populations of Douglas-fir, western larch, western white pine, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, black 

 Cottonwood, white paper birch, yellow birch, grand fir, Engelmann spruce, western red cedar, and 

 subalpine fir. 



Past Management Activities 



Inventory records show that past timber harvesting in the project area began in the early 1950s. 

 The following information pertains to timber sales in, and adjacent to, the Cilly Creek Salvage 

 Timber Sale Project area: 



• Since the early 1950s, salvage harvesting has taken place in areas of low elevation throughout 

 Swan River State Forest. Most harvesting in the project area has been on a small scale and 

 has consisted of salvage sales only. Green timber sales over 25 years ago resulted in small 

 clearcuts in the project area. These stands have successfully and completely revegetated and 

 are heavily stocked with trees 25 to 45 feet tall. The last entry into the project area was in 1999, 

 when the small Cilly Bug Timber Sale salvaged beetle-killed Douglas-fir. 



VEGETATION: COARSE-FILTER ANALYSIS 



AGE CLASS AND COVERTYPES 



Existing Condition 



The stands in the project area consist primarily of a Douglas-fir overstory, with co-dominant western 

 larch. Grand fir is the predominant understory species. Western white pine, western red cedar, 

 Engelmann spruce, and lodgepole pine are dispersed throughout the project area, but appear 

 mainly at lower elevations and comprise a minor component of the project area stands. These 

 stands are classified as old stands 150 plus years old, 2 of the stands meet DNRC old-growth 

 criteria. These stands are highly decadent and are in an advanced state of decline due to insect 

 and disease attacks. Previous salvage efforts and recently dead and dying Douglas-fir have created 

 numerous small openings that have filled in with seedlings, saplings, and various brush species. 

 Regeneration is primarily grand fir, with minor amounts of Douglas-fir, western white pine, western 

 larch, western red cedar, and Engelmann spruce. 



Direct and Indirect Effects 



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The project area has light to severe damage and/or mortality scattered throughout. If the 

 proposed salvage would not occur in these stands, the shade-tolerant trees would continue to 

 regenerate, changing the dominant tree/covertype from serai to climax species. The long-term 

 covertype would change to an overstory dominated principally by grand fir. Age class for the 

 stand would continue to decrease as the older Douglas-fir, western white pine, and western 

 larch die from the effects of insect and pathogen attacks. 



The salvage units would be concentrated in the areas hardest hit by beetle attacks. More 

 moderately affected areas may, at some future time, be treated under a management plan that 

 is not tied directly to salvage. Salvaged areas would open up numerous small areas within the 

 project area to allow serai species an opportunity to regenerate. Since the trees targeted for 

 removal were already killed or are dying from natural events, stand covertype and age-class 

 composition would not change beyond what is naturally occurring. The covertype effects would 

 not be significantly different from the No-Action Alternative. 



Page CEA-12 Checklist Environmental Assessment 



