W.M. Beaty & Associates Forestland Management in Northeastern California. WBA Managed Tract, SE Lassen County

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1 W.M. Beaty & Associates Forestland Management in Northeastern California WBA Managed Tract, SE Lassen County

2 W. M. Beaty & Associates Established in 1970 Manage + 284,000 acres of family-owned forests in NE Calif. (do not own or operate manufacturing facilities) Ownerships share a history in over 800,000 acres of NE California timberland acquired in the late 1800 s and early 1900 s We also provide forestry consultation services for other owners or entities

3 Tahoe

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5 Winter logging near Westwood, CA

6 Mostly volcanic soils: stable, well drained & good AWC Elevations range from 2,000 to 6,500

7 California Forests & Mediterranean Climate Cool/wet Winters vegetation/fuel Warm/dry Summer Annual fire season Soil moisture is limiting factor for conifer seedling survival Native brush & non-native annual grasses: severe competition w/ conifer seedlings Periodic prolonged droughts Management of Stocking Levels is critiical Lightning/Fire Historic vs. current fire frequencies & intensities

8 Climate - Precipitation Patterns REDDING, CA Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec NORTH PLATTE, NE FLAGSTAFF, AZ Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

9 HRC

10 Planted + weed control Planted & no weed control

11 Overall Management Objectives Annual income for landowners while increasing asset value, forest structure & growth over time by harvesting less than growth Maintain and/or improve soils, water quality, riparian habitat, forage, aesthetics and recreation Minimize risk of catastrophic losses from fire, pathogens and insects. Provide broad & diverse wildlife habitat types across landscape

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13 Timber Management Objectives Grow large trees for sawlogs/veneer logs (fiber and fuel chips, small logs, poles etc. produced as byproducts of timber sales or as products of stand improvement treatments) Increase timber inventory (total volume, individual tree size & value), growth and harvest over time Regulate forest structure over time Promote regional economic vitality (e.g. mills)

14 Cayton Rail Timber Sale

15 W.M. BEATY & ASSOCIATES, INC. The big challenge starting out in early 1970 s with mostly cutover lands: selling 2nd growth timber in an old growth dominated market and also increasing the inventory also harvested 1.6 Billion Bd. Ft. & several hundred thousand tons of fuel & pulp chips 1 Billion Bd. Ft. Grown under WBA mgt. initial inventory + 38 years 2.5 Billion Bd. Ft current inventory

16 Inventory, Growth & Harvest for next 100 years for one Forest

17 Unevenage mixed conifer stand in NE Shasta Co. where Beaty management has increased timber volume, growth and average tree size over time via periodic selection harvests & a biomass thinning

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19 Group Selection to recruit young pine & DF

20 Modoc Co. eastside ponderosa pine stand w/ white fir understory

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23 Still use fallers for steeper ground, oversize trees & Salvage of Blowdown, & Bug Killed Trees

24 Grow forests via reforesting brushfield-occupied old burns on forest lands 7&½ years after planting brushfield from old burn in eastern Shasta County

25 Grow forests via timely reforestation after catastrophic wildfire 2000 Storrie Fire

26 8 year-old trees in the Storrie Fire planted April 2002

27 Conifer Seed Inventory: Inventory by: Species: PP, JP, SP, DF, WF, RF, IC Elevations: 2,000 6,500 Seed Zones: 8 seed zones

28 North Sierra Tree Improvement Association Ponderosa Pine Seed Orchard

29 16 yr old BLM & private plantations on Day Fire (Modoc Co.) Difference = weed control No weed control

30 Control of competing vegetation at establishment is critical! 20 years after planting wildfire NE California ( 77 Pondosa Fire) 15 years after Wildfire destroyed forest Planted + weed control Planted & no weed control

31 Veg control Challenge Experimental Forest 42 year old pond pine 6 x 6 spacing: QMD = 6.5

32 Veg control Challenge Experimental Forest 42 year old pond pine 18 x 18 spacing: QMD = 16.0

33 Elliot Ranch Study / LOGS

34 5-year Growth Increments NE Plumas Co. 300 TPA

35 High stocking levels on eastside resulting in stagnating trees & fire hazard.

36 Thinned eastside stand: increases individual tree vigor & growth & reduced impacts from wildfire

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38 Rubber tired 3-wheeler or Timbco w/ sawhead Less expensive but limited by slope More expensive but can thin steeper slopes

39 Chipping trees from biomass thinning or chipping top piles from mechanical sawlog harvesting

40 Wildfires with much less damage due to Beaty thinning projects where crown fires went to ground facilitating direct attack & containment Mud Fire in Lassen County Widow Fire Incident in Modoc County (near Lookout) Dixie Fire in Lassen County Whitmore Fire in Shasta County (near Whitmore) Sanctuary Fire incident in Shasta County (near Shingletown) 6. Possibly a portion of the 2008 Corral Fire? 7. Numerous spot fires from lightning strikes in thinned areas that were put out before the fire got into un-thinned timber and became actual wildfire incidents. The largest and most catastrophic fires that occurred on our managed lands in the past 30 years were on tracts w/ no biomass thinning

41 Oct Whitmore Wildfire Stand thinned in 2002 Un-thinned stand Bateman Road Wind Direction Community of Whitmore Upslope timberlands

42 Beaty RPFs & timber markers trained by Wildlife Biologist to ID & retain WL habitat elements: e.g. Large decadent white fir provides: platform nests, cavity nests, large snag recruitment etc.

43 WBA markers trained by WL biologist to identify special species & habitat use Northern goshawk Bald eagle wash near nest tree

44 Whitmore Fire Plantation

45 Storrie Fire 2007

46 Storrie Fire 2009

47 Private Forestland Regulation

48 Private Forestland Regulation Cost increases 1,200 percent since 1975 Avg cost: $40,000 per timber harvest plan Landowner THP Cost Comparison (Preparation, Administration, Mitigation and $23.1 million Proposed New Fees) $80.00 $70.00 $60.00 Proposed 09 $50.00 $40.00 $30.00 $20.00 $10.00 Calif. Oregon Washington Total $ Cost / Thousand Board Feet of Timber Harvest

49 Private Forestland Regulation Private land, zoned for timber production THP Review costs and Productivity Cost increases to California taxpayers 250 percent since 1999 Regulatory costs exceed $24 million THP Program costs (taxpayer) THPs approved

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51 ANY QUESTIONS??? Beaty managed forest in NE Plumas County