would continue to occur without natural disturbances or stand replacement type harvest 

 treatments to open the canopies and allow for serai tree species regeneration. Shade 

 tolerant species such as alpine fir and grand fir would continue to increase in the 

 appropriate western larch/Douglas-fir cover types keeping with the overall Plains Unit 

 trend. This increase of shade tolerant species increases the risk of the stands to insect and 

 disease attack and stand replacement wildfires. 



Action Alternative : Under the action alternative, there would be minimal change to the 

 current cover type amount and distribution on the Richards Peak Project Area. Of the 

 156 acres of appropriate western larch/Douglas-fir cover types that are currently 

 classified as alpine fir, lodgepole pine and mixed conifer, approximately 35 acres will be 

 treated and converted to western larch/Douglas-fir. The remaining 121 acres are in areas 

 where high logging costs and lack of merchantable trees for harvest exist. The action 

 alternative would help slow the increasing percentage of shade tolerant species in the 

 western larch/Douglas-fir cover types and promote the development of large diameter, 

 serai tree species in the overstory and serai tree regeneration in the understory. 



2. Cumulative Effects 



Plains Unit 



No Action and Action Alternative : There would be minimal change to the Plains Unit 

 cover type amount and distribution with implementation of either alternative. The unit 

 would still have over 7,000 acres more current mixed conifer cover types than 

 appropriate and 8,000 acres less appropriate western larch/Douglas-fir cover types than 

 current. Implementation of the action alternative would help slow the invasion of shade 

 tolerant species into the western larch/Douglas-fir cover types and promote regeneration 

 of serai tree species which is becoming underrepresented on the Plains Unit. 



Richards Peak Project Area 



No Action Alternative : There would be no change to the current cover type amount and 

 distribufion on the Richards Peak Project Area under the no action alternative. The 

 current shift in western larch/Douglas-fir cover types to Alpine fir and mixed conifer 

 would continue to occur without natural disturbances or stand replacement type harvest 

 treatments to open the canopies and allow for serai tree species regeneration. Shade 

 tolerant species such as alpine fir and grand fir would continue to increase in the 

 appropriate western larch/Douglas-fir cover types keeping with the overall Plains Unit 

 trend. This increase of shade tolerant species increases the risk of the stands to insect and 

 disease attack and stand replacement wildfires. 



Action Alternative : Under the action alternative, there would be minimal change to the 

 current cover type amount and distribution on the Richards Peak Project Area. Of the 

 156 acres of appropriate western larch/Douglas-fir cover types that are currently 

 classified as alpine fir, lodgepole pine and mixed conifer, approximately 35 acres will be 

 treated and converted to western larch/Douglas-fir. The remaining 121 acres are in areas 

 where high logging costs and lack of merchantable trees for harvest exist. The action 



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