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JeffersonCountyForestryPresentation LargeWoodyDebrisForeststructureandcomplexitySoilsurfaceLitter JeffersonCountyForestryProgramProvidenaturalresourcesthroughsustainableforestmanagementtothelocalcommunityProtectandenhancetherecreationalandaestheticvalueofforestlandssustaining-Forestsarebiologically, socially, andeconomicallyselfProtectandenhancesoil, waterquality, andfishandwildlifehabitatRestoreandmaintainforesthealththroughouttheregion :policiesguidingfollowingthethroughachievedbewillThis.categoriesthreetheseenhancesthatstrategymanagementlandacreatetovalueseconomicandsocial,ecological,onfocusaisMission JeffersonCountyEconomicstabilityandcommunitydevelopment •Forestmanagementpolicy•restorationriskforestsforforest -•Foresthealthimprovementandecologicalrestoration•2021PilotProject-2020•communitybenefits)community (dispersed parcels, howtomanage for inventory), economic (financially viable), and Focusedonenvironmental (Jefferson County forest 2019FeasibilityStudy •ForestryProgram JeffersonCountyForestryReviewalternativemanagementmethodsincludingcarbonandtheDNRcarbonproject•management, consideringtransferoflandsfromDNRbacktocountyAssessmanagementoptionscomparisonofDNRlandsandJeffersonCounty •ExamineoptionsforfurtherdevelopmentoftheJeffersonCountyForestryProgram•2022ScopeofWork•Program 7JeffersonCountyForestStewardshipProgramCoveredinforest80%10acreseachParcelsofland, mostunder 300JeffersonCountyAcresoflandownedby1800 JeffersonCountyCommunityPartnershipsLocalwoodsales, PTPaper•Localjobs, internships, outreach (WSU)•Firedept, risk reduction/planning, CWPP•Parksdept, continued increase inuse• 10 GibbsLakeCountyPark, Chimacum 2022ScopeofWorkOverviewPublicmeetingandoutreach•Managementoptions: carbon, selectivethinning, recreation, mix•Landownership: JeffersonCounty, DNR, orcombination•ShortandLongTermManagementScenarios•forforesthealth, ecologicalvalue, andmanagementneeds (ifany)ReviewofJeffersonCountylands, DNRlands, andprivatelands (largescale) •FinancialanalysiscomparisonofcountymanagementandDNRmanagement•ForestLandManagementandFinancialAnalysis• JeffersonCountyForestManagementLowerincomeperharvest, butmorefrequentandsustainedrevenue•Multiplebenefits •Communitypartnerships (EJFire, ParksandRec)•Focusingonmultiplebenefitsandhigherlevelofdetail/development •SmallerscaleoptiontoDNR• VariableDensityHarvest Jefferson County Forestry Report 2023Update toRecommendations Written byMalloree Weinheimer, Principal & Forester, Chickadee ForestryLLC CatharineCopass, PhD DenisePranger Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 2 RegionalLandsStrategy & Rationale ............................................................................................................ 3 County Recommendations Summary ....................................................................................................... 5 Nearterm (5-10year) managementforJeffersonCountyForestManagement ................................. 5 DNRLandsRecommended forTransfer toCountyOwnership ............................................................ 6 CountyForestLands: ToolsforManagement ........................................................................................... 6 TransferofDNRProperties toCounty .................................................................................................. 6 Ecological Forest Management ............................................................................................................. 7 WoodshedDevelopment ...................................................................................................................... 8 Ecosystem Services ............................................................................................................................... 9 CountyConsiderations Regarding DNRManagement .................................................................................. 9 ForestsfortheFutureReport ............................................................................................................. 10 RareandImperiledForestsinEastJeffersonCounty ......................................................................... 