SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected Environmentthan 10 miles. The lowland interior forest zone exists below approximately 1,500 feet. The subalpinezone of intermittent forest, shrub, and meadow habitats exists from approximately 1,500 feet to 2,500feet in elevation. The forest cover reflects the transitional nature of the climate between maritime andcontinental (Gabriel and Tande 1983).Graminoid forb meadows, alder (Alnus spp.), and dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa and B. nana) dominatethe upper elevations. Grasses, herbs, willows (Salix spp.), and alders dominate the vegetation in anarrow band along Cook Inlet and at elevations above 1,500 feet on the Chugach Mountain slopes.Wetlands are predominantly black spruce tree bogs and treeless bogs with a variety of low shrub andgraminoid forb communities. Alder shrub is a dominant type of the Lowland Interior Forest Zone.Low shrubs and dwarf shrubs occupy wet and mesic to dry habitats. The latter include mesic to dryvegetated sites and dry non-vegetated sites such as rock talus and blockfields. Wetter habitats includelate-melting snowfields and snowbeds. Viereck et al. (1992) and Lichvar et al. (1997) provide detaileddescriptions of tundra sites.The cantonment area includes utility corridors, roadsides, railroad rights-of-way (ROW), borrow pits,woodcutting areas, small arms ranges, firing points, landing zones, and other human-modified areas.FRA contains a coastal halophytic zone. This area is influenced by salt water and includes shorelinetidal flats and the 2,137-acre ERF estuarine marsh on Cook Inlet.The quality and quantity of marketable timber at FRA are limited. Spruce bark beetles (Dendroctonusrufipennis) have damaged many older stands on the post, and other stands are in a degraded condition(USARAK 2007). Enhancing timber marketability would require intensive timber stand improvementand several decades for regrowth. Presently, there is little justification to improve forest resources atFRA.WetlandsWetlands comprise approximately 8 percent (4,990 acres) of FRA (Lichvar and Sprecher 1998). Wetlandtypes on the post include estuarine, marine, palustrine, riverine, and lacustrine.ERF is the largest expanse of wetlands at FRA (2,165 acres). This site was identified by the USEPAto be on the National Priorities List for investigation and cleanup of hazardous substances (USARAK1998). As a result, an ecological risk assessment was conducted (USARAK 1998). Aquatic plants thatgrew in the contaminated area did not contain sufficient concentrations of white phosphorus to beconsidered a risk to the environment or the food chain. Use of white phosphorus containing munitionswas banned in all impact areas in Alaska in 1991, and is no longer used in any wetlands throughoutthe U.S. Cleanup operations at ERF are ongoing.Wetland types found on FRA include:• Coastal Halophytic Zone (3 percent) – The marine wetland ecosystem includes the shorelinetidal flats and ERF, a 2,165-acre estuarine marsh. The tidal flats are typically barren except forsome areas of rye grass (Leymus mollis) and Lyngbyei’s sedge (Carex lyngbyei). Approximately30 percent of ERF is composed of barren mudflats; an additional 30 percent is dominated byLyngbyei’s sedge. The remaining 40 percent would include glasswort (Salicornia europea), alkaligrass (Puccinellia hultenii), maritime arrow grass (Triglochin maritima), goose tongue (Plantagomaritima), sedges, and rye grass communities (Lichvar et al. 1997).• Lowland Forest Wetlands (3 percent) – These are palustrine wetlands. Open black spruce wetlandscomprise about 62 percent of the lowland forest wetland. The understory is dominated byFebruary 2008 3–122 2/25th SBCT Final EIS