IV. IMPACTS, BOTH BENEFICIAL AND ADVERSE 



A. Forest Stand 



The proposed Upper Stryker Ridge timber sale will be a major develop- 

 ment activity which will utilize a portion of the existing timber volume and 

 initiate more intensive timber management practices on this area. Existing 

 timber stands, for the most part, consist of mature to overmature trees of de- 

 clining vigor. As a result, these stands have an annual growth loss, due to 

 various natural causes, that is greater than the annual increment. Stated 

 another way, both the average merchantable board foot volume per acre and 

 the total volume which is readily available from within the area are presently 

 declining. The Upper Stryker Ridge sale is the initial step in reversing this 

 trend by replacing a portion of the present stands with young vigorous stands. 



Access roads provide the land manager with the opportunity to utilize 

 and intensify his management of the timber resource. The road system 

 planned for the Upper Stryker Ridge area has been designed not only to 

 implement the sale, but to permit and facilitate future management actions. 

 For example, the existence of a suitable road system will allow both salvage 

 and timber stand improvement practices, neither of which is presently possible 

 on those portions of the area which drain to the southwest and into Dog Creek. 



B. Recreation 



Improved and extended road access provided by this sale will also per- 

 mit increased recreational use of the area. Recreational driving, hunting and 

 berry picking are expected to increase somewhat as a result of this sale. 

 Annual adverse snow conditions are such that the very limited snowmobile use 

 of this area is not expected to increase. 



C. Aesthetic 



The type and degree of aesthetic impact which might be expected to re- 

 sult from this sale will depend principally on the time of year and the loca- 

 tion and attitude of the observer. A view of the general sale area from a dis- 

 tance of approximately 2.5 miles is possible from U. S. Highway 93 (see photo 

 2, Appendix B) . However, due to the design of the harvest units, the location of 

 both harvest units and roads, and the low angle of view, the overall result is 

 not anticipated to be visually displeasing. Special care has been taken to 

 minimize adverse aesthetic impacts by establishing small, harvest units with 

 irregular boundaries and which take advantage of the existing topography, 

 and by capitalizing upon the screening effect provided by areas which are 

 not designated for harvest. For example, roads were purposely located on 

 benches and existing vegetation below roads left undisturbed where possible. 



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