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Blue River Landscape Study: Action Plan

5/18/99

NOTE: the action plan is structured around "needs", primarily those identified by the four working groups at the 4/8/99 HJA workshop

 

I. Administrative structure

Need: capability to review issues and proposed changes to the landscape plan, further develop the landscape plan, lead implementation of the plan, and make recommendations to the decision team

Action: recharter the Landscape Team, an interdisciplinary team of Blue River RD employees

Who: Lynn, Karen and John C.

When: 6/3/99

 

Need: defined decision-making process ensuring representation of the three principal partners (PNW, OSU, WNF)

Action: options - a) establish formal advisory group as a PAC subcommittee, b) use the Cascade Center Board of Directors, c) have Forest Service partners as formal decision-makers, solicit input from OSU informally. NOTE: FACA regulations preventing nonfederal employees from federal advice/decision groups are the issue.

Who: Lynn, Fred, and Art need to decide this one

When: 6/15/99

 

Need: forum to share information and improve coordination

Action: hold an annual all-participants meeting

Who: John C.

When: each spring

 

II. Monitoring and science

Need: have monitoring plans in one concise document

Action: complete administrative study plan

Who: John C., Matt, and Fred

When: complete draft by 7/15/99

 

 

 

Need: better understanding of how related landscape science is linked to the BRLS

Action: describe linkages in administrative study plan

Who: John C. and Fred

When: 7/15/99

 

Need: resolution of nature of Blue River Landscape Study: i.e., is this a specific landscape treatment & desired landscape structure, or an adaptive management case study centered on the concepts of using natural disturbance regimes to guide management?

Action: resolved: Blue River Landscape Study is an adaptive management case study centered on the concepts of using natural disturbance regimes to guide management; landscape treatment comparisons will be addressed by modeling

Who: Cascade Center board

When: decision on 4/29/99

 

Need: explicit description of expected outcomes to guide monitoring and evaluation

Action: first draft will be included in the administrative study plan, further work will be necessary to more fully develop adaptive management model; intent is to use the formal adaptive management processes developed in BC as a guide

Who: John C., Matt, Fred

When: first draft by 7/15/99, more complete model yet to be scheduled

 

Need: ensure the BRLS is based on current science and has a scientifically credible monitoring plan

Action: have the administrative study plan peer-reviewed

Who: Fred and John C.

When: upon completion of final draft study plan

 

Need: capability to generate and evaluate alternative landscape management scenarios to further refine landscape management strategy, & to test and incorporate new concepts

Action: adapt a generalized landscape planning model to the Blue River watershed & initiate development of alternative scenarios (TELSA?)

Who: John C.

When: 3/31/00

 

 

III. Landscape plan and implementation

Need: to ensure the aquatic reserve system and landscape prescriptions are an effective way to meet the ACS objectives, and are based on underlying concepts of the study

Action: document temporal and spatial variability of disturbance processes affecting aquatic ecosystems; evaluate options for reserve configuration and management; integrate considerations for aquatic ecosystem into landscape block scheduling and management & with the reserve system; make recommendations to the oversight team

Who: Landscape Team - John P., Dave, Ray

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team, team priority #1

 

Need: watershed restoration strategies integrated with the landscape plan

Action: complete and document the road and prescribed fire analyses and strategies

Who: Landscape Team

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team, team priority #2

 

Need: ensure that landscape plan implementation results in the desired landscape structure

Action: establish and conduct an implementation monitoring process, including methods to resolve discrepancies

Who: Landscape Team, Matt

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team, team priority #4

 

Need: integrate dead wood management in the landscape plan

Action: develop and document an approach for dead wood management based on the underlying concepts of the landscape plan

Who: Landscape Team, Ruby

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team

 

Need: resolve issues with the landscape plan (e.g., rare species)

Action: Landscape Team will identify and evaluate issues, and make recommendations to the oversight team

Who: Landscape Team

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team

 

 

Need: complete long-term silvicultural prescriptions for each landscape area

Action: analyze stand growth modeling results from ZELIG and FVS/LMS projects; refine and document prescriptions; develop graphic representations of expected stand development

Who: Landscape Team, Jim M.

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team

 

IV. Adaptive management and outreach

Need: keep landscape plan consistent with the latest research and operational experience

Action: identify and evaluate potential changes to the landscape plan from the Weisberg report (99) & from recent operational experience; make recommendations to the oversight team

Who: Landscape Team and oversight team

When: Landscape Team leader will schedule with team, team priority #3

 

Need: better communicate intent and results to interested citizens and agency employees

Action: develop photo simulations of stand and landscape prescriptions

Who: John C.

When: 1/31/00

 

Action: place all written material on www

Who: John C. and Pam

When: current by 6/15/99, then ongoing

 

Action: develop summary document (4 pages, maps & graphs)

Who: John C.

When: 8/1/99

 

Action: conduct field tours

Who: Landscape Team

When: one each field season