United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southwestern Region tp-r3-16-26

Project Risk Assessments

A field reconnaissance of the project site should be made to determine the presence of invasive plants prior to project implementation. Before ground-disturbing activities begin, onsite weed infestations should be inventoried and prioritized for treatment in project operating areas and along access routes. The field reconnaissance should include inspection of potential off-site areas such as gravel pits, equipment yards, or similar disturbed areas for invasive weeds that could contribute to infestations on NFS lands in conjunction with the proposed project. Local records of the Forest Service, County/State weed boards, etc. may also be consulted to determine whether noxious or invasive weeds have been sighted in or are adjacent to the project area. For NEPA-level projects, a sample design should be used in the reconnaissance to show that possible areas for invasive plant occurrence were adequately searched at the proper time of year for species identification. Reconnaissance findings for a NEPA-level project should be documented in the NEPA document. All sightings on invasive weed species should also be reported to the local Forest Service unit, County and/or State weed agencies, and other affected parties.

Proposed project areas should be rated in regard to relative risk for invasive plant establishment. A site assessment for a NEPA-level project should prescribe project actions necessary to reduce or prevent spread of invasive weeds where the risk of invasive plant establishment is moderate to high. Risk ratings of none, low, moderate, or high may be used to describe information for further action regarding project modification or implementation. A brief summary of factors that can be used to describe the likelihood of invasive weed establishment into a proposed project area along with management actions necessary for remediation are shown in table 4 below.

In general, sites with Class A, B, or E species present will probably require a higher level of management actions and monitoring due to potential high risk from weed establishment as compared to sites with only Class C species present. A project plan should be developed with preventative measures to reduce the risk of establishing these invasive weeds into the project area if the project area has a moderate or high risk rating.