TITLE 1900 - PLANNING
1920 - LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLANNING
1920.73a Internal Coordination. The purpose of this supplement is to clarify the process of Management Area Analysis (MA Analysis) on the Chathan Area. MA
Analysis is a process that forms a bridge between the Forest Land and Resource
Management Plan (TLMP) and project planning and design (see Figure 1).
MA Analysis may be conducted for a combination of management areas, a management area or a project area within a management area.
OBJECTIVES OF ANALYSIS PROCESS: To develop harvest and transportation alternatives from which specific timber sale projects nay be selected without leaving illogical logging units or uneconomical settings. This process is not an environmental analysis and does not require environnental documentation.
A. Analysis Process Steps - The following process steps are not sequential; sone can be completed concurrently, also depending on the purpose of the analysis, not all steps may need to be completed.
1. Arterial and collector road analysis. This process nay need to be completed if the anaylsis area is within or adjacent to areas to be interconnected by a comprehensive transportation system.
2. Compile all known data and information pertaining to the analysis area. This information may come from a variety of sources including but not limited to resource inventories, previous studies, previous planning efforts, etc.
3. Based on aerial photo interpretation, delineate all physically operable commercial forest land on a map. Criteria for delineation include: a) All acres that support 8 MBF to the acre and can be regenerated. b) Has a productive capability of 20 cubic feet per acre per year. c) Accessibility is determined without regard for any other resource constraints or conditions or economics. d) Acres that are less than 75% slope.
4. Based on aerial photo interpretation, identify and delineate on naps harvest and transportation opportunities. These opportunities must be located on a nap by land areas (as opposed to cutting units). This level of analysis does not include identification of retention areas. Retention areas will be identified in project planning. In order to identify retention areas the project IDT nay examine larger areas than the project area itself.

5. Analyze the harvest and transportation opportunities and develop, where feasible, harvest/transportation alternatives. These alternatives must be located on naps.
6. Some field verification may be necessary for key features such as feasible road locations, log transfer sites, landings, anchor spots, etc.
7. Preliminary economic analysis. Conduct a preliminary economic analysis with the objective of delineating and identifying land areas that are economically marginal given known harvest and transportation systems (see FSM
1920.34d). Areas that are economically marginal will he identified on maps and in supporting documentation. NOTE - The decision to construct roads using pre-roading finances will be made with necessary environmental documentation
(EA). This environmental analysis will be separate from the project EA's.
B. Documentation - When the above process is utilized the following documentation must be provided:
1. A written report which summarizes: a. Total analysis area by acres (by VCU if applicable). b. Total CFL acres that are physically operable (by VCU if applicable). c. Total volume in the Analysis Area (by VCU if applicable). d. A description of each alternative developed including:
1. Total acres of CFL and volume stratified by the following logging systems: a-frane, highlead, cold-deck and swing, skyline, multi-span and helicopter.
2. Total miles of road construction.
3. Acres and volume of acres that upon preliminary analysis are economically marginal with methods used to make this determination.
2. A visual display of alternatives including: a. Topographic map with the area of analysis delineated. b. An overlay for each alternative including, if appropriate:
1. Physically operable CFL.
2. Roads (existing, field verified and others).
3. Settings and the associated landings.
4. Harvest areas by logging system.
5. Notation of areas economically marginal.

INTEGRATED
INVENTORY
FIGURE I
REGIONAL PLAN/AREA GUIDE
(Standards and Guidelines)
TLMP
(Land Allocation, Activity Scheduling by Management Area and Tine Period)
Management Area Analysis
(Chathan Area Project Guidelines,
Project Standards and Guidelines,
Harvest/Transportation Opportunities and Alternatives)
Project Planning and Design
(Specific Standards and Guidelines,
Project Location and Design)