Proposed Fire, Fuels, and Related Vegetation Management Direction Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement. A Regional Assessment for Southeast and South Central Idaho. Volume 1: Chapters 1-8 and Index

摘要

The Idaho Falls and Twin Falls Districts of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), comprising the Burley, Upper Snake, Pocatello, and Shoshone Field Offices, proposes to amend 12 existing land use plans to incorporate fire, fuels, and related vegetation management direction to move plant communities in the Districts towards Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC). Alternative B The Proposed Action encompasses approximately 646,000 footprint-acres and would involve the establishment of Wildland Fire Use (WFU) areas, the application of fire management restrictions to protect resources, and the implementation of broad treatment levels (i.e., footprintacres) and treatment methods (e.g., chemical, mechanical, and fire-related vegetation treatments) needed to meet resource objectives. Five alternatives were considered in detail for this programmatic EIS. They were: Alternative A No Action, Alternative B, Alternative C, Alternative D, and Alternative E The Proposed Plan Amendment. Alternative E The Proposed Plan Amendment consists of the Districts proposal to increase the use of vegetation treatments and restoration and increase the use of fire in all plant communities except Wet/Cold Conifer, Riparian, Salt Desert Shrub, and Vegetated Rock/Lava. Alternatives B, C, D, and E were developed in response to issues raised during public and agency scoping. Alternative C would implement fire treatment levels to meet the goals of the Cohesive Strategy and 10-year Comprehensive Strategy. Alternative E was developed to determine the appropriate level and kind of treatments within the sagebrush steppe ecosystem to meet the Purpose and Need while benefiting sagebrush habitat, sage grouse, and sagebrush-obligate species. Alternative E was picked as the BLM's Proposed Plan Amendment because of the protection it provides for the remaining sagebrush steppe habitat left in the Upper Snake River Plain. The No Action Alternative is required by the National Environmental Policy Act for comparison to the other alternatives analyzed in this EIS. Alternative A. The No Action Alternative would continue existing fire, fuels, and related vegetation management direction, as identified in the current land use plans for the Districts.