Service Description: This dataset displays the Scenic Integrity Objectives for the Chugach National Forest.
This dataset was used for geospatial analysis and/or cartographic production during the revision process of the USDA Forest Service, Chugach National Forest’s managment plan
This dataset was updated due to the Trinity Point Administrative Change signed 10/27/2020
The Chugach National Forest acquired a total of 252 acres around the area of Portage Pass on 3/15/2022. Updates were made to the dataset on 01/25/2023 as a result of an Administrative Change for the land acquired.
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Description: Regulations governing NFS land and resource management planning includes requirements for consideration, treatment, and protection of intangible resources, such as scenery and aesthetics. The Forest Service uses the Scenery Management System to fulfill these requirements. The scenery management system provides a systematic approach for determining the relative value of scenery on NFS lands and was used in this analysis to inventory and evaluate socially valued scenery. This system of analysis supports conservation of other ecosystem values, including recreation setting, sense of place, and quality of life. Indirect and cumulative effects: The spatial scale for indirect effects of scenery management includes the Chugach National Forest and areas outside of its boundary. The spatial scale for cumulative effects extends to some locations outside of the national forest because the land management decisions of neighboring land owners can influence the viewsheds of national forest landscapes. Landscape character defines a sense of place and describes the image or overall impression of a geographical area. It is a description of the landscape that combines objective physical and biological elements with human elements valued for their aesthetic appeal. The attributes identified provide the frame of reference for defining the scenic attractiveness classes and existing scenic integrity of the landscape by showing what makes each landscape identifiable or unique. There are eight landscape characters for the Chugach National Forest. Each of the landscape characters are unique, both visually and culturally, and they tend to correspond to ecosystem subsections for Alaska. Certain cultural attributes may result in deviations from subsections as cultural attributes do not necessarily follow physiographic boundaries. Each landscape will be described using physical, biological, and cultural attributes to describe the characteristic elements. While each landscape character of the Chugach National Forest has unique characteristics that differentiate one from another, they all share one common characteristic: they all have large areas with a very high wow factor. The wow factor is an observed measure of people’s reactions or response when they view a landscape. It works for first-time viewers and repeat viewers equally well. It is the emotional reaction, easily observed in people, when they come around a bend in the road, enter a bay, or react as a view unfolds. While not scientifically based, decades of observing people viewing the landscapes of the Chugach National Forest shows this to be an accurate measure. The eight landscape characters of the national forest (geographic area in parenthesis) follow and they establish the framework for all following steps in the Scenery Management System process: 1. Turnagain Arm (Kenai Peninsula) 2. Central Kenai Mountains (Kenai Peninsula) 3. Maritime Kenai (Kenai Peninsula) 4. Prince William Sound Fiords (Prince William Sound) 5. Prince William Sound Islands (Prince William Sound) 6. Copper Mountain (Prince William Sound) 7. Copper/Bering Rivers (Copper River Delta) 8. Tasnuna/Wernicke Rivers (Copper River Delta) The landscape characters are predominately physical and biological with little influence from human cultural attributes. Only the landscape characters on the Kenai Peninsula have any significant cultural influence from human activities. The valued attributes of the landscape character description are used as a frame of reference for determining the existing scenic integrity level. Scenic integrity level indicates the degree of intactness and wholeness of the landscape character, and helps locate and rank areas in need of scenic rehabilitation. It serves as a benchmark for monitoring landscapes to assess changes associated with planned management activities. Conversely, scenic integrity level is a measure of the degree of visible disruption of landscape character. A landscape with very minimal visual disruption is considered to have high scenic integrity level. Landscapes with increasingly incompatible relationships among scenic attributes are viewed as having diminished scenic integrity level. Five terms are used to describe the levels of existing scenic integrity in this 2019 land management plan: Very high: the valued landscape character is intact with only minute deviations if any. The existing landscape character and sense of place is expressed at the highest possible level. High: the valued landscape character appears intact. Deviations may be present but must repeat the form, line, color, texture, and pattern common to the landscape character so that they are not evident. Moderate: the valued landscape character appears slightly altered. Noticeable deviations must remain visually subordinate to the landscape character being viewed. Low: the valued landscape character appears moderately altered. Deviations begin to dominate the valued landscape character being viewed, but they borrow valued attributes, such as size, shape, edge effect, and pattern of natural openings, changes in vegetation types, or architectural styles outside the landscape being viewed. They should not only appear as valued character outside the landscape being viewed, but compatible or complementary to the character within. Very low: the valued landscape character appears heavily altered. Deviations may strongly dominate the valued landscape character. They may not borrow from valued attributes such, as size, shape, edge effect, pattern of natural openings, changes in vegetation type, or architectural styles within or outside the landscape being viewed. However, deviations must be shaped by and blend with the natural terrain so that elements that include unnatural edges, roads, landings, and structures do not dominate the composition. The Chugach National Forest mostly includes landscapes with a very high level of scenic integrity. Noticeable deviations in the landscape character are concentrated along the existing travelways of the Kenai Peninsula and are associated with years of road construction and reconstruction. Additionally, the high voltage transmission line paralleling the Seward Highway reduces the scenic integrity in certain locations when viewed from the Seward Highway. In Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta, the landscape has few signs of human intervention and is predominantly of very high scenic integrity. The exception is lands recently acquired from the Native village corporations of Tatitlek and Eyak. These lands have been noticeably altered through significant timber harvest activities and have very low scenic integrity. This dataset was used for geospatial analysis and/or cartographic production during the revision process of the USDA Forest Service, Chugach National Forest’s Land Management Plan. The data were compiled from multiple sources and the USFS makes no guarantees about the accuracy or completeness of the data.
Trinity Point Administrative Change edits on 04/2020: The purpose of an administrative change is to correct a clerical error in mapping. Due to the mapping error, approximately 35 acres of National Forest System (NFS) Lands in Trinity Point, on the southside of Passage Canal near the city of Whittier, were not assigned to a management area (MA), a recreation opportunity spectrum (ROS) class, or a scenic integrity objective (SIO). Corrections to the mapping error provides an additional 35 acres of NFS lands.
Portage Pass Land Acquisition Administrative Change edits 01/23/2023- 01/27/2023: Integrated the newly acquired land parcel (approximately 252 acres) around the area of Portage pass, just before the city of Whittier. Parcel data was extracted from ALP land data and added to necessary Forest Plan layers. The parcel was either clipped from or copy and pasted to each impacted layer and categorized based on NEPA lead decision. Approximately 252 acres were added to the following layers: Management Areas (MA), Inventoried roadless Area, Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROC), Scenic Integrity Objectives (SIO), Land Type Association (LTA), Land Status, and Chugach NF Lands. 252 acres were omitted from Non-National Forest
Copyright Text: USDA Forest Service
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