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co Zfi 5'-( ~,...,,........ "": I . II. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS The primary impacts resulting from this proposal are: (A) silvicultural treatment of the forest (harvesting of trees, thinning of immature trees, planting of trees, and prescribed burning, and (B) improvement of eXisting roads and construction of new ones. The impacts will have varying effects in relation to the amount of actiVity achieved. Only about 40 percent of the present level of timber harvest is likely to continue if appropriated funds are not made available, or if the timber industry does not purchase timber to be offered from the marginal components. A. Silvicultural Treatment. Table 3 indicates the relative amounts of land that will be treated with different levels of road construction funding. Without advanced roading, cultural treat- ment will involve the harvest of trees and growing of new ones on 110,900 acres which is about half of the Standard and Special components (or about five percent of all the San Juan National Forest land). In order to maintain the present level of activity, 223,400 acres would be silvi- culturally treated. Precommercial thinning is planned for young forests that are overstocked. Areas now inadequately stocked will be planted. Under the proposed plan, silvicultural treatment proposed for older stands usually results in haVing, or achieving, adequate natural regeneration, and planting will nonmal1y not be required. Exceptions can be expected because of wildfire, windstorms, and insect and disease losses. B. Road Construction and Reconstruction. An extensive road system has been developed through timber management actlvities, providing most of the current basic public acceSs to the Forest. It consists of main all-weather roads as well as unsurfaced roads largely unsuited for continuous public use. Many are closed seasonally while others have been closed except for intermittent forest cultural work. More roads are proposed (Table 1). The majority will be built for timber management work only and closed after the management activity is completed. then reused intermittently in the future for management activi ty. . Access roads are long-term investments and since the initial timber harvest often cannot finance roads entirely, development with appropriated funds is often needed. Appropriated funds are needed to develop lands nOw classified Marginal. When access roads are financed, such lands become classified as Standard or Special. The fact that the value of the timber removed in the initial partial cutting cannot pay for all needed road development does not mean that management in these areas is not economical and worthwhile in the long run. Front-end investment is the rule rather than the exception for most industries. When adequate roads are constructed, it will be possible to reenter the stands intermittently to remove dead and dying material and carry out cultural operations. Volumes of timber almost equal to that removed initially can be removed in each succeeding decade until the regeneration cut is finally made. Only opening costs and periodic maintenance will be required on roads that will be closed to Use between reentries. 20