11 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 12 Appendix ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 1 ExecutiveSummary Since2018, JeffersonCountyhascontractedwithChickadee ForestryLLCtoresearchanddevelopa foreststewardship strategyformanaging countyforestlandsfocusedonbalancinglongtermforest healthimprovement, ecological restoration, andtimberproduction. Thishasconsisted ofmultiple phasesincluding aninitialfeasibilitystudy toassessthecurrentstatusofforestlands, includingrisksand opportunities. Initialpilotharvests wereconductedsubsequently toaddressthreeofthehighestneed properties: TrailheadCountyPark, GibbsLakeCounty Park, andChimacum CountyPark. Selective harvestswereimplemented toaddressforesthealthissues, increase foresthealthandresiliency, andto mitigatesignificant firerisk. Wealsofocused ondevelopingthelocalwoodmarkettoincreasecounty revenueandimprovethelocaleconomy. Finally, workedonculturalandecologicalimprovements throughforestmanagement forthecommunity. Nowinthethirdphaseofthisprojectandprogramdevelopment, Chickadee Forestryhasbeen contracted tosetlongerrangeobjectives forJefferson Countyforestlandsandtoconduct aDNRlands analysis. Oneofthemainissuesformanagement ofJeffersonCountyownedforestlandsisthatthe majorityoftheparcels aresmallerthan10acresandscattered acrossthelandscape, making management difficultandexpensive. Ifthecountywishestofurtherinvestinforestmanagement program development itwouldbebeneficialtoincreasetheforestlandbase, whichisapossibility through transferringbackcertain DNRlandsintocountymanagement. During thesummer of2022 communityconcerns wereraisedoverDNRharvestsinJefferson County thatwouldremovesomeofthesmallpercentage ofremaining olderforest (pre-1930). Thisissue broughtupthediscussiontodeterminewaystofostercollaboration withDNRtohaveacomprehensive approachforforestmanagement inlinewithcountyobjectives. ownership, industrial ownership, statelands (DNR), andcountylands. Forthepurposesofthisreportwe willonlybefocusingoncountyandstatelands. Furthermore, wewillbefocusingthereportonforest landsinEastJefferson County formultiplereasonswhichareexpanded oninthereport. However, itis worthnotingthatmorecollaboration across thelandscape andalargerlandmanagement strategyto providecontinuity andincreased forestresilience willbenefitthelandscapelongterm. Whilesmall private landownership isnotinthescopeofworkforthisreport, itisrelevanttomentionbecausesmall privatelandownershipisakeypartofalargerlandmanagementstrategyinanincreasingly divided landscape andfindingmorewaystosupport smallprivate landsisanimportantconsideration forthe future. Jefferson Countycanoffersupportbypromoting publicsmallforestlandownerresources through and programs. Through thisresearch, wehavefoundthatthereareviableopportunities tomeetalltheobjectiveshere: expandingacountyforestmanagement program, workingmorecollaboratively withDNR, and expanding thecountylandbasethroughtransferring specificDNRparcelsbacktothecountyinaway 2 thatisbeneficialforbothDNRandthecounty. Wealsowanttostressthatwhilemanyoptionswere assessed, thisprojectaimstowardsamiddlepaththatisintendedtoyieldpositive resultsforasmany partiesaspossible. Thefollowing reportincludesseveralstrategies toaddressmaintaining and improving alocaltimbereconomy, improving foresthealthandecology, andproviding morebenefitsto thecommunity throughstrategic forestlandmanagement. Thiswork advisorsandcollaborators, whohaveprovided endless supportandknowledge overthepast5years. Also, tothestaffatJefferson County, whorecognizethevalueoftakingaproactive approach towards forestmanagement onthecounty scaleandhavecontinuedtosupportthedevelopment ofthis program. Thisparticular phaseoftheproject alsoowesthankstotheregionalDNRstafffortheir generoustimeandexpertisetohelpnavigatetheoptions thatwillimprovemanagement forboth countyandDNRlands. RegionalLandsStrategy & Rationale Jefferson County firstinvestedinthisresearch in2018withChickadee Forestry tostartexploring management opportunities andneedsintheforestlandscape. Jefferson Countyhasaround1,800acres inforestland, spreadacrossroughly300parcels. Mostoftheseparcelsarelessthan10acresand scattered, manylocatedincommunity centers throughoutEastJefferson County, whichmakesforest management difficultlogistically andexpensive. WestJefferson Countyhasaverysmallpercentage of county-ownedlands, mostpubliclandiseitherDNRorfederal. Thecurrentneedsforthenextfivetotenyearsforimprovingforesthealth andfireriskmitigation includespre-commercial thinning ofapproximately 80acresofforestland, mostlybetweenGibbsLake andCapeGeorge. Theseyoungharvests areimportantforensuringthehealthoftheforestsasthey develop, buttheyarenetlossesfinancially. Duringthefirstthreeselectiveharvests wefocusedonamix ofproperties thatwouldeachaddressaforesthealthconcernwhilealsobalancingoutthecoststhrough acombination ofhighervalueforeststandsandyoungstandstopre-commercially thin. Goingforward thereisalowvolumeofmerchantable timberthatmeetsthecriteria forecological forestmanagement andimprovement tooffsetthesepre-commercialthinnings, whichmeansthatunlessthelandbaseis increasedorotherfundingissecured, needed countyforestmanagement willoccuratafinancialnet loss. Withtheseconsiderations inmind, therearetwomainstrategiesidentified formovingforward with JeffersonCountyforestlandsmanagement. Thefirstoptionistomaintain thecurrentlandbaseand keepoperationslimited. Withinthenext5-10years, inordertoreducefireriskandimproveforest health, countylandswillrequiremanagement including usingpre-commercial thinningmethods tothin overlydenseyoungstands. Duetothesmalllandbase, thisfocusonriskmitigation/foresthealth