For those not on FB concerning USFS and Carolina Wildlife Syndicate.
A little update to CWS activity and observations to preface the following post.
1. CWS has found and proved that the USFS is in violation of its own National Environmental Policy (NEPA) and Land Management Plan (LMP) by being well above their allotted growing season burn acreages.
2. CWS has found and proved that the USFS is in violation of burn intensity levels per their NEPA and LMP using high intensity fire where only low intensity fire is allowed.
3.CWS noted that many of the interior compartments are fire treated on short return intervals in the core of the forest redundantly instead of treating the urban interface where fuel loads are high and treatment is much needed.
4. CWS has ground checked around 4,200 acres of dead standing (thin class and saw class) once marketable pine timber.
5.. CWS has ground checked another 10-15,000 acres of highly stressed pine timber of all age classes.
6. CWS has ground checked several thousand fringe acres of what were transition zones and found numerous mature desirable hardwoods and cavity trees have been killed and stressed.
7. CWS has observed a full extermination of hardwood inclusions. Dogwoods, Holly and other mast bearing trees have all but been eliminated in the interior compartments and now are found along road fringe.
8. CWS has found that polls and data from local and professional counts that poult per hen and Quail Whistle counts have been down since the new fire regime began in 2013.
9. CWS data collected from long time and knowledgeable hunters is in great contrast to the USFS data even though done on same routes and timing stops.
10. CWS has noted that public facilities, trails, roads and food plots have been gravely neglected while millions are spent on fire applications.
11. CWS has noted that the recent wildfires post evaluations have produced far better burn mosaics and positive fire attributes than the USFS applied prescription fire.
12. CWS has noted that prescription fire during the early growing season has risen from 31% to 57% of total acreage burnt annually since 2013.
POST UPDATE:
Once again, A known high density Eastern Wild Turkey nesting area was again burned by the #USFS on 4/21/18. Areas of struggling Bobwhite Quail populations, where numbers were struggling but slightly increasing, have also been burned very recently and with short return, landscape sized high intensity fire.
For the life of me (and many others), I can't understand the USFS's rationale of burning with high intensity fire, on large landscapes with short return intervals in the same compartments redundantly. Such practice has no basis. Shamefully, even those compartments located in the legally binding Francis Marion Wildlife Preserve, specifically set aside for nesting and breeding activities by Presidential Proclamation, have not found respite from the USFS's over zealous, improper and damaging fire regime. Particularly more disturbing is that they only have around 5000 acres left to burn before Oct 1 since their NEPA violation was brought to attention by CWS. This acreage allotment and amount of time left easily offers the USFS the chance to alleviate damaging fire during this vulnerable period and they continue.
The following questions keeping popping up on phone calls, emails and texts from members daily:
Why doesn't the USFS repair Forest Service Roads? Why are public facilities in our National Forest in such terrible shape?
Why doesn't the USFS wait till after the nesting and fawning season to burn?
Why does the USFS push their burn agenda ahead of common sense wildlife knowledge?
Why is the USFS killing valuable pine trees with fire? Why is the USFS killing mature hardwoods with fire? Why does the USFS ignore scientifically proven evidence that Turkey, Quail, ground / low nesting song birds are trying to nest and raise their young at this time?
Why does the USFS ignore that the Whitetail Deer Doe drops her fawns during this period?
How does those at the USFS call this healthy fire and wildlife management and still sleep at night?
It's time for us to push for a genuine change! CWS is NOT seeking a change which excludes all prescription fire, but rather a change back to good, solid and productive prescription fire where both timber and wildlife benefit. Until around 5-10 years ago these same acreages were burned with good prescription fire, fuels were reduced and benefits were seen for wildlife, all without such terribly damaging effects.
CWS is requesting that you please take a few minutes of your time to help make a difference. Your efforts will go a long way in deciding and documenting you concerns as a citizen and will reflect upon what is to come concerning the future health of our National Forests.
