Roadless Area Conservation

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Roadless Area Conservation
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Topics

• Background on roadless areas on the
  Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
• Why conserving roadless areas is important
• The Forest Service proposal and other
  alternatives
• Key issues raised by the public
• Key features and effects
• Opportunities for public participation

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Background
What to do with undeveloped roadless lands
on national forests and other federal lands has
been a hotly debated question for many
years. After passage of the Wilderness Act in
1964 and the Eastern Wilderness Act in 1975, the
U.S. Congress decided to designate some roadless
areas on federal lands as Wilderness.
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Rainbow Lake Wilderness
The Eastern Wilderness Act, passed by Congress
in 1975, designated the Rainbow Lake Wilderness
in southern Bayfield County as one of a number of
Wilderness Areas east of the Mississippi River.
Rainbow Lake Wilderness
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Blackjack Springs Whisker Lake Wilderness
In 1978, Congress designated the Blackjack
Springs Wilderness in western Vilas County and
the Whisker Lake Wilderness in northern Florence
County.
Blackjack Springs Wilderness
Whisker Lake Wilderness
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Roadless Area Inventory
The Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE I
and RARE II) inventories conducted in the 1970s
and completed in January 1979 identified other
lands most suitable for Wilderness designation.
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The RARE II inventory conducted on the
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest identified
approximately 100,000 acres of non-Wilderness
lands that qualified as roadless.

• Total NF acreage in WI 1,500,000
• Acres qualified as Roadless 100,000
  (6.6)
• Acres already designated as 18,000
  (1.2)
• Wilderness (in 1979)

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Wisconsin Wilderness Act of 1984
Wisconsin Wilderness Act of 1984

• Congress decided to add two new Wildernesses to
  the National Wilderness Preservation System from
  the approximately 100,000 acres identified as
  roadless in the RARE II inventory. The 1984
  Wisconsin Wilderness Act created

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Headwaters Porcupine Lake Wilderness

• Headwaters Wilderness in northwestern Forest
  County
• Porcupine Lake Wilderness in southern Bayfield
  County

Headwaters Wilderness
Porcupine Lake Wilderness
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Wilderness Areas In Wisconsin
By 1984, there were five Wildernesses in the
National Forest totaling about 44,000 acres (3
of the National Forest lands). The Wisconsin
Islands Wilderness designated in 1970 is 29 acres
of islands that are part of the National Wildlife
Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
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Non-Wilderness Roadless Areas
After designation of the final two Wildernesses
in 1984, 69,000 of the 100,000 acres identified
in the RARE II inventory remained in
non-Wilderness status. Meanwhile, the
Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests were
developing their first Forest Plans under the
National Forest Management Act of 1976.
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National Forest Roadless Areas in Wisconsin at a
Broad Scale
Orange polygons are non-Wilderness roadless areas
identified in RARE II. Gray areas are existing
Wilderness as of 1984.
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Release of non-Wilderness Roadless Areas
The 1984 Wisconsin Wilderness Act released the
remaining roadless areas, totaling about 69,000
acres, from further protection as roadless areas,
and directed the Forest Service to manage them
for multiple-use within provisions of the
Forest Plans being developed. The release
language also called for re-evaluation of these
areas when the newly developed Forest Plans were
revised 10-15 every 10-15 years.
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Management of Inventoried Roadless Areas

• Most of the 69,000 acres were assigned to
  various management zones where road construction,
  timber harvesting, and motorized recreation were
  allowed. The Flynn Lake area in southern
  Bayfield County and Round Lake area in western
  Price County were designated as non-motorized
  areas where timber harvesting was allowed, but
  roads and lands were closed to motorized uses.
• Non-motorized areas are part of multiple-use
  management.

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Inventory of Roadless Areas

• The National Forest Management Act regulations
  require that each National Forest re-inventory
  ALL of its lands to determine if any areas
  currently meet the criteria for roadless
  designation as part of Forest Plan revision.
  This new inventory has not yet been completed for
  the Chequamegon-Nicolet, but will be soon.
• Some of the old RARE II areas may still meet the
  roadless criteria. Others may not. Some new
  areas that have acquired roadless characteristics
  during the last 20 years may also meet roadless
  criteria.

