likely feed on downed larch logs with a large end diameter greater than 20 

 inches. Studies that have examined woodpeckers following stand- 

 replacement fires, such as those characterized by the Fish Creek Complex 

 fire, found very low use by pileated woodpeckers (Hutto 1995, Murphy 

 and Lehnhausen 1998). Newly created snags would provide high quality 

 feeding habitat within the next 2 to 5 years, while boring beetles are 

 active. Fire-killed snags and coarse woody debris would also be expected 

 to provide good feeding substrates for up to several decades following 

 later infestation by carpenter ants. 



Within stands occurring on School Trust parcels, and burned in the Fish 

 Creek Complex of fires, 39 stands, totaling approximately 1,389 acres, 

 have western larch or ponderosa pine as the predominant species, with the 

 average dbh on 97% of the acreage of these stands ranging from 10 to 22 

 inches (Stand Level Inventory). Within a 1 mile radius of the Fish Creek 

 Complex, there are approximately 6,649 acres of School Trust land in 19 

 parcels. On these lands, there are 89 stands, totaling approximately 3,025 

 acres, containing western larch or ponderosa pine as the predominant 

 species, with average dbh on 98% of the acreage in these stands ranging 

 from 10 to 22 inches. Thus, the proposed project area, and surrounding 

 habitat contained potential pileated woodpecker habitat, prior to the fire. 



3.2.3.2.2 Black Backed Woodpeckers 



The black-backed woodpecker is an irruptive species that forages 

 opportunistically on outbreaks of wood boring beetles primarily in 

 recently burned habitats, and to a lesser degree in unbumed habitats. It is 

 considered to be a sensitive species in Montana. Although the black- 

 backed woodpecker's nesting and foraging requirements are thought to be 

 tightly linked with burned areas, it does nest and forage in unbumed forest 

 in response to insect outbreaks (Bull et al. 1986, Hutto 1995). Burned 

 forests tend to be used immediately after bums occur (approximately 1-5 

 years). Large, densely stocked non-salvaged stands with an abundance of 

 trees greater than or equal to 12 inches dbh appear to provide the greatest 

 benefit to black-backed woodpeckers for foraging and nesting. Black- 

 backed woodpeckers are also found in green forests with high levels of 

 insect activity (Goggans et al. 1989). 



The extensive and intensive wildfires of western Montana in 2003 created 

 large amounts of potentially suitable habitat that will be available for 

 black-backed woodpeckers at the landscape scale. Because of the close 

 relationship of black-backed woodpeckers and wildfire, the analysis area 

 was defined as an area inclusive of seven major fires near the project area, 

 the Dirty Ike, Black Mountain 2, and Boles Meadow fires, and the Mineral 

 Primm, North Howard, Beaver Lake, and Cooney Ridge Complex fires 

 (Appendix C: Figure C-3). Current information regarding bum intensity 

 was unavailable for the Mineral Primm, North Howard, and Beaver Lake 



Fish Creek Salvage Environmental Assessment 3-20 



