Moya Big Game Habitat Improvement Projecta123.g.akamai.net/7/123/11558/abc123/forestservic...Page 1 of 8 Moya Big Game Habitat Improvement Project Purpose and Need The purpose and

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Moya Big Game Habitat Improvement Project

Purpose and Need

The purpose and need of this project is to improve big game winter range habitat while reducing

the potential for uncharacteristic wildfire.

Location

This project is located on the north end of the Cuba District of the Santa Fe National Forest

between the communities of Llaves and Lindrith and south of Forest Road 313 (T24N, R1W, in

portions of sections 2-10, 16-21 and 29-30. T25N, R1W, in portions of sections 7-11, 13-24, and

26-35). The project area is 21,488 acres. See enclosed map (Figure 1).

Big Game Winter Range

The Moya project area provides critical winter habitat for mule deer, elk and other game and

non-game wildlife species. Prescribed fire will increase and invigorate browse, shrubs and

grasses for wintering deer and elk. Enhanced browse palatability and nutrition enables big game

to maintain good body condition through the winter and enter the spring/summer birthing period

in good physical condition. The young are born healthier with a better chance for survival.

Uncharacteristic Wildfire

Uncharacteristic wildfire refers to fire behavior that is outside of the historic range for how

particular vegetation once burned. For example, ponderosa pine historically experienced surface

fire that burned frequently at low severity. Fire suppression and historical land uses (unregulated

grazing) stopped these low intensity fires that thinned the understory and consumed dead and

down fuels. Today the forests are dense with heavy fuel accumulations. Fires burning under

current fuel and vegetation conditions in hot dry, windy weather have the potential to transition

from surface fires to uncharacteristic crown fires. Crown fire refers to fire that spreads through

the crowns (needles and branches) of the tree. Crown fires burn at very rapid rates of spread,

defy suppression actions and can result in severe impacts.

The crown fire hazard rating measures the susceptibility of a forest to crown fire initiation and

spread. It is generated from a combination of crowning and torching indices.

The torching index (TI) is the wind speed where a surface fire will ignite the tree crowns. The

lower the index or wind speed, the more susceptible the area is to torching. Torching is when the

crowns of individual or groups of trees burn. Torching may initiate and can be the first phase of

crown fire. A low torching index of 10 or 20 means average winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour will

initiate torching and crown fire initiation. The crowning index (CI) is the wind speeds needed to

create an active or continuously spreading crown fire. The lower the index or wind speed, the

more susceptible the area is to crown fire. A low crowning index of 10 or 20 means average

winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour will create an active or continuously spreading crown fire.

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Existing Condition

Crown Fire Hazard

The area’s vegetation is predominately ponderosa pine forest and piñon-juniper woodlands.

There are also inclusions of oak woodland, sagebrush and Douglas fir. No perennial streams

and no threatened or endangered species are present. Surveys for archeological sites will be

done prior to implementation and sites will be mitigated or avoided.

The current forest has an over story of scattered large diameter (>18 inch diameter at breast

height (DBH)) ponderosa pine with a dense understory of small pinon, juniper and ponderosa

pine. Data was collected and used in the Forest Vegetation Computer Simulator Model (FVS).

The model calculated an average of 715 trees per acre with basal area averaging 137 square feet

per acre. The average tree diameter (DBH) is 5.9 inches. The small average diameter reflects the

small size and high number of small trees in the understory. The canopy base height is the

distance from the ground to the base or bottom of the over story tree crowns and this averages 5

feet. Five feet is considered a very low crown to base height. Canopy base height is a measure of

ladder fuels. Ladder fuels are the smaller trees and low branches that have the potential to carry

a surface fire up into the tree crowns. When ladder fuels catch on fire, the flames can reach the

lower limbs of the over story trees and catch these trees on fire. Ladder fuels are an important

factor in torching and crown fire initiation. Reducing ladder fuels by increasing crown to base

heights reduces the potential for active torching and crown fire initiation.

Based on the model the torching index for the area is 20 mi/hr. and the crowning index (CI) is

52.0 mi/hr. Winds speeds exceeding 20 mph are common during an average fire season in

northern New Mexico and wind speeds over 50 mph frequently occur. Active torching and crown

fire could easily occur in the project area with the current vegetation and fuels under normal

summer weather conditions. The torching and crowning hazard can be reduced by increasing

the crown to base height. This is done by reducing the number of small trees in the understory.

