remaining 15 acres of preferred fisher habitat types that were affected 

 by the fire (these acres experienced mixed severity fire intensity), 1 1 

 acres would be deferred from harvesting for a minimum of 5 years, 

 and is considered suitable fisher habitat (late successional forest, 

 coarse woody debris, proximity to a class 2 stream), and the remaining 

 4 acres would be subject to salvage, should an insect infestation occur 

 within the next 5 years. Under current conditions, the 27 acres that 

 would be harvested under the proposed action are not currently 

 suitable habitat for fisher. These acres would continue to be unsuitable 

 for approximately 50 years, when the area had become revegetated, 

 displaying late successional forest attributes. The proposed action 

 would, in the long term, remove key fisher habitat attributes (i.e., 

 snags and eventually coarse woody debris) that would be of 

 importance once natural forest succession had occurred (see above 

 analysis for fisher Alternative A: No Harvest (No Action). Thus, 

 because much of the affected habitat is currently unsuitable for fisher, 

 and currently suitable fisher habitat would be deferred from harvesting 

 for a minimum of 5 years (pursuant to ARM 36.11.438 (l)(b)), there 

 would be low risk of direct and indirect effects to fisher as a result of 

 the proposed action. 



4.3.3.2,4.4 Cumulative Effects of Alternative B: Harvest 



Cumulative effects for fisher are related to past harvesting on the 

 surrounding pnvate industrial lands, and the proposed action. 

 Approximately 75% of 5,700 acres of private industrial land within a 

 1-mile radius of the Dirty Ike fire have been harvested in a seed 

 tree/shelterwood silvicultural system in recent years. As a result, those 

 acres would not become suitable fisher habitat for a period of 30 to 50 

 years. As discussed above, the proposed fire and insect salvage 

 presented herein would likely have low risk of affecting fishers on 

 approximately 3% of 832 acres of preferred fisher habitat types within 

 a 1-mile radius of the Dirty Ike fire over the next 5 years. Thus, the 

 proposed action would likely have low risk of cumulative effects to 

 fishers. 



4.3.3.3 Big Game 



4.3.3.3.1 Elk 



4.3.3.3.1.1 Alternative A: No Harvest (No Action) 



Within the project area, there is currently no elk security cover due to 

 the presence of open roads within 0.5 mile. Additionally, the Dirty Ike 

 fire reduced the amount of thermal cover by 203 acres. Thus, 

 Alternative A: No Harvest (No Action) would benefit elk during the 

 hunting season through tree retention within the areas that experienced 

 stand replacement fire intensity. As such, the tree boles would serve to 



Dirty Dee Salvage Environmental Assessment 4-23 



