Tongass National Forest

Currently there are no specific Standards and Guidelines in the Forest Plan for rare plants as there are for sensitive plants. Protection of rare plant habitat is usually accomplished through project specific planning and implementation. Rare plant habitat is usually addressed in plant resource reports.

The Tongass bases their rare plant list on the State rare plant list that includes global ranking. There are some Tongass exceptions to the State rare plant list such as the bog cranberry that doesn’t occur throughout the State but is common in Southeast Alaska.

The Forest Plan is intended to be permissive and adaptive. Projects that could affect rare plants need to consider them along with other resource objectives and values to the degree to support reasoned decision making. If a project has the potential to affect individual plants or local populations, such affects need to be considered appropriately in project design, effects analysis, mitigation, if necessary, and appropriate project specific monitoring. Include documentation in NEPA analysis that effects of rare plant species have been considered, as applicable. It is important to define why a plant is considered rare as that can influence how much flexibility we have in project implementation. For example, if a plant is considered rare because we do not have a lot of information on it could be different than one that is considered rare enough (or at a high risk) to be considered a candidate for sensitive status or higher.

The strategy is to continue to deal with rare plant habitat as appropriate to support informed decision making at the project level. If desired, rare plant standard and guideline language could be prepared, reviewed, and added to the Plan with a future site specific NEPA decision. Note that such an amendment would be forest-wide and proper public and forest-wide internal disclosure and review would be necessary. Include discussion of rare plants along with sensitive and TES plants in the Forest Plan Refresher Training.

• Forest Ecologist
• Forest Planner
• Project ID Team

• Consider interim direction for dealing with rare plant species in Forest Plan Refresher Training.