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PURPOSE AND NEED

The Decision to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

Purpose Of and Need For the Yosemite Fire Management Plan

Purpose of the Plan

Need for the Plan

Evolution of the Policy toward Natural Processes Management

Wildland Fire Conditions in Yosemite

Goals and Objectives of the Yosemite Fire Management Plan

Purpose and Significance of Yosemite National Park

Compliance with Federal Policy

Relationship of the Yosemite Fire Management Plan to Other Yosemite National Park Plans

Decisions to be Made

Scoping and Public Involvement

Issues and Concerns Used to Develop the Alternatives

Issues Beyond the Scope of the Yosemite Fire Management Plan

ALTERNATIVES

Process for Formulating the Alternatives

Ecological Basis for the Alternatives

Fire Return Interval Departure (FRID)

Target Conditions for Vegetation and Fuels

Adaptive Management

Alternatives Considered

Common to All Action Alternatives

Special Management Areas

ALTERNATIVE A – NO ACTION

ALTERNATIVE B – AGGRESSIVE ACTION

ALTERNATIVE C – PASSIVE ACTION

ALTERNATIVE D – MULTIPLE ACTION

Public Information and Education

Utility Corridor Treatments

Mitigation Measures

Protection of Sensitive Resources

Non-Native Species Management Activities

Air Quality/Smoke Management

Roads and Trails Used for Fire Protection

Cultural Resource Monitoring

Research

Yosemite Fire Management Organization and Responsibilities

Fire Management Budgeting

Environmentally Preferable Alternative

Summary of Alternatives

Summary of Environmental Consequences

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT

Wildland Fire Management Situation

Biological Environment

Vegetation and Fire Ecology

Vegetation Classification: Ecology and Natural Fire Conditions

Special-Status Species

Physical Environment

Geologic Overview

Water Resources and Watersheds

Cultural Environment

Archaeological Resources

Ethnographic Resources

Cultural Landscape Resources (Including Historic Sites & Structures)