Elk and Deer Winter Range

Without frequent fire, smaller trees have encroached into meadows and openings and into the

understory of once open stands of ponderosa pine. This encroachment of smaller trees has

shaded out much of the herbaceous vegetation that deer and elk eat. (Figures 2 & 3). The shrubs

and browse are old and decadent because they have not burned and been encouraged to sprout

for a long time. Decadent woody browse and shrubs are not palatable to deer and elk, they prefer

young tender growth. Young sprouts have high nutrition value for wildlife species that depend on

this forage for winter diet.

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Forest Plan Management Direction

The project area falls in two management areas of the Santa Fe National Forest Plan,

Management Areas R & S (1987, as amended). The Forest Plan direction is: Prescribed

fire will be used primarily for fuels reduction and wildlife habitat enhancement as long as

cultural resources can be protected.

Improve elk and turkey winter ranges through the harvest of pinyon and juniper and

sagebrush re-treatment.

.

Proposed Actions

1. Use broadcast prescribed fire at low to moderate intensity (flame lengths less than 6 feet) on

up to 21,488 acres. (Figure 6). The average size of a burn block would be 2,500 acres and

initial burning would occur over a five to ten year period.

Existing roads and natural barriers would be utilized for prescribed fire boundaries for most

of the project. Hand-line construction would be minimal. There would be no temporary or

permanent road construction.

2. Mechanically thin up to 655 acres adjacent to private land to minimize the potential of the

fire escaping onto private land (Figure 6). Thinning will target ladder fuels and smaller

diameter trees. The cut trees will be offered to the public for fire wood. Some archeological

sites will be thinned to protect them from fire. Typical archeological sites range from less

than 1/10 acre to ½ acre. Due to archeological site sensitivity, site locations will not be

disclosed.

A low to moderate intensity (flame lengths less than 6 feet) prescribe fire was modeled using

FVS in the stand and fuel conditions representative of the area. The results of the model showed

that trees per acre would be reduced to 138, basal area would be reduced to 90 square feet per

acre, average DBH would increase to 10.9 inches, and canopy base height would be raised to 40

feet. The torching index would improve from 20 mph to 88 mph, while the crowning index

improves from 52.0 mph to 92 mph.

The model indicates that low to moderate intensity prescribed fire is successful at mitigating the

potential for uncharacteristic fire in the project area. In addition, prescribed fire will increase

herbaceous production and palatability.

The results of the simulation were verified in August 2009 when the Jacquez Wildfire, located

within the project boundary, was allowed to burn approximately 420 acres under conditions

similar to environmental conditions used during prescribed fire conditions. The fire effects were

generally low severity and raised the canopy base height, stimulated browse, increased

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herbaceous production and reduced ladder fuel and smaller trees including encroached juniper

(Figure 4 & 5). Figure 2 and 3 are on-site examples of existing conditions while figures 4 and 5

are visual examples of the aftermath of the Jacquez Wildfire and the desired condition that can

be met with prescribed fire.

Categorical Exclusion

We anticipate this project will be categorically excluded from documentation in an

environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement under the following category:

Timber stand and/or wildlife habitat improvement activities that do not include

the use of herbicides or do not require more than 1 mile of low standard road

construction. (36 CFR 220.6 (e) (6))

Preliminary analysis indicates there are no significant effects to existing resource conditions or

extraordinary circumstances. The proposal is consistent with the Santa Fe National Forest Plan.

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Figure 1: Vicinity map of Moya Big Game Habitat Improvement Project.

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Figure 2: Existing condition of project area showing low canopy base height and ladder fuels.

Figure 3: Existing condition of project area showing dense forest conditions, lack of herbaceous cover

and abundant ladder fuels.

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Figure 4: Example of desired condition following the Jacquez Fire of 2009, increased canopy base height

and increased herbaceous production.

Figure 5: Example of desired condition in Jacquez Fire of 2009, reduction in stand density and ladder

fuels.

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Figure 6: Proposed action map of Moya Big Game Habitat Improvement Project.