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Forest Plan Amendment

Luck Lake Timber Sales

This amendment to the Forest Plan modifies the Small Old Growth Reserves in VCUs 581, 582, and 583 to better meet size, location and habitat composition criteria.

The decision to amend the Forest Plan was documented in the Record of Decision for the Luck Lake Timber Sales Project signed by the Forest Supervisor on June 27, 2000.

June 27, 2000
Thorne Bay Ranger District

Small Old Growth Habitat Reserve Adjustments in VCUs 581, 582, and 583
Non-significant Forest Plan Amendment

Based on the project level analysis process as described in the old-growth management prescriptions and Appendix K of the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan of 1997 (Forest Plan), the small old-growth reserves located in Value Comparison Units (VCU’s) 581, 582, and 583 in the Luck Lake Project Area have been adjusted to better meet size, location, and habitat composition criteria in these VCU’s. The reserves in VCU’s 581 and 583, as mapped in the Forest Plan, did not meet the productive old-growth acreage requirement for small reserves, and the reserves in VCU’s 582 and 583 did not meet the overall size requirements based on the criteria specified in Appendix K of the Forest Plan.

The Secretary of Agriculture’s implementing regulation indicates the determination of significance is to be “...based on an analysis of the objectives, guidelines and other contents of the forest plan” (36 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 219.10(f)). The Forest Service has issued guidance for determining what constitutes a “significant amendment” under the National Forest Management Act. This guidance, in the Forest Service Handbook (FSH) 1909.12 - Chapter 5.32, identifies four factors to be used in determining whether a proposed change to the Forest Plan is significant or not significant. These four factors are: (1) timing, (2) location and size, (3) goals, objectives, and outputs, and (4) management prescriptions.

Timing - The Forest Plan revision was completed in 1997 and the Decision was modified in 1999. The old-growth habitat management prescription in the Forest Plan indicates the small mapped reserves have received differing levels of field verification and integration of sitespecific 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.

Location and Size - The boundaries of the reserve in VCU 581, and the boundaries and location of the reserve in VCU’s 582 and 583 have been adjusted (see Figure A1-1). The sizes of the adjusted oldgrowth reserves in VCU’s 581, 582, and 583 are approximately 3,679 acres, 1,243 acres, and 975 acres, of which 523 acres, 408 acres, and 95 acres were classified in Forest Plan calculations as suitable and available for timber production.

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 adjustments to the small old-growth reserves are consistent with the goals of the Forest Plan.

Objectives - The Forest Plan objectives include: (1) to maintain a Forest-wide system of old-growth forest habitat (includes reserves, nondevelopment land use designations (LUD’s), and beach, estuary and riparian corridors) to sustain old-growth associated species and resources and (2) to ensure that the reserve system meets the minimum size, spacing and composition criteria described in Appendix K of the Forest Plan. The adjustments to these small old-growth reserves were specifically designed to meet the Forest Plan objectives.

Outputs - Adjustments to the small old-growth reserves in VCU’s 581, 582, and 583 will have only minor effects on Forest Plan outputs.

Management Prescriptions - The small old-growth reserve has been adjusted as noted in the Forest Plan Record of Decision and in accordance with the Old-Growth LUD management prescription. None of the standards and guidelines associated with the management prescriptions have been changed.

Cumulative Changes - The Luck Lake Timber Sales is one of nine National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decisions, as of March 2000, to make non-significant amendments to the Forest Plan by modifying LUD boundaries. The Niblack Environmental Assessment (EA) changed a Wild River nondevelopment LUD to Old-Growth Habitat and Timber Management LUD’s. The rest of the amendments involved enlargement or reduction of Old-Growth Habitat LUD’s, usually exchanging acres with one of the resource development LUD’s in order to more effectively meet Forest Plan objectives. Usually, wherever an Old-Growth Habitat LUD expanded, it caused a corresponding reduction of acres suitable for timber harvest. Likewise, an Old-Growth Habitat LUD size reduction usually meant an increase in suitable acres.

While the LUD changes within each project decision constituted non-significant Forest Plan amendment, Table A1-1 displays the accumulated effect on suitable acres for all projects. For each project, the table displays suitable acres that were changed from a nondevelopment LUD to a resource development LUD, or from a development LUD to Old-Growth Habitat. The net change in suitable acres represents less than one percent of the suitable land base.

Table A1-1. Effects of Forest Plan Amendments on Acres Suitable for Timber Harvest as of May 2000

Conclusion - Based on a consideration of the factors above, I conclude adoption of this amendment is not significant in a National Forest Management Act 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.

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