Restoration in Action

7/29/2019 Restoration in Action

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Restoration in Action: The First Five Years of theLegacy Roads and Trails Program

F ebruary 2013


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I am honored to have helped to create the Forest Service Legacy Roads and TrailsProgram. I have watched the work across the nation, especially

in the Skokomish Valley in the Sixth Congressional District.This work has helped restore watersheds and improve water quality

and fsh habitat, and at the same time provided jobs that aredesperately needed in our rural communities.

This is a great program and one that I am proud to have sponsored. A lot more restoration work is needed, so I hope this program will continue

to help the Forest Service get the job done.

The Honorable Norm DicksU.S. Representative for Washingtons 6th Congressional District, 1977 2012

We thank USDA Forest Service sta for their assistance in providing data and images, and Marlies Wierenga,Dave Heller, and Dan Funsch for their dedication, long hours, and hard work.

Restoration in Action: The First Five Years of the Legacy Roads and Trails Program F ebruary 2013

Cover photo credits: Recontoured road on the Gallatin National Forest, MT, credit: Wildlands CPR; fsherperson, photo credit: Kent Miller.


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R estoRation in a ction 1

e xecutive s ummaRy

The Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program (Legacy Roads and Trails) is a cornerstone o watershedrestoration in our National Forests. Created to fx environmental

problems resulting rom the Forest Services extensive roadand trail system, Legacy Roads and Trails has reduced streampollution, restored fsh and wildli e habitat, created jobs, andimproved essential roads to ensure sa e access. Legacy Roadsand Trails has been a success rom the start; it is smartly ande ciently managed, and achieves on-the-ground results in realtime.

Since its inception in 2008, Congress has appropriated $270million to Legacy Roads and Trails. With these unds, the ForestService has:

Decommissioned 4,510 miles of unneeded roads to

reconnect habitat and greatly reduce the delivery o sediment to streams;

Maintained and/or storm-proofed 12,053 milesof needed roads to increase their ability to stand-upduring power ul storms and ensure sa e access;

Restored sh passage at 823 sites to provide fsh andother aquatic species access to more than 1,000 mileso upstream habitat;

Upgraded or xed 3,215 miles of trails to guaranteerecreationists can sa ely use the areas they love;

Created or maintained an average of 810-1,296 jobs annually; and

Reduced annual road maintenance costs byapproximately $3 million per year.

Legacy Roads and Trails was created specifcally to providecrucial resources to fx and storm-proo the roads we need,and to reclaim unneeded roads causing the most damage. TheLegacy Roads and Trails program is a proven tool that:

Restores clean water and healthy fsheries, andreconnects ragmented wildli e habitat;

Saves taxpayer money and creates high-wage jobs; Ensures safe and reliable access or recreation and

resource management; and Enjoys broad support by a wide variety o partners.

This report highlights Legacy Roads and Trails accomplishmentsduring its frst fve years. It provides a general accounting o appropriated unds and spotlights a sampling o projects romacross the country. As illustrated here, Legacy Roads and Trailsis a mission-critical program or the Forest Service that deservescontinued investment.

Photo credit: USF

Photo credit: US

Photo credit: US


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The Challenge of Legacy Roads in National Forests

In the past, many logging roads were designed or temporary use, ando ten they were not well-planned or well-constructed. Roads were placedin oodplains, along steep slopes, and through wildli e habitat. Sometimesroads were densely stacked - in parallel lines - one atop the next. Oncelogging was complete, the roads were typically le t on the landscape.

Historically, the Forest Service had unds to build and maintain roads, butas timber harvests declined, so too did road maintenance unding. At thispoint in time, the Forest Service is able to maintain only about 20% o itsroad system in any given year.

I we dont fx our roads were going to drink our roads. Congressman Norm Dicks

Representing Washingtons 6th District, May 2007

When roads are not maintained or under-maintained,culverts become clogged with debris, landslides occur,bridges weaken, and roads wash out. Large amountso sediment pour into what used to be clear mountainstreams, su ocating fsh and burying stream channels.Hazards, such as washouts, pose serious sa ety risks

to those driving on orest roads, at times even makingaccess impossible.

The consequences o unmaintained roadsare surprisingly severe and ar-reaching:

Roads help spread non-native pests, pathogensand weeds.

Decaying roads break apart and dump sedimentinto streams polluting water, endangering fsh, andreducing fshing opportunities.

Road-related sediment degrades drinking waterand increases municipal water treatment costs.

Under-maintained roads fail, costing taxpayersmillions in mitigation and restoration costs.

Roads fragment habitat and reduce the vitalityo deer and elk herds and related huntingopportunities.

Collapsing roads cut-o access to trailheads,campgrounds and other popular recreationaldestinations.

Photo credit: Dave He

Photo credit: US

Photo credit: US


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4 t he F iRst F ive y eaRs oF the Legacy R oads and t RaiLs P RogRam

Western Governors urge Congress and the Administration to fund and implement a

sustainable roads program.

Western Governors AssociationPolicy Resolution 08-3

The Legacy Roads and Trails idea was conceived by acoalition o conservation and recreation organizations,state agencies, and tribes in Washington State called theWashington Watershed Restoration Initiative. Driven bythe serious road-related water quality problems plaguingWashingtons national orests, the Coalition campaigned or

a targeted und to address the orest road system, earning abroad array o support rom organizations across the country.Once established, Legacy Roads and Trails quickly becamea cornerstone o the Forest Services restoration program,reducing road impacts on water quality and fsh, and betteraligning the road system to current management needs andcapacity.

