Johnny O'Neil Late Successional Reserve Habitat Restoration and ...

stands. Other large trees with cavities or other suitable structures can be found in other “lesser
quality” habitats (i.e. NSO foraging habitat). Surveys have not been conducted within the
project area but, because suitable large tree roost sites are fairly common, it is reasonable to
conclude that pallid bats are present within the project area. Surveys will not be conducted for
this species.
Direct and Indirect Effects
Alternative 1 – No Action
Under the No Action Alternative there would be no direct effects to pallid bats. Under the
No Action Alternative, activities designed to retain late-successional habitat would not
occur. Large roost trees would be slightly slower to develop, and density related mortality
is expected to continue, increasing surface fuels over time. Existing fire behavior is
expected to worsen over time including: a constant or increasing crown fire potential under
both moderate and severe weather conditions; an increase in surface fire intensity under both
moderate and severe weather conditions would likely result in more acres of latesuccessional
habitat affected by high intensity fire. The No Action Alternative does little to
promote the development or retention of large tree/roost habitat and increases the potential
for fire to remove existing large snags.
Action Alternatives
Thinning, temporary road construction, and fuels reduction activities are proposed within
and adjacent to potential roosting habitat. These treatments may remove or fall individual
trees or snags that may be used for roosting; however, by meeting the recommendations for
snags in the KNF LRMP (USDA Forest Service 1994), and because the felling or removal
of trees >20” DBH would only occur under limited circumstances, the impacts to pallid
bats and their habitat are expected to be minimal. Because this species is sensitive to
disturbance at roost sites, the Johnny O’Neil project has the potential to disrupt roosting
individuals if pallid bats are present. Disturbance at any specific roost would be short term
and occur only during the year of project implementation.
Thinning is expected to have long-term benefits for pallid bats by promoting the retention of
large-diameter trees which may provide suitable roosting sites. Also the proposed thinning
and fuel treatments would change expected fire behavior over time, resulting in fires of less
intensity and reducing the potential that existing habitat will be lost.
Prescribed fire could indirectly benefit bats by creating additional snags and cavities; the
reintroduction of fire would likely create basal hollows and other cavities used by bats.
Short-term loss of vegetation could reduce the abundance of aerial and terrestrial insect
prey. In the medium term, however, invigorated growth of herbaceous and shrubby
vegetation in areas affected by fire could increase the abundance of insect prey and provide
suitable open foraging conditions for bats.
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