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Summary Statistics for the Chequamegon-Nicolet NF

• Total Land Base approx. 1,500,000 acres
• Designated Wilderness approx. 44,000 acres (3
  of NF lands)
• Inventoried Roadless Areas from RARE II approx.
  69,000 acres (5 of NF lands)
• Miles of Road estimated 11,500 miles
• Average Road Density 4.8 miles / square mile
• Acreage of Roadless Areas - Unknown

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Key Definitions

• Road
• A motor vehicle travelway over 50 inches wide,
  unless classified and managed as a trail. A road
  may be classified or unclassified (36 CFR 212.1).
• Classified Roads
• Roads within National Forest System lands
  planned and managed for motor vehicle access
  including state roads, county roads, township
  roads, private roads, permitted roads and Forest
  Service roads (36 CFR 212.1).
• Unclassified Roads
• Roads not intended to be part of, and not
  managed as part of, the forest transportation
  system such as temporary roads, unplanned roads,
  off-road vehicle tracks, and abandoned travelways
  (36 CFR 212.1).

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Key Definitions

• Inventoried Roadless Areas (IRAs)
• Undeveloped areas typically exceeding 5,000
  acres that met the minimum criteria for
  wilderness consideration under the Wilderness Act
  and that were inventoried during the Forest
  Service Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (RARE
  II) process, or subsequent broad scale assessment
  , or forest planning. On the Chequamegon-Nicolet,
  these are RARE II Areas.
• Unroaded Portions of IRAs
• A portion of an inventoried roadless area (RARE
  II) in which no classified road has been
  constructed since the area was inventoried.
• Unroaded Area
• Any area, without the presence of a classified
  road, of a size and configuration sufficient to
  protect the inherent characteristics associated
  with its unroaded condition.

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Roadless areas have very few or no roads.
The 18,320-acre Red Shirt area, Buffalo Gap
National Grassland, South Dakota.
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These areas are unroaded for many reasons such
as

• Rugged terrain
• Cost of road building
• Natural resource values
• Public controversy
• Low timber or mineral values

McAffe Roadless area, Humboldt-Toiyabe National
Forest, Nevada
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These areas are important for many reasons
These areas are important for many reasons
Cunningham Brake roadless area, Kisatchie
National Forest, North-Central Louisiana.
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Roadless areas are diverse in geography and
landscape
Roadless areas are diverse in geography and
landscape
Roadless area, Chugach National Forest, Alaska
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Okanogan National Forest, Washington
Long Swamp Inventoried Roadless Area, Okanogan
National Forest, Washington
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Pemigewasset Roadless Area, White Mountain
National Forest, New Hampshire
Pemigewasset Roadless Area, White Mountain
National Forest, New Hampshire
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Two Types of Roadless Areas
National Forest
Roaded Area
Inventoried Roadless Area
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Need for Protection of Roadless Areas

• Road construction and other activities fragment
  roadless areas
• In the past 5 years, 16 million acres of
  cropland, forest and other open spaces were
  converted to urban and other uses
• Estimated 8.4 billion backlog of road
  maintenance and reconstruction
• Costly, lengthy appeals and litigation

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Roadless Area Conservation Timeline
Notice of Intent
Scoping
Draft Environmental Impact Statement Proposed
Rule
Public Comment Period
Analysis of Comments Review of DEIS
Final Environmental Impact Statement
Final Rule
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Public Comments

• ISSUES
• Public access
• Identification of other unroaded areas
• Exemptions for specific areas or activities
• Environmental effects
• Local involvement during decision-making
• Effects on communities with strong affiliations
  to natural resources
• DEVELOPING A PROPOSAL
• National Prohibition on Activities
• Local Decision-making on Activities

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Proposal

• No new roads in inventoried roadless areas
• During forest plan revision, the local manager
  would, in both the inventoried roadless and other
  unroaded areas
• Evaluate the quality and importance of roadless
  characteristics, and
• Determine whether and how to protect those
  characteristics in the context of multiple-use
  management
• Postpone review of roadless areas until April
  2004 on the Tongass National Forest

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Activities NOT allowed under the national
prohibitions
Activities determined through local
decision-making

• Go hiking on the most spectacular trails in the
  nation
• Snowmobile, ski, and snowshoe the whole winter
  long
• Enjoy fantastic views from atop your horse
• Graze your cattle
• Hunt some of the largest elk in North America
• Go Four Wheeling in some of the most
  challenging terrain in America
• Cut timber for wood fiber production

• Build a road.