Legacy Roads and Trails works because it is targeted, results-oriented, and collaborative. The program delivers unds toaddress road problems in real time, which enables the ForestService to e ciently plan, design, and implement restorationtreatments. It is an essential tool or implementing updatedand improved national orest transportation plans andwatershed restoration initiatives. It is also a success ul tool orleveraging non- ederal unds resulting in more robust projectsand enhanced community engagement. And because undsprimarily go to actual work on the ground, Legacy Roads and Trails creates living wage jobs or contractors, including thosewho specialize in stream restoration, environmental design,and heavy equipment operation.

For all these reasons, Legacy Roads and Trails enjoys broadsupport rom tribes, watershed councils, state agencies,conservation groups, anglers, hunters, hikers, backcountryequestrians, utilities, municipal water suppliers, damoperators, conservation districts, unions, and more (see list oninside back cover).

An Efective and Dynamic ProgramMonitoring is an important component o Legacy Roadsand Trails or assessing how well projects are working andor applying lessons learned to improve uture projects.Recent results show:

Sediment delivery to streams is signi cantlyreduced at studied sites: a

80% reduction o sediment a ter storms at9 decommissioned sites.

67% reduction o sediment a ter storms at4 storm-proo ed sites.

Study locations: MT, ID, OR, WA, CA, UT

Fish are accessing previously unavailablehabitat, at nearly all studied sites where barrierswere removed. b

Study locations: OR and WA Black bears are frequenting areas where roads

were decommissioned in signifcantly highernumbers than areas where roads had gates orbarriers. c

Study location: Clearwater National Forest, ID Roads that were storm-proofed had fewer

landslides than roads that did not receivemaintenance when damage rom two largestorms was compared. d

Study location: Siuslaw National Forest, OR

Monitoring is providing important eedback to improveuture projects. For example, monitoring has in ormed anew Forest Service technical guide (2013) which sta canuse to quickly determine the maximum spacing o roaddrainage eatures without increasing storm-damage risk. This helps save sta time and construction expenses. e

A Unique Solution The Legacy Roads and Trails Program

Photo monitoring has shown that wildli e such as mule deer usereclaimed roads more o ten than gated roads.

Photo credit: Wildlands CPR


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Watershed Health and Roads

Direct Legacy Roads and Trails dollars are only part o theunding story. In many places, the Forest Service success ullyleverages Legacy Roads and Trails money with a varietyo other unding sources, dramatically increasing the on-the-ground and economic benefts o the program. Someexamples o leveraged unding sources include:

Secure Rural Schools ( ederal); Emergency Relie or Federally Owned Roads ( ederalunding in transportation bill);

Federal Stimulus ( ederal); Salmon Recovery Funds ( ederal/state); Watershed Restoration Grants (state/private); Clean Water Grants ( ederal/state); and Bonneville Power Administration ( ederal).

Legacy Roads and Trails also enhances other national and regionalForest Service e orts by providing unding to implement theroads portion o those initiatives. Examples include:

Watershed Condition Framework Legacy Roadsand Trails can be used to und road and trail relatedwatershed restoration projects in priority watersheds.

Travel Analysis Process By the end o 2015,every National Forest and Grassland will have acompleted Travel Analysis Report that will guide uturetransportation planning projects, including roadreclamation and storm-proofng. Legacy Roads and Trailswill provide critical unding or implementing theseprojects.Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program -Under this program, restoration projects are developedand implemented collaboratively. Legacy Roads and Trails can provide required matching unds.

The Power of Leveraging

$110 million is needed to x the rst round o high-priority road and trail problems. This addresses only 2% o the sub-watersheds in the

National Forest System.

In 2010, using the newly developedWatershed Condition Framework,the Forest Service assessed 15,065sub-watersheds across the NationalForest System, and ound that 67%of them are negatively a ected byroads.

Each orest identifed two priority sub-

watersheds or ocused restorationinvestment over the next ew years. The agency created WatershedRestoration Action Plans (Action

Plans) outlining the key projects oreach priority subwatershed.

In the initial set o 284 Action Plans,the Forest Service identifed morethan $350 million in essentialrestoration projects. O that, $110million, or 31%, is needed to fx high-priority road and trail problems.

Legacy Roads and Trails is crucialor implementing the road work identifed in these Action Plans.

Rain all during storms is collected and directed through culverts that o ten lead

directly to streams. This can oul stream water.

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: USFS


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n ationaL a ccomPLishments

Legacy Roads and Trails accomplishments begin withnumbers or example, miles o roads reclaimed ormaintained. But the achievements go ar beyond these numbersto reach the ultimate objective watershed restoration andsustainable transportation. Replacing nearly one thousandblocked culverts means fsh can now access habitat that wasunreachable a ew years ago. Improving and maintaining morethan ten thousand miles o roads means the access to populartrails, camping sites, and fshing holes is sa er. Reclaiming morethan 4,000 miles o roads means wildli e can migrate morereely and rivers and streams run with cleaner, colder water.

These accomplishments are signifcant and the beginning o an essential national investment to correct environmental andin rastructure problems created over the past century.

Restored Fish and Wildli e Habitat

Legacy Roads and Trails projects have resulted in: 1,030 miles o stream habitat restored or enhanced;

243 acres o lake habitat restored or enhanced; 177,233 acres o terrestrial habitat restored or enhanced; 27,193 acres o water or soil resources protected,

maintained, or improved; 2,114 acres treated or noxious weeds and invasive

plants; and 823 stream crossings fxed to allow fsh to swim

upstream.

