Notification of Decision 



Following publication of the FEIS, the decision maker will review the information contained in 

 the DEIS and project file including public comments. No sooner than 15 days after the 

 publication of the FEIS, the decision maker will determine the following; 



Do the alternatives presented in the FEIS meet the purpose of the project? 



Was there an adequate range of alternatives evaluated? 



Are the proposed mitigations adequate and feasible? 



Which alternative or combination/modification of alternatives should be implemented 



and why? 



These determinations will be published in a Decision Notice or a Record of Decision, which will 

 be distributed to all interested parties. 



Proposed Schedule of Activities 



After the Record of Decision is published, and if an action alternative is selected, a Timber Sale 

 Contract package would be prepared. The package would be sent to the State Board of Land 

 Commissioners for approval. If the Land Board approves the project, the timber sale would be 

 advertised. If the timber is sold, the following schedule would apply: 



The Anaconda Unit would propose to sell timber from the Phoenix project in fiscal year 

 2004. All harvesting, road construction and improvement work could begin in the 

 summer or fall of 2004 and be completed by March 1, 20 11. Hazard reduction work 

 would be completed within 2 years following the completion of harvesting. Some 

 activities would be restricted to certain periods of the year to avoid or reduce impacts (see 

 Chapter 4 for mitigation information). 



Overview of the Project 



The proposed Phoenix Timber Sale is located in the Upper Willow Creek drainage northwest of 

 Philipsburg, Montana ranging from 5440 to 5920 feet in elevation. Timber harvesting, road 

 building, and other associated management activities aie proposed on five forested school trust 

 sections. The proposed activity would occur within the Beaver, Bear, Huepeck, Arbuckle and 

 Slusser Creek watersheds. The sale if implemented could start as soon as 2004 and continue 

 until 201 1 . Even-aged and uneven-aged harvest prescriptions would be used to meet the project 

 goals and would be implemented on 300 acres of the 1786 acres in the gross sale area. 



To accomplish this project and provide better access for future management of these parcels, 

 approximately 5.06 miles of new road would be constructed and approximately 2.18 miles of 

 existing road would be improved to meet Montana's Best Management Practices (BMPs). In 

 addition up to .3 miles of temporary road would also be required. 



The project area consists of gently to moderately sloping hills with stands dominated by 



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