United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

Forest 

Service 

Pacific 

Northwest 

Region 

February 

2009 

ENVIRONMENTAL 

ASSESSMENT 

BUTCHERKNIFE/SLATE HAZARDOUS FUEL 

REDUCTION PROJECT

Wild Rivers Ranger District, 

Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest 

Josephine County, Oregon 

 

 Typical forest stand with the Butcherknife/Slate Analysis Area 

______________________________________________________ 

For More Information Contact: Don Bellville 

Wild Rivers Ranger District (Grants Pass Interagency Office) 

2164 NE Spalding Ave, Grants Pass, OR 97526 

PHONE: (541) 471-6735 FAX: (541) 471-6513 
Rogue River-Siskiyou

National Forest

OREGON

High Cascades

tains

Wild Rivers

Gold Beach

Powers

OREGON 

CALIFORNIA

§ ̈¦5

Siskiyou Moun Wild Rivers

I

Medford

Grants Pass

Butcherknife/Slate Fuel Reduction Project 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and 

activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political 

beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET 

Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write 

USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

1
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 4

A. WHAT IS THIS DOCUMENT ABOUT? ................................................................................ 4

B. NATIONAL AND LOCAL CONTEXT FOR THIS PROPOSAL .................................................... 5

C. BRIEFLY, WHAT IS PROPOSED?..................................................................................... 9

D. THE NEED FOR THIS PROPOSAL (WHY THESE AREAS? WHY NOW?).............................. 10

E. ARE THERE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES RELATED TO THIS PROPOSAL? .................................... 14

F. DECISION FRAMEWORK .............................................................................................. 16

II. PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES......................................... 17

A. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSED ACTION .................................................................. 18

B. IMPLEMENTATION OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED ACTION............................................ 19

C. FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION......................................... 19

D. ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION?............................................... 37

E. THE NO ACTION ALTERNATIVE .................................................................................... 39

F. COMPARISON OF ALTERNATIVES ................................................................................. 39

III. AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT .................................................................. 41

A. GENERAL SETTING..................................................................................................... 41

B. WATER ..................................................................................................................... 42

C. GEOLOGY AND SOILS ................................................................................................. 43

D. FORESTS AND OTHER VEGETATION IN THE ANALYSIS AREA........................................... 52

E. SOCIAL SETTING ........................................................................................................ 59

F. LAND AND RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIRECTION........................................................ 59

IV. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES.................................................. 63

A. AIR ........................................................................................................................... 64

B. FUELS AND FIRE ........................................................................................................ 70

C. SLOPE STABILITY AND SOILS....................................................................................... 75

2
3

D. WATER ..................................................................................................................... 81

E. CULTURAL RESOURCES.............................................................................................. 84

F. RARE AND INVASIVE PLANTS....................................................................................... 84

G. VEGETATION.............................................................................................................. 91

H. FISH ......................................................................................................................... 94

I. WILDLIFE................................................................................................................... 99

J. OTHER CONSEQUENCES........................................................................................... 112

V. EA PREPARATION AND CONSULTATION......................................... 113

A. EA PREPARERS:...................................................................................................... 113

B. AGENCIES AND PERSONS CONSULTED:...................................................................... 114

REFERENCES............................................................................................. 115

ANALYSIS FILE CONTENTS 

PUBLIC PARTICIPATION FOLDER 

FIRE/FUELS/SMOKE ANALYSIS 

GEOLOGY AND SOILS REPORT 

HYDROLOGY REPORT 

HERITAGE FORM C 

BOTANICAL REPORTS 

VEGETATION REPORT 

FISHERIES REPORTS 

WILDLIFE REPORTS 

PORT-ORFORD-CEDAR REPORT