Photos: US

Small culverts are replaced with larger bottom-less culverts. The streambed is re-created making

it easier or sh to move up and down stream.

Key

Roads & Trails Improved

(miles)

Roads Decommissioned(miles)

Fish Passage Restored(# o sites)

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Roads Decommissioned, Trails Improved, Fish Passage Restored g

180 163

262

14375

1,509

531929

581

960

3,035 3,077

4,144

2,7992,113

Note: This fgure is not

to scale.

Photos: USFS

Recently ripped road as part o a larger road reclamation project

Outcomes


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More JobsA 2011 University o Oregon study ound that every $1 millioninvested in watershed restoration work creates 15-24 jobs. h With $270 million appropriated so ar, the Legacy Roads and Trails Program has averaged $54 million per year, creating or

maintaining between 810 and 1,296 living wage jobs per yearor heavy equipment operators and a variety o restorationspecialists.

An estimate o jobs created nationally as aresult o the LRT program, 2008-2012

Funds Appropriated (millions)

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

high estimate

$45$45$90$50$39

low estimate5001,0001,5002,000

Outcomes, contd

Consistent and Sa e AccessLegacy Roads and Trails helps maintain needed roads and trailsor both resource management and recreational access. Withthese unds, the Forest Service has:

Constructed (or reconstructed) 123 bridges; Maintained or improved 3,215 miles o system trails; Improved 3,634 miles o roads; and Maintained 8,418 miles o roads.

unit sedimentdelivery

down 80%

road-streamhydrologic

connectivityup 33%

drainpointproblem ratedown 38%

road-streamhydrologic

connectivitydown 44%

untreated roads a ter storms

treated roads a ter storms

unitsedimentdeliveryup 94%drainpoint

problemrate

up 50%

De nition o TermsA hydrologically connected road means that the road is part o the stream

network. Rain all is intercepted by road sur aces and cut slopes, and delivered tostream, instead o infltrating naturally.A drain point is a location where water collects and drains rom a road. Poorly por ine ective drain points can lead to road ailures.Unit sediment delivery re ers to the amount o sediment delivered to a stream plength o road per year.

Photo credit: TWS PNW

Clean Water and Healthy StreamsInitial Forest Service monitoring shows that Legacy Roads and Trails treatments are highly e ective at reducing hydrologicimpacts. The Rocky Mountain Research Station is in themiddle o a multi-year analysis o the responses o treated and

untreated roads to large storms. The study assessed 60 kmo decommissioned roads and ound signifcant benefts, asdisplayed in the fgure below.

Taxpayer SavingsRegular maintenance, improvements, and storm-proofngreduce storm damage to roads, saving taxpayer money.Moreover, reclaiming unneeded roads eliminates uturemaintenance and environmental costs.

The Forest Service estimates that Legacy Roads and Trails work hassaved:

~$3 million per year in annual road maintenance, and ~$17 million rom the de erred maintenance backlog. i


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R egionaL a ccomPLishments

This section highlights Legacy Roads and Trails projectsin fve Forest Service regions: Northern Region,Southwestern Region, Pacifc Southwest Region, PacifcNorthwest Region, and the Eastern Region. The types

o regional projects and the accomplishments varyconsiderably due to di erences in priorities and severityo road-related issues.

Legacy Roads and Trails Accomplishments by Forest Service Region, FY 2008 FY 2012

Regionand % o system road miles

Northern (1)*

14%Roads decommissioned (miles)

Roads/trails improved or maintained (miles)Culverts fxed (number)

Rocky Mountain (2)9%

Roads decommissioned (miles)Roads/trails improved or maintained (miles)Culverts fxed (number)

Southwestern (3)*12%

Roads decommissioned (miles)Roads/trails improved or maintained (miles)

Culverts fxed (number)

Intermountain (4)*10%



Pacifc SW (5)12%


Totals

9912,451161

71689962

13954213

1,15772066

1002,3438

Pacifc NW (6)24%



Southern (8)10%


Eastern (9)7%



Alaska (10)1%



TOTALSRoads decommissioned (miles)

Roads/trails improved or maintained (miles)Culverts fxed (number)

8254,83767

3691,85547

146961102

71662300

4,510

15,267823

Regionand % o system road miles Totals

*In FY 2012, Congress created a pilot program in Regions 1, 3 and 4 called Integrated Resource Restoration (IRR) and merged Legacy Roads and Trails unds into it. Regional totals here include IRR accomplishments rom FY 2012.


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n oRtheRn R egion R egion 1

Featured Project:Yakus Road and White/White Road Decommissioning

Forest: Clearwater, IdahoRiver basin: Lower and Upper Lolo Creek Year: 2011

For thousands o generations, the Nez Perce (Numipu the real people) have hunted, fshed, and gathered acrossa vast landscape in the intermountain West, includingClearwater country. Although they ceded much landthrough treaties, the Nez Perce maintained their rightsto hunt and fsh. The Forest Service now manages manyo those ancestral lands, but they have been altered bya variety o past land management activities includingwide-scale logging and mining. Steelhead trout, bulltrout, and Chinook salmon once thrived, but now struggleto survive.

Roads are a major environmental problem across thislandscape. The high road density coupled with poorlydesigned stream crossings, inadequate maintenance, anderodible soils has led to widespread damage.

