The Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) interagency Late-Successional Reserve (LSR) Work Group has concluded its review of the documents provided by the Forest regarding proposed activities in LSRs within Alternative 7 of the Biscuit Fire Recovery Project EIS (Biscuit Project), Rogue-Siskiyou National Forests and Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, Grants Pass Resource Area. The REO, based upon the review by the LSR Work Group, concurs with the Forest in its findings of consistency with the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP).

Certain activities proposed in LSRs are subject to REO review under the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) Standards and Guidelines (S&Gs). These activities include silviculture, risk reduction and salvage treatments (C-12-15).

The Biscuit Project covers 472,200 acres, of which 208,611 acres occur within LSRs. In the center of the Biscuit Fire area lies the 179,940 acre Kalmiopsis Wilderness area, which also contributes late-successional habitat conditions that support the adjacent LSR network.

The Biscuit Fire burned 499,965 acres, including most of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area. Approximately 44% of the area burned at a high intensity, 27% at moderate intensity, and 20% at low intensity. Just over half of the Biscuit Project area is in a historical fire regime of low severity fires with fire return intervals of <35 years. Only 2% of the area is in a fire regime described by stand replacing fire severity.

Projects proposed in LSRs in the Biscuit area include building and maintaining 8,500 acres of Fuel Management Zones to create fuel breaks that would help contain future fires and manage prescribed burning consistent with the fire regime in the project area. Up to 58,000 acres in LSRs could be treated by prescribed burning to restore and maintain fire-adapted ecosystems in the area. Additionally, 13,500 acres of LSR are being salvaged and 9,600 acres will be replanted.

The activities reviewed by the LSR Work Group were those proposed in LSRs under Alternative 7 of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Biscuit Fire Recovery Project. The Work Group reviewed Alternative 7 of the Draft EIS, and other updated documents that will be included in the Final EIS. These include: Biscuit LSR Requirements: Summary and Conclusions (4/15/04); Proposed Activities in Alternative 7 and Compliance with NWFP Guidance for LSRs (4/13/04); revised EIS Appendix G - Dead Wood; and Late-Successional Reserve Analysis for Port-Orford-Cedar within the Biscuit Fire (4/13/04). The Work Group’s review was based on the information within these documents, briefings, and conference calls.

Based upon the interagency REO LSR Work Group review, the REO concurs with the Forest’s conclusion that silviculture, salvage and risk reduction activities proposed in the Biscuit Project are consistent with the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP).

cc: Tom Link, Biscuit Project Leader, Rogue-Siskiyou NF
LSR Work Group
Lisa Freedman, FS
Cal Joyner, FS

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