The action alternatives would also collect 

 funds for the forest-improvement programs; a 

 portion of these funds would be used for weed 

 control in the future. Areas along open roads 

 where site improvements are proposed would 

 be seeded with a mixture of grass seed concur- 

 rently with construction. After final blading 

 has taken place, disturbed sites would be 

 seeded to prevent the establishment of noxious 

 weeds. Heavy equipment used for road 

 construction or timber harvesting would be 

 required to be washed clean of noxious weeds 

 before being moved into position for use. 



WILDLIFE 



COARSE-FILTER 

 ASSESSMENT ^ 



This section examines how project alternatives 

 may influence landscape patterns and pro- 

 cesses. Cumulative effects are considered in 

 this analysis by considering the overall situa- 

 tion in reference to the boundaries of the 

 landscape analysis and the attributes being 

 analyzed. This includes past management and 

 natural disturbances, as well as proposed 

 actions and known future actions. I 



AVAILABILITY OF SNAGS AND 

 COARSE WOODY DEBRIS 



t 



NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE 



If no action is taken, trees would eventually 

 decline in vigor and a more decadent forest 

 would provide more snags and coarse woody 

 debris in the next several decades. 



ACTION ALTERNATIVES A AND B 



Logging, while preserving marked snags, 

 would result in fewer snags in the decades to 

 come. Some snags would be harvested or 

 otherwise lost in the harvest operation, and 

 trees in the poorest health (most likely to 

 produce snags in the near term) would be 

 harvested. There would be fewer large trees 



available for snag recruitment until the exist- 

 ing regeneration matures. Coarse woody 

 debris would increase for the near term where 

 logs are manufactured in the forest and not on 

 the landings. This would be assured in the 

 contract by specifying the amount of slash that 

 must be left. Coarse woody debris would 

 decrease slightly in the long-term, however, 

 because of the reduced availability of snags 

 and large trees that serve as a source for this 

 material. 



The proposed new cabinsite leases would only 

 affect the coarse filter by changing habitat 

 available on the acreage the cabinsites occupy 

 and through changes in the forest structure 

 immediately adjacent. The adjacent forest 

 structure would be modified to minimize fire 

 hazards. 



The influence of alternatives on cover type, 

 stand age, and patch dynamics in relation to 

 old-growth wildlife species and the influence 

 on special habitats is discussed below. 



COVER-TYPE 



CHARACTERISTICS: EFFECTS 

 ON WILDLIFE 



NO-ACTION ALTERNATIVE 



If no action is taken, shade-tolerant tree spe- 

 cies would continue to grow and regenerate. 

 Stands would continue to be overwhelmed by 

 the ingrowth of these species. There would be 

 fewer stands dominated by the western larch/ 

 Douglas fir cover type, so western larch/ 

 Douglas-fir-associated wildlife would decline. 



ACTION ALTERNATIVES A AND B 



Modification of forest types in the direction of 

 historical would be positive. Removing most 

 of the tiees that are not western larch or 

 Douglas-fir tree species would modify forest 

 types. The desired tree species remaining 

 would then dominate the stand and provide 

 habitat for the associated species. In Stillwater 

 State Forest, western larch/Douglas-fir stands 

 are underrepresented, and the proposed 

 timber management would convert some 



IV-8r 



Stillwater State Forest • Beaver Lake Timber Sale Project 