The Nez Perce-Clearwater NationalForest and the Nez Perce Tribe run anaward-winning partnership to restorewatersheds, fsh habitat, and water qualityon the ceded lands. Legacy Roads and Trails is part o the watershed restorationprogram and provides important matchingmoney to support this 6.5 million peryear partnership. For the past 20 years,the Forest Service and Nez Perce Tribehave worked together to decommissionmore than 1,000 miles o unneeded roadsand replace more than 100 culverts torestore access to fsh habitat. They havealso implemented in-stream restorationprojects and improved maintenance onneeded roads. The projects highlightedhere, Yakus and White/White, provide anexcellent illustration o this work.

High road densities have led to widespread damage.

Stream crossing restored to its natural condition.Photo credit: USFS.

Photo credit: US


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Project Treatments: Decommissioned 24 miles o

roads Stabilized and stored 4 miles o

roads Restored stream crossings Recontoured fll slopes Constructed cross-drains Revegetated with native brush

We must be patient but persistentthinking back to when this partnership program began and I looked over thelandscape in the Clearwater Basin - the maze o roads and obstacles or fsh...I asked mysel how are we going to get there?

One mile at a time we chipped away understanding it will be years be ore we restore all o the Clearwater - rom ridgetop to ridge top. I keep in mind the stories rom my grandparentso how they fshed, hunted and gathered and

how they drank the water rom these streams the blood o li e while observing Grizzly Bears fshing the streams.Yes there is hope, one mile at a time weve made progress.

Ira Jones, Watershed Division Director,Nez Perce Tribe

Reconstructing stream channel.

Major Partners:Nez Perce TribeBonneville Power Administration

Healthy stream channel two years a ter project completion.

A plugged culvert backs up water along theroad. Plugged culverts like this are prone to blow

out delivering damaging slugs o sediment tostreams.

Excess sediment in a stream can su ocate sh eggs.

Funding:$70,000 Legacy Roads and Trails$100,000 Nez Perce Tribe$35,000 other Forest Serviceunds

Outcomes: Improved habitat or steelhead trout, west slope cutthoat trout and

Chinook salmon Reduced sediment delivery Restored sur ace and subsur ace water ows Reduced road maintenance costs (enabling limited maintenance

dollars to be spent elsewhere)

Photo credit: US

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: USFS


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s outhwesteRn R egion R egion 3

Featured Project:Valle Vidal Road Decommissioning

Forest: Carson, New MexicoRiver basin: Comanche Creek/Rio CostillaYear: 2009

Comanche Creek is a 27,262 acre watershed in north central NewMexico. The creek is a tributary to the Rio Costilla that eventuallyempties into the Rio Grande River. It provides valuable habitat orthe Rio Grande cutthroat trout, which is New Mexicos state fshand a candidate or protection under the Endangered SpeciesAct. The largest elk population in New Mexico roams the upper

portion o the Rio Costilla watershed and the area is a prizedlocation or hunting, fshing, hiking and bird watching.

When the Valle Vidal management unit was donated to the ForestService, it contained more than 400 miles o roads in the upperwatershed. The area had been logged using jammer roadsspaced just 150 eet apart across the hillsides with no regardto watershed and water quality impacts. Although the ForestService determined most o these old logging roads were nolonger needed and closed them to public motorized use, theimpacts remained. The roads persisted as a chronic source o accelerated sediment delivery into the stream system, adverselya ecting trout habitat.

The Comanche Creek area is a ocal pointor a variety o restoration e orts by theForest Service and multiple partners. The goal o this eatured project isto restore watershed conditions andimprove native Rio Grande cutthroattrout habitat by reducing or eliminatingthe ow o road-borne sediments toComanche Creek.

The headwaters to Comanche Creek fow rom the orested hillsthrough meadows to the valley bottoms.

Roads o ten turn into streams during storms because the hard road sur ace cannot absorb the rainwater.

Photo credit: George Long, US

Photo credit: George Long, USFS


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Project Treatments: Decommissioned more than 10 miles o road Restored original slopes, vegetation, and drainages

Outcomes: Improved habitat conditions or native Rio Grande

cutthroat trout Improved big game habitat or deer, bear and elk -

protecting the quality o this once in a li etime elk hunting area, which contributes more than hal a milliondollars annually to local economies

Reduced sediment into the creek

Funding:$15,000 Legacy Roads and Trails$20,000 partners

Major Partners:Quivira CoalitionNew Mexico Department o Game and Fish The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

Water is New Mexicos most precious resource, yet clean water is becoming increasingly scarce. Its abundance or scarcity is critically important to all residents o the state. Thanks to the Legacy Roads and Trails Program,

New Mexicos rivers run a little clearer and cleaner.

Rachel Conn, Projects Director, Amigos Bravos

Comanche Creek with success ul riparian restorationvisible. Photo credit: George Long, USFS

Ripping up the old road bed and re-establishing the hillslope allowswater to in ltrate.

Many roads in the Valle Vidal collect rainwater or many hundreds o eet. The collected water then dumps over the edge o the road

at the lowest point. These drainpoints can weaken and

collapse sections o the road.

Photo credit: George Long, USFS Photo credit: George Long, USF

Photo credit: George Long, USFS


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P aciFic s outhwest R egion R egion 5

Located in Northern Cali ornia, the LowerCanyon Creek sub-watershed is just over38,400 acres and contains Soldier andConner Creeks. These creeks ow into the

nationally designated Wild and Scenic Trinity River, which provides critical habitator threatened coho salmon and steelheadtrout. Local communities rely on the riveras an important water source or drinking,irrigation, and recreation.

