from 3,200 to 5,800 feet in 

 elevation, with several perennial 

 streams. Along the 8 miles of 

 perennial streams in the proposed 

 project area, 296 acres are 

 riparian buffer areas that would 

 be retained as potential fisher 

 habitat. Western larch/Douglas - 

 fir and mixed-conifer habitat 

 types dominate these areas. These 

 areas likely provide resting and 

 denning habitats in addition to 

 travel corridors and landscape 

 connectivity. Potential denning 

 habitat exists on 1,060 acres 

 within the proposed project area. 



Trapping is a significant source 

 of fisher mortality. Fishers are 

 easily caught in traps set for 

 martens, bobcats, and coyotes 

 {Powell and Zielinski 1994) , and 

 trapping density is generally tied 

 to road density. Currently, open 

 roads total approximately 1 mile 

 within these riparian buffers, so 

 human disturbance and potential 

 trapping mortality are fairly low 

 within the proposed project area. 



Cumulative effects were analyzed 

 on the State portions of the 

 Stryker and Lazy Creek Grizzly 

 Bear Management Subunits . 



Direct aiid Indirect Effects 



• Direct and Indirect li^'ectn qfj\o-^1ction 

 . Ilternntice »1 on Pi»lter» 



No effects to fishers would be 

 expected under this alternative. 

 Little change to the stands 

 providing fisher denning and 

 foraging habitats would be 

 expected. Habitats that are 

 conducive to fisher denning and 

 travel may improve due to 

 increased tree growth and canopy 

 closure; however, foraging 

 opportunities may decline due to 

 the lack of diversity in habitat 

 such as edge and younger age- 

 class stands. No changes are 

 anticipated to the 1,060 acres 

 of potential denning habitat 

 within the proposed project 

 area. Human disturbance and 



potential trapping mortality 

 would expect to remain similar 

 to current levels. 



• Direct and Indirect ^ff'ectn qf.lction 

 .Alternative II on Pinhern 



Under this action alternative, 

 riparian habitats along the 

 perennial streams in the 

 proposed project area would 

 largely be unaffected. 

 Harvesting would occur in 172 

 acres of the 1,060 acres of 

 potential fisher denning habitat 

 in Units 2, 11, and 12. Fisher 

 resting habitat might also be 

 slightly reduced due to the 

 proposed overstory removal on 

 the uplands adjacent to the 

 riparian areas and in some of 

 the intermittent tributaries to 

 Dog Creek; but, again, most of 

 the harvesting would avoid 

 habitats typically preferred by 

 fishers . 



Cumulative Effects 



• Ciimulatice li^ffectH ofjXo-, Iction 

 tllternatice »1 on Fiathern 



Under No-Action Alternative A, 

 fisher denning and resting 

 habitats would be retained. 

 Suitable fisher habitat occurs 

 across much of the Stryker and 

 Lazy Creek subunits. Landscape 

 connectivity within most of the 

 Stryker Subunit and the part of 

 the Lazy Creek Subunit within 

 Stillwater State Forest is 

 largely intact. Road access 

 within the proposed project area 

 and within the subunits would 

 not be changed after 

 implementation of this 

 alternative; therefore, fisher 

 vulnerability to trapping would 

 remain unchanged. 



• Cumulative mjectjt qftlction tllternalive U 

 on Pinheni 



Under Action Alternative B, 172 

 acres of potential fisher 

 denning habitat would be 

 harvested within the proposed 

 units. This loss is additive to 



Appendix E-Wildlife Analysis 



Page E-19 



