File Code:1950/2430
Date: October 12, 2001

Dear Interested Party:

The Hood River Ranger District, Mt. Hood National Forest, has identified you as an individual, agency, or organization which might be interested in commenting on our proposed action for the Mill Creek Planning Area.

The Mill Creek Planning area (Vicinity Map), situated within portions of the Mill Creek and Main Stem of Hood River Watersheds, is approximately 7,182 acres in size. It is located four miles east of Parkdale, Oregon. The land allocations for this planning area under the Mount Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (1990) are C1-Timber Emphasis (4,592 acres), B2-Scenic Resource (295 acres), A7-Special Old Growth (44 acres), and B10-Deer and Elk Winter Range (2,251 acres). Under the Northwest Forest Plan's Record of Decision (1994), this planning area is identified as Matrix. Currently, the road density, within the planning area, is approximately 3.87 mi/ sq. mi.

Several objectives for the Mill Creek Planning Area have been identified. They are: 1) Move the planning area closer to the desired future condition as identified in the Mill Creek Watershed Analysis and Mt. Hood NF Land and Resource Management Plan, 2) provide wood products, and 3) reduce the risk of fire. Through field reconnaissance, data collection, and interdisciplinary team (IDT) meetings, a proposed action involving commercial timber sales, road closures, and other projects have been developed for this area which are designed to help meet these objectives. Tractor and cable logging systems are the recommended harvest system of the proposed timber sales.

Timber Sale Projects

Table 1- Summary of Timber Sale Prescriptions Method Proposed Acres Uncut Retention Areas

Method	Proposed Acres	Uncut Retention Areas (acres)1	Total Project Acres
Commercial Thin2	704	70	634
Partial Overstory Removal3	466	47	419
Regeneration4	35	3	32
Improvement Cut55	231	24	207
Total	1,436	144	1,292

1. Uncut retention areas are usually 2-5 acres in size and are left to meet deer/elk needs or to comply with the NW Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines.
   
   
2. The purpose of thinning (C1 and B10 land allocations) is to maintain and improve timber growth and yield of overstocked stands that have too many trees per acre for the land to support. These densely packed trees compete for a limited amount of soil nutrients, water, and light. Trees that do not efficiently compete for these resources grow less in diameter and height than those trees that are free to grow. These weaken trees often become much more susceptible to insects and/or disease and eventually die. As mortality increased within a timber stand, the risk of a large wildland fire proportionately increases. Trees would be thinned to an approximate 18 to 25 foot spacing, thus leaving 70 - 135 trees per acre after harvest.
   
   
3. The purpose of the partial overstory removal treatment (C1 land allocation) is to maintain and accelerate the growth of the existing conifer understory trees within these stands. Some stands, partially harvested within 15-20 years, currently contain a component of trees in the upper canopy layer (overstory) that are infected with Douglas-fir dwarf mistletoe or are suppressed, subordinate trees with a decrease level of vigor and health. The mistletoe has a high potential of infecting other Douglas-fir trees, particularly the younger trees in the understory, which causes deformities and inhibits growth. In some locations, the overstory is also partially shading the trees in the understory, further inhibiting their full growth potential. Suppressed and mistletoe infected trees would be removed. After harvest, the understory trees would be precommercially thinned to a twelve by twelve foot spacing.
   
   
4. The purpose of the regeneration harvest (C1 land allocation) is to restore stands of trees, that are in poor health due to laminated root rot infecting the grand fir and Douglas-fir trees. This root rot is currently weakening and/or killing many of the trees within these stands (mostly grand fir) and will continue to spread to other susceptible conifers species. The area will be planted, after harvest, with a diverse mix of conifer seedlings which are less susceptible to the root rot.
   
   
5. The purpose of the improvement cut (C1 and B10 land allocation) is to reduce the risk of loss to the large diameter ponderosa, Douglas fir, and grand fir, and develop stands more resilient to the impacts of insects, disease, and fire. Wildland fire suppression, during this century, has changed the composition and structure of much of the forests. These forests on the eastern side of the planning area historically burned every 25-100 years and were generally more open and parklike, dominated by big trees. Currently, these stands contain dense under and mid-stories of smaller Douglas fir and grand fir that have encroached upon the large ponderosa pine and Douglas fir trees. This encroachment makes these large diameter trees more susceptible to loss. The densely stocked smaller trees provide conditions that increase insects and diseases and the lower growing limbs of these trees serve as "ladder" fuels, able to carry fire up to the canopy of the big trees. The proposed action will remove the smaller trees adjacent to the large trees and thin the remaining areas. These stands would be underburned after harvest.

To provide short term, temporary access into the proposed harvest units, approximately _ mile of road would be constructed and 1_ mile would be reconstructed to access the sale units. Following logging and post timber sale activities, these road systems would be stabilized and closed.