Though important to fsh and people, the Trinity River is impaired due toexcessive sediment loads and temperatures. Several studies identifed theSoldier Creek sub-watershed as a signifcant contributor o sediment to the Trinity River. That sediment threatens the survival and development o salmonand steelhead eggs, and increases the costs o drinking water treatment.When the Eagle Fire swept through the area in 2008, the need to addresssediment runo became urgent.

In 2009, the Shasta-Trinity National Forest developed a multi-year roadaction plan in collaboration with key partners. Two partners, the TrinityCounty Resource Conservation District and Trinity River Restoration Project,secured 50% o the total unding or Canyon Creek watershed restorationwork, including work on Soldier and Conner Creeks. Total collective undingor watershed restoration in the Canyon Creek area was approximately $2.5million.

Canyon Creek sub-watershed was a contributor o sediment to the Trinity River.

Threatened coho salmon and steelhead depend on cool and clear water or survival.

Featured Project:Canyon Creek

Forest: Shasta-Trinity, Cali orniaRiver basin: Trinity RiverYear: 2008-2012

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: USFS


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Project Treatments:Improved 47 miles o road drainage a ter wildfre

Storm-proo ed 54 miles o roadDecommissioned 4.6 miles o roadRemoved 5 in-stream barriers Treated 96 stream crossings

Outcomes:Improved roughly 16 miles o in-stream habitatRestored 25 acres o watershed

Improved water quality or coho, steelhead trout, and communitywater suppliesReduced risk o ood damageImproved water quality and channel continuity

Funding:$692,000 Legacy Roads and Trails$1,858,000 Ten Partners and other unds

The Shasta Trinity National Forest Legacy Roads and Trails projects ocus on addressing road issues throughout entire watersheds. The Legacy unding provides the seed money that brings multiple partners to the table to

continue e orts or a much more e ective holistic watershed restoration approach. Its amazing how much morewe can get done when we all work together. All restoration programs have to start somewhere, or us the Lower

Canyon Creek Restoration Program all started with the Legacy unding.

- Christine Mai, Watershed Program Manager, Shasta Trinity National Forest.

Decommissioned road and restored stream crossing.Small culverts easily become blocked during a storm, orcing water over the roadway where it picks up more sediment.

Major Partners:

Photo credit: US

USFS Region 5 Trinity County ResourceConservation District Trinity River Restoration ProgramUS Fish & Wildli e Service

CA Dept. o Fish & Game Trinity Co. Dept. o TransportationNational Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration

National Association o CountiesNational Fish & Wildli e FoundationCali ornia Coastal ConservancyLan Mark Forestry

Restoration work o ten requires the use o heavy equipment and skilled operators.

Photo credit: USFSPhoto credit: USFS


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Project Treatments:Relocated nearly one mile o road to a stable upslope location

Obliterated and ully recontoured the valley bottom roadRestored creek channel and placed large woody debris

Restored riparian areas with plantings o native vegetation Restored the oodplain

Outcomes: Two miles o Jack Creek restored to natural conditions Improved cover and spawning habitat or steelhead trout and

Chinook salmon Improved water ows

Improved capability to absorb oods without road damage orlost access

Funding:$226,800 Legacy Roads and Trails plus other Forest Service unds$166,000 Partners

Funding rom Legacy Roads and Trails allowed the Cle Elum Ranger District to analyze the e ects o road relocation, and to contract with a local frm to move 0.9 miles o road o the banks o Jack Creek. The investment and commitment shown by the Forest Service helped to persuade other unding agencies to support additional

restoration work, leading ultimately to in-channel enhancement and oodplain reconnectionalong nearly two miles o the stream.

Rebecca WassellYakima Basin Program Manager,

Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group

Volunteers plant native trees and shrubs in theootprint o the decommissioned road.

Moving the road, ripping up the old road bed, planting vegetationand placing large woody debris improves the creek or native sh.

When roads are adjacent to streams, streamside plants cannot grow and shade the creek. This results in warmer water and lack o cover,

both o which harm salmon.

Major Partners:Mid-Columbia Fisheries

Enhancement GroupSalmon Recovery Funding Board

US Fish and Wildli e ServicePartners Program

National Forest Foundation

Overlake Fly-fshing ClubYakima Tributary Habitat Access ProjectAmerican Forest Land Company, LLCLocal volunteers

Photo credit: USFS Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement


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e asteRn R egion R egion 9

Featured Project:Fish Passage Restoration and Storm-Proo ng

Forest: Green Mountain Finger Lakes, Vermont and New York River basin: Multiple river basinsYear: 2008-2013

The Green Mountain and Finger Lakes NationalForests are located within a days drive ormore than 70 million people, o ering a wealtho recreation opportunities. In Vermont, theheadwaters o many o the states rivers ow romthe National Forest, supplying communities

with drinking water and providing habitat ornative fsh.

Communities located lower in the watershedsrecognize the importance o restoration work in these upper areas, not only or recreationand wildli e but also ood protection. ForestService assessments showed the potential orsevere damage and road ailures during major

storms, especially at road/stream crossings. Those assessmentsalso determined that native brook trout and Atlantic salmon wereblocked rom accessing good habitat at more than 60% o thestream crossings. Beginning in 2008, the Forest Service restoredfsh passage and storm-proo ed roads and stream crossings basedon the results o the earlier assessments. The Forest Service used anew design tool called stream simulation to e ectively determinehow large the crossings should be to accommodate ood watersand debris during major storms.

