Appendix D. Vegetation Landscape Diversity Project Prepared by: Lisa Helmig Forest Silviculturist for: Middle Fork Ranger District Willamette National Forest June 1, 2015
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 6001780 CT M SC U, SC LSZ LWE 6001796 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 6001834 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 6001840 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6001863 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6001879 CT M SC U, SC LSZ LWE 6001883 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1, portion of 6001904 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6001915 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 6001989 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002043 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002044 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002059 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002188 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002203 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002234 CT M SC U F1 LWE 6002361 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002374 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002498 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002501 CT M SC U F1 6002509 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002511 CT M SC U F1 LWE 6002521 CT M SC U F1 6002556 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002589 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002620 CT M SC U F1 LWE 6002627 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002630 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002677 CT M SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6003260 CT M SC U, SC LSZ LWE 8003051 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 8006052 CT M SC U F3 1
, 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 5000017 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F4 6002092 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6002100 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002116 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002120 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002135 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002138 CT L SC U F3 6002141 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 6002176 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6002195 CT L SC U F3 6002205 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002216 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6002218 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6002257 CT L SC U F3 6002275 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F4 6002312 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 6002329 CT L SC U F3 6002333 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 LWE 6002334 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6002348 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002386 CT L SC U F3 LWE 6002393 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F3 LWE 6002394 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE F1, portion of 6002408 CT L SC U, SC LSZ LWE 6002428 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002438 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002452 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002464 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 2
6002476 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002481 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 F1, portion of 6002496 CT L SC U, SC LSZ 6002524 CT L SC U F1 6002525 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002531 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 LWE 6002549 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE F1, portion of 6002554 CT L SC U, SC LSZ 6002559 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002561 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002563 CT L SC U, SC LSZ LWE 6002566 CT L SC U F1 6002570 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 LWE 6002578 CT L SC U F1 LWE F1, portion of 6002583 CT L SC U LWE 6002586 CT L SC U F2 LWE 6002594 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002607 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002608 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 6002611 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002623 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002635 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6002637 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F2 F2, portion of 6002641 CT L SC U 6002644 CT L SC U F1 6002647 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002653 CT L SC U F2 LWE 6002655 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002666 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002672 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002673 CT L SC U F1 LWE 6002688 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 F1, portion of 6002689 CT L SC U LWE LWE 3
6002690 CT L SC U F1 6002731 CT L SC U F1 6002744 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 6002754 CT L SC U F1 6002760 CT L SC U F1 6002772 CT L SC U F1 6002775 CT L SC U F1 6002791 CT L SC U F1 6002795 CT L SC U F4 6002799 CT L SC U F4 6002819 CT L SC U F1 6002826 CT L SC U F1 6002840 CT L SC U F1 6003250 CT L SC U F1 LWE F1,portion of 6003261 CT L SC U, SC LSZ 6003264 CT L SC U F2 LWE 6003266 CT L SC U F2 LWE 6003526 CT L SC U, SC LSZ F1 LWE 6003544 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
, 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 6001744 ESC SC U F5 6001757 ESC SC U F5 6001777 ESC SC U F5 LWE 6002058 ESC SC U F5 6002148 ESC SC U F5 LWE 6002194 ESC SC U F5 LWE 6002219 ESC SC U F5 8003052 ESC SC U F5 8003053 ESC SC U F5 ESC: Early seral creation SC U : Snag creation within F5: Broadcast burn LWE: Large wood enhancement 5
, Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Early Seral Maintenance in Matrix Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Fuels Aquatics 6003466 ESM F6 6003470 ESM F6 6004271 ESM F6 LWE 6004272 ESM F6 6004938 ESM F6 6004939 ESM F6 6004940 ESM F6 6004942 ESM F6 LWE 6004978 ESM F6 ESM: Early seral maintenance F6: Whipfell, prune, handpile and burn, underburn LWE: Large wood enhancement 6
, Alternative A Integrated Prescription, Special Habitat Restoration in Matrix Alternative A Unit Prescribed Treatment Wildlife Fuels 6002230 SHR F7 6002460 SHR SC LSZ F8 6010311 SHR F7 9992124 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
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 #3 1984 Stand Exam Data Post-treatment, 1990 Monitoring measurement, 2011 Trees/acre 229 89 71-78 Average diameter 9.8 11 21 Basal area/acre 120 ft2 59 ft2 168 ft2 Basal area/tree 0.524 ft2 0.66 ft2 2.3 ft2 Total Volume 19 MBF 8.5 MBF 32 MBF Average spacing 14 22 24 Age 34 40+ 61 Canopy closure 70% 30% 75% Crown diameter 14 14 24 Average height 70 70 122 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
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, 1996. 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, 289-302 Chan, S. S., D. J. Larson, K. G. Maas-Hebner, W. H. Emmingham, S. R. Johnson, and D. A. Mikowski, 2006. Overstory and understory development in thinned and underplanted Oregon Coast Range Douglas-fir stands. Canadian Journal of Forest Resources, 36: 2696-2711 (2006). 9