Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 3
Developed Recreation
This change in aesthetics could result in the project area being a less desirable place for
the public to recreate and could decrease socio-economic benefits of a tourist based
economy in the surrounding communities. There would also be high fire hazard within
the project area due to heavy fuel loading from mountain pine beetle caused mortality.
Large scale, high intensity wildfires reduce recreation use of an area and could also
threaten/destroy recreation facilities in the project area such as Camp Bob Marshall and
Bismarck Lake.
The predicted extent of dead trees killed by MPB would have a negative impact on
developed and dispersed recreation. The dead trees would become public hazards and
MPB killed trees generally fall or break within 3-5 years. In addition, there would be
increased maintenance needed within developed sites and impacts to permitted Outfitter
and Guide authorized trails. The expense of dealing with beetle affected trees in
recreation sites would increase as the epidemic increases and affects more trees in these
sites. This may result in a temporary closure of recreation sites to the public if tree
mortality from MPB attack exceeds recreation resource budgets to remove these hazards
for public safety.
Dispersed Recreation
Mountain pine beetle killed pine trees are a falling tree hazard to dispersed recreation
users who frequent the area. Dispersed recreation areas are not monitored and cleared of
hazardous trees such as is done in developed recreation sites. Dispersed recreation users
such as horse riders, hikers, bicyclists, rock climbers, hunters, etc., can expect more dead
and dying trees as more pine trees become infested with MPB.
Recreation Special Uses
Recreation special use permit areas would be maintained by the permit holders to ensure
that they are cleared of hazardous MPB infested trees and safe for the public. Therefore,
there would likely be increased maintenance costs for permit holders to continue to use
these permitted areas and trails.
Alternative 2
The proposed activities in this alternative would reduce MPB risk and therefore, would
consequently reduce the potential for MPB caused mortality. It is anticipated that the
proposed thinning and sanitation treatments would result in a healthier forest of green
trees that would provide a more appealing area in which to recreate versus one with large
swaths of dead trees. A forest with an under story largely absent of dead and down fuels
and slash would provide a more open, park-like setting desired by recreationists.
The use of prescribed fire and pile burning would create periods of smoke and haze
causing temporary negative affects to recreation opportunities over a broad area. These
prescribed burning periods occur during the non-primary recreation tourism season,
mostly late fall and early spring to a lesser extent. Therefore the effects to recreation are
considered short-term and minimal.
Sale activities would create short term periods of noise, dust, increased traffic and
disturbance to the landscape, negatively impacting recreation social opportunities for
solitude and rejuvenation in the natural environment. These impacts would be localized
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