04. Updated Forest Mitigation Agreement with the Metro Flood Diversion Authority

1 Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project Forest Mitigation Plan April 2023 1. Background The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Civil Works Program mitigates for all significant resources adversely affected by Corps projects. For the Fargo Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project (FMM Project) this includes impacts to riparian, floodplain, and upland forest areas. The current Project design is expected to result in approximately 148.7 acres of forest impacts. These impacted forest areas are composed of mostly floodplain forests, shelterbelts, and wooded groves near building sites. 2. Document Purpose This document addresses the mitigation requirements for all forest impacts associated with the construction of the FMM Project. The document identifies forest mitigation sites, planting strategies, monitoring requirements, performance standards, and long-term management goals. The Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Flood Risk Management Project Forest Mitigation Plan (FMM Forest Mitigation Plan) is a living document and will be updated if additional forest impacts due to the Project occur, or if additional opportunities for forest mitigation arise. Changes to the FMM Forest Mitigation Plan would require consensus recommendation from the Forest Management Team and the Adaptive Management Team, using the process described in the Adaptive Management and Mitigation Plan (AMMP) for the Project. 3. Determination of Mitigation Needs & Objectives As described in the AMMP, some forested areas would need to be cleared for construction of the Project. Forested areas impacted by construction of Project features total 148.7 acres for the current design. The Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) outlined a habitat evaluation process for existing floodplain forest in the Project area, which identified a habitat suitability factor of 0.51. This suitability factor is assumed to not have changed as no major changes have occurred in the area related to forest composition or structure that would result in appreciable alteration of that suitability factor. Thus, 0.51 is applied to the acres impacted to identify the habitat units for lost forest habitat and the targeted amount for mitigation. In terms of habitat conditions over the next 50 years, woodland extent, structure, and composition is assumed to remain fairly similar to existing conditions. While habitat value for individual species may change over time as natural setback/succession processes occur on