Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3 The Vestal project would not cause direct, indirect or cumulative effects to mineral resources under any alternative. Lands and Special Uses Affected Environment There are 17,693 acres (41%) of private land within the Vestal project area. The private in-holdings are located within the city limits of Custer City, a significant amount of large residential subdivisions outside of the city limits, as well as larger parcels of raw, unsubdivided private land. Access to private land is provided through system and/or nonsystem, U-unauthorized forest roads and private “drives”. The road system is more than adequate for providing access to private land. In some locations there are an excess of roads that pose management concerns as it relates to the implementation of travel management policies. The excess of roads are contributing to unauthorized access or special uses of National Forest System (NFS) land that are not authorized under permit. There are numerous utility corridors within the project area both overhead and buried providing customers with electrical, telephone and fiber optic services. There are 9 special use permits, 47 issued easements, and 16 acquired right-of-ways (ROW) within the Vestal project area. Special Use Permits: The special use authorizations within the project area would need to be protected. Broken Arrow Campground operates a seasonally open campground and is the holder of a Horse Trail Special Use Permit. The permitted area includes the use of system, non-system and developed trails on National Forest System land. Additionally, there are buried or overhead utility lines and corridors, buried water or sewage transmission lines or permitted signs on NFS land. Easements: The amount of private in-holdings within the Vestal Project area has required the need for access on both system and non-system roads. Many residents who use NFS roads to access private land would be impacted by vegetation management activities including, but not limited to, an increase in the use of the road by timber harvesting equipment, log trucks and other administrative traffic. Roads that are under easement or special use authorization would need to be maintained to standard to mitigate the increased use and traffic. Private Parcel Access/Right-Of-Way (ROW) Acquisitions: The acquired ROWs vary in length from 0.1 to 0.9 miles. Several rights-of-way needs have been identified for the Vestal Project, but are not critical for implementation to occur. Acquiring these right-ofways would be pursued as funding and time allows. Environmental Consequences Alternative 1 This alternative would not have short-term effects on the lands resource, but there is potential for long-term effects. Due to the increase in mountain pine beetle (MPB) infested trees on both public and private land, tree mortality within this planning area is imminent. Untreated NFS lands have an increased threat of wildfires due to higher stocking densities. This could pose a risk of fire spread to private property. The No Action Alternative would also eliminate the ability to reduce potential MPB spread onto 134
Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3 private land and subsequent tree mortality by not thinning dense timber stands on NFS lands. Overhead utility lines may have an increased risk of damage due to widespread tree mortality. Any land use proposals would continue to be considered through the Lands and Special Uses programs. Uses such as Small Tracts Act applications, special use permit applications, other utility requests, easement applications and opportunities to acquire right-of-ways would continue within the project area. Alternative 2 This alternative may have long-term effects on the lands resource. The significant amount of special uses and right-of-ways within the project area may conflict with access to private land, but can be mitigated for the action alternative, provided roads are kept open for access to the public. Short-term effects of proposed activities would include dust and noise from increased traffic during harvest operations. Increased log hauling traffic could impact roads that the public utilizes to access their private property. Smoke from prescribed burning and slash pile disposal operations may impact some adjacent landowners. Reduction in stand density could reduce fire intensities, should a fire start on forest and endanger private property. Social impacts include private landowners’ receptivity to more aggressive silvicultural prescriptions, deadfall mechanical fuel treatments and their relationship to land values. No critical needs have been identified for acquiring right-of-ways for implementation of the action alternative. Cumulative Effects The Vestal project area boundary, land exchanges within the last 15 years and special uses within the last 20 years were used to evaluate cumulative effects. Activities proposed under the action alternative would have little effect on both the current lands and special uses and on any foreseeable future lands and/or special uses proposals. Heritage Resources Affected Environment Prehistoric Context The Black Hills are part of the greater culture area of the Northwestern Plains with human occupation of dating to 11,000 B.P. (Frison 1991). Over this vast period of human occupation, the ecology, subsistence patterns, technology, and the cultures of Black Hills inhabitants have witnessed notable changes (Frison 1991). These changes are grouped into phases of occupation, which are held in the archaeological record. The Black Hills National Forest Cultural Resources Overview identifies cultural sites that represent all of these prehistoric phases of occupation in the Black Hills (Rom et al. eds. 1996). Identifiable tribal groups living within the Black Hills area during the Protohistoric period include the Kiowa, Crow, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux. Many Native Americans consider the entire Black Hills sacred land. Their belief system links specific locations in and around the Black Hills to star constellations (Rom et al. eds. 1996). These spiritually significant locations include but are not limited to: Devil’s Tower, Old Baldy Mountain, Hot Springs, Buffalo Gap, Reynolds Prairie, the Spearfish Formation “race track” that surrounds the Black Hills, and Harney Peak (Goodman 135
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Final Environmental Impact Statement

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