and avoid forests with little overhead cover and open areas (Coulter 1996, 

 Powell 1977, Kelly 1977, Clem 1977, Powell 1978). For resting and 

 denning, fishers typically use hollow trees, logs and stumps, brush piles, 

 and holes in the ground (Coulter 1966, Powell 1977). Because fishers 

 prefer stands with dense canopy cover, areas that have experienced high 

 intensity fires would not be suitable fisher habitat for several decades. 

 However, newly created snags would provide needed coarse woody debris 

 over time. 



Within a 1-mile radius of the areas burned during the Dirty Ike Fire, there 

 are approximately 832 acres of fisher preferred habitat types. Of these 

 acres, approximately 42 acres occur within the burned area, and 

 approximately 27 acres would be considered under the proposed salvage. 



3.2.3.3 Big Game 



3.2.3.3.1 Elk 



Elk generally avoid open roads, however, they become more tolerant of 

 closed roads in the area over time (Lyon 1998). Densely stocked thickets 

 of conifer regeneration and overstocked mature stands provide thermal 

 protection and hiding cover for deer and elk in winter, which can reduce 

 energy expenditures and stress associated with cold temperatures, wind, 

 and human-caused disturbance. Additionally, extensive (e.g., >250 acres) 

 areas of forest cover >0.5 miles from open roads serve as security for elk. 

 Thus, removing cover that is important for wintering elk through forest 

 management activities can increase their energy expenditures and stress in 

 winter. Reductions in cover could ultimately result in a reduction in 

 winter range carrying capacity and subsequent increases in winter 

 mortality within local elk herds. 



Elk are known to use the affected area as a migration corridor from the 

 Potomac Valley to their winter range in Donovan Creek (M. Thompson, 

 MT FWP, personal communication). The affected area also includes 

 approximately 4,400 acres of crucial elk summer habitat, with 817 of 

 those acres being burned by the Dirty Ike fire. The proposed action lies 

 within Hunting District 292. However, we will use the 73,092-acre 

 grizzly bear analysis area (see Appendix C: Figure C-1) for the big game 

 analysis area because the area is enclosed by major highways and 

 drainages within the hunting district. As such, there are approximately 

 296 miles of open road, and 12,844 acres of security cover (17.6% of the 

 analysis area) within this analysis unit. The proposed action would not 

 reduce security cover within the analysis area because the proposed action 

 is located within 0.5 mile of an open road. 



Dirty Dee Salvage Environmental Assessment 3-20 



