Tongass National Forest

Tongass Home » Projects & Plans » Forest Plan » Forest Plan Amendments

Forest Plan Amendment

Cholmondeley Timber Sale

This amendment to the Forest Plan modifies the small and medium Old-growth Reserves to better meet size, location and habitat composition criteria in VCUs 614, 615, 616, 617, 675, and 676.

The decision to amend the Forest Plan was documented in the Record of Decision for the Cholmondeley Timber Sale signed by the Forest Supervisor on April 23, 2003.

April 23, 2003
Craig Ranger District

Small Old Growth Habitat Reserve Adjustments in VCUs 614, 615, 616, 617, 675, and 676
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 (Forest Plan), the old-growth reserves located in Value Comparison Units (VCUs) 616, 617, 675, and 676 in the Cholmondeley Project Area have been adjusted to better meet size, location, and/or habitat composition criteria in these VCUs. The size of the small old-growth reserve in VCU 615 is only slightly increased to adjust for mapping errors.

The Secretary of Agriculture’s implementing regulation indicates the determination of significance to be “…based on an analysis of the objectives, guidelines and other contents of the forest plan” (36 Code of Federal Regulations (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. The Alaska Region issued an additional factor that can be considered in determining the significance of a Forest Plan Amendment. This additional factor deals with technical changes. 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 Forest Plan indicates the small and medium mapped reserves have received differing levels of field verification 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.

Location and Size - The boundaries of the reserves in VCUs 615, 616, 617, 675, and 676 have been adjusted (see Figure A1-1). The sizes of the adjusted old-growth reserves are 1,825 acres in VCU 616, and 3,183 acres in VCUs 617, 675, and 676, of which 55 acres were classified in Forest Plan calculations as suitable and available for timber production. The small old-growth reserve in VCU 615 is only slightly adjusted for mapping errors. A complete analysis of the old-growth reserve boundary adjustments may be found in the Final EIS, Chapter 3.

Goals, Objectives, and Outputs

Goals - The Forest Plan goal for biodiversity is to maintain healthy forest ecosystems and 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, non-development land use designations (LUDs), 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 and medium old-growth reserves were specifically designed to meet the Forest Plan objectives.

Outputs - Adjustments to the small and medium old-growth reserves in VCUs 614, 615, 616, 617, 675, and 676 will have only minor effects on Forest Plan outputs.

Managemet Prescriptions - The small and medium old-growth reserves have been adjusted as noted in the Forest Plan and in accordance with the Old-Growth LUD management prescription. None of the standards and guidelines associated with the management prescriptions have been changed.

None of the standards and guidelines associated with the Management Prescriptions have been changed as a result of this amendment. The changes to the three mapped small Old-growth Habitat reserves apply only to this specific situation. These changes also would apply in future management, however this action does not preclude future modifications being made so long as the standards and guidelines for the management prescription are achieved. The proposed amendment fulfills the desired future condition for the Old-growth Habitat LUD Management Prescription as defined in the Forest Plan and would not significantly affect the goods and services produced.

Technical Changes - Technical changes to a Plan's management direction may be made on the basis of new information about the actual resource characteristics of the area. This category does not apply to this case.

Cumulative Changes - The Cholmondeley Timber Sales is one of 16 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decisions, as of March 2003, to make non-significant amendments to the Forest Plan by modifying LUD boundaries. The Niblack Environmental Assessment (EA) changed a Wild River non-development LUD to Old-Growth Habitat and Timber Management LUDs. The rest of the amendments involved enlargement or reduction of Old-Growth Habitat LUDs, usually exchanging acres with one of the resource development LUDs 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, and 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 amendments, 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 non-development 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 2002

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 the 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 Sunny Cove and Monie Lake reserves as shown on the Old Growth Reserves map and documented in the project planning record for the Cholmondeley Project Area Final EIS (see Figure A1-1).

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