improvement, whilenecessary, willnotlikelygenerate revenue. However, therewillbelimited 3 opportunity toharvesttimberthatcouldbringrevenue tooffsetcostsforneededmanagement actions intheseyoungstands. Thesecond optionistoworkwithDNRtotransition specificlandsbacktothecountyforforest management andincreasethecountylandbase. Thefeasibility ofthisstrategyforJeffersonCountyhas beenexploredsincethestartofthisresearch in2018. Othercountyprovideexamplesofthepotential success (andchallenges) ofthisstrategy. KitsapCountyandGraysHarborCounty areexamples ofthe twocountiesinWashington thathaveeitherkeptortransferred DNRlandsback tocountyownership andbuiltsubstantial countyforestmanagement programs. Increasing theforestlandbaseforthe countywillincreasethepotential forsustainable timberrevenue, whichwouldbeselectively harvested andfocusedonalightertouchthanDNR. Thiswouldprovide moretimberrevenue forthecountyto helpsustainthecountyforestry program, andfundingwillsupportharvestsandrestorationactivities thatwouldbeafinancialloss, creatingafinancially andecologicallysustainable program. Indiscussions withDNRstaffandlocalexpertsincluding multipletechnicaladvisorstoChickadee Forestry, acountywidestrategyhasbeendiscussedthatcouldprovide benefitstobothDNRandthe county. Thisstrategywoulddesignatethefollowingfocusmanagementareasaroundthecounty: DNRlandsnorthofHighway 104 (Chimacum, PortTownsend, PortHadlock, PortLudlow areas) wouldbe consideredforreconveyance orothertransferoptionsbacktothecounty. DNRlandssouthofHighway104inJuniorTaxing District 3wouldremaininDNRmanagementand remainlargelyfocusedontimberproduction andrevenuetosupportthecommunity. Conservation andrecreation denseareaswillcontinuetohavetheirownfocusforexpansion, including Chimacum RidgeareaandDabobNaturalAreaPreserveintheTarboowatershed. DNRlandsinwestern JeffersonCountywillremainfocusedontimberproductionandconservation, as theyarecurrentlydesignated. Thisstrategy wouldbemutuallybeneficial forthecountyandDNRformultiplereasons. Areasnorthof Highway104havehigherpopulationdensities, amoredividedlandscape, andarefurtherfrommills. Thecombination ofthesefactors increasespressureanddifficulties forDNRtomanage landas effectivelyinthenorthcountyasinthesouthcounty. Additionally theselandsarelessfertileand productive fortimber, sotheyarelessdesirablefortimberproductionsolely, butpresentopportunities formultiplemanagement objectivesincluding lightertouchforestmanagement, ecological restoration, andproviding recreational opportunitiestothecommunity. Additionalconsiderations forthecountyonwhich parcels wouldbebestsuitedtotransition fromDNR tocountyforestinclude; healthrisks (fire, disease), connectivity withothercountylandsorother conservation/recreation lands, recreationalopportunities, theecological significance ofrareand imperiledplantcommunities, andconservation initiatives, particularly thoserelatedtoolderforest preservation. Alltheseconsiderations cangohandinhandwithtimberproductioninawaythatbenefits thelandscapeandcommunity. 4 Therearealsoadvantagestothecountymanagingsomeofthesenorthernparcels ashasbeen demonstrated inthedevelopment oftheforest management program. Oneoftheseisthelocal partnerships thatwehavecontinued tofocusonthroughthisforestryprogramdevelopment including multiplecountydepartments, locallandmanagement organizations, andlocaloperators. Asastate agency, DNRistaskedwithefficientlymanagingforestsonalargerscalemoreefficiently, withafocuson fiduciarytargetswithinenvironmental constraints. Thecountycanmanage smallerparcels withamore nuancedandcustomized approach. Ruralcountystaffmaximizecapacitythrough partnerships and collaboration amongdepartments andorganizations, which hasbeendemonstrated through collaboration ofthepublicworksdepartment includingroadsandparks, thefiredepartment, public health, andprivateenvironmental organizations whohaveallbeeninvolvedtodateinproviding resources and/orexpertisetoinformthedevelopment offorestlands. Thiscooperation hassaved moneyandhelpedtoaligneffortsbetweendepartments tomakeforest management mutually beneficial. Asacounty, wehavealready successfully demonstrated thebenefitsofpartnerships withinthe agricultural industrytosupportsmallfarms, andsimilaropportunities areavailableintheforest industry toworkinconjunction withDNRtoadaptasmallerscaleforestindustry thatcontinuestosupport our localeconomyandwhileproviding ecosystem services. 