FINDING 



PROPOSED DOG MEADOW TIMBER SALE PROJECT 



STILLWATER STATE FOREST 



An interdisciplinary team (ID Team) has completed the Environmental Assessment 

 (EA) for the proposed Dog Meadow Timber Sale Project. 



After a thorough review of the EA, project file, public correspondence. 

 Department policies and standards, and the State Forest Land Management Plan 

 (SFLMP) , I have made the following 3 decisions: 



1. ALTERNATIVE SELECTED - Action Alternative B 



Two alternatives are presented and were fully analyzed in the EA: 



• No-Action Alternative A, includes existing activities, but does not 

 include a timber sale. 



• Action Alternative B proposes harvesting approximately 8.5 million board 

 feet (MMBF) of timber over an estimated 939 acres; builds roughly .3 

 mile of short, temporary jump-up and extension roads, which will be 

 reclaimed after harvesting activities are completed; and interplants 

 western larch, rust-resistant western white pine, and a small number of 

 ponderosa pine in the areas that will be harvested. 



I have selected Action Alternative B with the requirement that mitigations 

 and specifications identified in the EA will be implemented as prescribed. 



Alternative B has been selected for the following reasons: 



• Action Alternative B meets the Purpose of Action and the specific 

 project objectives listed on pages I-l and 1-2 of the EA. 



• The analyses of identified issues did not reveal information to persuade 

 the Department to choose the No-Action Alternative prior to this 

 decision. 



• Action Alternative B includes adjustments, modifications, mitigations, 

 and activities to address concerns expressed by the public, including, 

 but not limited to: 



1) The project was designed to minimize impacts to commercial revenue- 

 generating activities, primarily winter recreational -use operations, 

 within the project area by limiting winter hauling to 1 year on 

 roads permitted for commercial winter recreational use. 



2) Harvesting will concentrate in areas dominated by tree species most 

 susceptible to insect and disease problems (subalpine fir, grand 

 fir, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, and severely mistletoe-infected 

 western larch) . 



3) Stands classified as old growth were avoided. 



4) Concerns over clearcutting were addressed by implementing design 

 features to reduce the size and impact of openings, and provide 

 buffers between roads and harvest units. 



5) Natural spatial distributions and spatial patterns were considered 

 on a landscape scale for placement of harvest units. 



-1- 



