Revised Land and Resource Management Plan United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service National Forests in Alabama Southern Region Management Bulletin R8-MB 112A January 2004 Revised Land and Resource Management Plan United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service National Forests in Alabama Southern Region Bankhead NF – Lawrence • Franklin •Winston Conecuh NF - Covington • Escambia Talladega NF – Cleburne • Clay • Talladega • Calhoun • Hale • Perry • Chilton • Bibb • Dallas • Tuscaloosa Tuskegee NF – Macon Responsible Agency: USDA Forest Service Responsible Official: Robert Jacobs USDA Forest Service 1720 Peachtree Road NW Atlanta, GA 33067-9102 For Information Contact: Steve Rickerson, Forest Supervisor National Forests in Alabama 2946 Chestnut Street Montgomery, AL 36107 (334) 832-4470 Management Bulletin R8-MB 112A January 2004 "The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer." REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN JANUARY, 2004(ERRATA # 2 – SEPTEMBER 2005) Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 ..............................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................................1 RELATIONSHIP OF THE FOREST PLAN TO OTHER DOCUMENTS..........................................................2 PLAN STRUCTURE.....................................................................................................................2 FOREST DESCRIPTION...............................................................................................................3 SUMMARY OF THE AMS............................................................................................................3 SUMMARY OF ISSUES................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2 ..............................................................................................................1 FOREST-WIDE DIRECTION...................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................1 FOREST-WIDE GOALS, OBJECTIVES AND STANDARDS........................................................2 DIRECTION THAT SUPERCEDES MAPPED LAND ALLOCATIONS...................................................................2 RESTORATION AND HEALTH OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS...........................................................................2 WATERSHEDS – WATER, SOIL, AND AIR...........................................................................................14 RIPARIAN AREAS, RIPARIAN CORRIDORS AND STREAMSIDE ZONES BACKGROUND.................................22 THREATENED, ENDANGERED AND SENSITIVE SPECIES........................................................................28 RARE COMMUNITIES......................................................................................................................35 OLD GROWTH...............................................................................................................................39 TERRESTRIAL PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES..............................................................................48 FIRE MANAGEMENT.......................................................................................................................51 RECREATION – DEVELOPED, DISPERSED, AND BACKCOUNTRY............................................................55 WILDERNESS AND WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS...................................................................................58 SCENERY.....................................................................................................................................59 HERITAGE RESOURCES..................................................................................................................61 MINERALS AND GEOLOGIC RESOURCES...........................................................................................63 INFRASTRUCTURE..........................................................................................................................67 LAND ACQUISITION........................................................................................................................69 SPECIAL USES..............................................................................................................................71 NATURAL RESOURCE INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION.....................................................................72 CHAPTER 3 ..............................................................................................................1 MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTIONS...................................................................................................1 0. CUSTODIAL MANAGEMENT.....................................................................................................3 1. WILDERNESS AREAS..............................................................................................................4 1.A. DESIGNATED WILDERNESSES/WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS.............................................4 1.B. RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS STUDY AREAS...................................................................6 2. WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS......................................................................................................6 2.A.1. WILD RIVERS.....................................................................................................................6 2.A.2. SCENIC RIVERS..................................................................................................................9 2.C. RIVERS ELIGIBLE AS WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS..............................................................10 4. SPECIAL AREAS....................................................................................................................12 4.B. RESEARCH NATURAL AREAS............................................................................................12 4.B.1. EXISTING RESEARCH NATURAL AREAS.........................................................................12 4.C. GEOLOGIC AREAS.............................................................................................................13 i REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN (ERRATA # 2 – SEPTEMBER 2005)JANUARY, 2004 4.D. BOTANICAL - ZOOLOGICAL AREAS....................................................................................15 