larch, ponderosa pine, and black cottonvvood. The primary prey of 

 pileated woodpeckers, carpenter ants, tend to prefer western larch logs 

 with a large end diameter greater than 20 inches (Torgersen and Bull 

 1995). Thus, pileated woodpeckers generally prefer western larch and 

 ponderosa pine snags > 15 inches dbh for nesting and roosting, and would 

 likely feed on downed larch logs with a large end diameter greater than 20 

 inches. Studies that have examined woodpeckers following stand- 

 replacement fires, such as those characterized by the Dirty Ike Fire, found 

 very low use by pileated woodpeckers (Hutto 1995, Murphy and 

 Lehnhausen 1998). Newly created snags would provide high quality 

 feeding habitat within the next 2 to 5 years, while boring beetles are 

 active. Fire-killed snags and coarse woody debris would also be expected 

 to provide good feeding substrates for up to several decades following 

 later infestation by carpenter ants. 



Within stands occurring on School Trust parcels, and burned by the Dirty 

 Ike fire, 6 stands, totaling approximately 243 acres, have western larch as 

 the predominant species, with the average dbh of these stands ranging 

 from 18 to 20 inches (Stand Level Inventory). Within a 1-mile radius of 

 the Dirty Ike Fire, there are approximately 3,188 acres of School Trust 

 land in 6 parcels. On these lands, there are 26 stands, totaling 

 approximately 811 acres, containing western larch or ponderosa pine as 

 the predominant species, with average dbh in these stands ranging from 2 

 to 22 inches. Thus, the proposed project area, and surrounding habitat 

 contained potential pileated woodpecker habitat, prior to the fire. 

 However, within the same 1-mile radius of the Dirty Ike Fire, there are 

 approximately 6,878 acres of non-habitat for pileated woodpeckers on 

 private lands. 



3.2.3.2.2 Black Backed Woodpeckers 



The black-backed woodpecker is an irruptive species that forages 

 opportunistically on outbreaks of wood boring beetles primarily in 

 recently burned habitats, and to a lesser degree in unbumed habitats. It is 

 considered to be a sensitive species in Montana. Although the black- 

 backed woodpecker's nesting and foraging requirements are thought to be 

 tightly linked with burned areas, it does nest and forage in unbumed forest 

 in response to insect outbreaks (Bull et al. 1986, Hutto 1995). Burned 

 forests tend to be used immediately after bums occur (approximately 1-5 

 years). Large, densely stocked non-salvaged stands with an abundance of 

 trees greater than or equal to 12 inches dbh appear to provide the greatest 

 benefit to black-backed woodpeckers for foraging and nesting. Black- 

 backed woodpeckers are also found in green forests with high levels of 

 insect activity (Goggans et al. 1989). 



The extensive and intensive wildfires of westem Montana in 2003 created 

 large amounts of potentially suitable habitat that will be available for 



Dirty Ike Salvage Environmental Assessment ' 3-18 