Please cut, copy, and paste the following email and send it to the individuals below as well as your federal and state legislators. For your local Congressional and Legislative Senators you can go to their web page and hit the contact button then cut copy and paste into the email section provided.
Recipients to send to :
Rlint@fs.fed.us RSwhalen@fs.fed.us Vcchristiansen@fs.fed.us Karney@fs.fed.us
In the subject line type :
USFS- Stop your damaging fire activities in South Carolina !
Cut, Copy and Paste the following :
USFS ,
I am a law-abiding, taxpaying and concerned citizen. I am also a member of the Carolina Wildlife Syndicate and I strongly support our mission statement. I highly value and enjoy our National Forest lands. The health of the wildlife, particularly our game birds and animals, that make these lands its home are extremely important to myself and others. I am fully aware of the need to reduce fuel loads for the prevention of wildfire. However, your current fire regime has been far more damaging and most certainly improperly executed in regards to that goal and has caused more damage than good.
Over the past 5-10 years I have seen our local National Forest lands change far for the worse, especially in the Sumter and Francis Marion National Forests, as a direct result of USFS's increased, large-scale, damaging, ill-timed and ill-applied prescription fire. In years past the USFS's fuel reduction goals were readily met with wildlife and timber taken into consideration and without massive and damaging post fire effects. USFS land management plans are no longer genuine or reasonable towards wildlife, timber or multi use resource management. The new management plan centers on altering natural landscapes, reducing multi value usage and are set forth centered around only more fire acreage accrual and fire funding. Even the legally binding Presidential Proclamation, which created the Francis Marion Wildlife Preserve, has been ignored which represents a criminal act in and of itself.
Over the above-mentioned time period, the devastating effects from the USFS fire regime have left behind terribly damaged National Forest land that can not be healed in my lifetime. These lands are filled with an unacceptable and easily observed amount of dead standing and highly stressed timber, to include both mature pines and desirable hardwoods. Today's forest damage is ironically not a result of wildfire. The damage is a direct result of your overly aggressive, poorly-timed and large-scale high-intensity prescription fire. This fact alone represents a terrible economic loss to the taxpayer, who funds your budget. This will not be tolerated or excused.
This timber is not only valuable to wildlife and pleasing to the public eye but could also be properly harvested as such to provide much needed funding for road maintenance, trail maintenance, food plotting, maintenance of wildlife openings and repair of pubic facilities. All of these activities have been severely neglected on our National Forest lands for many years.
Additionally, at this point, USFS fire damage has created the perfect scenario for a full scale insect infestation upon our valuable forests and timber.
Furthermore, growing season burns occurring March 15- June 15 must stop. Science has readily proven that the Eastern Wild Turkey, Southern Bobwhite Quail, White Tail Deer, the threatened Long Eared Bat and other various wildlife are attempting to breed, nest, poult, fawn and pup during this time period. Not only the USDA but also SEAWFA has noted that special care should be applied to the use of prescription fire during these time periods to allow for non-disrupted wildlife recruitment needs. The very agency in charge of taking care of these lands and wildlife, the USFS, still ignores these facts. Currently, even the most noted federal and state biologist in our nation have noted a sharp decline in Quail and Turkey populations and yet the USFS continues its damaging fire regime. Meanwhile, when questioned the USFS continues to lean on research which applies to low intensity fire on small land tracts as creating beneficial habitat which simply does not hold true to your high intensity, large scale activities. Most certainly, your damaging fire regime should also be looked at as a potential factor in the further decline of the wildlife species noted earlier that were once in abundance.
Simply put, your damaging fire regimes must stop and be immediately re-evaluated. As a taxpaying citizen, I want more attention and concern to be paid towards productive and scientifically-proven wildlife management strategies, much needed road maintenance and repairing our public facilities and far less on damaging high-cost prescription fire.
Signed by a Proud South Carolinian, Licensed Hunter, Outdoorsman, Conservationist and Registered Voter,
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Originally Posted by Highstrung
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