Date: September 30, 1996

To: Regional Interagency Executive Committee (RIEC)
Mike Collopy, Center Director, Forest & Rangeland Science Center, National Biological Service
Ken Feigner, Director, Forest & Salmon Group, Environmental Protection Agency
Thomas Mills, Station Director, Pacific Northwest Station, Forest Service
Thomas Murphy, Director, Environmental Research Lab, Environmental Protection Agency
Stan M. Speaks, Area Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Michael J. Spear, Regional Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
William Stelle, Jr., Regional Director, National Marine Fisheries Service
William C. Walters, Deputy Field Director, National Park Service
Robert W. Williams, Regional Forester, R-6, Forest Service
Elaine Y. Zielinski, State Director, Oregon/Washington, Bureau of Land Management

From: Donald R. Knowles, Executive Director

Subject: Amendment to "Criteria to Exempt Specific Silvicultural Activities in Late-Successional Reserves and Managed Late-Successional Areas from Regional Ecosystem Office Review" of July 9, 1996

On July 9, 1996, the Regional Ecosystem Office (REO) released criteria to exempt certain commercial thinning projects in Late-Successional Reserves (LSRs) and Managed Late-Successional Areas (MLSAs) from review. The memo stated, in part, that the "REO will consider supplementing or modifying these criteria over time." This memo contains the first amendment to the July 9 criteria.

After issuance of the July 9 criteria, members of my staff and the LSR Work Group continued to review current research, particularly that of Drs. Andrew Carey and Connie Harrington on commercial thinning in northwest Washington. Based on this additional review, it is apparent that although 1/4 to 1/2 acre openings will add structural diversity in some stands, they are larger than needed to improve small mammal populations (forage species for northern spotted owls), and are larger than normal processes would typically create in the course of naturally developing late-successional forests. "Best guess" thinning studies currently being conducted by the researchers do not include openings this large. Therefore, the second and third bullets under Treatment Standard #4 in the July 9 Exemption Criteria are combined to now read:

"Three to 10 percent of the resultant stand would be in heavily thinned patches (i.e., less than 50 trees per acre), or in openings up to 1/4 acre in size, to maximize individual tree development, encourage some understory vegetation development, and encourage the initiation of structural diversity."

Please implement this amendment at the earliest convenient time. However, projects already planned under the original July 9, 1996, version of the exemption criteria remain exempted from REO review. We suggest you transmit this amendment to your field units at your earliest convenience.

cc:

REO Reps

LSR Work Group

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