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002956 111. FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION A. Socioeconomic The economic effects of the proposal will be favorable or adverse depending on the level of timber management achieved over the next ten years. The existing level involves harvesting about 70 million board feet per year. Mill capacities and the work force are generally established for this level. Any reduction in activity will have an adverse effect. and an increase will have a favorable effect on economic values as shown in the foldout in Section VlI. Tables 4, 5 and 6 in Section VII summarize and compare the major economic values at three different levels. Constant factors applied to the board foot volume are used to develop the values in the Tables. This is not entirely accurate for all levels. For instance, the overall employment average in all industries in the area tOday is about nine jobs directly related to logging and milling for every million board feet of timber processed. However, there is a wide variation in employment between industries depending on the type of product, the size of the plant, and its efficiency. About six percent of the area employment is directly related to wood products industries. This is an important segment of the local employment for it provides jobs at various "skill levels." This employment in turn benefits others. who supply goods and services. The dollars generated through the sale of timber from the National Forest are used: to construct and maintain roads on the timber sale areas, to clean up debris created by the logging activities, and to accomplish reforestation, timber stand improvement, and erosion. control work. The remainder goes into theU. S. Treasury from which 25 percent is granted to the counties for.schools and roads. Most of the road construction, debris cleanup, reforestation and stand improvement is accomplished by local work forces. The values (Sec. VII) are based on the harvest of sawtimber only. It must be recognized that . other resources and the environment will accrue additional benefits through intensive land use planning, mitigating measures and public involvement. B. flater A great deal of research has been conducted that describes the effect of timber harvest on the hydrology of the subalpine snowpack zone. Basic conclusions a~e that water yield.will be increased by clearcuttj~g, but not appreciably by partial cutting unless more than 50 percent of the canopy is removed.1f Since the amount of clearcutting and canopy opening above 50 percent will be small, the amount of water yield increases will be minor. The optimum hydrologic canopy removal would create openings five to eight tree heights in width throughout the stand. On the San Ju~~, increases from B to 13 inches of runoff can be expected from the clearcut Skyline cabl~ units and other small openings that are made, depending upon the slope, aspect, vegetation, and preCipitation. Increases will last for about 45 years, again varying widely with local site conditions. The foldout tables in Section VII show the estimated amount of water yield increases. Opportunities for increasing water yield will be evaluated in land use planning, in Environmental Analysis Reports, and during .sale area layout. 11 See Appendix S. g{ Skyline Cable Logging: A method of powered cable logging in which a long heavy cable is stretched between two points, usually trees or towers. 21