2008-06-09_PERMIT FILE - C1980007 (6)

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Table 5-1 DEIS Comments and Responses Commenter Comment Comment/Response areas of 1 to 50 acres (PL LXVI, B, photo pairs for comparison of 1898 and 2003 are in the project file). The brushy forms are slender and from 2 to 12 feet high. Tree forms range from 4 to 10 inches in diameter, and frequently 14 to even 24 inches, while the common height is 12 to 25 feet. Growths of this kind were found only on the west slope of Hubbard Creek Basin and on the west side of the middle course of West Muddy Creek. Occasional thickets of much smaller trees occur on some of the rich, narrow benches in the region of Wallace Creek, on the north side of Battlement Mesa. While it is stated above, the brushy form of this species furnishes a generally conspicuous cover between the sage lands of the lower valleys and the lower levels at which the aspen occurs, it is becoming much more conspicuous in some of the broad interior basins. The high benches on the head waters of the Upper Gunnison River, West Muddy Creek, Hubbard Creek and Divide Creek are instances in which the vast areas covered by this brush deeply impress the observer." Even though this was written 109 years ago, Sudworth's comments pretty well characterize the status and condition of oak brush in this area today. However, it is now recognized that oak brush has more value than Sudworth mentioned. It does provide a variety of habitat for a variety of wildlife species, including big game and birds. Its value for wildlife is for cover, forage and browse. As a result a variety of age classes and structure provides the most benefits to wildlife. Sudworth also noted there were vast expanses of oakbrush in 1898, shortly after the Battlement Mesa Forest Reserve was established (December 24, 1892). Oak brush is probably located on the same sites on which they were located in 1898. However, as Paonia RD studies of historic photographs have shown, all woody vegetation on the GMUG NF is older, taller and denser; (Bradford et al. 2007) This has probably been caused primarily by fire suppression. Wildfire appears to have been a significant influence on the vegetation of the GMUG NF prior to American settlement. Sudworth noted in his Report on Battlement Mesa Forest Reserve p. 222 - 232, that "Forest fires have been very prevalent throughout the reserve." He noted that parts of the reserve appeared to have burned in 1878- 79, with less extensive burning taking place in 1883-85 and 1890-92. During the summer/fall of 1898 fires burned in August -October, with approximately 70,000 acres burning or 8 percent of the total reserve. In fact Sudworth photographed a number of sites that were actively burning or had burned earlier that season (Bradford et al. 2007 ). Analysis of over 300 historical photographs in the reference show that there is more woody vegetation today than at the time the GMUG MFs were established (1892, 1905 and 1905). This increase is due primarily to wildfire suppression. The Forest has used a variety of treatments to manage oak brush for various wildlife values, including prescribed fire and a variety of mechanical techniques including chaining, roller-chopping, and hydro-axing. In addition there has been other mechanical work, such as ushing rights-of--way for • • 164 Deer Creek Ventilation Shaft and E Seam Methane Drainage Wells FEIS