CHAPTER 3 - AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 



This chapter identifies and describes those resources, which are affected by the proposed action. 

 This chapter is organized by general resource categories and their associated issues. It does not 

 describe any effects of the alternatives, as these will be covered in Chapter 4. The descriptions of 

 the existing environment found in this chapter can be used as a baseline for comparison of the 

 alternatives and their impacts in Chapter 4. 



GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA 



The proposed Phoenix Timber Sale is located in the western foot hills o f the Continental Divide, 



northwest of 

 Philipsburg, Montana. 

 Elevations in the 

 proposed harvest area 

 vary between 5440 to 

 5920 feet. These parcels 

 drain to tributary creeks 

 of Rock Creek, which in 

 turn is a tributary to the 

 Clark Fork River. 

 School trust lands 

 involved in the proposed 

 project are forested 

 mainly with lodgepole 

 pine along with minor 

 amounts of Douglas fir 



and ponderosa pine. 



Two habitat types dominate the project area Douglas Fir/ Dwarf Huckleberry (PSMEA^ACA) 

 and Subalpine Fir/Dwarf Huckleberry (ABLAA^ACA). PSMEA^ACA occurs on dry ridge tops 

 and south facing slopes. ABLAA'ACA habitat types are found on the north facing, moister, 

 colder slopes. Understory vegetation on the warm, dry sites is dominated by pine grass, elk 

 sedge, dwarf huckleberry and kinnikinnick. On cool moist sites the ground vegetation is 

 generally composed of dwarf huckleberry, grouse whortleberry, pine grass and twin flower 

 (Pfister et al. 1977). South facing slopes within the project area contain stands, which appear to 

 have been, at one time, a mixture of grassland and timberland. The grasslands (annual and 

 bunchgrass types) in the project area are experiencing encroachment by Douglas fir and 

 lodgepole pine. This is likely due to the lack of frequent wildfires, which historically kept south 

 and west aspects clear of all but scattered individual Douglas fir (Gruell, 1983). 



School Trust Lands involved in the gross sale area total approximately 1786 acres. General stand 

 vigor ranges from poor to fair. Mature and old stands of lodgepole pine in Sections 5, 17, 21 and 



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