resource base, but would complete the transportation system required for accessing 

 these parcels of state land and provide for current and future management needs. The 

 long term productivity of harvested sites will be ensured by utilizing applicable Best 

 Management Practices (BMP's), such as cable yarding on steeper slopes, using skid trails 

 from prior harvest operations, planning and spacing trails, and operating on dry, frozen 

 or snow covered ground to control the extent of soil impacts to less than 15% of the area. 

 Where available the retention of 10-15 tons of slash per acre will be left on site to 

 provide for nutrient recycling and prescribed burning on 176 acres will provide a 

 nutrient rich ash cover. 



WILDLIFE: The forest canopy closure on approximately 311 acres (37% of the project area) would 

 be reduced below 40%>, favoring wildlife species that prefer stand structures with open grown 

 large diameter trees in the overstory, and generally weU stocked understories of seedling and 

 sapling sized trees. Lynx use of the area is not expected, although 619 acres of "mature 

 foraging" and "other" habitat is provided. Harvest treatments would convert up to, 311 acres 

 of this habitat component to "temporary non-suitable". This effect is considered negligible 

 because 308 acres of lynx habitat would remain unaltered providing for travel, cover, and future 

 denning habitat development. The project area provides grizzly bear habitat, but is at least 2 

 miles outside identified recovery areas. Grizzly bear use of the area has not been observed and 

 is expected to be rare due to high road densities and frequent timber management activities on 

 adjacent lands. DNRC activities are not expected to enhance or detract from bear use or habitat 

 availability in the project area or surrounding lands. Harvest treatments will alter 92 acres of 

 preferred pileated woodpecker habitat, while leaving a 62 acre patch of the highest quality 

 woodpecker habitat unaltered. Pileated woodpecker habitat will be maintained within the 139 

 acres to be commercially thirmed by: retaining the majority of western larch and ponderosa 

 pine in the overstory; retaining larger diameter snags or cull trees; and leaving defective or 

 down large diameter logs in the woods for coarse woody debris. The project area provides for 

 big game non- winter use. Road closures or restrictions have already been implemented in the 

 general vicinity of the project area to provide for big game security, during the recovery period 

 for hiding and thermal cover reductions in the last 20 or 30 years. DNRC would maintain 

 current road closures and restrictions after harvest and restrict or close newly constructed roads. 

 Seed tree cuts would add to a short- term (15 -30 years) loss of 172 acres of hiding cover in this 

 area, at a time when many adjacent stands have developed to the point that hiding cover is or 

 wiU be provided in the next few years. 



HYDROLOGY: Harvest and road construction activities would increase water yield in the 

 Meadow Creek watershed by 1.5 percent, from 10.2 to 11.7%, which is not sufficient to create 

 unstable stream channels and is below the allowable threshold level of 15 percent. Equivalent 

 clearcut acres (ECA) would increase by 241 from 2,650 to 2,891, which is below the allowable 

 ECA of 3564. Several stream crossings will be installed on the unnamed tributary to Meadow 

 Creek and will contribute sediment during construction. However, operational timing, use of 

 sediment fences, and other mitigation measures will substantially limit the amount of sediment. 

 These improvements will result in a long-term reduction in sedinient dehveiy at these sites. 



FISHERIES: Meadow Creek is the only fish - bearing stream in the project area and no harvest is 

 proposed within the Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) for this stream. Some SMZ harvest 

 will be conducted in the SMZ for the unnamed tributary that drains Section 16; however, no 

 harvest would occur in the first 50 feet immediately adjacent to this stream. Due to low water 

 yield increases, miriimal harvest within SMZ's, and application of BMP's in harvest and road 

 construction activities, adverse impacts to fisheries are not expected. 



ECONOMICS: The proposed project should generate approximately S300,000 in net income for 

 the Common School Trust, and $430,625 in total net income. Recent values provided by the 

 Montana Bureau of Economic Research suggests that this level of harvest is estimated to support 

 approximately 46 workers and $1,530,000 of income. 



