WILDLIFE 



CUMULATIVB EFFECTS 



• Cumulative E^ffectn qfJVo-^lction *1lternative 

 .Ion Wildlife 



Currently, no other activities are 

 under consideration within the 

 bald eagle home range. 



Road access to the grizzly bear 

 subunits would not change, nor 

 would security cover, hiding 

 cover, and spring habitat quality. 



Recruitment of new denning habitat 

 for Canada lynx is possible as 

 stands age; however, reductions in 

 foraging habitat are also 

 anticipated as stands age. 



Disturbance to gray wolves would 

 not be expected to change. As 

 previously harvested areas 

 regenerate, a slight decrease in 

 big game forage would reduce prey 

 availability. 



Fisher denning and resting 

 habitats would be retained. 

 Landscape connectivity through 

 riparian buffers would persist. 

 Disturbance levels would not be 

 expected to change . 



Pileated woodpecker foraging and 

 nesting habitats would improve 

 through time. 



Big game thermal cover and snow 

 intercept would not be altered. 

 Reduced forage production is 

 anticipated. No change in elk 

 security would be expected. 



• Cumiilalice ^ffectn qf, Iclion . Ilternative B on 

 intfllife 



Proposed activities would not 

 reduce the potential nesting or 

 perching habitats for bald eagles. 

 Eagles using the Upper Stillwater 

 territory are expected to benefit 

 from the road restrictions 

 associated with another current 

 timber sale. 



Long-term road access in the 

 grizzly bear subunits would not 

 change; timber harvesting would 

 use a combination of harvesting 



along open roads, winter logging, 

 and intense road use for short 

 durations to minimize impacts to 

 grizzly bears. No changes in 

 security cover are anticipated. 

 Reductions in hiding cover would 

 be additive to ongoing and past 

 timber sales. 



No further reductions in Canada 

 lynx foraging and denning habitats 

 are expected. Foraging habitats 

 created by past timber sales would 

 decline in quality through time as 

 they age. Lynx use should not be 

 impacted. 



Slight shifts in big game use are 

 anticipated. Landscape 

 connectivity for gray wolves would 

 be maintained. No substantive 

 change in gray wolf use of 

 Stillwater State Forest is 

 expected. 



The reduction of fisher denning 

 habitat by 172 acres would be 

 additive to the loss of 167 acres 

 during the Good/Long/Boyle Timber 

 Sale Project and 5 97 acres during 

 the Taylor South Timber Sale 

 Project. Landscape connectivity 

 through riparian buffers would 

 persist. Human disturbance levels 

 would not be expected to change in 

 the long term. 



The opening of the canopy on 939 

 acres would be additive to 

 pileated woodpecker habitat loss 

 associated with past harvesting. 



Thermal cover for elk would be 

 reduced. Increased forage 

 production in harvest units and 

 other harvested areas would 

 benefit wintering elk. The 

 proposed harvesting would reduce 

 elk security by removing some 

 hiding cover along open roads . 

 This would be additive to past 

 harvests. Hunter access would be 

 unchanged . 



Chapter Ill-Existing Environment and Environmental Consequences page III-17 