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Prohibition Alternatives
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Procedural Alternatives
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Tongass Alternatives
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Exceptions

• Roads May Be Built For
• Public health and safety
• When needed under the Clean Water Act, the Oil
  Pollution Act, or CERCLA
• Reserved or outstanding rights or as provided by
  statute or treaty
• Road realignment to prevent irreparable resource
  damage where roads are essential to public and
  private access and management

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Scope of Alternatives

• Would not modify any existing permit, contract,
  or other legal instrument
• Would not require amendment or revision of any
  current management plans
• Would not suspend or modify any project-level
  decision made prior to the effective date
• Would not affect Congressionally designated areas

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Applying the Proposal to the Chequamegon-Nicolet

• Part 1 of the proposal would prohibit any new
  road construction or reconstruction within the
  unroaded portions of the 69,000 acres of RARE II
  areas within the Forest.
• Part 2 of the proposal would require the Forest
  Supervisor, during Plan Revision, to evaluate
  whether and how to protect roadless
  characteristics within
• The unroaded portions of the 69,000 acres of RARE
  II areas.
• Unroaded areas (other than the RARE II areas)
  that the Forest Supervisor determines, as part of
  Plan Revision, are of sufficient size, shape and
  position to reasonably be able to conserve their
  roadless characteristics.
• Part 3 of the proposal would have no effect on
  the Chequamegon-Nicolet.

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Environmental Effects

• Protect habitat for threatened, special and
  endangered species
• Protect watersheds and aquatic habitat
• Reduce risk of invasive species
• Maintain habitat for wildlife species

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Effects on Fire Suppression Fire Hazard
Reduction

• Roads may be built to suppress fire if there is
  an imminent threat to public health and safety
• Roadless areas are a lower priority for fire
  hazard reduction, since they are generally
  farther from human development

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Effects on Public Access

• Decisions on off highway vehicles made at local
  level
• No effect on valid existing rights
• Focuses resources on the existing roads system
• Decisions to upgrade, close, or build new roads
  made at the local level through use of roads
  analysis

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Effects on Timber Harvest

• Majority of national forests do not plan to offer
  timber in inventoried roadless areas
• Action alternatives would reduce timber offered
  for harvest 5 to 6.5 nationally
• The preferred alternative would reduce timber
  offered for harvest by 2 nationally
• A small number of forests expect significant
  declines

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Effects on Communities with Strong Natural
Resource Affiliations

• Nationally, impacts are expected to be minor
• Impacts are not evenly distributed
• Communities relying on timber from inventoried
  roadless areas would be most affected

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Proposed Planning Rule
Provides the overall framework for planning and
management of the National Forest System

• It emphasizes
• Ensuring sustainability
• Collaborating with people
• Integrating science more effectively into
  planning
• Solving problems

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Proposed Rule for Managing Roads
Makes existing forest road system safe,
responsive to public needs, environmentally
sound, and affordable to manage

• It emphasizes the use of science and public
  involvement at the local level to identify
• Needed roads that will be maintained
• Unneeded roads that will be decommissioned

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Integrating Conservation Policies
Proposed Planning Rule
Proposed Roadless Area Conservation Rule
Proposed Rule for Managing Roads
Ensuring the Health of the Land While Meeting
the Needs of the People
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More Information Is Available

• Draft environmental impact statement (DEIS)
• Versions
• 50 page summary of DEIS
• Over 700 page full length DEIS
• Available on the internet, hard copy, or on
  compact disc (CD)
• Other documents and maps on the
  web(roadless.fs.fed.us)
• Review a copy at your county or municipal library
• Public Info Hotline [phone]
• Contact your local Forest Service office

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If You Want to Comment

• You may provide written comment today and attend
  the next round of meetings to provide verbal
  comments
• Written comments must be received by July 17

Apalachicola Savannahs Inventoried Roadless Area,
Apalachicola National Forest, Florida
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Local Public Meetings

• Draft Proposed Rule
• Public Comment Meetings
• Crandon (HS) June 20, 2000
• Park Falls (Library) June 21, 2000
• At these meetings
• Comments limited to 3 minutes/person
• Comments officially recorded by court
• reporter

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Summary

• Remaining roadless areas are increasingly
  valuable for the benefits they provide
• We have shared our proposal and other options to
  protect roadless areas
• Please send us your comments!!

Brown Mountain Roadless Area, Rogue River and
Winema National Forests, Oregon
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Thank you for participating in the Roadless Area
Conservation Initiative!
Ten Lakes Area, Kootenai National Forest, Montana