Amended FINDING to the 

 Environmental Assessment 



For the 



Gladstone Creek Timber Sale 

 Sections 14, 23, 26, 28, and 34, T15N-R5W 



INTRODUCTION 



In November 1998, an Environmental Assessment (EA) was prepared for the Gladstone Creek Timber Sale. 

 The EA evaluated 4 alternatives that were distinguished primarily by differences in access routes. A fifth 

 alternative, accessing the sale area by using existing roads on French Creek was dismissed early on due to clear 

 indication by two of the affected landowners that road use permission would not be granted. A Finding for the 

 EA was prepared in December 1998 in which an alternative was selected that would access the sale area from 

 French Creek on new roads constructed entirely on state land. However, the timber sale proposal was not 

 implemented due to the lingering possibility use of existing roads could be negotiated with private landowners. 

 Since then, a change of land ownership in French Creek and a new proposal for use of existing roads has led to 

 successful right-of-way acquisition by the DNRC. Consequently, the new circumstances has led me to review 

 the original EA and Finding to determine if the analysis and decisions remain appropriate. 



ALTERNATIVES UNDER CONSIDERATION 



Only two alternatives remained selectable in the Final EA dated, November 1998, the No Action and 

 Alternative D, that would construct road entirely on State land from French Creek to the sale area. Two 

 alternatives, accessing the sale area from Gladstone Creek could not be selected because agreement for road 

 use could not be negotiated with two of the affected landowners. Consequently, Alternative D was selected in 

 the Finding dated December 1998. 



The recently negotiated right-of-way agreements involves use of an existing road in French Creek and allows 

 access to the sale area in a manner similar to Alternative D, the state land access alternative. However, since a 

 greater length of existing road can now be utilized, an estimated 3600 feet of new road construction can be 

 eliminated from the selected alternative. The proposed harvest units, prescribed treatments and volume 

 removed would remain the same as the selected Alternative D. Therefore, given the new information, I have 

 decided to modify the selected Alternative D to utilize the negotiated R/W on private land to access the sale 

 area for the following reasons. 



1) The new access route eliminates the need to construct approximately 3600 feet of new road 

 on state land. 



2) A bridge crossing of French Creek can be installed at an existing ford site rather than a new 

 crossing location further down stream. The existing crossing site is more suitable for a 

 bridge than the previously selected location and will result in a much better road crossing 

 design. 



3) The potential to impact water quality will be reduced. A portion of the previously planned 

 road construction on state land was on steep slopes directly above the stream crossing and 

 would have required end hauling of excavated material to prevent introducing sediment to 

 the stream channel. The existing ford site is well located and will not result in any additional 

 road construction near the stream . Improvements to drainage features on the existing road 

 and installing the bridge at an existing crossing will address an existing sediment source to 

 French Creek. 



