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<br />Hairy woodpeckers are common year round residents on the Forest. They are found in <br />aspen, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, spruce-fir and riparian habitats. 'Chey breed and nest <br />in mature forests of conifer, deciduous and mixed tree stands chazacterized by dense <br />canopies, standing dead trees and down woody debris. Hairy woodpeckers aze primary <br />cavity nesters, they excavate nest and roost sites for themselves and many other species. <br />Forty percent of montane breeding birds require nest holes with only eight percent being <br />able to excavate their own (Kingery 1998). <br />Hairy woodpeckers are thought to fluctuate with insect infestations (Kingery 1998). <br />Insect outbreaks benefit woodpeckers through increased availability of food and cavity <br />nesting trees. Silvicultural treatments that remove standing dead acrd down material as <br />well as future replacement snags could negatively impact hairy woodpeckers and <br />secondary cavity nesters. <br />Aquatic and Riparian Habitats -The project area is in a natural drainage and riparian <br />ecosystem known as Long Draw. Long Draw is an ephemeral tributary to Deep Creek. <br />The draw itself is a meadow composed of grasses and forbs, and concentrated areas of <br />bracken fem. The overstory vegetation consists of aspen, chokecherry, and serviceberry <br />on the south facing slopes and blue spruce, Rocky Mt. maple and Douglas fir occur on <br />the north facing slopes. Free or unbound water appears to run periodically most likely <br />during storm and runoff events. This bottom of [he draw is considered a riparian <br />ecosystem due to the characteristic vegetation described above which requires wetter soil <br />regimes. In addition, the draw differs drastically from the adjacent, terrestrial (upland) <br />vegetation that being oakbrush on the south facing slopes and Douglas fir on the north <br />facing slope. Riparian ecosystems are defined and discussed in the Rocky Mountain <br />Region - U.S. Forest Service, Rangeland Analysis and Management Training Guide, <br />August 1996. In the riparian ecosystem section the training guide states, "Some suggest <br />specific soil classification taxa be used to delineate riparian areas, for example, aquic <br />soils. Such rigid criteria may apply fairly well in humid climates, but aze improper in <br />subhumid, semiarid, and arid climates where flora and fauna depend on riparian habitats <br />[hat are not extremely moist." <br />Riparian and wetland azeas are extremely important to breeding birds, small mammals, <br />reptiles and amphibians in the analysis area. These areas remain cooler than surrounding <br />hillslopes and act as important therma] refuges. They are particularly rich in insects and <br />fruit, therefore these areas are important food sources. Riparian and wetland areas attract <br />a diverse composition of wildlife species disproportionately more than other habitats. <br />The analysis area is known as a black bear concentration area. The area contains mesic <br />aspen stands preferred in summer by bears. The steeper drainages and shadowed draws <br />with cool air movement provide travel corridors to lower oakbrush communities where <br />bears prefer to forage in spring (for earlier forage green-up) and in fall for acorns and <br />berries. <br />Threatened and Endangered species which aze addressed in the GVB Drilling for East <br />Side Panel I S Biological Assessment and Biological Evaluation (see project file for <br />detailed analysis) were derived from the US Fish and Wildlife Service list (USFWS, May <br />2001) and the GMUG National Forest Sensitive Species list (March 23, 1994). Those <br />15 <br />