Final Environmental Impact Statement

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Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3 Burning slash piles would cause detrimentally impacted soils from soil heating in small isolated locations throughout the project area. Any runoff from these small areas of detrimental impact would be absorbed by adjacent area. Concerns regarding soil heating come from large contiguous areas, which would not occur as the result of this project. Prescribed burning is proposed on approximately 1,761 acres. There is potential for soil heating to occur as a result. However, design criteria to “conduct prescribed fires to minimize the residence time on the soil while meeting the burn objectives, this is usually done when the soil and duff are moist” would minimize the potential effects to the soil from soil heating. No direct or indirect effects to soil productivity from soil heating are expected with this alternative. Cumulative Effects - Soils The spatial boundaries of the cumulative effects analysis for the soils resource is the proposed activity units in the project area. The effects of the alternatives on the soils resource would be contained within the units. The time frame for the cumulative effects discussion is from year 2002 through 2021, ten years before and ten years after. These dates include impacts from recent timber harvesting in the past and extend forward to include the estimated completion of activities proposed in this project. The past, present, and future activities considered in this analysis are presented in Appendix F. Forest Plan standards and guidelines, as well as site specific design criteria would be implemented in the proposed action. When implemented as described, no adverse cumulative effects to soils are expected to occur. Past monitoring shows that when Forest Plan standards and guidelines are implemented on similar projects, this standard is met (USDA Forest Service 2008, 2010a, 2010b). It is further expected that the compacted, eroded, or displaced condition would be less than 15%, as described in Standard 1103. The following discussion considers the cumulative effects of potential disturbances to long-term soil productivity in accordance with Forest Plan Standard 1101. Nutrient Removal There would be no adverse cumulative impacts to soil organic matter and nutrients from any alternative within the project area because sufficient residual material and trees would be left on site for nutrient recycling after project implementation. Forest Plan Standard 1102 would be met. Soil Heating Events that could cause negative effects of soil heating are wildfires and, to a lesser degree, prescribed burning. Prescribed burning within the project area would be implemented in a manner designed to reduce the potential for adverse soil heating impacts. Prescribed burning would have beneficial effects by reducing long-term fire hazard and the potential for large-scale, high intensity wildfire that could have soil heating effects. Therefore, no adverse cumulative effects would be expected under any alternative. Soil Erosion Past, currently ongoing, and reasonably foreseeable actions listed in Appendix F were considered along with proposed activities for cumulative effects to soil erosion and 154
Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3 displacement. Any soil erosion that may occur related to implementation of the Vestal project is expected to be localized, minor in both severity and extent, and thus well below levels that would be considered detrimental. This expectation also applies to other forest management activities and uses. Design criteria and appropriate WCP/BMP measures apply to all forest management activities and uses. These measures are designed to control runoff and erosion for a 10 year storm event (USDA Forest Service 2006b). Therefore the risk of cumulative detrimental soil erosion is mitigated for typical storm events observed in the Black Hills for all forest management activities. Grazing management throughout the project area is not expected to cause extensive soil erosion. Dispersed recreation activities generally do not cause excessive soil erosion issues due to the lack of concentrated use. Concentrated recreation sites are purposely located in flatter terrain which minimizes the potential for soil erosion and employs management strategies to guide concentrated uses where measures are in place (i.e. WCPs/BMPs) to minimize soil erosion. Any soil erosion as a result of the Vestal project would be expected to be minimal and would be within the limits of Forest Plan Standard 1103 for Alternative 2. There would be no cumulative effects to soil erosion resulting from the No Action alternative. Soil Compaction Past, currently ongoing, and reasonably foreseeable actions in the Vestal project area were considered along with proposed activities for cumulative effects to soil compaction. Any soil compaction that may occur related to implementation of the Vestal project is expected to be localized and well below levels that would be considered detrimental. This expectation also applies to other forest management activities and uses. Design criteria and appropriate WCP/BMP measures apply to all forest management activities and uses. Therefore the risk of cumulative detrimental soil compaction is minimized. Grazing management throughout the project area is not expected to cause detrimental levels of soil compaction due to where livestock naturally tend to roam and the presence of rock fragments in most of the soils within the project area. Dispersed recreation activities also do not tend to cause detrimental soil compaction due to the lack of concentrated use for this type of recreation. Any soil compaction would be expected to be minimal and would be within the limits of Forest Plan Standard 1103 for Alternative 2. There would be no cumulative effects to soil compaction resulting from the No Action alternative. Affected Environment – Hydrology Watersheds Watershed boundaries and HUC codes were obtained from the National Hydrography Dataset developed and maintained by the USDA Service Center and USGS (USDA NRCS 2009). The Vestal project boundary overlaps portions of seven HUC 12 (6 th level) watersheds (see Table 50). Since the project area does not coincide exactly with watershed boundaries, the water resources analysis area differs from the project area boundary. 155
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Final Environmental Impact Statement

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