Region 1 Resource
Advisor Training
Aquatic and Terrestrial Invasives
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Part 1
Aquatic Resources
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TES Aquatic Species
• Bull Trout – threatened species, present in
MT and ID west of the divide
• Steelhead – threatened species, present in
most of ID; not present in MT
• Chinook Salmon – threatened or
endangered in most of ID, sensitive
species in some parts of ID
• Coho/Sockeye Salmon – threatened or
endangered in some parts of ID
• Westslope cutthroat trout – sensitive
species on forests in MT and ID
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TES Aquatic Species – Habitat
Needs (“the 4 C’s”)
•Cold water
•Clean stream bottoms
•Complex hiding cover (i.e.
large wood and pools)
•Connected (i.e. no barriers)
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TES Aquatic Species - Legal
Requirements
• Endangered Species Act
- consultation requirements vary
- Some forests have programmatic
agreements with regulatory
agencies, some don’t
- Onus is on the unit fish biologist to
check on suppression activities and
determine if consultation is needed
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TES Aquatic Species - Legal
Requirements
• Forest Plan Standards in INFISH and
PACFISH
- FM-1 = protect the 4 C’s and minimize
disturbance to riparian areas
- FM-2 = locate camps and other centers
for suppression activities outside of
RHCAs
- FM-3 = avoid delivering retardant to
water bodies
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What in the #$% are RHCAs?
• Riparian Habitat Conservation Area
- Fancy term for a riparian buffer
- Designated by INFISH/PACFISH
- Width varies by type of water body
(300’, 150’, 100’)
- 300’ is the most commonly used
RHCA width and the one the READ
should keep in mind when assessing
suppression activities
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Which commonly used suppression
activities pose the most risk to aquatics?
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2.
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Machine fire line (highest)
Re-opening closed roads with machinery
Retardant drops
Brushing/fuel breaks
Hand fire line
Helicopter bucket dipping
Water drafting/pumps
Hazard tree felling
Camps, helibases, helispots, drop points
Structure protection (lowest)
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Machine Fire Lines
risk is sediment
• Don’t build it if you don’t have to
• Use combo of feller buncher & excavator
instead of bulldozers
• Stay out of RHCAs
• Stay on slopes < 35%
• Tip the blade and only disturb the minimal
amount of soil necessary (i.e. shouldn’t be
creating cut and fills)
• The mitigations listed above are often a
fallacy - always keep a really close eye on
the heavy equipment!!
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Re-opening Closed Roads with
Heavy Machinery
main risk is sediment, lesser risk is shade
• Similar effects as dozer line construction
• Avoid scraping the road prism to bare soil
and side-casting the dirt
• Avoid creating berms along the shoulders
with rolled up, embedded sod mats
• Protect the shade at stream crossings and
along road segments that closely parallel
streams
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Retardant Drops
main risk is water quality and toxins
• Retardant is highly toxic to aquatic life
• National direction is to not drop within 300
feet of any stream or water body – fire
managers should have GIS maps of avoidance
areas for each forest
• READ should field verify compliance with the
300 foot restriction on all drops – drift and
splatter do occur, and not every water body is
mapped
• Keep the local fish biologist informed if you
find any indications of non-compliance
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Brushing & Fuel Breaks
main risk is shade
• Protect the shade at stream crossings and
along road segments that closely parallel
streams
• Watch out for bored saws and rural fire
departments
• Don’t let the chips pile up too high!
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Hand Fire Lines
risk is sediment
• Try to avoid building hand lines in
RHCAs
• Don’t tie the line directly into the
water line
• Scrape as little as needed
• Water bar during construction
• Recontour, seed, fertilize, and slash all
hand lines after use; highest priority
are the sections in RHCAs
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Helicopter Bucket Dipping
main risk is mortality of fish and
invasives, lesser risk is water quality
• Install a heli-well or portable tank
instead of dipping directly out of
water bodies
• Avoid dipping from water bodies that
contain TES aquatic species
• The home unit should have a GIS map
that shows where dipping is
prohibited and allowed – make sure
that is being followed
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Water Drafting & Pumps
main risk is water quality and toxins;
lesser risk is fish barriers
• All intakes properly screened
• 3/32” mesh vs. 1/8” mesh
• USFS pumps/engines/tenders have 3/32”
strainers – non USFS equipment frequently
has no screens or awareness of screening
• Pumps must have proper spill containment
mitigations
• Check for creation of fish barriers
• After use, naturalize site and tear apart
any rock diversion structures in streams
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Hazard Tree Felling
risk is habitat complexity and shade
• Avoid felling hazard trees in RHCAs
• When felling in RHCAs cannot be
avoided, directionally fell the
hazard trees towards or into the
water body and leave on site
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Camps, Helibases, Helispots, Drop
Points, Safety Zones
risks are sediment and shade
• Avoid locating in RHCAs
(INFISH/PACFISH standard FM-2)
• Exemptions may be granted for
sites that pose minimal risk to
aquatics
• Has not been much of an issue on
the Bitterroot NF
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Structure Protection
risks are sediment and shade
• Avoid clearing riparian vegetation
• Avoid significant ground
disturbance
• Has not been much of an issue on
the Bitterroot NF for aquatics
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Part 2
Invasive Species
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Aquatic and Terrestrial
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Aquatic invaders of highest
concern
• Eurasian Watermilfoil
• Zebra and Quagga mussels
• New Zealand mudsnails
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Terrestrial invaders of highest
concern
• Plants classified as noxious weeds
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How do aquatic invasions occur?
Equipment transfers infected water, plants,
debris, or mud from one water body to
another
• Helicopters
• Heli-wells and portable tanks
• Engines and tenders
• Pumps, hoses, and screens
• Any kind of water craft
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Aquatic invader mitigations
• Inspect, clean, and sanitize all
equipment that contacts water at
arrival and demob – must be clean
and dry!!
• Avoid known infestations – all nontested private ponds are suspect
• Avoid drafting mud, sediment, and
aquatic plants
• Avoid transferring water from one
water body to another
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How do terrestrial invasions occur?
• Vehicles and heavy machinery
• People and their gear
• Cargo nets
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Terrestrial invader mitigations
• Pressure wash all vehicles at arrival
and demob
• Avoid locating camps, helibases, drop
points, and staging areas in infestated
areas (if possible, locate in weed free
areas)
• Expose the least amount of mineral
soil possible during line construction
• Use weed free seed and monitor
• Ask crews to check their clothing/gear
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