USDA United States %;;7755 Department of ~ Agriculture

Forest Service

Dear Planning Participant:

Tongass National Forest Alaska Region

File Code: Date:

1950

Sitka Ranger District 2108 Halibut Point Road Sitka, AK 99835 907-747-6671

November 15, 2016

The Tongass National Forest is seeking comments on the proposed Northern Tongass Integrated Weed Management Plan. The objective (purpose) of the project is to eradicate, control, or contain invasive and other non-native plants ("weeds") within the Hoonah, Juneau, Sitka and Yakutat Districts and Admiralty National Monument.

To review the need for the proposal, the project objectives and the proposed action, see the attached scoping letter or an electronic copy posted online on the project's webpage (http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=49999).

Your input and ideas are important in designing, analyzing and implementing the Northern Tongass Integrated Weed Management Plan. They will help the interdisciplinary team identify issues important to the public and design a proposed action and alternatives to address issues and concerns.

Please email your comments to comments-alaska-tongass-sitka@fs.fed.us with "Northern Tongass Weeds" in the subject line. Comments can also be faxed (907-747-4331) or mailed to Perry Edwards, District Ranger, 2108 Halibut Point Road, Sitka, AK 99835. Please submit your comments within 30 calendar days following the publication of the Opportunity to Comment notice in the Sitka Sentinel and the Juneau Empire for this process. The expected publication date for the notices is November 21, 2016.

For more information about the project, you can contact Carey Case at (907) 772-3871 or ccase@fs.fed.us.

We look forward to your participation. Your input and ideas will help ensure a successful project.

/ Sincere! , ~<-: . /.(.//.

A '7 I t-" ~,.... ~?7 -'/c:0\_ i, ?2z//<L--~~ ~R-Y-~~DS ~

District Ranger /

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Caring for the Land and Serving People

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— October 2016 Scoping Letter —

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SCOPING LETTER

NORTHERN TONGASS INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT PLAN

U.S. FOREST SERVICE

TONGASS NATIONAL FOREST

HOONAH, JUNEAU, SITKA AND YAKUTAT RANGER DISTRICTS AND

ADMIRALTY NATIONAL MONUMENT

INTRODUCTION The Forest Service has prepared this scoping letter to inform the public about the project proposal for the Northern Tongass Integrated Weed Management Plan. The objective (purpose) of the project is to eradicate, control, or contain invasive and other non-native plants (“weeds”) within the Hoonah, Juneau, Sitka and Yakutat Districts and Admiralty National Monument (Figure 1).

In July 2015, five open houses for this project were held in Yakutat, Juneau, Angoon, Hoonah and Sitka. Based on public input at these meetings the following preliminary issues were identified:

Herbicide toxicology/herbicide use Herbicide impacts on non-target vegetation

We would like to receive additional public input based on the Need for the Proposal (Need), the Project Objectives (Purpose) and Proposed Action presented below. Your input will help us identify any additional concerns or issues related to this project, refine the proposed action, and to develop additional alternatives to the proposed action. See below for how you can submit your comments.

EXISTING CONDITION Field inventories on Forest Service lands have identified 138 different weeds, both invasive and other non-native plant species, approximately 2,800 acres of infestation within the boundaries of the 8 million-acre project area (Hoonah, Juneau, Sitka and Yakutat Districts and Admiralty National Monument). Fourteen of these weed species, totaling approximately 60 acres, are target weeds, meaning they are the species of greatest concern (Table 1). Included on the target weed list are bull thistle, field mustard, reed canarygrass, Canada thistle, Japanese and Bohemian knotweeds, orange hawkweed, oxeye daisy, Scotch broom garlic mustard, and ornamental jewelweed, among others.

Undeveloped lands within the project area have relatively few weeds. Known infestations are primarily in areas that receive high use, such as along roads, recreation sites, some riparian areas and cabin sites. Alaska has been relatively insulated from the introduction and subsequent problems that have impacted other states. This is due in part to its remoteness and low population. That said, existing infestations of weeds are spreading and new introductions are increasingly being discovered.

— October 2016 Scoping Letter —

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Table 1. Target weed species within the project area, extent (acres) and general location (by district). Target species pose a threat to the ecological integrity or desired condition of the sites they occupy and are a priority for treatment.

COMMON NAME ACRES KNOWN LOCATION BY

DISTRICT

Black bindweed 2.01 ANM

Bull thistle 0.03 ANM

Field mustard 31.04 ANM

Reed canarygrass 0.19 ANM

Canada thistle 0.20 HRD

Japanese knotweed 0.02 HRD

Meadow foxtail 0.01 HRD

Orange hawkweed 0.005 HRD

Oxeye daisy 19.77 HRD

Scotch broom 0.10 HRD

Bohemian knotweed 0.24 JRD

Garlic mustard 7.48 JRD

Ornamental jewelweed 0.005 JRD

Leafy spurge 0.01 SRD

HRD – Hoonah Ranger District

SRD – Sitka Ranger District

JRD – Juneau Ranger District

YRD – Yakutat Ranger District

ANM – Admiralty National Monument

PROJECT AREA In addition to the five Tongass management units (Hoonah, Juneau, Sitka and Yakutat Districts and Admiralty National Monument), the Northern Tongass Integrated Weed Management Plan project area includes non-National Forest System (non-NFS) lands adjacent to these districts. Non-NFS lands have been included in the analysis for a couple reasons.

1. Including all lands provides a better overall picture of the problem - what weed species are out there and where they are located?

— October 2016 Scoping Letter —

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2. Weeds can spread rapidly across the landscape to all land ownerships. By including non-NFS lands in the analysis, the Forest Service is better prepared to manage weeds regardless of ownership, provided other land owners are interested in partnership opportunities with the Forest Service if federal funds become available for such projects.

