Forest Stewardship Plan Effective plan date: June 1, 2002 Forestry is the art and science of managing forest lands and their related resources, including trees and other plants, animals, soil, water, and air. This management is based on the goals identified by the property s owner(s). Your forestland can be many things to you, including a source of personal enjoyment, an investment, and/or a legacy for future generations. Having and following a management plan is the first step toward meeting your objectives for your land. The following pages include descriptions of related vegetative or physical areas called stands. Recommended forestry practices are listed. Landowners are encouraged to actively complete the practices recommended. Prepared for: Sam and Sally Sportsman N2756 Maple Lane Pine Junction, WI 50212 County: Forest Town Name: Cedar Creek Legal Description: Section 10 Township 31N Range 14E Total Plan Acreage: 60 Attached maps show the location of stewardship forestlands. Landowner Objectives: The landowners have identified the following objectives for their property: Improve the forest s health Provide periodic income Establish white pine under the hardwood trees Regenerate aspen to maintain wildlife habitat Minimize the visual impact of harvest operation through modified silvicultural practices and intensive slash management Protect and enhance Cedar Creek Improve and extend the trail network on the property for recreational use and future thinning/harvesting operations Maintain the large white pine as long as possible for aesthetic reasons. 1
Stand #1 Acreage: 24 acres General Description: This stand has a high density of pole-sized (5-11 inch dbh) northern hardwoods and a low density of small sawlog (11-15 inch dbh) northern hardwoods. Maple is a major species. This stand was thinned five years ago by salvaging the dying white birch, removing the mature aspen and thinning the mixed hardwood areas. There are now some areas of dense aspen saplings. The soil is a rolling sandy loam and silt loam. There are scattered large white pine trees and a few white pine saplings less than 15 feet tall. Objective: Maintain this area for long-lived, healthy trees for periodic income from the timber. Aesthetic considerations during a harvest are important along the trail and near the house. It is desired to keep the area near the house in an open, park-like condition but with a visual screening between the house and Maple Lane. Recommended Practices: Thin by the years 2006 and 2020. To maintain the growth and health of the residual trees, it will be necessary to do a selective removal of trees that are competing with the desirable trees in 2006 and again by 2020. The selective thinning will yield sufficient board feet and cordage to be a commercial harvest. The best quality trees should be retained to grow to a larger size. Trees with poor form or obvious defects should be marked for removal. Where an oak seedling or sapling exists, it should be released from competing trees. This will improve the vigor of the oaks resulting in an increased growth rate and acorn production for many wildlife species. Near the house, the thinning should remove fewer trees to keep a dense tree canopy so that ground plants will be shaded out or remain small. Between the house and Maple Lane a greater number of trees should be removed so that a dense understory of trees and shrubs develop for a sight and sound buffer zone. Shade tolerant trees such as hemlock could be planted to enhance the buffer zone. The thinnings should reduce the Basal Area down to 85 ft 2 /ac (or crown closure to about 70 percent). During the first thinning, an attempt should be made to regenerate white pine. All scattered large white pine should be retained, even if defective, to provide a seed source. Since white pine can regenerate under partial shade, the residual stocking level should allow sufficient light to reach the forest floor to stimulate pine regeneration. Mineral soil should be exposed around these pines where practical and where residual damage to the hardwoods can be minimized. 2
Stand #2 Acreage: 10 acres General Description: This stand is a red pine plantation that was planted in 1980. There is a high density of pole-sized trees that have shaded out the grass and other understory plants, so the cover for wildlife is declining. The soils are sandy. Objective: The owners wish to maintain the plantation in a healthy condition to provide red pine sawlogs, a variety of cover, and visual enjoyment of the property. Recommended Practices: Thin by the years 2004, 2014, and 2024. The first thinning should remove every third row and selectively remove trees in the other two rows with poor form (crooked or forked boles). The rows to be removed could be staggered so that a clear line of sight is not present from the road. Future thinnings should selectively reduce Basal area according to recommendations (i.e. to 120 ft 2 /ac when the stand diameter averages 9-15 and to 140 ft 2 /ac for stands averaging more than 15 in diameter). Following the first thinning, up to 100 trees per acre could be pruned up to a maximum of half the tree s height (not to exceed 17 feet). Cost-share funds may be available for the pruning of the lower limbs and the thinning if it is not a commercial operation. Thinning would increase the amount of sunlight reaching the ground and stimulate the natural regeneration of hardwood trees, including ash, maple, and oak. This method will also increase the ground vegetation as the regeneration develops, providing additional browse and cover. Stand #3 Acreage: 10 acres General Description: This stand is an area of low ground with a mixture of pole-sized black ash, soft maple, cedar, hemlock, and scattered white pine. The soil type is muck over sandy loam. It is a wet site with several springs that drain into Cedar Creek. Objective: The objective is for wildlife cover and to protect the water quality. Recommended Practices: A light selective thinning should be completed by 2004 and again by 2017. The trees to favor would be the longer-lived species such as cedar, hemlock, pine, oak, and maple. Trees to remove would include aspen, 3