2¤¢®¬¬¤-£3´¬¬Near term (5- 10year) managementforJefferson CountyForestManagementPre-commerciallyharvest Gibbs Lake and CapeGeorgeproperties, approximately80acres total Continueannualmonitoring, train foreststewards toassistmonitoring. Selectivelyharvestsmall properties asappropriatefor riskmitigation, foresthealthimprovement, andtimber revenue. Continuetodevelop opportunitiesforbuildinglocal capacityonsmallscaleforestmanagementandadditionalindustries, includingbiochar, forest mulching, and wastewood opportunities. Themainconsideration hereisthat forestmanagementwillbemore difficultlogisticallyandcostly on thesmallproperties thatthecountycurrentlyowns. Therearerecommendations onbalancingsome ofthe costsfor foresthealthimprovementintheappendix withcountyproperties. Increasingthecounty landbasethrough transferringselectDNRlands willalsomakemanagementofcountylands morefinanciallyviable. More detailis providedintheappendixforW /Caƒ 5 DNRLandsRecommendedforTransfertoCountyOwnership DNRParcelName Acres Type Recommendation Ranking CapeGeorge 243 Common School TLTorPurchase 1 TealLakeEast 655 ForestBoard Reconveyance 1 TealLakeWest 532 ForestBoard Reconveyance 1 Common School 542, Forest TLTand 1AndersonLake582Board39Reconveyance TalaPoint 73 ForestBoard Reconveyance 2 Termination Point 59 University TLTorPurchase 2 WestJacob Miller 121 Common School TLTorPurchase 2 BeaverValley 521 Common School TLTorPurchase 2 Basedonourresearchandunderstanding ofdifferentcapabilities andstrengthsofJefferson Countyand DNRinmanagement, wecameupwiththislistofprioritizedparcels recommended fortransferring from DNRtothecountybasedonatwophaserankingsystem, with1beingthehighestpriorityand2being the2ndphaseoftransfer. Thehighestrankedpropertiesaremainlyreconveyance, whichisaneasier strategythanTLTandwillallowthecountytoincreaseitslandbasequickly. Properties likeTealLake havesteadytimberrevenuethatcanhelpfundotherpropertypurchases inlowerrankingorforest management andrestorationeffortsinitially. CapeGeorgeisincludedinthehigherrankingeventhough itrequiresTLTorpurchasebecauseithasanecologically significant forestofinterestforthelocal community toprotectandisadifficultpropertylogistically forDNRtomanage. Inadditiontothistable weconducted anin-depthanalysisofDNRparcelsincludinganupdatedrecommendations tableand financialandmanagementscenariosfor3DNRparcels (CapeGeorge, Anderson Lake, andTealLakeE) includedintheAppendix 5bw \[aƒ 4®®«² ¥®± -Transfer of DNR PropertiestoCountyTherearemultiple categoriesofDNRtrustforestsinthecountyanddifferentstrategiesfortransitioninglandbackto thecountyifdesiredwouldapplytothedifferenttrusts. Thetwoprimary typesofDNR trustforestare 1) county forests (aka StateForest TransferLandsorCounty TransferLands). Thesewereoriginally county landsgivenintrusttoDNRtomanageonbehalfofthecounty. RevenuefromCounty Transferforests isdistributed to thecounty andjuniortaxingdistricts. Theothermain typeis CommonSchoolTrusts, revenuefromwhich goestoageneralpoolusedtofundschoolconstruction. Thetwomajor strategiesavailableare1) Reconveyanceor2) Trust LandTransfer. 6 Reconveyance, whichputsthelandsbackunderCountymanagement, canonlybeapplied to the CountyTransfer Lands. Theprocessforreconveyance requiresthecountytorequesttheparcelandpay althoughthereisflexibility inmanagement sothatforestmanagement actionscanoccurifinlinewithaparkmanagement plan. TrustLandTransferisasecondoption. UnderTLT, parcelsaretransferred toeitherDNRaspartofa NaturalArea, oranygovernment agency (city, county, federal) orTribe. Thisprogramisfundedbythe statelegislature inthestatecapitalbudget. TheTLTprocessinvolvesgenerating aproposal forthe parcel, whichisthenrankedforavailable funding. Emphasisisgiventoprojects withhighconservation andrecreationpotential. TrustLandTransfer hasbeenusedtoinclude and NaturalArea. OnebenefitoftheTLTprogramisthattheTrustsarecompensated throughreplacement parcelsofroughlyequalvalue. ProposedchangestotheTLTprogramwouldcreatemoreflexibilityfor assetmanagement usingTLTbybroadeningthescopetoallTrusttypes. Asnotedabove, Kitsaphasalreadysuccessfully reconveyedlandsandDNRstaffhavebeensupportive andinformative inproviding information andexploring management optionsthatwouldbemutually beneficialforthe Stewardship Forester, hasbeena keyadvisor forthisprocess. Acquisition ofmoreforestlandforJeffersonCountylandbasewillallowfor amorestableflowoftimberrevenue, butstillfocusedonbalancinglongtermforesthealth improvement, ecologicalrestoration, andtimber production. Moreinformation isprovided inthe ForestManagement'' sectionbelow. Theappendix providesfurtherinformationonDNR landsandanalysis. EcologicalForestManagement Timberproductionhasalways betterinourregionthaninmostplacesintheworld. Theintentionofthisforestmanagement program istoidentifyandbuildaprogramthatfocuses onmultiple interrelated goals- bothfinancial and ecological- thatcanhelpserveasamodelforlocalcollaboration. Thishasalreadybeendemonstrated effectivelyintheagricultural sector, andtheforestrysectorprovidesaverysimilaropportunity. Our objectives aretoworkwiththenativelandscapeandfostermanagement methodsthatsupport ecological functionsandmimicnatural forestdevelopment patterns, providingsustainable sourcesof timberandhealthy, ecologically complex forests. Ecological forestry isastrategyforaddressing thisapproachtoforestmanagement toaddressmultiple objectives diversebiota, complexstructure, andmultiple functions, andnotsimplycollections oftreesvaluable