§ 1093.2. Contents of Road Management Plan.

The Road Management Plan shall, at a minimum, contain the following information:

(a) Name and Address of timber and timberland owner(s).

(b) Ownership(s) description and location, including legal descriptions (by Township, Range and Section) and a regional map depicting the ownership(s) and Road Management Units covered by the RMP.

(c) The RMP shall contain a goals and objectives element, an evaluation element, an operational element, a verification element, and an adaptive management element.

(1) The goals and objectives element shall include at least the following:

(A) A description of the timberland owner's long-term road planning process and objectives.

(B) The timberland owner's desired future conditions, performance standards, and priorities for the road system and for the beneficial uses of water and other resources needed to attain the objectives of the RMP.

(C) The identification of any additional permitting requirements that the submitter proposes to satisfy through the RMP.

(D) A description of the Road Management Unit including maps clearly depicting the following information:

1. The ownership boundaries of the area covered by the RMP.

2. The location of existing or proposed roads known at the time of RMP submission.

Maps shall be topographic, at a scale and detail sufficient to allow the Director to evaluate the area covered by the RMP, and may be provided in electronic format.

(2) The evaluation element shall contain at least the following information:

(A) A general description of the watersheds covered by the RMP including information on soils, topography, vegetation, the condition of the watersheds, and the condition of the watercourses and lakes within the watersheds. This description shall include the current and historic road system as it pertains to sediment production, delivery to, and transport within watercourses and lakes, and the effect of sediment on the beneficial uses of water and other resources.

(B) Identification of significant constraints associated with the road system within the Road Management Unit or planning watershed which may include, but are not limited to, cultural, biological, economic, geographical, geological, legal, and social constraints.

(C) An inventory and assessment of the road system shall be conducted. If an inventory has not been completed, the RMP shall include a prioritized schedule for completion of the inventory. At a minimum, the inventory and assessment shall be complete for the area encompassed in the plan to which the RMP is appended. The inventory and assessment shall include the following:

1. A brief description of the method used to do the inventory and assessment.

2. An inventory of permanent, seasonal and temporary roads, landings, crossings, and historic roads. The inventory shall include a description of roads within each Road Management Unit, and road system maps at a scale sufficient to clearly show the classification of all roads and their location relative to the beneficial uses of water and other resources that may be affected by roads and landings. The scale of the map shall be specified in the RMP and approved by the Director.

3. An assessment of the road system related to location, condition, trend, and sensitivity of beneficial uses of water and other resources that may be affected by roads and landings. The assessment shall include:

a. The road surface drainage network including watercourse crossings and their relationship to the natural hydrologic system.

b. The ability of permanent watercourse crossings to accommodate the 100-year flood flow, including debris and sediment loads.

c. The ability of permanent watercourse crossings to accommodate fish passage at all life stages.

d. The location and identification of known sediment source sites related to inventoried roads, landings, and drainage structures directly associated with watercourses and lakes.

e. The identification of any known unstable areas and unstable soils associated with roads or in close proximity to roads.

f. The evaluation of other constraints identified in subsection (2)(B) above as they affect the RMP.

4. The prioritization of any proposed maintenance, repair, improvement or abandonment of individual components of the overall road system. The road management priorities shall include clear and logical links to the stated objectives and evaluation findings.

a. Road-related sediment sources, including but not limited to road segments and specific road points, shall be prioritized as “High”, “Medium”, and “Low”. The prioritization shall take into account volume of materials that could be delivered to a watercourse or lake, proximity to a watercourse or lake (delivery hazard), and watercourse or lake classification (resource vulnerability).

5. Creation of a treatment schedule for sediment source priority areas.

a. Highest priority sites shall be addressed in the shortest time frame practicable. To the extent possible, treatment of lower priority areas shall be coordinated with treatment of higher priority areas.

6. Prioritization of drainage facilities and structures not currently facilitating passage for all life stages of fish.

7. Creation of a schedule for modification of drainage facilities and structures not currently facilitating passage for all life stages of fish.

(D) An evaluation of significant environmental effects that may result from the proposed actions described in the RMP shall be conducted.

(E) An analysis of cumulative effects shall be conducted in conformance with 14 CCR §§ 898, 912.9 [932.9,952.9] and Technical Rule Addendum No. 2.

(3) The operational element shall, at a minimum, address proposed road management operations, stated time frames for actions, clear lines of responsibility for implementation, and schedules to be implemented in a plan, including:

(A) A road construction, reconstruction and use component to ensure that operations occur on a stable operating surface that does not produce sediment in quantities sufficient to cause a visible increase in turbidity of downstream waters in receiving Class I, II, III or IV waters or would violate Water Quality Requirements. This component shall include, at a minimum, restrictions for wet weather operations, surfacing objectives, and provisions for water drafting.

(B) A road maintenance and inspection component that includes a description of erosion control and soil stabilization treatments that may be used under the RMP.

(C) A road improvement component, including proposed actions or treatments and an implementation schedule as provided in subsections (2)(C) 4. and 5. above.

(D) A road abandonment component, if proposed, including provisions for closure and access control.

(E) Contingency plans for addressing emergencies as defined by 14 CCR § 15359.

(F) Actions consistent with the California Forest Practice Rules for Logging Roads and Landings, Title 14, Subchapters 4, 5 & 6, Article 12 [Article 11. Northern District]. The RPF may propose an exception to a standard rule as provided in Article 12 [Article 11. Northern District] to achieve identified goals and objectives where the exception provides equal protection to water quality and minimizes soil erosion.

(4) The verification element shall include the procedures and schedule to be used to:

(A) Monitor implementation of, and verify compliance with, the operational provisions of the RMP.

(B) Monitor the effectiveness and progress of the plan's operational element in achieving the RMP's stated goals and objectives. Such provisions may include evaluation by the RMP submitter and evaluation of affected areas with representative conditions.

(C) Report monitoring and evaluation information developed through subsections (4)(A) and (B) above to the Department on an annual basis or as specified in the RMP and as approved by the Director.

(5) The adaptive management element shall include:

(A) The criteria used to determine when to update and revise the RMP based on new information, scientific reports and data, new legal requirements, monitoring results, and changing environmental conditions.

(B) The process to implement changes to the RMP resulting from new information, scientific reports and data, new legal requirements, monitoring results, and changing environmental conditions.

(C) The method to be used to monitor the progress toward achieving the RMP's goals and objectives pursuant to subsection (4)(C) above.

HISTORY

1. New section filed 11-29-2007; operative 1-1-2008 pursuant to Public Resources Code section 4554.5(a) (Register 2007, No. 48).

2. Amendment of subsection (c)(3)(A) filed 11-19-2010; operative 1-1-2011 pursuant to Public Resources Code section 4554.5(a) (Register 2010, No. 47).

Note

Note: Authority cited: Sections 4551, 4551.5, 4553, 4562.7 and 21000(g), Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections 751, 4512, 4513, 4551, 4551.5, 4562.5, 4562.7, 21000 and 21001, Public Resources Code; Sections 100, 1243 and 13050(f), Water Code; Sections 1600 and 5650(c), Fish and Game Code; and NRDC v. Arcata National Corp. (1976) 59 Cal. App. 3d 959, 131 Cal. Rptr. 172.