Road Density Management Projects

Approximately 20.5 miles of roads within the planning area (C1 and B10 land allocations) are proposed for closure to reduce the harassment and poaching of wildlife, restore basin hydrology, and to better balance the annual road maintenance program with current funding. Two types of treatments are proposed:

• Closure and reclosure. "Entrance management" would close sixteen miles and re-close _ mile of roads. Closure by entrance management would be a combination of berming, obliterating the first 100 feet of road surface behind the berm, and placing large rocks and logs to effectively close the road for vehicular use. Waterbars and cross drains would be installed to intercept surface flow and route it to adjacent ground.



• Seasonal closure by gate. Four miles of road would be gated closed during hunting season to better protect deer/elk and other wildlife.

The current density of roads (3.87 mi./sq. mi.), open to public travel and within the planning area, exceeds Forest Plan Standards and Guidelines for B-10 Deer/Elk Winter Range land allocation (1.5 mi./sq. mi.), for Inventoried Deer/Elk Winter Range (2.0 mi./sq. mi.), and for Inventoried Summer Range (2.5 mi./sq. mi.). In all three instances, the level of road density has created a situation where the harassment of deer/elk (and other wildlife) is ongoing, and their illegal taking (poaching) is a noticeable occurrence. High road density has also increased the likelihood of higher peak stream flows due to interception of subsurface water flow and routing to adjacent stream channels, primarily within the West Fork Neal Creek sub-watershed. In addition, current road maintenance funding does not allow adequate road maintenance to minimize soil erosion and water quality degradation, over the entire Mt. Hood NF transportation system.

Other Projects

Native plant diversity A native plant restoration project (C1 and B10 land allocations), to restore native plant diversity to an estimated 238 acres of open grassland scarps and 25 acres of meadows, is proposed.

Invasive non-native grasses and noxious weeds have been introduced to the planning area by previous land management activities. The non-native species are aggressive and compete for nutrients and moisture. Native bunchgrass communities that once dominated the grassland scarps and meadows are becoming scarce as they are displaced by non-native species. As a result, the soils are more susceptible to erosion, the plant fuels are more likely to burn faster and hotter, and the forage is less nutritional for deer, elk, and game birds.

The proposed action is to reestablish native plants in approximately 263 acres of grassland scarps and meadows through a combination of treatments that are implemented annually for at least five years. Treatments include prescribed burning, followed by the manual application of native plant seeds collected from the planning area. Treated areas would be monitored annually to assess results and adjust future action if necessary.

Riparian Reserve Enhancement
A riparian reserve enhancement project (C1 and B10 land allocations) to accelerate the development of mature forest characteristics adjacent to Mosier and Mill Creeks in order to provide habitat for late-successional associated wildlife and aquatic species and to meet Aquatic Conservation Strategy Objectives is proposed.

National Forest System Lands along Mosier Creek, Mill Creek, and tributaries to Mill Creek lack mature forest characteristics such as large diameter snags, down logs, and large diameter trees. These lands were previously harvested while in private ownership. The forests in the riparian reserve are mainly less than 30 years old, even-aged, with trees spaced very close together. As a result, the trees are not growing as quickly as their potential and will take longer to become a multi-layered mature forest.

The proposed action is to pre-commercial thin approximately 70 acres within the riparian reserves of Mosier Creek, Mill Creek, and Mill Creek tributaries. Cut trees would be hand piled as needed, to help provide interim down woody structure and restore ecosystem functions.

Precommercial Thinning
A precommercial thinning project, on 444 acres of plantations (C1 and B10 land allocations), is proposed to maintain and improve timber growth and yield of overstocked stands that have too many trees per acre for the land to support. These densely packed trees compete for a limited amount of soil nutrients, water, and light. Trees that do not efficiently compete for these resources grow less in diameter and height than those trees that are free to grow. Trees would be thinned to an approximate 14 by 14 foot spacing. Our "site adapted/structure based" precommercial thinning approach is designed to add come subtle spatial and structural characteristics of a "wild" forest stand.

Enclosed is a vicinity map to show the location of the planning area relative to landmarks and roads and a proposed action map. The proposed action map identifies the tentative timber stands proposed for the commercial timber sales, the temporary road system needed to access these units, roads that are proposed for closing, and other projects. It also identifies the updated Riparian Reserves with their true extent and locations.

Are there other projects you want the IDT to consider or concerns that you may have with this proposed action? For those individuals that wish to visit the planning area with the various members of the IDT, a Saturday field trip is scheduled for October 27, 2001 at 9AM, at the Hood River Ranger Station on Highway 35. Please let Rich Thurman or Rick Ragan know ahead of time if you plan on attending. If weather conditions are bad, the field trip may be rescheduled. To assist us in meeting our time line for analysis and preparation of an environmental document for this planning area, we must receive your written comments by December 15, 2001 at the address identified on this letterhead, or call either Rich or Rick at 352- 6002 extension 626 or 622, respectively, if you wish to discuss this proposed action.

Sincerely,

KIM M. TITUS
District Ranger

Enclosure (2) - Maps

Mt. Hood National Forest Hood River Ranger District
6780 Highway 35 Mt. Hood/Parkdale, OR 97041
(541) 352-6002
FAX: (541) 352-7365

"Caring for the Land and Serving People"