Social Environment

Scenic Resources

Environmental Justice

Special Designations

Wild and Scenic River Designations

Energy Consumption

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES

Biological Environment

Physical Environment

Cultural Environment

Social Environment

Environmental Justice

Special Designations

Energy Consumption

ALTERNATIVE A – NO ACTION

Biological Environment

Vegetation and Fire Ecology

Special-Status Species – Plants

Special-Status Species – Animals

Physical Environment

Watersheds, Soils, and Water Quality

Cultural Environment

Archeological Resources

Ethnographic Resources

Cultural Landscape Resources

Social Environment

Scenic Resources

Local Communities

Environmental Justice

Special Designations

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Energy Consumption

Sustainability and Long-Term Management

ALTERNATIVE B – AGGRESSIVE ACTION

Biological Environment

Vegetation and Fire Ecology

Special-Status Species – Plants

Special-Status Species – Animals

Physical Environment

Watersheds, Soils, and Water Quality

Cultural Environment

Archeological Resources

Ethnographic Resources

Cultural Landscape Resources

Social Environment

Scenic Resources

Local Communities

Environmental Justice

Special Designations

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Energy Consumption

Sustainability and Long-Term Management

ALTERNATIVE C – PASSIVE ACTION

Biological Environment

Vegetation and Fire Ecology

Special-Status Species – Plants

Special-Status Species – Animals

Physical Environment

Watersheds, Soils, and Water Quality

Cultural Environment

Archeological Resources

Ethnographic Resources

Cultural Landscape Resources

Social Environment

Scenic Resources

Local Communities

Environmental Justice

Special Designations

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Energy Consumption

Sustainability and Long-Term Management

ALTERNATIVE D – MULTIPLE ACTION

Biological Environment

Vegetation and Fire Ecology

Special-Status Species – Plants

Special-Status Species – Animals

Physical Environment

Watersheds, Soils, and Water Quality

Cultural Environment

Archeological Resources

Ethnographic Resources

Cultural Landscape Resources

Social Environment

Scenic Resources

Local Communities

Environmental Justice

Special Designations

Wild and Scenic Rivers

Energy Consumption

Sustainability and Long-Term Management

WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS

Merced Wild and Scenic River

Fire Management and Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River

CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION

Organizations and Agencies Consulted

LIST OF PREPARERS

List of Preparers

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 - References Cited

Appendix 2 - Glossary

Appendix 3 - Wildland Fire Response, Planning, and Implementation Procedures

Appendix 4 - Smoke Communications Strategy

Appendix 5 - Considering Cumulative Impacts

Appendix 6 - Multi-Year Prescribed Fire Schedule

Appendix 7 - National Historic Preservation Act Consultation

Appendix 8 - Cultural Resources

Appendix 9 - USFWS Biological Opinion

Appendix 9A - El Portal Prescribed Burn Rotation Plan & Elderberry Plants

Appendix 9B - Monitoring Plan: Elderberry Plants within the El Portal Wildland-Urban Interface

Appendix 9C - Mitigation Measures Common To All Action Alternatives

Appendix 10 - Fire Management and the Vegetation Management Plan

Appendix 11 - Prescribed Fire Units

Appendix 12 - Responses to Public Comments

Appendix 13 - Minimum Requirement Decision Process for Administrative Actions in Wilderness

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 National Park Service Fire Management Program Requirements

Table 1.2 2001 Federal Wildland Fire Management Pollicy

Table 1.3 Fire Management-Related Objectives from the General Management Plan

Table 2.1 Fire Return Interval Departures by Percentage of Vegetation Type for Median Fire Return Intervals in Yosemite National Park

Table 2.2 Fire Return Interval Departures by Percentage of Vegetation Type for Median Fire Return Intervals at the El Portal Administrative Site

Table 2.3 Restoration Target Conditions

Table 2.4 Maintenance Target Conditions

Table 2.5 Acres to be Treated in Ecosystem Restoration Areas and Wildland/Urban Interface: Comparison of Action Alternatives

Table 2.6 Hazardous Fuel Reduction

Table 2.7 Fire and Mechanical Treatments Used in Alternative B by Unit

Table 2.8 Fire and Mechanical Treatments Used in Alternative C by Unit

Table 2.9 Fire and Mechanical Treatments Used in Alternative D by Unit

Table 2.10 Utility Corridors Subject to Tree Hazard Mitigation/Vegetation Management

Table 2.11 Roads and Trails Used for Fire Management Activities

Table 2.12 Sample of Cultural Resource Research Needs

Table 2.13 Summary of Alternatives

Table 2.14 Summary of Environmental Consequences

Table 3.1 Vegetation Groups, Fire Vegetation Types, & Acreage - Yosemite National Park

Table 3.2 Vegetation Groups, Fire vegetation Types, & Acreage - El Portal Admin. Site

Table 3.3 Fuel Models and Vegetation Types of Yosemite and El Portal

Table 3.4 Wildlife Species Inhabiting Vegetation Types

Table 3.5 California State Rare Plants

Table 3.6 Special Status Wildlife Species

Table 3.7 Federal and California Ambient Air Quality Standards

Table 3.8 Status of Ambient Air Quality Designations

Table 3.9 Air Quality Monitoring in the Vicinity of Yosemite National Park

Table 3.10 Highest Recorded Ozone and PM₁₀ Measurements at Yosemite National Park

Table 3.11 Archeological Surveys and Known Sites in 1990 Fire Management Plan Zones

Table 3.12 Sound Levels and Relative Loudness of Typical Noise Sources

Table 3.13 Regional Population by County

Table 3.14 1998 Total Taxable Retail Sales by County

Table 3.15 Total Spending by Yosemite Visitor Population Categories in 1998

Table 3.16 Ethnic Background of Yosemite Visitors and Residents of California and Yosemite Region

