Outlook Landscape Diversity Project

Transcription

1 Appendix D. Vegetation Landscape Diversity Project Prepared by: Lisa Helmig Forest Silviculturist for: Middle Fork Ranger District Willamette National Forest June 1, 2015

2 Appendix D Table 1 Integrated Silviculture Prescription for Alternative A Matrix Commercial Thinning, Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Commercial Thin in matrix Average Age: 51 Average SDI: 420 Average Trees/Acre (>7.0" DBH): 264 Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Wildlife Fuels Aquatics CT M SC U, SC LSZ LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1, portion of CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U F1 LWE CT M SC U F CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F CT M SC U F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT M SC U, SC LSZ LWE CT M SC U F3 CT M : Commercial thin in matrix SC U : Snag creation within SC L : Snag creation in designated adjacent late successional zone F1: Yard tops and limbs attached, burn landing piles, roadside grapple pile cleanup and burn F3: Underburn, grapple pile and burn, roadside grapple pile cleanup and burn LWE: Large wood enhancement CT M SC U F3 1

3 , Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Commercial Thin in LSR Average Age: 48 Average SDI: 404 Average Trees/Acre (>7.0" DBH): 242 Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Wildlife Fuels Aquatics CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT L SC U F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT L SC U F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U F3 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE F1, portion of CT L SC U, SC LSZ LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 2

4 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 F1, portion of CT L SC U, SC LSZ CT L SC U F CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE F1, portion of CT L SC U, SC LSZ CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ LWE CT L SC U F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 LWE CT L SC U F1 LWE F1, portion of CT L SC U LWE CT L SC U F2 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 F2, portion of CT L SC U CT L SC U F CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U F2 LWE CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U F1 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 F1, portion of CT L SC U LWE LWE 3

5 CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U, SC LSZ F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F CT L SC U F1 LWE F1,portion of CT L SC U, SC LSZ CT L SC U F2 LWE CT L SC U F2 LWE CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE CT L SC U F1 CT L : Commercial thin in Late Successional Reserve SC U : Snag creation within SC L : Snag creation in designated adjacent late successional zone F1: Yard tops and limbs attached, burn landing piles, roadside grapple pile cleanup and burn F2: Yard tops and limbs attached, burn landing piles, roadside grapple pile cleanup and burn, hand pile and burn F3: Underburn, grapple pile and burn, roadside grapple pile cleanup and burn F4: No fuels treatment, tops left for nutrient cycling and ravel control. Road side grapple pile cleanup and burn LWE: Large wood enhancement 4

6 , Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Early Seral Creation in Matrix Average Age: 48 Average SDI: 429 Average Trees/Acre (>7.0" DBH): 229 Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Wildlife Fuels Aquatics ESC SC U F ESC SC U F ESC SC U F5 LWE ESC SC U F ESC SC U F5 LWE ESC SC U F5 LWE ESC SC U F ESC SC U F ESC SC U F5 ESC: Early seral creation SC U : Snag creation within F5: Broadcast burn LWE: Large wood enhancement 5

7 , Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Early Seral Maintenance in Matrix Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Fuels Aquatics ESM F ESM F ESM F6 LWE ESM F ESM F ESM F ESM F ESM F6 LWE ESM F6 ESM: Early seral maintenance F6: Whipfell, prune, handpile and burn, underburn LWE: Large wood enhancement 6

8 , Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Special Habitat Restoration in Matrix Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Wildlife Fuels SHR F SHR SC LSZ F SHR F SHR F8 SHR: Special Habitat Restoration SC LSZ : Snag creation in designated adjacent late successional zone F7: Whipfell, prune, handpile and burn, underburn F8: Broadcast burn 7

9 Examples of Stand Development Following Management Activities In the Salmon Creek 5 th Field Watershed on the Middle Fork Ranger District, a project known as Blue Dot Thinning provides a site-specific and relevant comparison of vegetation data illustrating the dramatic change in stand characteristics over time. Data was taken by Tim Bailey, retired Planning Forester on the Middle Fork Ranger District for Unit #3 of the Blue Dot Project. The treatment increased average diameter, basal area, volume, crown diameter and average height. Because of high site productivity, crown closure was greater compared to initial measurements 21 years after treatment. This project offers a good comparison because the high site productivity conditions are similar to those found within the planning area. Table 2 Blue Dot Thinning BLUE DOT THINNING, UNIT # Stand Exam Data Post-treatment, 1990 Monitoring measurement, 2011 Trees/acre Average diameter Basal area/acre 120 ft2 59 ft2 168 ft2 Basal area/tree ft ft2 2.3 ft2 Total Volume 19 MBF 8.5 MBF 32 MBF Average spacing Age Canopy closure 70% 30% 75% Crown diameter Average height In summary, the second growth stands in the planning area will be set on a trajectory to achieve established late-successional or old-growth conditions through the application of these prescriptions with no other management interventions aside from the potential need for prescribed underburning and snag creation. Another opporty on the District and close to the project area is useful to examine natural fireregenerated stands and the diversity of the understory. Several thousand acres of forest naturally regenerated after a stand replacement wildfire about 100 years ago in the Dartmouth Creek watershed just south of this project area. These young stands have overstories that are pure or nearly pure Douglas-fir. A sparse hemlock understory is just beginning to develop as they self-thin. Initial managed reforestation and subsequent pre-commercial thinning (with the general exception of the older stands in the river canyon) of these stands were accomplished in a fairly uniform fashion. Their canopy densities are such that understory vegetation is suppressed to very suppressed in most cases. However, nearly all the understory plant species that one would expect to find in a young or mature natural stand are present in these managed stands, although in very depauperate forms due to the generally dense shade. All that is 8

10 needed to make these understory plant assemblages flourish is some sunlight hitting the forest floor. The overstories of some of these stands are so dense they have even begun to cause the mortality of some shade tolerant conifers such as western red cedar and western hemlock. While these tree species are shade tolerant, they still need some light to maintain themselves, and even more light to grow vigorously. Douglas-fir is known to expand its canopy rapidly following thinning (Oliver and Larson, 1996; Bailey, et. al., 1998). Tim Bailey has informally monitored lateral branch growth in 40 year old Douglas-fir stands on this District. He observed lateral branch elongation (on the edges of openings such as a road) from 6 to 12 inches per year. Using the conservative lower of these two values, a 10 wide canopy gap will close in ten years. Chan et. al. (2006) documents an average canopy closure rate of two percent per year over a range of thinning intensities. Tim Bailey has observed crown closure exceeded this (ranging from 2-5% per year) in a similar time period after a relatively heavy thinning on this landscape. Oliver, C. D, and B. C. Larson, Forest Stand Dynamics. Updated ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York, NY, 520 pp. Bailey, J. D., C. Mayrsohn, P. S. Doescher, E. St. Pierre, and J. C. Tappeiner,1998. Understory vegetation in old and young Douglas-fir forests of western Oregon. Forest Ecology Management. 112, Chan, S. S., D. J. Larson, K. G. Maas-Hebner, W. H. Emmingham, S. R. Johnson, and D. A. Mikowski, Overstory and understory development in thinned and underplanted Oregon Coast Range Douglas-fir stands. Canadian Journal of Forest Resources, 36: (2006). 9