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A NEPA Strategy for Early Detection/Rapid Response.

Rochelle Desser, TEAMS Enterprise, P.O. Box 687, O’Brien, OR, 97534; 541-596-2453; resser@fs.fed.us

Invasive plant populations are dynamic – their rate and/or direction of spread cannot be precisely predicted.  They can be introduced, established or spread into new areas during the time typically needed to complete Forest Service National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis for invasive plant treatment, especially if herbicide use is proposed.  The early detection/rapid response NEPA approach uses the current infestation as a basis for treatment effects analysis.  Project design criteria are established to ensure that effects of future treatments are within the range of those disclosed for treating the current infestation.  The NEPA approach clarifies the process for ensuring that project design criteria are appropriately applied through annual implementation planning and adaptive management over time.  Incorporating a specific approach for early detection/rapid response into site-specific NEPA documents will facilitate the Forest Service’s ability to control new infestations while they are small and when effects can be minimized.