Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 5
Provides service to large land areas and usually connects with public highways or
other Forest arterial roads to form an integrated network of primary travel routes.
The location and standard are often determined by a demand for maximum
mobility and travel efficiency rather than specific resource management service.
It is usually developed and operated for long-term land and resource management
purposes and constant service.
At-Risk-Community (ARC)
An area (A) that is comprised of —(i) an interface community as defined in the
notice entitled “Wildland Urban Interface Communities Within the Vicinity of
Federal Lands That Are At High Risk From Wildfire” issued by the Secretary of
Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior in accordance with Title IV of the
Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (114
Stat. 1009) (updated 66 Fed. Reg. 43384, August 17, 2001); or (ii) a group of
homes and other structures with basic infrastructure and services (such as utilities
and collectively maintained transportation routes) within or adjacent to Federal
land; (B) in which conditions are conducive to a large-scale wildland fire
disturbance event; and (C) for which a significant threat to human life or property
exists as a result of a wildland fire disturbance event.”
Available Fuel
The total mass of ground, surface and canopy fuel per unit area consumed by a
fire, including fuels consumed in postfrontal combustion of duff, organic soils,
and large woody fuels.
Basal Area
The cross-sectional area of a stand of trees measured at 4 feet 6 inches from the
ground. The area is expressed in square feet per acre.
Best Management Practices (BMPs)
Are methods, measures, or practices selected by an agency to meet its nonpoint
source control needs. BMPs include but are not limited to structural and
nonstructural controls, and operation and maintenance procedures. BMPs can be
applied before, during and after pollution-producing activities to reduce or
eliminate the introduction of pollutants into receiving waters (40 CRF 130.2(m)).
An agreement between the USFS and the State of South Dakota stipulates that
USFS Region 2 Watershed Conservation Practices (WCPs) will be used above
and beyond South Dakota BMPs to comply with state and federal water quality
regulations related to the Clean Water Act.
Big Game
Certain wildlife that may be hunted for sport under state laws and regulations. In
the Black Hills, these animals include deer, elk, turkey, mountain goats, and
bighorn sheep.
Biological Evaluations
As defined by FSM 2670.5, a biological evaluation is a documented Forest
Service review of Forest Service programs or activities in sufficient detail to
determine how an action or proposed action may affect any threatened,
endangered, proposed, or sensitive species.
195