Cumulative Effects 



• Cumulative L^fects qfJWo-Jlction Alternative 

 »1 on Covertypes 



Given continued fire suppression 

 and ongoing mortality of western 

 white pine from white pine blister 

 rust, No-Action Alternative A 

 would add to the trend of an 

 increase of shade-tolerant tree 

 species in the analysis area and a 

 decrease in the amount of western 

 white pine. 



• Cumulative mjectjs qf. Iction Alternative Ji on 

 Covertypeit 



In addition to the changes in 

 covertype from the proposed action 

 are other timber sale projects 

 that have been initiated, but not 

 completed; therefore, their 

 effects are not represented in the 

 SLI. These projects would 

 probably increase the amount of 

 the western larch/Douglas-fir 

 covertype by 3 percent over the 

 analysis area and, subsequently, 

 reduce the amount of area in the 

 mixed-conifer and supalpine fir 

 covertypes by 3 percent. The 

 Stillwater State Forests 

 precommercial thinning program 

 thins 200 to 500 acres of sapling 

 stands a year. The thinnings 

 often favor the retention of 

 western larch and western white 

 pine covertypes and, in some 

 cases, the Douglas fir covertype. 

 The cumulative effect is a trend 

 toward serai covertypes in areas 

 where recent forest-management 

 activities have taken place. 



AGE-ChASS DISTRIBUTION 



Direct Effects 



• Direct mj'ects ofJVo-. Iction . Alternative . 1 on 

 »1ge-Cla.s.s DistrHmtion 



No direct effects on age classes 

 within timber stands in the 

 analysis area would occur with No- 

 Action Alternative A. 



• Direct mfccts of Action . Ilternative on Ji Age- 

 ClaJts Distriltution 



Action Alternative B proposes 

 harvest treatments that would 

 create openings within stands, 

 though, in most cases, some mature 

 trees would be retained; the 

 stands within the openings would 

 likely be converted to a O-to-39- 

 year age class. Overall, an 

 estimated 614 acres of 40-to-99- 

 year, lOO-to-old-stand, and old- 

 stand age classes would be 

 converted to the O-to-39-year age 

 class. Approximately 67 percent 

 of the harvested area would be 

 converted to the O-to-39-year age 

 class. 



Indirect Effects 



• Indirect F^ectn ofJK'o-^tction Alternative A 

 on Age'Claxft Di»trihution 



Over time, with natural forest 

 succession and continued fire 

 suppression, the age-class 

 distribution between stands would 

 become somewhat homogeneous, 

 trending toward older age classes. 



• Indirect H^ectn of» Iction , 'Ilternative Ji on 

 Age-Cla)tH Ditttrittution 



With the proposed harvest 

 treatments, the project area would 

 contain a mosaic of stand 

 structures, including single- 

 storied, two-storied, and 

 multistoried conditions. The 

 openings created would be typical 

 of mixed-severity fires and large 

 portions of the area would be 

 typical of stand-replacing fires. 



Cumulative Effects 



• Cumulative IJ^ects ofJVo-, Iction . Ilternative 

 , I and Action Alternative B on Age Cla»s 



In addition to the changes in age- 

 class distribution from the 

 proposed action, other timber sale 

 projects have been initiated, but 

 have not been completed, so their 

 effects are not represented in the 

 SLI. These projects are estimated 

 to increase the amount of area in 

 the O-to-39-year age class by 



Page C-8 



Dog/Meadow Timber Sale Project Draft EA 



