2002). Mule deer, elk, and moose are known to use the area. The affected 

 area is known to contain crucial elk summer range, and be a migration 

 corridor to winter range (M. Thompson, MT FWP, personal 

 communication). As such, the affected area may be attractive for foraging 

 by wolves. Currently, no known wolf den or rendezvous site is located 

 within 1 mile of the project area. 



3.2.3.1.3 Lynx (Federally threatened) 



Lynx are currently classified as Federally threatened under the 

 Endangered Species Act. In North America, lynx distribution and 

 abundance is strongly correlated with snowshoe hares, their primary prey. 

 Consequently, lynx foraging habitat follows the predominant snowshoe 

 hare habitat, early- to mid-successional lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, and 

 Engelmann spruce forest (Ruediger et al. 2000). For denning sites, the 

 primary component appears to be large woody debris, in the form of either 

 down logs or root wads (Koehler 1990, Squires and Laurion 2000, Mowat 

 et al. 2000). These den sites may be located in regenerating stands that are 

 >20 years post-disturbance, or in mature conifer stands (Koehler 1990, 

 Ruediger et al. 2000). . 



Within the project area, elevations range from 4,640 to 6,278 feet. On the 

 7,872 acres of School Trust land within a 5 mile radius of the project area, 

 there are 1,975 acres of primary lynx habitat types (i.e., those habitat types 

 which lynx would use if present on the landscape), and 598 acres of 

 secondary lynx habitat types (e.g., those habitat types which 1>tix would 

 utilize only if primary habitat types are in close proximity; (Ruediger et al. 

 2000). Lynx have been located in the area surrounding sections 6 and 12 

 through radio-telemetry (John Squires, USPS, personal communication, 

 November 2002). Approximately 5 acres of potential denning habitat is 

 present in the southern portion of section 12. 



3.2.3.2 Sensitive Species 



3.2.3.2.1 Pileated Woodpeckers 



The pileated woodpecker is one of the largest woodpeckers in North 

 America (15-19 inches in length), feeding primarily on carpenter ants 

 {Camponotus spp.) and woodboring beetle lar\'ae (Bull and Jackson 1995). 

 The pileated woodpecker nests and roosts in larger diameter snags, 

 typically in mature to old-growth forest stands (McClelland et al. 1979, 

 Bull et al. 1992). Due primarily to its large size, pileated woodpeckers 

 require nest snags averaging 29 inches dbh, but have been known to nest 

 in snags as small as 15 inches dbh in Montana (McClelland 1979). Pairs 

 of pileated woodpeckers excavate 2-3 snags for potential nesting sites each 

 year (Bull and Jackson 1995). Snags used for roosting are slightly 

 smaller, averaging 27 inches dbh (Bull et al. 1992). Overall, McClelland 

 (1979) found pileated woodpeckers to nest and roost primarily in western 



Dirty Dee Salvage Environmental Assessment 3-17 



