Pocatello, ID: Without considering economics, which alternative would result in greatest environmental health?
Overall the Preferred Alternative (Alternative 4) would provide greater resilience to stresses such as wildfire, insects and disease, and noxious weeds; it is most responsive to rangeland health issues and needs; and it is one of the highest ranked in improving aquatic and riparian health. While Alternative 6 is higher for aquatic/riparian, it is lower for rangeland, forest, and landscape health. Figures EC1 through EC10 at the end of Chapter 3 provide a comparative ranking of all alternatives for different measures or evaluation criteria of ecosystem health other than economics. The alternatives rank differently for each measure. For example, Alternative 4 ranks highest for forest health and natural disturbance processes, amount of watershed and riparian restoration acres, short-term and long-term landscape health, improved habitat outcomes for certain wildlife species based on snags and downed wood standards, improvement of habitat for bald eagles, and long-term environmental risk re
