Final Environmental Impact Statement

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
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