COMMUNIT Y MEETING

Grand Mesa N .F.

Grand Va l ley Ranger D is t r ic t

May 27, 2015

GRAND MESA RESORT

BEETLE SALVAGE PROJECT

Introductions & Meeting Objectives

2014 Farm Bill and Amendment of the Healthy Forest

Restoration Act

Introduction to the Grand Mesa Resort Salvage Project Area

Desired outcomes:

Understand the authority for the project.

Understanding of the collaborative process.

Understand the project needs and options for addressing them

AGENDA & OBJECTIVES

Amends HFRA, by adding sections 602 and 603 to HFRA’s

Title VI.

Has requirements for designating insect and disease areas.

Gave Governors ability to request initial insect and disease

areas.

Chief was delegated authority to designate landscape scale

areas.

Creates new statutory Categorical Exclusion.

Requires projects development and implementation through

collaborative process.

2014 FARM BILL – SECTION 8204 INSECT AND DISEASE INFESTATION

An area may be designated if it meets at least one of the following:

The area is… …experiencing

forest health decline;

…At risk of substantially increased tree mortality; or

…Contains hazard trees that pose an imminent risk to public infrastructure, health, or safety.

HEALTHY FOREST RESTORATION ACT

(HFRA) SECTION 602 DESIGNATION OF TREATMENT AREAS

An insect and disease project may be categorically excluded

from documentation in an environmental assessment or an

environmental impact statement and exempt from pre -

decisional objections.

In order to use this Categorical Exclusion (CE), projects must:

Maximize old growth and large trees;

Consider the available science; and

Be developed through a collaborative process.

HFRA SECTION 603

ADMINISTRATIVE REVIEW

May not exceed 3,000 treated acres;

Shall be in the WUI (Wildland Urban

Interface), or condition classes 2 or3 in

Fire Regime Groups I, II, or III; and

May not establish permanent roads, but

may allow for necessary maintenance

and repairs on existing permanent

roads and may allow for the

construction of temporary roads.

Temporary Roads would have to be

decommissioned no later than three years

after the project completion.

HFRA SECTION 603

LIMITS

Areas Excluded:

Congressionally designated Wilderness, Wilderness Study

Areas;

Areas where the vegetation removal is restricted or

prohibited; and

If inconsistent with the Forest Plan.

HFRA SECTION 603

LIMITS

What are the objectives of the collaborative Process?

Transparent, non-exclusive process which includes multiple

interested persons representing diverse interests.

Open and respectful sharing by participants will give the

Responsible Official options and feed back to consider when

developing the project and making the finial decision.

The Responsible Official equitably values insights from each

participating individual and organization and will not rely solely on

any single individual or group perspective when making agency

decisions;

The Responsible Official will not seek a consensus

decision/recommendation from those who choose to participate.

The project must be in compliance with all laws, regulations and

policies, including the Forest Plan.

OVERVIEW OF COLLABORATIVE PROCESS

SPRUCE BEETLE

SPRUCE BEETLE ON THE GRAND MESA

SPRUCE BEETLE ACRES

SPRUCE BEETLE ON THE GMRC

BEETLE SURVEY RESULTS

Hazard Tree Reduction

Adjacent to Private Ownership - WUI (Wildland

Urban Interface)

Sanitation and Salvage

Timing with Grand Mesa Resort Company

Management Plan

PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTIVE

MANAGEMENT OF THE

GRAND MESA RESORT PROJECT

Commercial treatments.

Lighter infestations use Individual Tree Selection (ITS) in

stands where removal of affected trees will leave the

residual stand “wind-firm”.

Heavy infestations use group selection or designation by

diameter and species. These areas would be regenerated

naturally or they will be planted.

Treatments will promote the creation of new age

classes of spruce and fir (uneven age structure)

which will promote resilience against future

outbreaks.

POTENTIAL TREATMENTS

DEPICTION OF ITS

(INDIVIDUAL TREE SELECTION)

AFFECTED TREES ARE REMOVED

GRAND MESA - KING SPRUCE TIMBER

SALE EXAMPLE OF ITS

DEPICTION OF GROUP SELECTION IN HEAVILY

INFESTED AREAS.

GRAND MESA - KING SPRUCE TIMBER

SALE EXAMPLE OF A GROUP

KING SPRUCE PRE-HARVEST

KING SPRUCE POST HARVEST

QUEEN SPRUCE PRE-HARVEST

ACTIVE HARVEST

OVERVIEW OF POTENTIAL

GRAND MESA RESORT PROJECT AREA

BEETLE SURVEY RESULTS

Crag Crest Trail

Access

Lynx

Slash Management

Season of Operation

Hauling Routes

Topography

Impacts to Residents

& Businesses

Landline Surveys

Aesthetics

Safety

ISSUES THAT WE HAVE HEARD

April May June July August Sept

TIMELINE

2015

4/27/2015

Collaborative

Invitation

5/27/2015

Collaboration Meeting

& Field Visits

6/14/2015

Comments Due;

Develop Proposed

Action

7/06/2014

Scope Proposed

Action

8/07/2015

Scoping

Comments

Due

Field Surveys

Decision

If you have information we may not be aware of or if there are extraordinary circumstances, please provide comments by;

Collaborative Process comments due 06/14/2015

Scoping comments due 08/07/2015

Comments should be as specific as possible.

Share ideas and priorities.

Validate the proposed actions and contribute to resource protection measures.

Share how you can help with the implementation and/or monitoring.

YOUR INVOLVEMENT

For more information about the project, please refer to the Forest webpage for the project

http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=46859

For more information about the 2014 Farm Bill, please refer to the USDA-Forest Service webpage for the Farm Bill

http://www.fs.fed.us/farmbill/

Please contact Cari Johnson, Project Team Leader, if you would like to provide additional feedback or have further questions.

(970) 527-4131 or cariajohnson@fs.fed.us

( p lease inc lude Grand Mesa Resor t Sa l vag e in the sub jec t l i ne when send ing emai l s )

FOR MORE INFORMATION