Integrated Training Area Management EA and Final FNSI

support the management capabilities and effectiveness of all ITAM programs. Impacts of the LRAM,SRA, and RTLA programs on vegetation are discussed below.TRIThe TRI program would ensure that land management practices meet the Army’s needs while minimizingimpacts on the environment. Range facility inventories, terrain analysis, training area configuration, andtraining land distribution are measures utilized under this program to integrate natural resourceconditions, including vegetation, with range operations and training requirements.LRAMLRAM projects would reduce long-term impacts of training and testing by combining preventive andcorrective land reclamation, reshaping, rehabilitation, repair, and maintenance practices. Althoughimpacts to vegetation would be beneficial overall, generally, any projects involving clearing of vegetationor disturbing soils would have the possibility of encouraging establishment of invasive species. Suchprojects include gravel extraction; road hardening (which often results in road widening); vegetationthinning and clearing; and prescribed burning. However, revegetation and reclamation projects would alsobe used to restore native flora whenever appropriate.The most common revegetation activity on USARAK lands is seeding exposed soils, and native seed typemixes are used whenever appropriate. The native seed mix recommendations and revegetation practicesthat would be utilized are developed by the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Cooperative ExtensionService’s A Revegetative Guide for Conservation Use in Alaska. Gravel pit reclamation projects includerecommendations for revegetation with native plants and monitoring for invasive species. Streambankstabilization practices would allow riparian vegetation to establish in previously degraded areas. Waterbars installed on roads would slow water flows and help keep soil and vegetation from washing awayduring periods of high water flow. Temporary and permanent soil stabilization practices would allowvegetation to establish and thrive. Protecting natural vegetation during construction activities would allowtheir erosion control, storm water detention, biofiltration, and aesthetic services to persist.Vegetation management practices, such as prescribed burning and hand or mechanical thinning/clearing,reduce tree stands and would primarily be utilized to maintain certain species compositions or seral stages(particularly for fire management purposes; see Section 3.6). Hand thinning results in limited residual treedamage while some mechanical operations require pulling trees or tree clumps, which results in theremoval of the root balls and associated soil. Mowing would also be used for similar reasons, mainly tokeep drop zones as grass areas and to prevent establishment of tall vegetation. Projected thinning projectsfor the next five years include approximately 20 acres impacted at Fort Richardson and 140 acres at FortWainwright. About 100 acres impacted by mowing and 800 impacted by burning are projected atDonnelly Training Area. Installation of a firebreak is projected at Fort Wainwright and would impact 37acres (Appendix A). Fire suppression activities and installation of fire/fuel breaks and trenches wouldbenefit vegetation by reducing wildfire risk and possible impacts of wildfire.Off-road maneuver and recreation travel and driving on the sides of roads to avoid poor road conditionsdamages vegetation and encourages establishment of invasive species. This would be less likely to occurif roads were in good condition. Additionally, repeated use of firing points and bivouac sites often resultsin soil erosion and compaction and almost complete removal of shrub vegetation due to heavy vehiculartraffic. Road crossings, maneuver trail upgrade and maintenance, and hardening of roads and pads wouldhelp reduce these impacts. Projected trail upgrade and road/pad hardening projects for the next five yearsinclude approximately 85 acres impacted at Fort Richardson, 245 acres at Fort Wainwright, and 135 acresat Donnelly Training Area (Appendix A). Since these projects involve upgrade and maintenance ofexisting range and training land infrastructure, the majority of acres affected would be previously_____________________________________________________________________________________________Environmental AssessmentUnited States Army Alaska, Integrated Training Area Management ProgramManagement Plan 27