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Forest Plan Amendment

Chasina Timber Sale

This amendment to the Forest Plan modifies the Chasina Point Old-growth Habitat Reserve in order to meet requirements for the amounts of productive old growth.

The decision to amend the Forest Plan was documented in the Record of Decision for The Chasina Timber Sale signed by the Forest Supervisor on April 27, 1998.

April 27, 1998
Craig Ranger District
Ketchikan Area

Chasina Point Small Old-growth Reserve Adjustment
Non-significant Forest Plan Amendment

Based on the project level analysis as described in the Old-growth Management Prescriptions and Appendix K of the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (1997), the Chasina Point Small Old-growth Reserve has been adjusted to better meet size, location and habitat composition. Specifically, the Reserve as mapped in the Forest Plan met the overall size requirement of small reserves, but lacked sufficient productive old-growth acreage to meet the specifications in Appendix K of the Plan.

The Secretary of Agriculture's implementing regulation indicates the determination of significance is to be "[b]ased on an analysis of the objectives, guidelines and other contents of the forest plan" (36 CFR 219.10(f)). The Forest Service has issued guidance for determining what constitutes a "significant amendment" under NFMA. This guidance, in Forest Service Handbook 1909.12 - Chapter 5.32, identifies four factors to be used in determining whether a proposed change to a forest plan is significant or not significant. These four factors are timing; location and size; goals, objectives, and outputs; and management prescriptions. An analysis of the factors is presented below.

Timing - The Forest Plan Revision was completed in 1997. The Old-growth Habitat Management Prescription in the Plan indicates the small mapped reserves have received differing levels of ground-truthing and integration of site-specific information in their design. During project level environmental analysis, for project areas that include or are adjacent to mapped old-growth habitat reserves, the size, spacing and habitat composition of mapped reserves may be further evaluated. Several timber sale projects are in progress forest-wide, but the Chasina EIS is one of the first project decisions that include the decision to amend the Plan.

Location and Size - Approximately 675 total acres were added to the Chasina Point Small Old-growth Reserve in order to meet the minimum productive old-growth requirements of small reserves. The area added to the Reserve was all in the Timber Production Land Use Designation. The acres were added from the adjacent VCU since enough contiguous productive old-growth did not exist in the current VCU. The productive old-growth added was located primarily within the 1000 foot beach fringe area and along streams in the area. This area is very fragmented naturally with mostly muskeg interspersed with the productive old-growth located as described above.

Goals, Objectives, and Outputs
Goals - The Forest Plan Goal for Biodiversity is to maintain healthy forest ecosystems; maintain a mix of habitats at different spatial scales (i.e. site, watershed, island, province and forest) capable of supporting the full range of naturally occurring flora, fauna, and ecological processes native to Southeast Alaska. The adjustment to the Chasina Point Reserve is consistent with the Goals of the Plan.

Objectives - The Forest Plan Objectives include to maintain a Forest-wide system of old-growth forest habitat (includes reserves, non-development LUDs, and beach, estuary and riparian corridors) to sustain old-growth associated species and resources; and, to ensure that the reserve system meets the minimum size, spacing and composition criteria described in Appendix K of the Plan. The adjustment to the Chasina Point Reserve was specifically designed to meet the Forest Plan Objectives.

Outputs - Adjustment of the Chasina Point Small Old-growth Reserve will have minimal effect on Forest Plan Outputs, primarily because the majority of the productive old-growth added to the Reserve was included in the beach fringe and along streams.

Management Prescriptions - The Chasina Point Small Old-growth Reserve has been adjusted as noted in the Forest Plan Record of Decision and in accordance with the Old-growth Land Use Designation Management Prescription. None of the standards and guidelines associated with the Management Prescriptions have been changed.

Conclusion - Based on a consideration of the four factors above, I conclude adoption of this amendment is not significant in a NFMA context. This amendment is fully consistent with current Forest Plan goals and objectives. The amendment provides added detail on implementation of the Old-growth Habitat Management Prescriptions of the Forest Plan.

I hereby amend the Forest Plan with this non-significant amendment by adjusting the Chasina Point Small Old-growth Reserve as shown on the Record of Decision Map and documented in the project record for the Chasina Timber Sales Final EIS.

USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest
Last Modified: February 06, 2006