Quincy Library Group
P. O. Box 1749
Quincy, CA 95971-1749

Dear Mike and Linda,

Per your request for an update on the FHP Monitoring at your August 13, 1998 Quincy Library Group Meeting the following information is provided.

FY98 FHP Monitoring Work

1. Vegetation/Fuels Monitoring of Treated and Un-treated Stands.

a. Contract work monitoring of treated stands.
b. Forest Service work monitoring untreated stands.

2. Soil Compaction/BMP Effectiveness Monitoring by Forest Service crews.

3. Stream Condition Inventory by Forest Service crews.

Status of FHP Monitoring Work as of August 1998

1. Vegetation/Fuels Monitoring of Treated and Un-treated Stands.

a. Contract Work - currently the contract is under litigation. Forest Supervisor Mark Madrid met with Assistant Regional Forester Representative Jody Cook, and the Contracting Officer Friday, August 7th in order to take appropriate action to resolve the conflict. A meeting is scheduled for Friday, August 14th with the appellant. The Forest Service has made arrangements with the Washington Office to deliver a recommendation for action by the middle of next week. The bottom line is that contracting Officer Lou Wilson believes that contract implementation will take effect by September 1, 1998.

b. Forest Service Monitoring of Control Plots - this work is on going. There are 11 strata being sampled within 82 stands with the plan to sample 246 plots. The sampling is spread across the Lassen, Plumas and Sierraville District on the Tahoe National Forest. The Districts include Hat Creek, Almanor, Eagle Lake, Beckworth, Mt Hough, Feather River, and the Sierraville Ranger District.

2. Soil Compaction/BMP Effectiveness Monitoring

This work is on going across the three Forests. The work involves soil compaction tracts and BMP effectiveness focused on (a) landing location, (b) skid trail location, (c) SMZ protection, and (d) meadow protection. The monitoring includes repeat sampling from units sampled last year plus new units sampled this year.

Compaction Transects
To date, within the Un-treated Repeat Sales, 7 timber sales including 8 units have been sampled which completes this portion of work planned for compaction transacts. Sales on the Almanor District included the Lookout and Ruffa Sales, a sale on the Oroville District included the Glazier Point Sale, a sale on the Mt Hough District included Keddie Sale, and sales on the Sierraville District included the 96 Biomass, Jade, and Pearl Sales.

Treated Soil Repeat Sale areas included 2 timber sale areas. Two of the three sales have been logged and the compaction transacts have been completed to date. Those sales sampled include the Vision Sale on the Lassen and the Eagle Sale on the Plumas.

New compaction transacts done this year included sampling on the Lookout and Lost Lake Sales on the Lassen and the Chance and Grigsby Sales on the Plumas National Forest.

BMP Effectiveness
30 sites are planned for sampling in FY98. To date 12 of the 30 sites have been sampled. There are 18 remaining sales to be sampled for BMP effectiveness.

3.Stream Condition Surveys

This work is also on going across the three Forests. The Lassen has 4 streams, Plumas 5 streams and the Tahoe 7 streams identified to be sampled in FY98.

The work includes (a) permanent cross section placement, (b)thermograph placement to measure stream temperatures, (c)macro-invertebrate surveys, (d) identification of a sensitive stream reach (similar habitat condition area from which information such as large and small woody debris counts are made, pebble counts are made, % ground cover along the banks is determined, and pool to riffle ratios are determined.

The Lassen is done. The Plumas completed some repeat stream measurements on two eastside streams including Willow and Boulder Creeks. The other SCI work completed includes Rush, Chips, Hungry, and Rock Creeks. Moonlight Creek remains to be completed. These creeks are all within the Transition Zone. Willow Creek on the westside of the Forest is yet to be completed.

The Tahoe's work is on going.

/s/ John A. Kennedy
FHP Project Coordinator

Dear John,

Here's a brief, brief update. I wrote a little lead-in paragraph, but you're better off using the intro that I sent in the other document (I'm sending you two). The second one is a long one; it's part of the protocol explaining what each measurement measures and why. It also goes into "how". I deleted some of the trailing part of the protocol (the other document I'm sending) because it just tells you how to fill out the form or lists the amphibian codes. Anyways, here you go. --Wendy

P.S. Tina told me she called you, so I didn't include any Plumas information. If you need to contact me on Thursday, I'll be in Sacramento at (916) 498-5322.

FHP - SCI Mid-August Update for the Lassen NF and the Tahoe NF

The monitoring protocol used to assess the condition of the streams in the FHP program is the USFS Region 5 Stream Condition Inventory (SCI) protocol. The protocol addresses various aspects of a channel, from bank stability to fish habitat (slow/fast-water habitat ratio), and canopy cover. This data is statistically sound and, used as a whole or in parts, can be compared to other streams of similar morphology to assess condition. It is also a powerful monitoring tool in that the measurements are repeatable and can be compared over the years for the same channel. Permanent cross sections are established to compare channel cross-sectional measurements over time.

Also included in the protocol is an aquatic invertebrate sampling technique to assess the biota in the channel, both species variety (diversity) and quantity can be measured. The samples are sent to a lab for processing.

In addition, temperature readings are stored in a thermograph, that is placed in the stream. Temperature readings are taken at specific time intervals over an extended period of time, such as weeks to months. In this way, the temperature of the channel can be monitored over the field season.

Daily high and low temperatures and frequency of temperatures above the level best suited for fish can all be documented. This information is much more useful than a single temperature reading taken at the time of the survey.

Last season, most but not all of the streams identified in the FHP project were completed. This season, we plan to survey the streams not done last season. In addition, 20% of last season's streams will be sampled to address replication and 1-yr changes, which may be marked in some channels due to the heavy winter. The 20% were chosen randomly from the streams surveyed in 1997.

As of August 12, 1998, here is the status:

Lassen NF

The Lassen crew has 4 FHP streams on their list; one is a replica from the 1997 season. The stream names are:

Rock Creek
Rice Creek
South Fork Bailey Creek
Jones Creek

Surveys on Rock Creek, South Fork Bailey Creek, and Jones Creek have been completed for the 1998 season. The survey on Rice Creek is in progress and should be completed by next week if not sooner.

A note of interest is that the stretch of stream being surveyed (reach) on South Fork Bailey Creek has changed significantly from last year.

Tahoe NF

The Tahoe has SageHen and Pauley Creek as priority streams. The survey on SageHen is in progress, and is expected to be completed early next week.

Pauley Creek was inaccessible until just recently and will be surveyed in late August. SageHen is part of the 20% being surveyed again this season.

Streams within the Cottonwood Burn are also to be surveyed. As there is prior data with the same protocol, current data would aid in identifying any trends through monitoring. Streams within the Cottonwood Burn include Bear Valley Creek, Smithneck Creek, Lemon Canyon, and Badenaugh Creek.

Thermographs have already been placed with complete surveys to follow in late August and early September.