4.3.3.2.2 Black-backed Woodpeckers 



4.3.3.2.2.1 Alternative A: Deferred Harvest (No Action) 



No change from the current situation would be expected if this 

 alternative were selected. The recent 36,683-acre Fish Creek Complex 

 fire created approximately 953 acres of black-backed woodpecker 

 habitat on School Trust land through stand replacement fire. Burned 

 areas such as this tend to be used by black-backed woodpeckers for 1 

 to 5 years post-fire, in response to outbreaks of wood-boring beetles in 

 the burned areas. Thus, there would be low risk of direct or indirect 

 effects to black-backed woodpeckers as a result Alternative A: No 

 Harvest (No Action). 



4.3.3.2.2.2 Cumulative Effects of Alternative A: Deferred 

 Harvest (No Action) 



Cumulative effects would be associated with the proposed DNRC Fish 

 Creek Road project, and salvage logging on surrounding private lands. 

 The road project would construct 1.5 miles of new road in section 12 

 during the summer of 2004. Such road construction would permit 

 motorized access within 0.25 mile of black-backed woodpecker. 

 Additionally, salvage logging on surrounding private lands would 

 reduce the abundance and availability of black-backed woodpecker 

 habitat in the surrounding matrix, while reducing connectivity between 

 black-backed woodpecker habitat on USPS and School Trust lands 

 within the Fish Creek Complex. As such, mitigations that would be 

 required of the Fish Creek Roads project would require DNRC to 

 minimize mechanized activity within 0.25 mile of black-backed 

 woodpecker habitat during the period of April 15 through July 1 

 (pursuant to ARM 36.11.438 (l)(a)). This mitigation would be 

 expected to remain in effect for at least 5 years. Thus, there would be 

 low risk of cumulative effects to black-backed woodpeckers as a result 

 of Alternative A: No Harvest (No Action). 



4.3.3.2.2.3 Alternative B: Harvest 



The proposed action would harvest a total of 1,314 acres, of which 696 

 acres experienced stand replacing fire during the Fish Creek Complex 

 fire in 2003. Within the proposed harvest units, an average of 

 approximately 8 trees per acre >9 inches dbh would be retained (Fig. 

 5). The proposed action would defer harvesting all timber within 497 

 acres scattered throughout the project area, for a minimum of 5 years 

 for black-backed woodpeckers (pursuant to ARM 36.1 1.438 (l)(b); 

 (Figure 4-3). Of these acres, 323 acres experienced moderate fire 

 intensity, and the remaining 209 acres experienced high intensity, 

 stand replacing fire. For the 157 acres of black-backed woodpecker 

 deferred habitat in sections 8 and 16, cruise data of these areas shows 



Fish Creek Salvage Environmental Assessment 4-25 