Table 3.17 Annual Household Income Category

Table 4.1 Vegetative Cover Types Used in Air Quality Emissions Analysis

Table 4.2 Smoke Emission Factors by Fire Type

Table 4.3 Modeled Pre-Burn and Post-Burn Emissions using Prescribed Fire Unit PW-17, the Elevenmile project on the west park boundary

Table 4.4 Emissions Factors for Equipment Used in Fire Management Activities

Table 4.5 Average Air Emissions Associated with Fire Types in Yosemite National Park

Table 4.6 Air Emissions Associated with Mechanical Thinning Activities - Alternative A

Table 4.7 Estimated Distribution of Impacts upon Visitor Expenditures, by County

Table 4.8 Projected Energy Consumption Under Alternative A

Table 4.9 Qualitative effects of different methods of tree and shrub removal in relation to nutrient availability

Table 4.10a Projected Air Emissions Associated with Fire Types in Yosemite - Alternative B

Table 4.10b Average Prescribed Fire Estimated Emissions for Alternative B: 2003 – 2009

Table 4.11 Air Emissions Associated with Mechanical Thinning Activities

Table 4.12 Projected Energy Consumption Under Alternative B

Table 4.13 Projected Air Emissions Associated with Fire Types in Yosemite - Alternative C

Table 4.14 Average Prescribed Burn Estimated Emissions for Alternative C: 2003 – 2009

Table 4.15 Alternative C Projected Air Emissions Associated with Mechanical Thinning

Table 4.16 Projected Energy Consumption Under Alternative C

Table 4.17 Projected Air Emissions Associated with Fire Types in Yosemite - Alternative D

Table 4.18 Average Prescribed Burn Estimated Emissions for Alternative D: 2003 – 2009

Table 4.19 Air Emissions Associated with Mechanical Thinning Activities

Table 4.20 Projected Energy Consumption Under Alternative D

Table 5.1 Effects of the Preferred Alternative on ORVs in the Wilderness Segments of the Merced Wild and Scenic River Corridor

Table 5.2 Effects of the Preferred Alternative on ORVs in the Non-Wilderness Segments of the Merced Wild and Scenic River Corridor

Table 5.3 Tuolumne River Outstandingly Remarkable Values (Final Study 1979)

LIST OF MAPS

(all maps are in PDF format, for more information click here)

1-1 Yosemite National Park

1-2 Wildland/Urban Interface Locations

2-1 FMP Vegetation Map

2-2 Fire Return Interval/Vegetation Relationship

2-3 Fire History

2-4 Medium Fire Return Interval Departure

2-5 Maximum Fire Return Interval Departure

2-6 Wawona Wildland/Urban Interface

2-7 Wawona Prescribed Burn Units

2-8 El Portal Wildland/Urban Interface

2-9 El Portal Prescribed Burn Units

2-10 Yosemite Valley Wildland/Urban Interface

2-11 Yosemite Valley Burn Units

2-12 Hodgdon Wildland/Urban Interface

2-13 Hodgdon Prescribed Burn Units

2-14 Foresta Wildland/Urban Interface

2-15 Foresta Prescribed Burn Units

2-16 Yosemite West Wildland/Urban Interface

2-17 Yosemite West Prescribed Burn Units

2-18 Fire Management Units: Alternative A

2-19 Fire Management Units: Alternatives B-D

2-20 Parkwide Burn Units

2-21 Yosemite Valley Burn Units

2-22 Air Quality Watersheds

2-23 Maintained Fire Roads and Trails Map

2-24 Air Quality Watersheds

2-25 Maintained Fire Roads and Trails

2-26 Road Thinning Areas

3-1 Lightning Strike Density 1990

3-2 Park Fuel Models

3-3 Archaeological Survey Areas: Alternative A

3-4 Archaeological Survey Areas: Alternatives B-D

3-5 Aerial Powerlines

5-1 Tuolumne Wild and Scenic River Watershed

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