August 28, 2014 -  By Susan Skalski Forest Supervisor, Stanislaus National Forest - This Record of Decision documents my decision for the Rim Fire Recovery project. I and my staff spent the last year designing a project that helps restore the land impacted by the Rim Fire, the largest conifer forest fire in California history, while simultaneously providing for public safety, ecological integrity, scientific research, and socio-economic benefits.

The path to reaching this decision was not an easy one, and I found no simple solution that can fully achieve all the goals that I, the Forest Service, and members of the public have for the Rim Fire area. In some instances public safety goals are in tension with environmental protection goals; in other instances socio-economic goals are in direct tension with fuel reduction goals; and, in other instances the needs of one wildlife species are in tension with the needs of another. Recognizing that no perfect decision exists, I did my best to balance all these important goals, with the intent of providing a decision that best serves the public interest.

As discussed in more detail in this Record of Decision (ROD) and in the lengthy Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that supports this decision, my six main goals for this project include all 5 elements from the Purpose and Need (EIS Chapter 1.03) and one additional Research objective associated with Alternatives 3 and 4 (EIS Chapter 2.01): 1) capture economic value through salvage logging; 2) provide worker and public safety; 3) reduce fuels for future forest resiliency; 4) improve road infrastructure to enhance hydrologic function; 5) enhance wildlife habitat; and, 6) provide opportunities for scientific research. I believe that the decision described in the following pages can effectively achieve all these goals.

Providing a comprehensive EIS covering treatments across an area the size of the Stanislaus National Forest portion of the Rim Fire was a huge undertaking in and of itself. The technical complexity, including carefully considering and analyzing the information provided in the huge volume of public scoping comments and comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) alone normally takes many months. Given the limited time window required to provide the comprehensive analysis as fire-killed trees deteriorate in timber value, and continue to pose a safety risk, required extraordinary effort and commitment of agency resources and staff. Adding significant staff met the challenge to provide quality analysis in a timely manner; however, other challenges remained such as addressing the complex public natural resource and social issues resulting from the Rim Fire.

Time is of the essence since the Rim Fire started just over one year ago, and the trees killed by the fire have already lost substantial economic value. With every passing day, the deterioration process will continue, to the point that it becomes economically infeasible to conduct the project. Therefore, it is imperative to begin implementing the project in the upcoming weeks and months to maximize the amount of work that can be achieved before this year’s operating season ends in the late fall. Any delay jeopardizes the agency’s ability to offer economically viable contracts; without viable contracts, the Rim Fire Recovery (Rim Recovery) project will not be implemented. This would mean that public and worker safety would be threatened for years to come, critical environmental restoration work would not occur, major research opportunities would be lost, and the area would be at heightened risk of yet another extreme fire like the Rim Fire.

I realize that my decision will not please every member of the public; however, I believe it strikes a reasonable balance that is responsive to the vast majority of public input I received, and is the best solution to achieve the multiple public benefits for which this project was designed.

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