The texture and color variations visible from the Upper Willow Creek county road would remain 

 as they presently are until fire or insects modifies the situation. 



Alternative B, C, & D 



Sawlog Harvesting 



Timber harvesting as proposed under each of these alternatives would have similar impacts on 

 the view shed so they will all be discussed as one. The primary location for viewing the project 

 area is from the county road. Portions of the school trust land would also be visible from U.S. 

 Forest Service Road #4325 and the old Black Pine lookout. 



Road #4325 is closed, by a locked gate, year around, to recreational use. Vehicular traffic is 

 authorized for individuals who are working on U.S. Forest Service timber permits and to 

 individuals involved with State or Federal land management who receive authorization from the 

 Pintlar Ranger District to use this road. Because of its very limited use any visual impacts would 

 not be noticed by the general public from this road. 



For hikers, hunters and recreationists who walk this road there would be a change in their 

 viewshed. Only one sawlog harvest unit. 23 acres in the NW'^ of Section 17 would be visible. 

 Post and rail thinning in Sections 17 and 5 would also be visible. Thinning units would appear 

 more open than they currently are. This would give them a more park like appearance. The one- 

 sawlog harvest unit is going to have a more patchy appearance. Large diameter Douglas fir and 

 ponderosa pine are to be retained on a natural spacing. Most of those, which are present, will be 

 retained. This will leave openings when lodgepole pine has been removed along with clumps of 

 fir and pine, which have been retained. There are older cutting units on USPS land, which have 

 the same appearance. 



The Black Pine Lookout road is in poor condition but does receive some limited use during the 

 summer and fall. This road is located to the east of the project area on Black Pine Ridge. It 

 provides a good view of all the lands in the Upper Willow Creek Drainage. Existing harvest 

 units on private and U.S.F.S. lands are clearly visible from this location. HarvesUng of sawlogs 

 would change the view as seen from this vantage point. Unharvested stands of lodgpole pine 

 would be harvested and that would create openings. These openings would generally follow 

 existing stand boundaries and would mimic past fire occurrences. Immediately following 

 harvesting and slash disposal, units would be a mixture of brown from drying slash, black from 

 burned areas and green associated with the flush of new grass and forbs. Over time, 15-20 years, 

 lodgepole pine regeneration would begin to dominate stand replacement and mixed severity 

 cutting units. The harvesfing would create a wider diversity in texture and color within the 

 school trust land. 



Portions of harvest units in Sections 5, 17, and 21 would be visible from the county road. 

 Harvesting in Section 21 would be immediately adjacent to the road and would be highly visible. 

 There is a partial screen of multiple aged lodgepole pine located on adjacent private land that is 

 103 