primarily forproduction ofwood. Indoingso, itseekstomaintainthefundamental capacities (integrity) 9 Caƒ W CW Ingeneral, forestmanagement onthecountylevelwillcontinue tofocuson balancing longtermforesthealthimprovement, ecological restoration, andtimberproductionthrough selectivethinningmodels thatretainarangeofspeciesandageclassesoftrees. County forestswillbe managed onlongerrotations of80+ yearsandincludemixesofagesofstandsandmixeddensitiesto benefitdifferent wildlife andecosystem functionsbasedonspecificsiteconsiderations. Examples of ecologicalforestmanagement prescriptions andtimelineswillbeoutlinedintheappendix. Cw WoodshedDevelopment Thewoodshed has twomeanings: first, toevoketheideaofaliteralwoodshed whereonestoreswoodontheirproperty as partoftheideathatwewanttopromotemorelocaluseofwoodtomakeitaccessibletolocalcitizens, andsecond, torepresenttheanideaanalogous toth representsthelocalregionwherewoodcomes from. Timberproduction hasbeenasignificantpartof farmshaverevitalized theideaoflocalfood. Whilethecountywillstillsellthebulkofharvestedwood tolargermills, wehopetoalsoincrease capacitytosupportsmallmillsandlocaldirectsaleswithsmaller ipoutofthecountytothecommercial market. This requiresbuilding alocalchainofcustodyandanetwork ofoperatorsthatsupporteachother, butitalso requiresalocalmarketofbuyers tosupporttheindustry. Chickadee Forestryoree Weinheimer, hasbeenworkingwithlocalorganizations and operatorsincludingNorthwest Sawmill, Woodsong TreeCompany, NorthHillsLogging, andWayland Constructive toadaptamodelthatcanfitsmallerprojectsandsellsmallscalewoodbacktothe community, aswellasadaptoperations appropriatetoscaleforthesizesofproperty inthecounty lands, whichwillultimatelyalsohelpservesmallforestlandowners intheregion. In2021, woodfrom theChimacumCountyParkharvestwassoldtothePortofPortland forthenewwingofthePortland International Airport, whichwillrecognizeJeffersonCountyasoneofthecontributors. Therearemore effortsunderwaytohelpopen moreopportunities forlocalwoodsourcesaswellwhichwillbesharedas theydevelop. 8 EcosystemServices Partoftheincredible contribution ahealthy forestmakesistheecosystemservices theyprovide; such aswaterquality/quantity, airquality, habitatdiversity andcarbonsequestration. Many oftheseservices cannowbemonetized insupportofconservation, climate adaptationandimproved forest management. Oneofthemature marketsforecosystemservices istheforestcarbonmarket. Participating inthe carbonmarketismostlythepurview oflargerlandowners (10,000acresandabove). Thisisduetothe costofdevelopingaqualitycarbonprogramforalandowner. Whetheritistheforestsampling, verification, ongoingrecordkeepingorthelossoftimberrevenue, mostsmallforestlandowners findit costprohibitive toparticipateinregulatedorvoluntary forestcarbonmarkets. Whilethereare differences betweenvoluntaryandcompliance markets, therearestillsignificant commitments to participating inaqualitycarbonprogramforsmalllandowners. RecentlyDNRhasdiscussedacarbonprojectwithafewofthecountybeneficiaries suggestedfor continuingtosupportpublicschoolsandother beneficiaries islaudable, theprogramcurrently lacks significantdetailregardingquantities ofcarbon sequestered andpotentialrevenuegoingtocounties overtime. Moreinformation canbefoundatIntroduction toCarbonMarkets whichprovidesan overview ofthetypesofcarbon marketscurrentlyavailable andhowtheyfunction. WhiletheDNRprogrammaytaketimetoevolve, thereareothersourcesforrevenuetosupportclimate adaptation, carbon sequestration andhabitatprotection. Belowareprograms bothnationaland statewide thatmaybemoreappropriate fortheJeffersonCountyforestprogramatthistime. These programs mayprovidesupportforlandownershiptransfers orpurchasesaswellasfundsfor conservation. Cw WAStateNaturalClimate Solutions - Thereare5different categoriesforforestpreservation and waterquality. Climate Commitment Act Thisprogramprovidesforforestsandwaterforsalmonrecovery. InflationReduction Act - Stateandprivate forestryconservation programscanreceive $2.2 billiontopromote naturalcarbonsequestration, including planting trees. CountyConsiderationsRegardingDNRManagement Followingthediscussions thatarosearoundtheDNRharvestsduringthesummer of2022onsomeof 9 thatarepre-1920), theJeffersonCountyBoardofCounty Commissioners requestedadeeperdiveinto howthecountycanmitigate futureproblemsofthiskindandfostercollaboration infuture management ofDNRlandsmanaged forcountyrevenue. Thisconversation isongoingandwillcontinue todevelop, butthisreportwillprovidecontext ofwhereweareatcurrently. Additionally, thep raisedmanyquestions fromthecommunity forthecounty toconsiderAsaresultofreviewingDNR landsandthecarbon program proposal, consultingtechnicaladvisors andDNRstaff, andworkingto takeinmultiplestakeholders viewpointsintoconsideration, thesearethefollowingconclusions todate thatwehavecometoasrecommendations: Thecountyrecognizes andsupports thepotentialforaviablecarbonprogramthroughDNRin