Tower Fire Recovery ProjectsEnvironmental Impact Statement

The Tower Fire ignited during a lighting storm on August 13, 1996. Heavy fuel conditions, steep terrain, and strong gusting winds following the storm resulted in unusually severe fire behavior. The fire burned about 50,800 acres across six watersheds (see Table 1) within the headwaters of the North Fork John Day River Sub-basin. In addition, all of the South Fork-Tower Roadless Area (16,300 acres) was burned, as well as portions of the North Fork John Day Wilderness. The fire was controlled on September 9, 1996.

Table 1: Watersheds affected by the Tower Fire

NFS Watershed #	Watershed Name	Acres in Watershed	Acres in Fire Area	% of Watershed in Fire Area
85	Upper Grande Ronde/Fly*	36,184	32	<1
33	Cable Creek	24,272	16,441	68
34	Bridge/Pine	34,151	126	<1
35	North Fork John Day	67,063	15,668	23
95	Big	38,807	12,404	32
96	Hidaway	19,202	6,164	32

* This watershed will not be included in the analysis for the proposed Tower Fire Rehabilitation Projects EIS due to the small number of acres that were burned by the fire.

    Burned Area Emergency Rehabilitation (BAER) was completed in 1996 and 1997 to provide short-term mitigation of the fire's effects through seeding, dead tree felling along the contour to trap eroding soil, resizing or removal of culverts and installation of drain dips on roads, and reinstallation of drainage controls and log trailbed supports on trails. These measures were implemented on high risk areas within the fire perimeter (high burn intensity, steep slopes, and erodible soils) to reduce the likelihood of damage to life and property.
    Next, Umatilla National Forest managers (using input from resource specialists, scientists, and the public) developed an overall strategy for continuing post-fire recovery efforts in the burned area. At the same time, an ecosystem analysis at the watershed scale was conducted for the Tower Fire area (“Tower Fire Ecosystem Analysis”) and this was completed in January of 1997. This analysis was also key in developing the recovery strategy and proposed rehabilitation projects because it characterizes the physical and biological condition of the area, lists issues and key questions, compares current resource conditions to reference conditions, and identifies resource protection and restoration measures.
    Based on the Tower Fire Ecosystem Analysis and the existing condition of the analysis area, the North Fork John Day District initiated five staged projects (Hairy Hazard Tree CE, Tower Fire Salvage EA, Big Tower Salvage and Revegetation Project EA, South Tower Fire Recovery Projects EA, and Cable Fire Recovery Project EA) to improve public safety within the area, salvage value from fire-killed timber, and to prevent long-term degradation of the ecosystem.
    In January 1998, the Big Tower Fire Recovery Projects Decision Notice and Environmental Assessment was challenged in court. The Federal District Court upheld the project decision and the three salvage sales associated with the Big Tower Salvage and Revegetation Projects were sold and awarded in the Spring of 1998. The court was petitioned for a stay of implementation, but the stay was denied and activities associated with the Big Tower Salvage and Revegetation Projects began.
    The District Court's decision was then appealed and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the decision on November 5, ordering the Umatilla to “...halt all logging, road building and other ground disturbing activities within the Tower Fire Area...until further order of the court.” The court also instructed the Forest Service to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for any further projects within the entire Tower Fire. All activities on the three timber sales associated with the Big Tower Salvage and Revegetation Projects as well as the Hairy Hazard Tree Sale (which was to remove hazard trees along open roads) were stopped. At the time of the halt order, 19 million board feet of the 26 million board feet of timber sold had been cut and removed from three of the four timber sales. Other restoration activities (such as revegetation) were also halted pending further direction from the court. Completion of this EIS and associated decisions will allow watershed restoration projects to be implemented.