003; Kershner et al. 2004). Fish 

population abundance and distribution can decrease in the first or second year following a 

large wildfire, then increase to pre-fire levels or greater in the following years because of 

improved spawning and rearing habitats (Howell 2003). These responses were observed 

during recent large wildfires in Oregon's Siskiyou Mountains with juvenile steelhead in 

Silver Creek (Haspiel 1990) and rainbow trout in Glade Creek (Chambers 2003; Reid and 

Chambers 2005). 

Direct: 

No-Action Alternative

Under the No-Action alternative, no treatment would be conducted and risk of landscape 

level wildfire would be high. A high severity wildfire in the project area could have 

measurable adverse effects on soils and watershed properties (Joplin 2008), while a large 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 6 of 12 
wildfire in the project area that removes soil and riparian canopy cover is likely to 

increase stream temperature and fine sediment production in Slate, Butcherknife, and 

Ramsey creeks. These streams are currently well-shaded with low levels of fine sediment 

(SRG 1999). 

Physical changes to stream habitat from a large fire could have negative effects on fish 

populations within the project area. There is also the chance of direct mortality from 

excessive stream temperature caused by the ambient heat of the fire. 

Although natural input of large wood from burned snags and streamside slides after a 

wildfire could directly improve fish habitat in the project area, potential for increasing 

large wood density in the absence of wildfire is also high due to current management 

practices. Fish habitat structures have been added to Slate Creek in the past with mixed 

results (SRG 1999) and current management practices preclude the removal of large 

wood from streams and large tree riparian timber harvest (USDA/USDI 1994). 

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action): The proposed action would reduce risk large scale, high 

severity wildfire, thereby resulting in a long term positive trend toward watershed 

condition (Joplin 2008). The proposed action would not significantly change erosion and 

sedimentation as a result of surface erosion following the projects in streams draining the 

project area. Using mitigation measures in the form of Best Management Practices would 

protect water quality (e.g. sediment, nutrients, pH, temperature) (Joplin 2008). These 

Best Management Practices will include buffers of intact vegetation and duff layers that 

will separate the treatment areas from streams and trap eroded soil before it moves 

downslope into a stream channel. The project does not propose to treat moist riparian 

areas, or sensitive landslide-prone terrain, nor does it propose to build new roads. 

Because the proposed action avoids these activities, it also would likely have no 

measurable adverse effects on threatened or sensitive fishes within the action area. 

Further, because the project proposes to improve existing road conditions within the 

project area through road maintenance, stormproofing, or decommissioning this 

alternative would likely result in less long term sediment delivery than the no-action 

alternative. Also, because the project proposes to add fish habitat structures on several 

miles of stream, fish spawning and rearing habitat would be increased or enhanced. 

Installation of fish habitat structures would follow approved design criteria (NMFS 

2007a) and if installed above the range of coho salmon would be expected to Not 

Adversely Affect the species. 

Indirect: 

Alternative 1 (No Action): Indirect effects related to the No-Action Alternative include 

effects related to fire suppression such as fireline construction and aerial retardant 

application. 

Suppression activities from a large wildfire in the project area could result in input of fire 

retardants and construction of fire lines that also contribute to erosion and sedimentation. 

Fire retardants are toxic to many salmonids and have caused fish kills when applied to 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 7 of 12 
streams (Norris et al. 1991). Fire lines and other ground-disturbing suppression activities 

can have significant and long-lasting environmental effects, if not rehabilitated (Bisson et 

al. 2003). Although Forest Service policy is to not deploy aerial retardant within 300 feet 

of waterways when fighting fire, occasionally accidents happen that result in deployment 

to live streams and fish kills (e.g. Fall River, Deschutes County, Oregon). Recently, 

National Marine Fisheries Service found continued use of aerial retardants by the Forest 

Service was likely to jeopardize the continued existence of endangered or threatened fish 

species (including SONCC coho salmon) and was also likely to result in the destruction 

or adverse modification of critical habitat of these endangered and threatened fish 

species, including SONCC coho salmon (NMFS 2007b). 