thefuture, however theproposed projectboundaries needtobefullydeveloped. Thecurrent proposedproject willneedmorediscussion andconsideration withthecountybeforefinal approval. Forexample, parcelscontaining significantolderforestscouldbeincludedinthis program. Continue tocollaborate withDNRtocreateacomprehensive planforforestmanagement parameters onallcountytrustlandsthatfocusesontheretentionofstandswithhighecological valueandbalanceslongtermforesthealthimprovement andtimberproduction. Aimforjoint management agreement reachedin2023. ForestsfortheFutureReport Futurereport (FFF) (SOURCE). FFFassessedthelandscape atabroadscale- generating amapthatsplit eastJeffersonCounty intotwozonesofforestmanagement approach- azoneroughlynorth ofHighway104andtheDabob Peninsula and WorkingForestLwhich wasthezonesouthandwestof104fromBlyninthenorthtoTritonCoveinthesouth. TheFFFreportprovidedaveryusefulframework andcontextforthisrecentwork. Inparticular we adoptedthenamesusedforparcelsorgroupsofparcelsthatlinksthemtolocalroadsorlandmarks, for example TealLake, City/Skidder, Duckabush Lower. Thefollowing listhighlightsmajorupdatessincethe FFF: TherehavebeensomeminorupdatestotheDNRlandbasewithparceladditions particularly intheEastBlynandSpencerCreek. DabobNaturalAreaPreserve Boundary. ThroughTLTandothermechanisms, someparcelshavegonetotheCounty (Quimper Corridor, SouthShine, Thorndyke 160) 10 TLTisinprocessforanadditionalDevils Lakeparcelwithfundingearmarkedinthe2023 statebudget Aboundary expansion ofDabobNaturalAreaPreservehasbeenproposed toinclude parcelstothenorth (TarbooEast) aswellastothesouth (SilentLake, CampHarmony, EatonandLone40parcels). Thebasiczonedapproach describedintheFFFreportcontinues tomakegoodsenseandisreflectedin theproposals inthisreport. Manyoftheconsiderations summarized inthereport, including recreational use, adjacency, threatofconversionevaluatedinthatreportholdtrue. Thisreportbuilds ontheFFFbyupdatingthestatusofparcelsandproviding furtherevaluation andcontextintermsof forestmanagement. WeevaluatedDNRparcelsindividually toreflectnewconsiderations including morein-depthforeststructureanddetailed forestmanagement optionsappropriate forthecounty scale, presenceofecologically significantcommunities, andcurrentorpotential forinclusion intheDNR carbonproject. RareandImperiledForestsinEastJeffersonCounty Theunique rainshadow zoneoftheeasternOlympicPeninsulahasgivenrisetoaseriesoflowland coniferforests whoserangeappearstobeverylimitedwithineastJefferson CountyandIslandCounty. Theextent, qualityandconnectivity oftheseforests hasbeensignificantly impactedbyhuman alterationofthelandscape, primarilyconversion toindustrial timberplantations anddevelopment. Becauseoftheirrarityandlimiteddistribution, theseforesttypeshavebeengivenconservation status rankingsbytheWashington Natural HeritageProgram. EastJefferson Countyhasthreeforesttypeswhicharerankedasimperiled globallyorcriticallyimperiled statewide. Theseimperiledconiferforestsfeatureanoverstory ofDouglas-firmixedwithWestern Hemlock andWestern Redcedar. ThepresenceofEvergreenhuckleberry (in combination withSwordfern (tƒ ƒandPacific rhododendron (w arekeyindicatorsforidentifying thethreedifferent imperiled forests. TheWashington NaturalHeritageProgram hasdonesurveysinsomeoftheDNRparcelsinthisstudy, particularly inthe areasaroundDabob Bay, andhasgenerated spatialdataoftheoccurrences oftheserareandimperiled foresttypes. Theseforesttypesrequirespecial management consideration because undersustainable forest certificationprograms suchasFSCandSFItheycannotbeharvested. DNRlandsarecertified throughSFI SustainableForestryInitiative) andarerequiredupholdtheirstandardstostaycertifiedaswellasthe Washington StateForestPracticesRules. Thesetworequirements combinedholdDNRtosomeofthe highest standardsforforestprotectioninthecountryforapubliclandmanagemententitytocontinue tomonitorandprotecttheserareplantcommunities. 11 Conclusion Through thisresearchwehaveaimedforabalancedapproach ateveryangle. Welookedatoptionsand strategiestohelpanswer themainquestion: howcanJeffersonCountysupporthealthierforests for generations tocome, provide sustainable timberandjobstoourlocaleconomy, andprovide our community andvisitors withincreasedrecreational opportunities? Therearestillquestions and considerations thatwewereunabletoaddressfullyinthetimeline forthisproject, buttheworkis ongoingandwehavefoundthereissufficient evidencethatthisisaviableapproachandcancontinue tobeexpanded. Basedonourresearchwethinktherearepracticaloptionsandobjectives thatare complementary betweenDNRandJefferson Countytocontinue tobuildalargerlandmanagement strategyfortheregionwhereJeffersonCountyisamoreactiveforestlandmanager. Furthermore, we believeJeffersonCounty hastheopportunity tocontinuetobuildonastandardofwhatcountyforest management canachieveasapartneronthelandscape. 