In August 2011, Tropical Storm Irene hit the Northeast leaving manycommunities isolated by destroyed roads, bridges, and culverts.However, most o the treated sites in the National Forest su eredlittle damage and sa ely passed huge volumes o water, gravel, andtrees without major impacts to downstream communities.

The headwaters o many o Vermonts rivers originate inthe National Forest.

It is not unusual or culverts to become plugged during a storm, orcing water to brethrough a road bed. The purpose o this project was to redesign culverts to

prevent this type o mass ailure.

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: US


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Project Treatments: Fixed 32 road-stream crossings

Replaced 15 culvertsRemoved 10 culvertsReplaced 3 pipesReplaced 4 bridges

Outcomes: Restored access to 49 miles o stream habitat or brook trout

and Atlantic salmon Reduced risk o catastrophic road damage during heavy storms

Ensured sa e access to communities and recreational areas

Funding:$995,000 - Legacy Roads and Trails$3.1 million other ederal unding sources

It has become quite clear to us in recent years that restoring fsh passage, by replacing under-sized culverts, is afscally responsible public investment and also an investment that benefts our fsh populations and reduces the

potential or increased ooding and erosion in our communities.

Steve RoyNatural Resources Staf O cer,

Green Mountain & Finger Lakes NF

Improved design included natural streambed and larger culvert or high volumes o water.

Culverts were too small or large storm fows, and blocked shrom moving upstream.

White River Partnership Trout UnlimitedVermont Department o Fish and Wildli e

Major Partners:US Fish and Wildli e ServiceNatural Resource Conservation ServiceLocal communities and watershed groups

Photo credit: USFS Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: US

The Forest Service removed an old culvert and replacedwith a bottomless arch culvert to improve sh passage.


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In 2008, conservationists, Forest Service sta , waterquality specialists and others lauded the creation o Legacy Roads and Trails or its extraordinary potential

as an innovative tool or unding watershed restorationand long-term transportation needs. Five years andthousands o accomplishments later, it is clear theprogram has lived up to expectations. Legacy Roads and Trails is cleaning up our water, restoring fsh and wildli ehabitat, creating high-wage jobs, reducing long-termcosts, and improving access.

While Legacy Roads and Trails is making a di erence, asignifcant amount o work remains, reaching ar beyondthe capacity o the current program. Legacy Roads and Trails projects to date have treated less than 5% o theroad system, and de erred maintenance continues to

grow. It took more than a century to create the legacyo roads in our national orests. Likewise, it will take timeand investment to fx, reclaim and rework that roadsystem to meet 21st century transportation, fscal, andecological demands.

Big challenges call or big solutions. Road managementis a continuing challenge or the Forest Service and animportant ingredient in the agencys restoration agenda.A healthy, robust, and e ective Legacy Roads and Trailsprogram remains a vital tool or achieving Forest Servicerestoration objectives across the nation.

c oncLusion

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: US


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e ndnotes

a Nelson, Nathan, Tom Black, Charles Luce and Richard Cissel. 2012.Legacy Roads and Trails Monitoring Project Update 2012. USDAForest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. Available: http://www. s. ed.us/GRAIP/downloads/case_studies/2012LegacyRoadsMonitoringProjectUpdate.pd

b Robertson, Greg, Brian Bair and David Heller. 2011. Pacifc NorthwestRegion Aquatic Organism Passage-Stream Simulation E ectivenessMonitoring Report. USDA Forest Service Pacifc Northwest Regionand TEAMS Enterprise Unit. Portland Oregon.

c Switalski, Adam and Cara Nelson. E cacy o Road Removal orrestoring wildlie habitat: Black Bear in the Northern Rocky Mountains,USA. Biological Conservation 44 (2011) 2666-2673. Available:http://www.wildlandscpr.org/fles/Switalski%20and%20Nelson%202011.%20%20E cacy%20o %20road%20removal%20 or%20restoring%20wildli e%20habitat.pd

d Ellis-Sugai, Barbara. USDA Forest Service Memo. Impact o the January2012 ood event on Siuslaw National Forest Roads. September 5,2012.

e Cissel, R., T. Black, C. Luce, N. Nelson, and B. Staab. May 2010. Erosionsensitivity index or gullies, hillslope, and road segment lengthor storm damage risk reduction treatments. To be included inStorm Damage Risk Reduction Guide or Low-Volume Roads to bepublished by the USFS San Dimas Tech Center in 2013.

USDA Forest Service. Region 6 estimate rom Per ormanceAccountability System data compiled in December 2012. It shouldbe noted that not all regions report these values consistently. Data ishighly variable and may be subject to errors.

g USDA Forest Service. Washington O ce. Per ormance AccountabilitySystem data compiled in January 2013.

h Nielsen-Pincus, Max and Cassandra Moseley. Economic andEmployment Impacts o Forest and Watershed Restoration in Oregon.Ecosystem Work orce Program. Working Paper Number 24. Spring

2010. Available: http://ewp.uoregon.edu/sites/ewp.uoregon.edu/fles/downloads/WP24.pd

i USDA Forest Service Region 6 estimate rom December 2012.Based on an annual estimated maintenance cost or passenger carroads o $900-$2200 per mile and or high clearance vehicle roadso $1-$950 per mile. Maintenance includes work such as blading,culvert cleaning, brushing, removal o danger trees, etc. De erredmaintenance savings was approximated using the FY 2012 PresidentsBudget de erred maintenance cost estimates.

