The primary purpose of FOGI is to 

 describe the status of old growth on 

 DNRC lands and provide a link to 

 naturally occurring amounts and 

 conditions of old growth. The FOGI 

 index is a means to measure old- 

 growth characteristics based on a 

 point system for physical attributes 

 that are often associated with 

 stands in the latter stages of 

 development. Points are assessed in 

 the following categories: 



- large live trees per acre, 



- coarse woody debris, 



- snags per acre, 



- decadence, 



- stand structure, 



- volume per acre, and 



- canopy cover. 



The total points available for a 

 stand varies by covertype, and point 

 ranges, are further grouped into 

 low, medium, or high old-growth 

 attributes . 



TABLE C-3 - FOG J CLASSIFICATIONS FOR 

 SWAN RIVER STATE FOREST AND THE BIG 

 BLOWDOWN PROJECT AREA displays the 

 FOGI classifications for the Swan 

 River State Forest and project area. 



Direct and Indirect Impacts to Old 

 Growth 



• Direct and Indirect Imp€ict» qfthe JVo- 

 Jiction Mtemative to Old Growth 



The current amount, character, 

 and distribution of old-growth 

 stands would remain the same 

 within the project area for the 

 short term. In the long term. 



existing old growth would 

 continue to age and become more 

 decadent . Some stands may drop 

 out of the old-growth 

 classification because Douglas- 

 fir bark beetles are killing 

 sufficient trees to reduce the 

 number of large live trees below 

 the minimum trees per acre 

 described in Green et al . 



Not harvesting in old-growth 

 stands would continue the 

 existing risk of stand- 

 replacement -type fires that would 

 likely consume portions of the 

 old-growth stands in their path. 



Existing open roads would 

 continue to provide access to 

 firewood gatherers, reducing the 

 development of snags and coarse 

 woody debris on those sites. 



Over time and barring large-scale 

 disturbances, FOGI classification 

 levels would increase on most 

 covertypes as climax species 

 mature, decadence increases, and 

 trees die and fall, creating more 

 snags and large woody debris. 

 Eventually these same stands 

 would also reach a point where 

 the FOGI classification would 

 begin to decrease because the 

 decreasing number of large live 

 trees reduces the point value of 

 the FOGI. If enough large trees 

 die, the stand would no longer 

 meet the old-growth definition. 



Direct and Indirect Impacts qfthe Action 

 Mtemative to Old Growth 



This action proposes to salvage 

 trees in 358 acres of classified 



TABLE C-3 - FOGI CLASSIFICATIONS FOR SWAN RIVER STATE FOREST AND THE BIG 

 BLOWDOWN PROJECT AREA 