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action): Physical scientists predicted there would be no indirect 

adverse effects of the treatments on sediment delivery or shade (Joplin 2008). 

Subsequently, there would be no indirect effects on fish from the proposed action. 

Because the project area would be more fire resilient the probability of using aerial 

retardant in the project area to fight wildfire would be decreased. Consequently, the risk 

of applying retardant to waterways and resultant fish kills would be substantially reduced. 

Cumulative: Within the project area, there are no other major activities being planned by 

the Forest Service. Downstream in the action area (lower Slate Creek subwatershed) land 

management activities and development will likely continue to occur on private lands. 

Examples of these in the Slate Creek subwatershed include clearing of land for 

agriculture and rural residences, road fill and stream bank stabilization along Highway 

1999, floodplain gravel extraction and development near the mouth of Slate Creek, 

potential timber harvest on BLM and private lands in the subwatershed. 

No Action Alternative: The increases in erosion and sedimentation associated with a 

large wildfire could contribute to physical effects caused by other activities in the action 

area. Increased human development and resource management in the Slate Creek 

subwatershed will likely have adverse effects to fish and aquatic habitats within the 

action area depending on land and water use planning in the privately-owned valley 

bottom. 

 

Alternative 2 (Proposed Action): Because there are no anticipated adverse effects from 

implementing the proposed action (particularly long term), there can be no cumulative 

effects from the action. Effects to fish and aquatic habitats from the proposed action 

would be negligible compared to current and predicted future effects from human 

development in the action area. Implementing the proposed action would reduce the risk 

of wildfire, a disturbance that could combine with other factors to reduce population 

viability of threatened and sensitive fishes in the lower Applegate watershed. 

Conclusions of Determinations: 

Based on a review of best available science, input from an interdisciplinary science team, 

and professional judgment, I find effects from the proposed action of the ButcherknifeSlate Vegetation Management Project would result in a short term May Affect, Not 

Butcherknife-Slate Vegetation Management Fish Biological Evaluation Page 8 of 12 
Likely to Adversely Affect (NLAA) determination for SONCC coho salmon and a May 

Impact Individuals Or Habitat, But Will Not Likely Contribute To A Trend Towards 

Federal Listing or Cause A Loss Of Viability To The Population Or Species (MIIH) 

determination for SONCC Chinook salmon. The proposed action also Would Not 

Adversely Affect Essential Fish Habitat or Critical Habitat as designated under the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act or Endangered Species Act respectively. These determinations 

were based on the prediction there could be slight and temporary increases in suspended 

sediment from road maintenance, log haul, or fish habitat structure installation. Project 

implementation would result in a long-term Beneficial Effect to coho salmon and 

Beneficial Impact to Chinook salmon by decreasing risk of high-severity wildlife. 

Because it maintains the current condition, I find the No-Action Alternative would have 

No Effect to SONCC coho salmon and its Critical Habitat. I also find the No-Action 

Alternative has No Impact to SONCC Chinook salmon and Would Not Adversely Affect 

its Essential Fish Habitat. 

Restoration Opportunities: 

• Add large wood or boulder weirs to strategic areas of Slate, Butcherknife, and 

Ramsey creeks in the project area. 

• Work with the watershed council and landowners along lower Ramsey Creek to 

identify restoration opportunities on private land, particularly large wood 

addition. 

• Road maintenance and decommissioning, particularly where roads intersect or 

parallel fish-bearing streams. 

• There is some evidence a logjam in Slate Creek about 0.5 miles upstream of the 

Forest boundary is preventing coho salmon passage (SRG 1999). An opportunity 

exists to assess the log jam for fish passage and if it is a barrier, notch the jam to 

permit upstream passage. 

References Cited: 

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Benda, L., D. Miller, P. Bigelow, and K. Andras. 2003. Effects of post-wildfire erosion 

on channel environments, Boise River, Idaho. Forest Ecology and Management 178: 105-

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