Photo credit: USFS

Reclaimed road on the Clearwater National Forest, ID.

Photo credit: Wildlands CPR


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P aRtneRs

The Wilderness Society and Wildlands CPR wish to thank the vast array o groups that have supportLegacy Roads and Trails and have partnered on projects over the last ve years!

Northern Region (R1)Montana, North Dakota, NorthernIdaho, portions o South Dakota

and Wyoming

Project PartnersBonneville Power AdministrationColumbia River Intertribal Fish CommissionFederal Highway AdministrationIdaho O ce o Species ConservationIdaho Transportation DepartmentLincoln County Resource Advisory CouncilMontana Fish, Wildli e, and ParksNational Fish andWildli e FoundationNez Perce TribeNorth Idaho RAC Trout UnlimitedUniversity o Great FallsU.S. Fish and Wildli e ServiceWestern Pacifc Power CompanyWildlands CPR

Program SupportersAmerican Rivers*American Whitewater*Avista CorporationBack Country Horsemen o MontanaCentennial Valley AssociationClark Fork CoalitionDe enders o Wildli e*Great Burn Study GroupGreater Yellowstone CoalitionIronworkers Local #14Je erson River Watershed CouncilLewis & Clark Chapter Montana Trout UnlimitedMissoula Area Central Labor Council AFL-CIOMontana Association o Conservation DistrictsMontana AudubonMontanans or Quiet RecreationMontana Laborers #1686Montana Smart Growth CoalitionMontana Wilderness AssociationPacifc Rivers CouncilRattlesnake Creek Watershed GroupRuby Watershed Council/Ruby Valley Cons. DistrictSierra Club*Swan Ecosystem CenterSwan View Coalition The Wilderness Society*Watershed Consulting LLCWestern Environmental Law Center*Western MT Building and Construction Trades CouncilWildlands CPR*Yaak Valley Forest CouncilYellowstone Valley Audubon Society

Rocky Mountain Region (R2)Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas, Nebraska, portions o Wyoming

Project PartnersBiodiversity Conservation AllianceColorado Department o Fish and Wildli eCoors Brewing CompanyFederal Highway GrantsFriends o Mount Evans VolunteersGunnison Energy CompanyLaramie Rivers Conservation DistrictNorbeck Society (SD)Roaring Fork Outdoor VolunteersRocky Mountain Elk FoundationSouth Dakota Game and Fish Trout UnlimitedU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyU.S. Fish and Wildli e ServiceWestern Colorado Conservation CorpsWyoming Conservation CorpsWyoming Department o Environmental QualityWyoming Department o Fish and Wildli eWildland Restoration VolunteersYouth Corp

Program SupportersAmerican Whitewater*Audubon Society - Fort Collins ChapterBiodiversity Conservation AllianceCentral Colorado Wilderness CoalitionColorado Mountain ClubColorado Watershed AssemblyConservation ColoradoFront Range CO BLM Resource Advisory CouncilGreat Old Broads or WildernessHigh Country CitizensAllianceNational Wildli e FederationQuiet Use CoalitionRocky Mountain Recreation InitiativeSan Juan CitizensAllianceSan Luis Valley Ecosystem CouncilSheep Mountain AllianceSierra Club* The Wilderness Society* Trout Unlimited*Western Colorado CongressWestern Resource AdvocatesWilderness Workshop

Photo credit: USFS


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Southwest Region (R3)Arizona and New Mexico

Project PartnersAmerican Conservation ExperienceAmigos BravosAngostura Homeowners AssociationArizona Department o Environment QualityArizona Department o Water ResourcesArizona State ParksArizona Trail AssociationBackcountry Horsemen o AmericaBoy Scouts o AmericaCity o Sedona (AZ)Coconino Rural Environmental Corps (AZ)Flagsta Biking Organization (AZ)Friends o Madera Canyon (AZ)Friends o Sabino Canyon (AZ)Friends o the Forest (AZ)Grand Canyon Wildlands Council (AZ)Green Valley Hiking Club (AZ)Holloman Air Force Base (NM)Mount Lemmon Water District (AZ)

Munds Park Trail Stewards (AZ)New Mexico Environment DepartmentNew Mexico Game and FishNM School or the Blind & Visually Impaired (NM)Quivira Coalition (NM)Rocky Mountain Elk FoundationSouthern Arizona Hiking ClubSouthern Arizona Rescue AssociationStudent Conservation Association The Wellness Coalition (NM) Town o Eager (AZ) Town o Red River (NM)WildEarth GuardiansWilliams Production Company, LLCXTO Energy, Inc.

Youth Conservation CorpsProgram SupportersAcoustic Ecology Institute (NM)Albuquerque Wildli e Federation (NM)Amigos Bravos (NM)Archaeology SouthwestArizona Wilderness CoalitionArizona Zoological SocietyBirds Eye ViewCenter or Biological Diversity*Grand Canyon Wildlands CouncilGreat Old Broads or Wilderness*New Mexico Wilderness AllianceNM TroutNew Mexico Wildli e FederationPublic Employees or Envr. Responsibility (AZ)Sierra Club - Grand Canyon Chapter (AZ)Sierra Club - Northern Group (NM)Sierra Club - Southern Chapter (NM)Sierra Club - Rio Grande Chapter (NM)Sky Island Alliance (AZ)Southwest Environmental Center The Wilderness Society*Upper Gila Watershed Alliance (NM)Western Environmental Law Center*White Mountain Conservation League (AZ)WildEarth GuardiansWildli e Habitat o New Mexico

