SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencestraining as well. Platoon- and company-level training would primarily occur at the other areas, andwould increase in frequency.General SBCT training would occur on established roads or trails, as well as areas designated formaneuver training throughout the installations. Vegetation resources would not be expected to beaffected by maneuvers on existing roads and trails. Off-road mounted maneuvers would occur wherethey are already existing and on 1,300 new acres on SRAA, 3,384 new acres on KTA, and 23,000new acres on Keamuku Parcel. Due to the weight of the Stryker vehicle, vegetation in areas where theStryker performs off-road maneuvers likely would be crushed or flattened along tire paths.Stryker maneuvers would generally occur in non-forested areas at PTA and Keamuku Parcel thatcontain nonnative vegetation communities. Vegetation that would be impacted on SBER and KTA isalso primarily nonnative. The net conversion of the highly disturbed pineapple fields to fallow landwith mounted maneuvers on the roadways would not amount to a significant loss of vegetation.Nonnative plants generally have a negative influence on the success of native plants and wildlife. Forthis reason, a loss to nonnative species is not considered significant. There are areas with highconcentrations of native species that will be avoided. Off-road vehicle maneuvers would only beallowed in areas of less than 30 percent slope on KTA.Maneuver training is expected to have a less than significant impact on vegetation under AlternativeA. The majority of the training areas are nonnative vegetation and common native plants, primarilygrasses and shrubs, which typically colonize denuded areas quickly and thoroughly. Measures toreduce impacts to vegetation from maneuver training are the same as those described previouslyunder Impacts from Cantonment Construction.Impacts to general wildlife and habitats. Due to the weight of the Stryker vehicle, vegetation in areaswhere the Stryker performs off-road maneuvers likely would be crushed or flattened along tire paths.Off-road mounted maneuvers would occur throughout the western portion of SBER. Wildlife andvegetation found in this highly disturbed area is primarily nonnative. Ground-dwelling wildlife andvegetation would be adversely impacted as a result of the maneuvers. Road-restricted mountedmaneuvers would occur at the SRAA. Conversion of the highly disturbed pineapple fields to fallowland with mounted maneuvers on the roadways would not significantly impact general wildlife orvegetation.At DMR, maneuver training would occur on established roads or trails, as well as areas currentlydesignated for maneuver training throughout the installation, and would not affect native habitats. Thenatural communities within the boundary of DMR are two types of lowland dry communities that areon the cliff slopes at the southern end of the training area. These areas would not be used formaneuver training and therefore would not be affected by the use of the Stryker vehicle. Theconstruction of Dillingham Trail would not fragment any natural vegetation communities. The trail islocated in areas of agricultural use, and the vegetation that surrounds these areas is primarilynonnative species with some common natives. Wildlife species in or around these areas are moretolerant of human activity, and it is assumed that more sensitive species have previously left the area.No effects from potential runoff are expected for marine wildlife resources or coral. No increase inrunoff as a result of SBCT activities is expected. DMR is on the leeward side of the island, so stormrunoff is minimal.The slopes at KTA are steep, and training activities are generally limited by the topography todismounted maneuvers and vehicle travel on established roads. Vegetative regrowth is fairly rapid.The majority of the training area is nonnative vegetation and common native plants, primarily grassesand shrubs, which typically colonize denuded areas quickly and thoroughly. Off-road vehicleFebruary 2008 5-53 2/25th SBCT Final EIS