Summary

The Forest Service has established National Planning Service Centers (PSC). PSC helps support the agency’s 2012 Planning Rule as part of the Forest Plan revision process. The evaluation of rivers and streams for potential as Wild and Scenic Rivers is required as part of the agency planning activities. By establishing PCS to support and streamline Forest plan revision processes, the agency will leverage standardized repeatable data, processes, and consistency. 

Problem and Solution

The Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers (WWSR) Team is looking to establish a national agency wide dataset. This dataset can be used as a baseline for streams, rivers, and the adjacent areas potentially suitable for inclusion. Particularly, FS needs to perform an inventory of streams and rivers across Forests and Grasslands. Consequently, this would create a common base dataset. This project sought to create this dataset to serve as a standardized approach or “base line” used in supporting the agency’s plan revision process. This required evaluation of rivers and streams for consideration of inclusion for Wild and Scenic River statuses.

Xentity is conducting 40 inventories for National Forests and Grasslands. They are also conducting data discovery and asessing project source data. Following the assessment, Xentity will define inventory workflow. Specific solutions include generating a representation of potential rivers and streams on agency lands. All of which is based on named USGS topographic quads based on authoritative Forest Service or other agency data located in the Forest Service Data Center. Also, Xentity is adjusting and classifying segments. To do this, they are using attributes to indicate the state of the river segment (either free or non free flowing). Furthermore, indicating the beginning and end points of each river segment. Finally, generating an associated area for streams and rivers at quarter mile (.25) on either side of the river.

Outcome and Benefit

Creation of the data inventories will provide an initial estimate of potential areas which could be considered and allows PSC and Forest staff the ability to model and analyze this data as part of the plan revision process. A GIS feature class of named river segments will be created. This feature will include attributes identifying whether the segment is free or non-free flowing. Xentity is also delivering point data indicating the beginning and end of stream segments. Finally, they are providing a polygon for free flowing segments to a quarter mile on both sides of the river on FS land.