NEED FOR THE PROPOSAL Invasive plants displace native plant communities and cause long-lasting economic and ecological problems within and outside the National Forest and are defined as “nonnative plants whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health” [Executive Order 13112].

1. Invasive plants can degrade fish and wildlife habitat, out-compete native plants, impair water quality and watershed health, and adversely affect a wide variety of other resource values such as scenic beauty and recreational opportunities;

2. Invasive plants can spread rapidly across the landscape to all land ownerships;

3. Invasive plant infestations in the project area are relatively small and predominately concentrated near developed areas, such as, along roadsides and at administrative sites, rock pits and recreation areas which provides an opportunity for the Forest Service to be proactive and minimize adverse impacts while still in the early stages of invasion; and

4. Early-stage invasive plant treatments include reduced treatment costs, greater effectiveness of treatment methods, less chemical use, and less ground and habitat disturbance.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES (PURPOSE) The purpose of the Northern Tongass Integrated Weed Management Plan is to:

1. Eradicate or control known weed infestations and treat new infestations, when detected, in an efficient and cost-effective manner that complies with environmental standards. This would move us toward the desired future condition stated in the Tongass National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (2008) on p.2-1, “Viable populations of native and desired nonnative species and their habitat are maintained and are not threatened by invasive species....”

2. Address Forest Plan Goals and Objectives, Biodiversity Goal (p. 2-4), “Maintain ecosystems capable of supporting the full range of native and desired nonnative species and ecological processes. Maintain a mix of representative habitats at different spatial and temporal scales.” Objective (c), “Manage the Forest in order to reduce, minimize, or eliminate the potential for introduction, establishment, spread, and impact of invasive species.”

3. Maintain Wilderness quality objectives as per the Forest Plan, Wilderness Goal (p. 2-8), “Manage designated Wilderness to maintain an enduring wilderness resource while providing for the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historical use, as provided in the Wilderness Act of 1964 and ANILCA” and Wilderness Objective, “Preserve and perpetuate biodiversity. Inventory and reduce or eliminate invasive species in Wilderness.”

— October 2016 Scoping Letter —

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PROPOSED ACTION The proposed action would use integrated pest management including manual treatments (e.g., hand pulling and tarping), mechanical treatments (torching, and mowing), and herbicides (spot and broadcast spraying) to eradicate, control, or contain populations of weeds on the Hoonah, Juneau, Sitka and Yakutat Districts and Admiralty National Monument of the Tongass National Forest. The Forest Service is including non-National Forest System Lands in the analysis area to allow for a comprehensive approach to weed management, and enable future partnerships with other landowners if funding becomes available to local communities through federal grants or other initiatives.

A treatment “cap” of 800 acres per year is proposed. The acreage cap is not a target. It is part of the project design to limit treatment acres, while allowing for flexibility when faced with unpredictable yearly funding levels, treatment of currently unidentified infestations using the adaptive management tool Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR), and ongoing treatments. Newly infested acres, as well as re-treated acres (typically successful treatment of infestations takes a minimum of 2 years) would be counted annually.

Prioritization of treatment is proposed to occur annually using a decision framework that provides a consistent process to determine target weeds for treatment and treatment methods. The target weeds are the focus of this project since they have been determined to pose a threat to the ecological integrity or desired condition of the sites they occupy (Table 1). Species on the non-target weed list would not be targeted specifically, but incidentally when adjacent to target species or present in sensitive areas (to see a table of these species go to the project page at http://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=49999). For example, non-target species (e.g., clover or common plantain) may only be treated in sensitive areas such as wilderness. Alternatively, target species (e.g., reed canarygrass or orange hawkweed) may be treated while its population is small and manageable in a riparian area, but may be tolerated as a large infestation along a roadside and not treated at all. This flexibility is anticipated to help effectively evaluate the priorities of managing any weed plant population within the project area.

To evaluate the effects of the proposed action on the natural resources within the project area, weed data (species, location, extent) is organized by 6th Level Hydrologic Units (HUCs) (see Figure 2). At the HUC (i.e., watershed) scale, site types have been identified. Site types represent where most known infestations occur, and are typically high-use areas where future infestations are expected (i.e., along roadsides, recreation areas, rock pits, etc.) and are likely locations for vectors to pick up seeds or propagules for transport to other high-use areas.

USDA o:-:=:-

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PROJECT?

Your input and ideas are important in designing, analyzing and implementing the Northern Tongass Integrated Weed Management Plan. They will help the interdisciplinary team identify issues important to the public and design a proposed action and alternatives to address issues and concerns.

Please email your comments to comments-alaska-tongass-sitka@fs.fed.us with "Northern Tongass Weeds" in the subject line. Comments can also be faxed (907-747-433 l) or mailed to Perry Edwards, District Ranger, 2108 Halibut Point Road, Sitka, AK 99835. Please submit your comments within 30 calendar days following the publication of the Opportunity to Comment notice in the Sitka Sentinel and the Juneau Empire for this process. The expected publication date for the notice is November 21, 2016.

For more information about the project, you can contact Carey Case at (907) 772-3871 or ccase@fs .fed.us .

We look forward to your participation. Your input and ideas will help ensure a successful project.

/ ,/'

;;;~/~~ 'ii. PERRY EDWARDS /

Sitka Di trict Ranger

CJJ!2 lf~---CHAD V ANORMER

Hoonah District and Admiralty National Monument Ranger

/?~~ BRAD ORR

Juneau District Ranger

LEE BENSON

Yakutat District Ranger

- October 2016 Scoping Letter -

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