successional forest structure had developed in the project area. Long- 

 term foraging structures would be adversely impacted through 

 reduction in the number of available snags that would eventually be 

 recruited into coarse woody debris and serve as habitat for carpenter 

 ants, a primary food item for pileated woodpeckers. 



Effects of the reductions in the snag population on pileated 

 woodpeckers may be partially mitigated by the proposed deferment of 

 approximately 497 acres of low, moderate, and high severity bum for a 

 minimum of 5 years. These acres have largely retained their forest 

 structure and snags. However, the low and moderate severity burned 

 areas are also most susceptible to infestation by bark and wood-boring 

 beetles, which may make them candidates for future salvage efforts. 

 In which case, snags would be retained as described above (ARM 

 36.1 1.4 11). Thus, there would be low to moderate risk of direct and 

 indirect effects to pileated woodpeckers as a result of the proposed 

 action. 



4.3.3.2.1.4 Cumulative Effects of Alternative B: Harvest 



Cumulative effects of the proposed action relate primarily to long-term 

 impacts from the removal of fire-killed trees, the absence of suitable 

 pileated woodpecker habitat on adjacent private industrial land, and 

 potentially compounding effects from salvage logging on adjacent 

 private lands. The presence and abundance of seed tree/shelterwood 

 harvests on private industrial lands within 1 mile of the project area 

 demonstrate that the only potential pileated woodpecker habitat within 

 the analysis area exists on School Trust land. With 2,614 acres of the 

 School Trust's 4,549 acres within the analysis area burned to some 

 degree (1,051 acres of stand replacement), the amount of potential 

 pileated habitat was reduced by 23%. As previously alluded to, the 

 potential for future salvage of insect-killed timber, as part of this 

 proposed action, poses some of the greatest risk to pileated 

 woodpecker habitat because it could reduce the presence of suitable 

 snags or snag recruits within forested stands that possess structure 

 suitable for nesting or roosting by pileated woodpeckers. However, 

 under all proposed actions, salvage of current fire-killed and future 

 insect-killed timber under this proposed action, snags would be 

 retained as described above (ARM 36.1 1.41 1) to provide for future 

 pileated woodpecker habitat. Thus, there would be low to moderate 

 risk of cumulative effects to pileated woodpeckers as a result of this 

 proposed action. 



Fish Creek Salvage Environmental Assessment 4-24 



