CHECKLIST ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (CEA) 



Project Name: Cilly Bug Salvage Timber Sale Project 



Proposed 



Implementation Date: January 1, 2005 through March 31, 2006 



Proponent: Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) 



Location: Swan River State Forest, Sections 15 and 16, T24N, R17W 



County: Lake 



I. TYPE AND PURPOSE OF ACTION 



Introduction 



stands in the proposed Cilly Bug Salvage Timber Sale area have accumulated substantial damage and 

 mortality from a variety of pathogens, insects, and abiotic (such as drought and wind) factors during the 

 last several years. The tree species most heavily affected and proposed for removal are primarily 

 Douglas-fir and western larch, with minor amounts of western white pine, lodgepole pine, Engelmann 

 spruce, and grand fir. The predominant damage and mortality factors affecting these species include 

 western larch dwarf mistletoe {Arceuthobium laricis), flatheaded fir borer (Melanophila drummondi), 

 prolonged drought, Douglas-fir bark beetle (Dendroctonus pseudotsugae), red brown butt rot (Phaelolus 

 schweinitzii), white pine blister rust {Cronartium ribicola), mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus 

 ponderosae), fir engraver beetle (Scolytus ventralis), and Indian paint fungus (Echinodontium 

 tinctorium). The relevant biology of, and management strategies for, these pathogens and insects are 

 outlined in APPENDIX D - FOREST INSECT AND DISEASE REPORT. 



In response to this situation, DNRC, as manager of Swan River State Forest, has proposed a forest- 

 management project to salvage the dead, down, damaged, diseased, and dying timber within these 

 sections. This timber harvest will: 



- slow the ongoing Douglas-fir beetle attacks, 



- reduce the overall severity and amount of western larch dwarf mistletoe, and 



recover the value of 500 to 700 thousand board feet (mbf) of recently-killed and dying trees. 



Trees designated for harvesting are scattered throughout the stands and comprise 10 to 100 percent of 

 the trees in any given area. Salvage harvests associated with this project would remove trees in 

 portions of 4 stands that cover approximately 100 acres. The proposed harvest period would begin in 

 January or February of 2005 and expire March 31 , 2006. The majority of the work would take place 

 during winter months. The expiration date would allow 30 days of summer activity starting June 16, 

 2005, as specified under the Swan Valley Grizzly Bear Conservation Agreement (SVGBCA). To 

 properly address harvesting on steep slopes, approximately 1.3 miles of new road would need to be 

 constructed. This road would be built in the summer season during the 30-day window. 



A number of stands in Sections 15 and 16 have a large component of mature Douglas-fir and have been 

 experiencing persistent and damaging attacks by the Douglas-fir bark beetle. As a result, these stands 

 contain substantial numbers of beetle-killed Douglas-fir, as well as live trees that are currently 

 undergoing attacks. Field inspections indicate that beetle attacks are severe and widespread in these 

 stands. The main area of current Douglas-fir mortality in these stands contains a substantial number of 

 live, beetle-infested trees along the eastern edge of the project area. The attacks appear to be moving 

 upslope, killing over 90 percent of the large, overstory Douglas-fir and heavily attacking the co-dominant 

 and intermediate Douglas-fir. The proposed salvage would harvest the brood trees in which the next 

 generation of bark beetles is developing. 



