The size, length, decay, and 

 distribution of deadwood affect 

 their capacity to provide specific 

 habitat. Logs less than 6 feet in 

 length tend to dry out and provide 

 limited habitat for wildlife 

 species. Single scattered downed 

 trees could provide lookout and 

 travel sites for squirrels or access 

 under the snow for small mammals and 

 weasels, while log piles provide 

 foraging sites for weasels and 

 denning sites for Canada lynx. 

 Similarly, dbh, height, and snag 

 densities determine the snag habitat 

 value for wildlife species. Larger, 

 taller snags tend to provide nesting 

 sites, while shorter snags and 

 stumps tend to provide feeding sites 

 for birds and mammals. Cavity- 

 nesting birds often nest in areas 

 where several snags are available, 

 while using individual snags as 

 feeding or roosting sites. 

 Therefore, it is important to 

 consider the size and distribution 

 of these resources . 



The presence of insects and 

 predaceous birds and mammals are 

 important to forest management . 

 Both insects and birds are suspected 

 of controlling insects that are 

 harmful to wood production, such as 

 the Douglas-fir tussock moth and 

 spruce budworm. However, at 

 epidemic levels, mammalian and avian 

 predators probably exhibit minor 

 effects on population reductions 

 {Torgensen 1994) . Therefore, 

 maintenance of habitats for 

 insectivorous birds and mammals is 

 important for long-term forest 

 health. 



EXISTING CONDITION - COARSE FILTER 



The project area contains stands of 

 a variety of age classes and 

 covertypes that have received a 

 variety of timber harvests (see 

 APPENDIX a - VEGETATION ANALYSIS for 

 detailed information) , which 

 affected the presence and attrition 

 of deadwood. A wind event occurred 

 in the spring of 2002, resulting in 

 a large amount of wind- thrown 



timber, including many live trees. 

 Additionally, the area is currently 

 experiencing disease infections and 

 insect infestations, especially the 

 Douglas-fir bark beetle. Therefore, 

 the project area in general, and the 

 proposed units in particular, 

 consist of clumped distributions of 

 log piles and snags, along with 

 scattered deadwood throughout the 

 stands . 



Presently, the project area consists 

 of 1- to 2-acre patches of high 

 concentrations of blown down timber 

 and/or insect-infested and disease- 

 infected trees intermixed in large 

 areas with little damage or 

 mortality. When averaging these 

 patches over the entire stand area, 

 7 to 8 trees per acre blew down and 

 about 5 trees per acre died due to 

 insects and diseases, leaving 100 to 

 150 live trees per acre. 



Direct and Indirect Effects - Coarse 

 Filter 



• Direct and Indirect E^ectHtrfUieJMo-Jlctum 

 Jlltemntive on Coarse Filter 



No additional disturbance would 

 occur in the area and the amount 

 and distribution of deadwood 

 would not be altered by DNRC- 

 related projects. 



• IHrect and Indirect E^ffects qfthe taction 

 tlUemativeon Coarse Filter 



Under this alternative, 

 approximately 7-8 downed trees 

 per acre and . 5 dead and dying 

 trees per acre would be 

 harvested, leaving preexisting 

 downed trees and 4 . 7 snags per 

 acre. Only downed trees and 

 snags with sound wood would be 

 removed. A downed tree 

 determined to be unmerchantable 

 would be left on site. Downed 

 trees of questionable value would 

 be checked by inserting a 

 chainsaw blade into the log, 

 thereby retaining the longest 

 length of log possible on site. 

 All western larch snags (an 

 average of 0.8 tree per acre) and 



Page E-2 



Wildlife Analysis 



