Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 2
would be most effective if implemented as soon as possible. Sanitation is considered a
suppression strategy because it directly removes MPB larvae from the forest, reducing
MPB populations. The use of silvicultural means to control stand conditions is effective
as a long-term strategy to minimize MPB caused mortality and risk. The actions
proposed in this alternative are as recommended by project Entomologist. According to
Schmid et al. 2007, the most important aspect of managing mature ponderosa pine stands
in the Black Hills National Forest is minimizing MPB-caused mortality.
Proposed vegetation treatments for Alternative 2 include both commercial and
noncommercial treatments. All treatments would occur on National Forest lands only
and all forested acres would include sanitation treatment. Treatments are summarized
below and displayed on Maps 6 and 7 in Appendix A.
Commercial Thinning (60 BA)
Commercial Thinning (50 BA)
Commercial Thinning (CT)
3,626 acres
CT50
1,831 acres
Commercial Thinning (60 BA)
Thinning of trees generally 5-15” dbh.
The objective is to reduce susceptibility
to mountain pine beetle (MPB)
infestation by reducing basal area within
sites.
The thinning would reduce MPB risk in these stands to Low and would also reduce fire
hazard, improve health, tree vigor, and future growth capacity of the site.
Sites would be thinned from below, which means that trees would, in general, be
removed from the lower crown classes.
Typical target basal area (BA) is 60 ft 2 /ac. Some sites would be thinned to a BA of 50
ft 2 /ac to further reduce fire hazard adjacent to private lands, and are noted as CT50.
Post-treatment stands would be in a structural stage 4A condition.
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