Final Environmental Impact Statement Rio de los Pinos Vegetation ...

Colorado Wild Page 7
it is difficult for a Forest Service employee to be present any time the area may be too wet for
operations.
IV. DESIGN ANY LOGGING TO MINIMIZE BLOWDOWN. When part of a stand is cut,
blowdown of remaining trees is always a possibility. Indeed, considerable blowdown in the
adjacent County Line project area after logging, as in 2007, “a large wind event blew down most
of the trees that were identified to remain in stands for Scenic Resources”. DEIS at 3-61.
Retention of standing trees is very important for wildlife habitat and to help foster regeneration
of the project area. See section V below and section II A above.
The Forest Service must show how the proposed logging will not result in more than minor
blowdown, even though similar logging in an adjacent area caused extensive blowdown.
V. PROTECT WILDLIFE AND PLANT HABITAT. Logging is likely to adversely affect
habitat for some species of wildlife. Logging should be reduced and design criteria strengthened
to minimize such impact.
A. LYNX. Lynx appear to frequently use the project area and surrounding land. See Shenk,
2007 at 30, 31, showing high density of lynx use detected by both aerial and satellite means.
Based on the number of smaller trees in the area, it would appear that there is good habitat for
lynx’ favorite prey, snowshoe hare. See fn 2. Thus, there is likely some hare and lynx habitat in
all units.
The proposed action would remove standing dead trees, which would reduce future denning
habitat. Logged areas would be very open, with limited cover. Logging would also damage or
kill many small trees. Indeed, fir trees and trees less than eight inches in diameter would be
removed to access larger diameter standing dead trees under both action alternatives. DEIS at 3-
64, -66. Thus at least some lynx habitat in the treatment units would be converted to unsuitable
habitat after logging. Up to 50 percent of the understory could be damaged, with 20 percent
mortality. DEIS at 3-38.
Under the no action alternative, the short-term effects of bark beetle mortality might be negative
(DEIS at 3-36), but hare habitat at least would persist, as the understory and fir trees of all sizes
would both remain intact. And in the longer term,
The analysis area would slowly convert to winter foraging and other habitat.
Through time, a patchy distribution of deadfall, dead standing and newly
regenerating trees and shrubs would likely occur across the landscape. Some areas
would continue to provide denning or foraging habitat for lynx, and may even
improve in quality as an abundance of coarse woody debris becomes available for
denning, and as areas open up and the understory vegetation is released.
DEIS at 3-35.
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