white birch, and defective black ash. Thinning around the evergreen trees will result in denser foliage, improving the thermal cover for wildlife in the winter. Due to the wet site and low quality of volume of trees to be removed, this will likely be a non-commercial activity. Cost-share funds may be available to accomplish this. To maintain the water quality, any equipment operation should be limited to when the soil is frozen. The non-commercial trees that are removed could be piled to create a variety of ground cover. To improve the quality and amount of habitat for fish in the creek, the recommended practice is to narrow and deepen the moving water. This can be done in several ways, including rock placement or by using what are called brush bundles. The brush bundles are constructed by cutting the brush along the stream and piling it criss-cross on the bank. As the stream floods, sediment will collect on the brush bundles. Grasses naturally seed in on the bundles and narrow the streambed, resulting in deeper and faster water. A more specific description of this practice is available from the local Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fish biologist. Stand #4 Acreage: 10 acres General Description: This is a mature, highly stocked, pole timber (5-11 inch diameter, aspen stand. The trees in this stand are 55 years old on a sandy mixed soil type. Objective: The owners wish to grow aspen using even-aged management with a clearcut harvest at economic maturity. This will encourage new aspen suckering (sprouting) from the well-established root system. The purpose for this objective is to improve the diversity of habitat for whitetail deer and ruffed grouse. Recommended Practices: A partial regeneration harvest (clearcut) of this stand should be conducted by 2004 and the balance cut in 2014. Cut all trees 2 inches and diameter and larger, leaving any oak or pine trees. The area should be harvested in two portions so a diversity of age will develop and to reduce temporary negative aesthetic impacts following the harvest. Area 4a should be clearcut first and 4b regenerated in the second cutting. By the time of the second harvest, the quality and volume of aspen will be diminished, but the stand should still be able to successfully regenerate via root suckering. Future management will be to grow recurring crops of aspen trees, with associated wildlife benefits. 4
Stand #5 Acreage: 6 acres General Description: This is an open field. The former hay field is a mixture of vegetation, generally foxtail and quack grass and other highground broadleaf weeds. Objective: The owners objective is to utilize this field for wildlife habitat and tree growth for future generations. Recommended Practices: Any combination of the following recommendations may be used. Plant areas of prairie grasses and/or wildflowers Mow small patches and trails leaving the rest in natural grasses Construct and set out a variety of bird houses Plant scattered clumps of evergreens for cover and nesting sites Plant some of the area into a mixture of hardwood and/or conifer trees Summary of Recommended Practices 2004 Thin stand #2, selectively thin stand #3, and clearcut stand #4a. Because these are small harvests, they should be combined and advertised as one timber sale. By combining these separate activities into one timber sale, the landowner would attract more interest from loggers. Again, Best Management Practices for Water Quality should be implemented. 2006 Thin stand #1. 2014 Thin stand #2, and clearcut stand #4b. 2017 Thin stand #3 2020 Thin stand #1 2024 Thin stand #2 Wildlife Recommendations When the harvest of an area is completed, the skidding trails and roads could be seeded with a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and white Dutch clover. Rabbits will inhabit these areas of dense cover and clover. Deer and grouse will also feed on the clover. Where there are rabbits and grouse populations, fox and owls will follow. To discourage the beaver, the aspen near the creek should not be regenerated. By selectively thinning Stand #3, the aspen will not grow back due to the lack of full sunlight. Two to four dead snags and den type trees per acre should be left throughout the woodland for use by wildlife. Existing log-sized 5
woody debris on the ground could be retained for wildlife to use as nesting, shelter, food storage, drumming, sunning, and preening sites. Small diameter woody debris could be constructed into brush piles for use as shelter by wildlife, after periodic harvests. The dense brush areas provide excellent escape cover for many wildlife species, including deer and grouse. As the alder and willow brush mature, it would be desirable to cut them before they die. The root systems will sprout and again create a dense cover area. Trails System An overall objective of the owners is to extend the trail network throughout the property. The approximate recommended locations are shown on the map. These are general rather than exact locations. All trail construction and location should follow the Best Management Practices for Water Quality field manual as published by the DNR. If the Cedar Creek is to be crossed, a simple alternative to a permanent culvert may be a stone ford. Threatened or Endangered Species To my knowledge there are no threatened or endangered species present and no species have been reported or are on record with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. If at any time such species are noted, high priority should be given to their protection and benefit. In 1992, a bald eagle nesting site was recorded with the DNR as being located ½ mile to the north and east of the property. It would be desirable to retain several large white pine trees as possible nesting sites. It is recommended that no harvesting take place within ¼ mile of an eagle s nest. Bald Eagle management guidelines are available from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. During my inspection of the property no archeological, cultural, or historical sites were noticed. Name, address, and telephone number of the preparer of this plan: Art Forester, ACF Consulting Forester N5129 Walnut Rd. Northwoods, WI 51621 (715) 555-1234 artforester@northwoods.net 6
The owner agrees to this forest stewardship plan. The landowner further agrees to proceed diligently to accomplish his/her stated objectives. To be signed by the President and Secretary of a corporation or by the individual landowners (or legal agent, if any) as listed on the deed or other instrument of title. Signature of landowner Signature of landowner Signature of forester preparing plan 5/25/02 5/25/02 5/24/02 5/29/02 Signature of DNR forester 7