Project PartnersNational Fish and Wildli e FoundationNez Perce TribeNorthwest Youth CorpSouthwest Idaho Resource Advisory CommitteeState o Utah - Utah State Lands and Forestry Trout UnlimitedU.S. Fish and Wildli e ServiceYouth Conservation Corp Program SupportersBackcountry Horsemen - IdahoBackcountry Hunters and Anglers - Idaho ChapterBear River Watershed CouncilFraming our CommunitiesGrand Canyon Trust

Greater Yellowstone CoalitionHells Canyon Preservation CouncilIdaho Rivers UnitedLands CouncilMark Agee ExcavationNational Backcountry Hunters and Anglers*Nez Perce TribeSierra Club - Idaho Chapter The Wilderness Society* Trout Unlimited*Wildlands CPR*Wild Utah ProjectWinter Wildlands Alliance*

Intermountain Region (R4)Utah, Nevada, Southern Idaho,

portions o Wyoming

Paci c Southwest Region (R5)Cali ornia

Project PartnersBackcountry Cali ornia Conservation CorpsBackcountry Horsemen o AmericaCali ornia Conservation CorpsCali ornia Conservation CrewCali ornia State Department o Parks and Rec.Friends o the InyoKaruk TribeStudent Conservation Association Trinity County Resource Conservation District Trinity River Restoration Program Tuolumne County Community Development Dept.U.S. Army Corps o EngineersUnites States Marine CorpsWatershed Research and Training Center

Program SupportersCali ornia Wilderness CoalitionCali ornia Wilderness ProjectCali ornians or Western WildernessCenter or Biological Diversity*Center or Sierra Nevada ConservationCentral Sierra Environmental Resource CenterDe enders o Wildli e*Desert Protective CouncilEnvironmental Protection In ormation CenterForest ForeverForest Issues GroupFriends o Hope ValleyFriends o the InyoFriends o the River

High Sierra Hikers AssociationKlamath Forest AllianceKlamath-Siskiyou Wildlands CenterLos Padres ForestWatchNative HabitatsNorthcoast Environmental CenterPublic Employees or Envr. Responsibility*Sierra Club*Sierra Forest LegacySnowlands Network The Wilderness Society* Trout Unlimited*Western Watersheds*Wilderness Guides Council

Photo credit: USFS


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Southeast Region (R8)Tennessee, Florida, Arkansas,

Kentucky, North Carolina, SouthCarolina, and other southern states

Northeast Region (R9)Vermont, New Hampshire, WestVirginia, Minnesota, Wisconsin,Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio,

and Indiana

Project PartnersFourCorps Order o the ArrowArkansas Game & Fish CommissionArkansas Wildli e FederationBog Research Inc., LABoy Scouts o America, Conroe, TXCenter or Aquatic Technology, VACity o Fort Smith, ArkansasCoweeta Hydrologic LabEastern Brook Trout Joint VentureNational Wild Turkey FederationOklahoma Department o Wildli e ConservationProgress EnergyRocky Mountain Elk FoundationSoutheast Aquatic Resource PartnersStudent Conservation Association, Houston, TX Trout UnlimitedU.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Watershed Conservation Resource Center (AR)

Program SupportersAmerican Sportfshing Association (VA)Ouachita Watch League (TN)Wild Virginia (VA)

Project PartnersAlger County Road CommissionAmeriCorps CrewCamp Pasquaney, Student Conservation Association NewHampshire CorpsCraw ord County Highway DepartmentDucks UnlimitedItasca County Highway DepartmentLeech Lake Band o OjibweMinnesota Conservation CorpsMinnesota Department o Natural ResourcesNatural Resource Conservation ServiceNew Hampshire Fish and GameOhio Division o Natural ResourcesOscoda County Road CommissionOzark Trail AssociationStudent Conservation Association New HampshireConservation Crew/Americorps Town o Rochester Trout UnlimitedU.S. Army Corps o EngineersU.S. Fish and Wildli e ServiceVermont Department o Fish and Wildli eWex ord County Road CommissionWhite River PartnershipWisconsin Department o Natural ResourcesWisconsin Department o Transportation

Program SupportersAppalachian Mountain Club (MA)Natural Resources Council o MaineFriends o Blackwater (WV)

Project PartnersAlaska Department o Fish and GameAlaska Fly FishersKenai River Management AreaKenai River Sport Fishing AssociationStreamwatch Trout Unlimited

Alaska Region (R10)

Access FundAmerican Canoe AssociationAmerican Hiking SocietyAmerican WhitewaterAmerican RiversBackcountry Horsemen o America - NationalBackcountry Hunters and Anglers - NationalCenter or Biological DiversityDe enders o Wildli eEarthJusticeEndangered Species CoalitionGreat Old Broads or WildernessInternational Mountain Biking AssociationIzaak Walton League o AmericaNatural Resources De ense CouncilOutdoor AllianceOutdoor Industry AssociationPew Environment GroupSierra Club The Mountaineers The National Center or Conservation Science and Poli

The Wilderness Society Trout UnlimitedWestern Environmental Law CenterWildlands CPRWinter Wildlands AllianceBackcountry Horsemen o AmericaPublic Employees or Environmental Responsibility

National Supporters

Photo credit: USFS

Photo credit: Neil Shader

*denotes groups that are also national program supporters.


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Restoration in Action: The First Five Years of theLegacy Roads and Trails Program

F ebruary 2013

Documents

Restoration in Action