12 Appendix JeffersonCountyAdvisors Jefferson CountyForestManagementPriorities2023-2030 DNRLands Management Scenarios USFSVariableDensityThinningPrimer 2023DNRParcelsReference List ForestsfortheFutureReport, 2011 Jefferson CountyPropertyMaps 13 JeffersonCountyForestManagementProgramAdvisors ChickadeeForestryreliesonexpertisefromawidegroupoflocalexpertsrepresentingdifferentaspectsofforest management. Ouraimistobeaswellroundedinapproach aspossibleandtakemultiplestakeholder viewpoints intoconsiderationforabalancedapproach. Aspecialthankstothefollowingpeopleforsupportingthiseffortand providingexpertise. ArnoBergstrom, Forester, KitsapCountyForestStewardship y Dr. CatharineCopass, Ecologist, OlympicNationalParkService Specializing inplantcommunity classification andmapping, landscapechangedetectionandvegetationchangeon theOlympicPeninsula. MikeCronin, retiredForester, DNRandCroninForestry Experienced foresterinJeffersonCounty, informedthefeasibilitystudyandprovidescontinuedexpertiseonforest management Jennifer Gallant, FiberProcurementManager, PortTownsendPaperCompany Jenniferisanewadditiontotheadvisorsasrequestedthisyeartohavemoreindustryrepresented andcomes withabackgroundinmarketingandlongfamilyhistorywithPTPC. RossGoodwin, DepartmentofRevenue, Forester HasbeenwithDNRandDoRasforesterintheregionformanyyearsandiswellversedonDNRforestpracticesand ensuredcompliancetoDNRForestPracticesRulesintheregion. IanHanna, Consultant, AltruistPartners, formerlyForestStewardshipCouncil Internationalexperienceinsustainableforestryandcommunity economic development, basedinJeffersonCounty AlLatham, JeffersonCounty ConservationDistrictSupervisor Servedasmanager/technicianattheJeffersonCo. Conservation Districtfor20yearsandcurrentlyservesonthe ConservationDistrictBoardofSupervisors, basedinJeffersonCounty TamiPokorny, NaturalResourcesCoordinator, JeffersonCountyEnvironmental Health ManagesnaturalresourcesandtheConservation FuturesprogramforJefferson County DenisePranger, retiredDirector, NorthwestNaturalResourcesGroup Specializinginforestcertification andforestcarbonsequestration, basedinJeffersonCounty MattTyler, Director, JeffersonCountyParksandRecreation Managesparksandrecreationprograms, staff, anddevelopment forJeffersonCounty Operators Aspecialthankyoutooperatorsandcollaborators whohavehelpedproblemsolveandfindcreativesolutionsto buildthisforestryprogram. NorthHillsLogging, NorthwestSawmill, andWoodSongTreeCompanyownershaveall sharedtheirtimeandexpertiseregardingforestmanagement forthecountyandareongoingtrustedproject partners. 0±¨®±¨³¨¤² 0±¤4§¨- (¨¦§¤± 2¨²ª &®±¤²³² ¡¸ Properties: Beausite (Parcel 901273001) 46 acres Cape George ( Parcel 001172002) 33 acresFinancials: Cost: $500/acreapproximately. Canbe done in sectionsorall atonce. Revenue: Typicallynone. Exploringoptionofbiochar or othersmall woodproductsalestooffsetcost. Bothstandswereharvestedaround 2000and theyoungtreeshavegrowntoadensitywheretheyareinintensecompetition. If thesestands areleftalonethe treeswillcontinuetogetmorestressed, whichwillincreaseriskofforesthealth concernsand fireriskovertime. Thinningstandsaround20yearsoldhelps toreleasetheyoungtrees, decreasecompetition, andhelp improvegrowth. The harvestwill focusonretainingall nativespecies, whichincludesWesternwhitepineat the CapeGeorgeparcel, tomaximizeanativeforestcomposition. This typeofthinningiscalleda pre-commercialthinningbecausethetreesaretoosmallatthisstagetosellandtheywillbecutdownandleft onsitetobreakdownovertime. Thiswoodwillprotectthesoiland providenutrientsbackintothesoilovertime, andhelpthesoilretainmoistureduring thehottesttimesoftheyear. Thedownedwoodwillalsohelpthe site frommorenoxiousweedsestablishingandwillprovidehabitattoinsectsandwildlife. 3¤«¤¢³¨µ¤ #®¬¬¤±¢¨µ¤²³ PotentialProperties: Parcel Number Area AcreageVolume/Acre Total VolumeNotes 001083012Port Townsend 30 7MBF/acre 210MBF Hazard tree requests901111009 Tri-Area20 7MBF/acre 140MBFLow complexity, low priority 821302002 10420 5MBF/acre 100MBF ~25yrs old, medium priority 701071002Quilcene 205MBF/acre100MBF ~ 25yrs old, medium priority Financials: Cost: Truckingand operatorcosts. Variable basedon market, but willlikelybehigher percentage ( >60% ) dueto smallvolume. Combiningharvestswillbe more costeffective. Revenue: Each ofthese harvestsshouldyieldapproximately5- 10 MBF/acreonaverage. Smallpropertiesmaybeappropriateforsmaller selectiveharveststoimproveforesthealthand offsetcostsofthepre-commercialthinningharvests. A listofsmallerpropertiesthatareoverstockedand exhibitsomeforesthealthconcernsarelistedasoptionsfor potentialselectiveharvests. Theseharvestsaretargetedtoimproveforesthealth and ecosystemfunctionaswellas providingrevenuefortheforestryprogram. Continuemonitoringsitesthathavebeenharvestedwithphoto points andsampleplots. Annualmonitoringofcountyproperties. Potentialfortrainingvolunteersas foreststewards. 2¤¯«7¤¤£ -Replantingsite appropriate nativespeciesingapswheremortalityhasoccurred. Continuednoxiousweed managementasnecessary. Work withcounty partners. 