Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Mount Dean Stone Preserve is a City-owned public conservation area located outside the current Missoula City limits and managed primarily for native vegetation and habitat. Multipleforest stands exist on Mount Dean Stone in various states of growth depending on recent firehistory, past logging efforts, and recent disease outbreaks. Existing conditions on much of theupper forests on Mt. Dean Stone consists of dense, regenerating stands of Douglas-fir andponderosa pine following a stand-replacing fire in 1977. An outbreak of Douglas fir tus sockmoth in 2019 has impacted forests in the lower part of the mountain. In other areas, juvenile ponderosa pines and Douglas fir are encroaching into areas which have historically been native grasslands. Management goals for the projects include selectively thinning across roughly 40acres (see attached map exhibits). The density of trees per acre is quite variable across the sitesdepending on slope, age of stand, and available moisture.Critical infrastructure (communications towers) exist on a private parcel at the top of Mt. Dean Stone, surrounded by City Conservation Lands on all sides. To protect this critical infrastructure, higher intensity maintenance is required on areas surrounding the towers. Additionally, City property sits in an ideal location to establish and maintain a shaded fuel break along Larch CampRd, which may help facilitate future fire suppression activities.
