10 



Allotropa virgata plants may have been browsed by 

 ungulates but the significance of this is unclear. 



2. TIMBER HARVESTING: Several of the current locations of 

 Allotropa virgata are within proposed timber sales. 

 Since Allotropa virgata is dependent, through an 

 intervening fungus, on the continued existence of 

 living canopy trees, timber harvest is a serious to the 

 plant. 



MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND RESPONSE: Removal of trees, either 

 by harvesting or stand-replacing fire, upon which Allotropa 

 virgata is dependent would likely result in a loss of 

 populations, since other mycotrophic species have been 

 observed to recede from the edges of logged or burned areas 

 (Castellano 1990) . Allotropa virgata would likely survive 

 less severe fires that leave the canopy trees essentially 

 intact because it has a deep-seated rootstock. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MAINTAINING VIABLE POPULATIONS: The 

 following recommendations are made to ensure that the long- 

 term viability of Allotropa virgata populations is 

 maintained on U.S. Forest Service land in Montana. 



1. Protection of natural habitats that currently support 

 Allotropa virgata populations . Management plans on the 

 Bitterroot and Deerlodge National Forests should take 

 all known populations into consideration and prevent 

 disturbance of the sites. 



2. Notification of U.S. Forest Service personnel of sites 

 on U.S. Forest Service lands . To prevent inadvertent 

 impacts on currently known sites, personnel involved in 

 planning activities should be provided with detailed 

 information on the location of Allotropa virgata 

 populations. It is especially important that timber 

 sale managers and engineers at the Ranger District 

 level know of these locations so that disturbance can 

 be prevented. 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT: 



1. Further field surveys of potential habitats . Surveys in 

 1991 located additional populations in both Montana 

 (section V) and Idaho (Lichthardt and Mancuso 1991) . 

 Additional surveys should be made in portions of the 

 Beaverhead, Bitterroot, and Deerlodge National Forests. 



2 . Establish and continue monitoring studies to assess 

 population condition and status . Several monitoring 