4.E. CULTURAL/HERITAGE AREAS............................................................................................16 4.E.1. CULTURAL/HERITAGE AREAS.........................................................................................16 4.E.2. NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICTS AS SPECIAL AREAS...................................................18 4.I. NATURAL AREAS - FEW OPEN ROADS................................................................................18 4.L. CANYON CORRIDORS.........................................................................................................20 5. SPECIAL USES/ADMINISTRATION SITES.............................................................................22 5.A. ADMINISTRATIVE SITES....................................................................................................22 5.B. DESIGNATED COMMUNICATION/ELECTRONIC SITES......................................................23 7. RECREATION/SCENIC EMPHASIS AREAS............................................................................24 7.A. SCENIC BYWAY CORRIDORS.............................................................................................24 7.B. GATEWAY FOREST.............................................................................................................25 7.C. OHV USE AREAS.................................................................................................................28 7.D. CONCENTRATED RECREATION ZONE...............................................................................29 7.E. DISPERSED RECREATION AREAS......................................................................................32 7.E.2. DISPERSED RECREATION AREAS WITH VEGETATION MANAGEMENT..........................32 8. LANDSCAPE HABITAT EMPHASIS AREAS..............................................................................34 8.B. MIX OF SUCCESSIONAL HABITATS - EARLY SUCCESSIONAL HABITAT EMPHASIS...........34 8.D.1. RED-COCKADED WOODPECKER MANAGEMENT AREAS..............................................36 9. ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION/MAINTENANCE AREAS...........................................................37 9.C.3. SOUTHERN CUMBERLAND PLATEAU NATIVE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE..........................................................................................................................37 9.D. RESTORATION OF COASTAL PLAIN LONGLEAF PINE FORESTS........................................38 9.D.1. SOUTHERN RIDGE AND VALLEY NATIVE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AND MAINTENANCE..........................................................................................................................39 9.F. RARE COMMUNITIES.........................................................................................................41 9.G. MAINTENANCE AND RESTORATION OF UPLAND AND BOTTOMLAND HARDWOODS AND MIXED PINE-HARDWOOD FORESTS..........................................................................................58 10. FOREST PRODUCT EMPHASIS AREAS...............................................................................59 10.D. GRAZING AND FORAGE EMPHASIS AREAS..............................................................................59 11. RIPARIAN CORRIDORS.......................................................................................................60 12. REMOTE BACKCOUNTRY AREAS.......................................................................................70 12.A. REMOTE BACKCOUNTRY RECREATION—FEW OPEN ROADS..........................................70 12.B. REMOTE BACKCOUNTRY RECREATION - NONMOTORIZED...........................................71 CHAPTER 4 ..............................................................................................................1 FORESTWIDE DESIRED FUTURE CONDITIONS.................................................................................1 MANAGEMENT AREA AND WATERSHED DIRECTION.........................................................................4 MANAGEMENT AREA 1 – BANKHEAD NATIONAL FOREST.......................................................................5 MANAGEMENT AREA 2 – CONECUH NATIONAL FOREST.........................................................................9 MANAGEMENT AREA 3 – OAKMULGEE DIVISION, TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST...................................12 MANAGEMENT AREA 4 – TALLADEGA DIVISION, TALLADEGA NATIONAL FOREST.....................................16 MANAGEMENT AREA 5 – TUSKEGEE NATIONAL FOREST.....................................................................20 CHAPTER 5 ..............................................................................................................1 MONITORING PLAN...................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................1 MONITORING QUESTIONS...........................................................................................................2 RESEARCH NEEDS.......................................................................................................................8 ii REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN JANUARY, 2004(ERRATA # 2 – SEPTEMBER 2005) APPENDIX A………………………………….RELEVANT STATUTES, REGULATIONS, POLICIES, AND AGREEMENTS APPENDIX B………………………………………………………………………………………………………..GLOSSARY APPENDIX C………………………………………………………………………………………….RIPARIAN CORRIDORS APPENDIX D…………………………………………………………………………..RARE COMMUNITY DESCRIPTIONS APPENDIX E………………………………………………………………………………………….SUITABILITY ANALYSIS APPENDIX F………………………………………………………………………………MONITORING SUMMARY TABLE APPENDIX G……………………………………………………………………..…POSSIBLE OUTPUTS AND ACTIVITIES APPENDIX H………………………………………………………………………………………..……RESEARCH NEEDS APPENDIX I……………………………………………………..…LOCATIONAL CRITERIA CHECKLIST FOR NEW OHV APPENDIX J……………………………………………………………………………….SCENIC INTEGRITY OBJECTIVES APPENDIX K……………………………………..……REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN MAPS iii REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN CHAPTER 1 JANUARY, 2004(ERRATA # 2 – SEPTEMBER 2005) CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The Revised Land and Resource Management Plan guides all natural resource management activities and sets management standards for the National Forests in Alabama for the next 10 to 15 years. The National Forest Management Act (NFMA), implementing regulations, and other documents guided the preparation of this Forest Plan. Land-use determinations, management practices, goals, objectives, and standards are statements of the Forest Plan's management direction. Projected yields, services, and rate of implementation are dependent on the annual budgeting process. This Forest Plan provides broad program-level direction for management of the land and its resources. Future projects carry out the direction in this Forest Plan. This Forest Plan does not contain a commitment to select any specific project. An environmental analysis is conducted, when required, on these projects as they are proposed. This analysis may tier to the data and evaluations in other environmental impact statements. In addition to direction found in this Forest Plan, projects also are implemented through direction found in the Forest Service directive system (manuals and handbooks) and other guides (see Chapter 5, “Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Implementation''). Purpose of the Forest Plan The revised Forest Plan will decide and establish the following: 1. Determining the Forest-wide multiple-use goals, objectives, and standards for the Forest, including estimates of the goods and services expected. 2. Determining multiple-use management prescriptions and management areas containing desired conditions, objectives and standards. 3. Identifying land that is suitable for timber production. 4. Determining the allowable sale quantity (ASQ) for timber and the associated sale schedule. 5. Recommending wilderness areas. 6. Recommending wild and scenic river status. 7. Determining monitoring and evaluation requirements. NATIONAL FORESTS IN ALABAMA 1-1 CHAPTER 1 REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN (ERRATA # 2 – SEPTEMBER 2005)JANUARY, 2004 8. Identifying the lands that are administratively available for mineral development (including oil and gas), and consent to lease the available lands. RELATIONSHIP OF THE FOREST PLAN TO OTHER DOCUMENTS This Forest Plan is the selected alternative for managing the land and resources on the National Forests in Alabama that is analyzed and described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. The Forest Plan is consistent with direction found in laws, rules, regulations, and the directive system (Forest Service Manuals and Handbooks). This Forest Plan used information from four other environmental impact statements to aid in the development of management direction. • Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement for Suppression of Southern Pine Beetles (R8-SPB) (USDA Forest Service-Southern Region, April 1987) • Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement – Vegetation Management in the Coastal Plain/Piedmont (VMCP) (USDA Forest Service- Southern Region, January 1989 • Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement – Vegetation Management in the Appalachian Mountains (VMA) (USDA Forest Service-Southern Region, July 1989 • Record of Decision, Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Management of the Red-cockaded Woodpecker and its Habitat on National Forests in the Southern Region (RCWEIS) (USDA Forest Service, Southern Region, June 1995) PLAN STRUCTURE The Forest Plan consists of five chapters, a glossary, and several appendices. Chapter 1 introduces the Forest Plan; explains its purpose, structure, and relationship to other documents; includes a brief description of the forest; and summarizes the issues and analysis of the management situation for the revision. Chapter 2 contains the Forest-wide management direction, including, desired future conditions, goals, objectives, and standards. Chapter 3 contains the management prescriptions and the specific management direction applied at that level, including, desired future conditions, goals, objectives, and standards. 1-2 NATIONAL FORESTS IN ALABAMA REVISED LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN CHAPTER 1 JANUARY, 2004(ERRATA # 2 – SEPTEMBER 2005) Chapter 4 contains the management area direction, including, desired future conditions, goals, objectives, and standards. Chapter 5 gives direction on Forest Plan implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Appendices provide supplemental information about the Forest Plan. FOREST DESCRIPTION The National Forests in Alabama include approximately 666,000 acres of National Forest System land in the Southern Appalachian Mountains, Cumberland Plateau, Piedmont and Coastal Plain areas of the state. There are four National Forests, divided into six ranger districts. The Bankhead National Forest is located in the northwestern part of the state in Lawrence, Winston and Franklin Counties. The Conecuh National Forest is located in the southern part of the state along the Alabama/Florida line in Covington and Escambia Counties. The Talladega National Forest is divided into three Ranger Districts: the Oakmulgee District lies in the central part of the state, east of Tuscaloosa in Hale, Tuscaloosa, Bibb, Perry, Chilton and Dallas Counties. The Shoal Creek and Talladega Districts are located in the northeastern part of the state in Cherokee, Calhoun, Cleburne, Talladega and Clay Counties. The Tuskegee National Forest lies in the east central part of the state west of Auburn, in Macon County. SUMMARY OF THE AMS The analysis of the management situation (AMS) for the National Forests is a determination of the forests’ ability to supply goods and services in response to society’s demand. The AMS provides a basis for determining the need for change in the existing Forest Plan direction and formulating a broad range of reasonable alternatives. The draft AMS was completed in August 1996, and a few of the important findings are: • Land Allocations; allocate lands into Land Type Associations (LTA) and identify forest alliances, revise acreage of steep slopes to reflect land adjustments, correct acreage of aquatic habitat, evaluate areas for special designations (RNA, botanical area, Demonstration Forest, wild & scenic river), complete oil & gas leasing re-analysis, complete analysis of land suitable for timber production, and identify communication sites where needed • Desired Future Conditions (DFC): write DFC for each LTA & management area to include: increasing recreation use and need to provide for a quality experience; future desired level for range program on the Conecuh; riparian areas and aquatic habitat; TES species by communities; more emphasis on scenic quality around trails, special areas and special routes; reduction of user conflicts; consider maintaining current semi-primitive areas to protect NATIONAL FORESTS IN ALABAMA 1-3