Comparison of Alternatives

INTERIOR COLUMBIA BASIN ECOSYSTEM
MANAGEMENT PROJECT

Comparison of Alternatives

Eastside and Upper Columbia River Basin
Environmental Impact Statements

Alternative 1: No Action

Continues management specified under 74 existing Forest Service and BLM land-use plans (including recent direction from the Northwest Forest Plan with certain National Forests and one BLM Resource Area).

Alternative 2:

Applies recent interim direction (PACFISH, INFISH, and Eastside Screens) as the long-term strategy for lands administered by the Forest Service or BLM. All other direction from existing plans would continue. Direction in Alternative 1 would apply to areas not covered by interim direction.

Alternative 3:

Updates existing Forest Service or BLM plans in response to changing conditions. Minimizes changes to local plans, addressing only priority conditions that most hinder effectiveness or legal conditions. Provides a broader dimension and more integrated management regarding priority large-scale issues than Alternative 1 or 2.

Alternative 4:

Aggressively restores ecosystem health through active management using an integrated ecosystem management approach. Priority is placed on forest, rangeland, and watershed health. Actions are designed to produce economic benefits whenever practical.

Alternative 5:

Emphasizes production of goods and services consistent with ecosystem management principles. Areas are targeted for specific uses based on biological capability and economic efficiency; other uses may occur but conflicts would be resolved in favor of the priority use of the emphasis area.

Alternative 6:

Emphasizes an adaptive management approach to restore and maintain ecosystems while providing for social and economic needs. Takes a slower, more cautious approach than other alternatives and implies the use of experimental processes, local research, and extensive monitoring.

Alternative 7:

Emphasizes reducing risks to ecological integrity and species viability by establishing a system of reserves on Federal lands. Reserves are selected for representation of vegetation and rare animal species. Management activities are limited within reserves and increase with distance away from reserve boundaries.

Alternatives 1 and 2
("No Action" Alternatives)
Existing Management Plans
Alternatives 3 through 7
("Action" Alternatives)
Written with the assumption that ecosystems were healthy. Written knowing that some ecosystems are unhealthy and altered by years of human use. Some of these changes were desired by society, but have nonetheless created long-term challenges. Other events, such as climate cycles, exotic weed expansion, and management of non-Federal lands, influence how these Federal lands are managed. Their cumulative effects are more fully considered.
Emphasis is on commodity production with mitigation for other resource values. Activities are planned without much consideration of historic ranges of variability or disturbance regimes. Managers consider what vegetative patterns, structure, and composition are desirable to carry into the future. Natural resources in excess of these needs are available for commodity production.
Traditional approaches, such as clearcutting, are used to optimize timber yield on lands available for timber production. Focus is on developing a range of vegetation structures, including mature growth stages, that reflect conditions expected under more natural disturbance regimes.
Timber harvest volumes come from all size classes. Most timber harvest volume comes from smaller trees and younger age classes. Tree thinning is used to sustain residual overstory trees.
Prescribed fire is used less frequently. Prescribed fire is used in a way that mimics natural disturbance processes, in order to restore naturally occurring patterns and structures.
Less emphasis on restoration. More emphasis on restoring forest and rangeland health, so ecosystems can be self-sustaining and productive.
No overall fish and riparian management strategy. Interim plans address only parts of the Project Area. Provides a more consistent, landscape-level approach for managing aquatic and riparian resources. Focuses on maintaining or improving aquatic/riparian functions and processes rather than mitigating commodity production.
No overall weed management strategy that guides control of exotic weeds in the Project Area. Emphasized an overall Integrated Weed Management strategy that incorporates education of the land user, techniques for prevention of weed spread, and use of a combination of weed control methods.
Public involvement is legally mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act and other public policies. Goes beyond legal requirements, and puts more emphasis on how decisions are made. There is more meaningful participation among stakeholders, including Tribes and local governments.

Alternatives 1 and 2 ("No Action" Alternatives) Existing Management Plans	Alternatives 3 through 7 ("Action" Alternatives)
Written with the assumption that ecosystems were healthy.	Written knowing that some ecosystems are unhealthy and altered by years of human use. Some of these changes were desired by society, but have nonetheless created long-term challenges. Other events, such as climate cycles, exotic weed expansion, and management of non-Federal lands, influence how these Federal lands are managed. Their cumulative effects are more fully considered.
Emphasis is on commodity production with mitigation for other resource values. Activities are planned without much consideration of historic ranges of variability or disturbance regimes.	Managers consider what vegetative patterns, structure, and composition are desirable to carry into the future. Natural resources in excess of these needs are available for commodity production.
Traditional approaches, such as clearcutting, are used to optimize timber yield on lands available for timber production.	Focus is on developing a range of vegetation structures, including mature growth stages, that reflect conditions expected under more natural disturbance regimes.
Timber harvest volumes come from all size classes.	Most timber harvest volume comes from smaller trees and younger age classes. Tree thinning is used to sustain residual overstory trees.
Prescribed fire is used less frequently.	Prescribed fire is used in a way that mimics natural disturbance processes, in order to restore naturally occurring patterns and structures.
Less emphasis on restoration.	More emphasis on restoring forest and rangeland health, so ecosystems can be self-sustaining and productive.
No overall fish and riparian management strategy. Interim plans address only parts of the Project Area.	Provides a more consistent, landscape-level approach for managing aquatic and riparian resources. Focuses on maintaining or improving aquatic/riparian functions and processes rather than mitigating commodity production.
No overall weed management strategy that guides control of exotic weeds in the Project Area.	Emphasized an overall Integrated Weed Management strategy that incorporates education of the land user, techniques for prevention of weed spread, and use of a combination of weed control methods.
Public involvement is legally mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act and other public policies.	Goes beyond legal requirements, and puts more emphasis on how decisions are made. There is more meaningful participation among stakeholders, including Tribes and local governments.

INTERIOR COLUMBIA BASIN ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PROJECT