levels and provide more light and nutrients to remaining trees and retain the healthiest 

 trees in the stand. Reduced stocking favoring the healthiest trees will ensure 

 increased growth and vigor and improve long-term productivity through 

 establishment of thrifty, young stands of trees. Site conditions would favor 

 regeneration of serai tree species. 



B. Cover Type Distribution 



1. Direct and Indirect Effects 



Kalispell Unit 



On the Kalispell Unit, the shift in current cover types when compared to "desired 

 future" or appropriate cover types shows a decrease in western larch/Douglas-fir 

 cover types and an increase in mixed conifer cover types. The reasons for this 

 trend revolve around past management and fire suppression. 



No Action Alternative : There would be no change to the current cover type 

 amount and distribution on the Kalispell Unit under this alternative. The shift of 

 the western larch/Douglas-fir cover types to 'other' cover types (mostly mixed 

 conifer) would continue to occur without natural disturbances or stand 

 replacement type harvest treatments to open the canopy and allow for serai tree 

 species regeneration. 



Action Alternative ; Although 628 acres would be silviculturally treated, the 

 implementation of the action alternative will only slightly change the overall 

 cover type amount and distribution on the Kalispell Unit. The action alternative 

 would slow the current shift of cover types by favoring retention of overstory 

 serai species (western larch) that are under represented and by removing shade 

 tolerant species (alpine fir and grand fir), which are over represented. 

 Regeneration of western larch would be promoted to maintain and promote the 

 development of WL/DF cover types. 



Ashley Lalce Project Area 



While most of the stands in the project area currently meet the species 

 composition criteria for appropriate type, there is a species shift going on in the 

 project area towards stands being dominated by shade tolerant species. 



No Action Alternative: There would be no change to the current cover type 

 amount and distribution on the Ashley Lake Project area in the short term. The 

 current shift in western larch/Douglas-fir cover types to alpine fir and mixed 

 conifer would continue to occur without natural disturbances or stand replacement 

 type harvest treatments to open the canopies and allow for serai tree species 

 regeneration. Shade tolerant species such as alpine fir and grand fir would 

 continue to increase in the appropriate western larch/Douglas-fir cover types 

 keeping with the overall Kalispell Unit trend of increasing acreage of mixed 

 conifer cover types. 



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