7®®£ 0µ¤«®¯¬¤-³ Continue to develop opportunities for building local capacityonsmallscale forestmanagementandadditionalindustries, includingbiochar, forestmulching, andwaste wood opportunities. 2 ,Continueworking withDNRandBoCC on potential land transfersandmanagementprioritiesontrustlands. 2 ,3¢¤-Site Name AndersonLake TrustType CommonSchool 542, Forest Board 39Total Acres 582Transition Method Reconveyance, TLT or PurchaseDNRCarbon ProgramYesDNR Planned SaleYesStands Stand 1 200acres, harvested2005-2010, largediameter WesternredcedarStand2 75acres, harvested2020 Stand 3 70acres, Stand4 200+ acres, harvested pre-, muchprotected riparianareas ManagementConsiderations Adjacentto AndersonLakeStatePark, alreadyin useforrecreationespeciallymountainbiking, andpotential forOlympicDiscovery Trailcorridor topassthrough. Higherecological valuewithriparianareas, 60+ year old diversifiedstands withDouglas-fir, Big- preserved from pastharvests. Highersite quality (Siteclass 3and4), potentialfor moresustainedselectivelyharvested timber onlongerrotations. Higherdensity area, high use areas. Benefitsto TransitionPotentialfor communityforesttodemonstratemixoflowerimpactforestmanagement, highertouch forestmanagementfor community. Firerisk mitigationandaccessdesignwithlocalfiredepartment. Morepotential opportunitiesfor recreation (trails) through local partnershipsSuggestedManagement TimelineActivity* Stand Acreage Volume Total Timing Notes Selective Stand 4 50acres 7MBF/acre350MBF 2025Diversify, timber revenue PCTStand 2 75acres - - 2040Net loss SelectiveStand 4 50acres 8MBF/acre400MBF 2040Diversify, revenue, offset PCT costsSelectiveStand 3 50acres 9MBF/acre450MBF 2060Partial harvest, diversifySelective Stand 2 50acres 5MBF/acre250MBF 2060Partial harvest, firstcommercial I haƒ Monitoring, especially firstyearspost-harvest. Manage noxiousweedsandreplantasappropriate. Work withoperators andprojectpartnerstodeveloptrailsandmaintainaccessforfire. Provide communityeducationonforest management. Adjacency Anderson LakeStateParkdirectlyadjacent, Gibbs LakeCountyPark, Chimacum County ParkandHJCarrollCountyPark allinvicinitycreatinggreenspacecorridorsandmorerecreationalopportunities. SiteName CapeGeorge TrustType CommonSchool 243 TotalAcres 243 TransitionMethod TLTorPurchase DNRCarbonProgram Yes DNRSalePlanned Yes Stands Stand1100acres30yearsold, plannedDNRsale Stand331acres, somepre-1900, noharvest Stand451acres, harvested ~2010 Management Considerations Poorsitequalityandgrowth (Siteclass4) makeitalessdesirablepropertyforfocusingontimberproduction. wouldbenefit frompermanentprotection. Fireriskinyoungregenerationandhigherriskwithhighdensitypopulation surrounding. Highrecreationuseproperty. EcologicalsignificancealsoasoneoffewareasineasternJefferson CountywithhigherWesternwhitepineoccurrence. BenefitstoTransition Potentialforcommunityforesttodemonstrate mixoflowerimpactforestmanagement, highertouchforest management forcommunity. Fireriskmitigation andaccessdesignwithlocalfiredepartment. Morepotential opportunitiesforrecreation (trails) throughlocalpartnerships SuggestedManagement Timeline Activity* Stand Acreage Volume Total Timing Notes Selective Stand1 80acres 5MBF/acre 400MBF 2030 Partialharvest, diversify, improve PCT Stand4 51acres - - 2035 Netloss Selective Stand4 51acres 5MBF/acre 255MBF 2050 Firstthin, improvegrowth Selective Stand1 40acres 7MBF/acre 280MBF 2060 Partialharvest, diversify I haƒ Monitoring, especiallyfirstyearspost-harvest. Managenoxiousweedsandreplantas appropriate. Work withoperatorsandprojectpartnerstodeveloptrailsandmaintainaccessfor fire. Providecommunityeducation onforest management. AdjacencyQuimperWildlifeCorridor region, WestJacob Miller, Countylandsincludingsolidwastefacilitiesand TrailheadCounty Park. AreaismostatriskofconversioninEastJefferson SiteName TealLakeEast TrustType ForestBoard TotalAcres 655 TransitionMethod Reconveyance DNRCarbonProgram No DNRSalePlanned Yes Stands Stand1200acres30yearsold, plannedDNRsale Stand2450acres, harvested1980 Management Considerations Fairlyproductivesite (SiteClass3), andlargeamountofhealthycommercial timber. Propertycanbeselectively thinnedintermittently onlongerrotationstoprovidesustainedsmalleramountsofrevenuetothecounty, which alsowouldhelpoffsetrestorationcosts, andcandemonstrate largerparceloftransitioningtoolder, selective rotation. IftransitionedwithTealLakeWest (532acres), combined couldbebeneficialforpartofcountydesigned carbonandthinningprogramforecosystemservices. Communityalreadyusestheseforestsheavilywith establishedtrailsandsignage, whichmakesidealformorepark-likeuseaswell. BenefitstoTransition Potentialforcommunityforesttodemonstratemixoflowerimpactforestmanagement, highertouchforest management forcommunity. Fireriskmitigation andaccessdesignwithlocalfiredepartment. Morepotential opportunitiesforrecreation (trails) throughlocalpartnerships SuggestedManagement Timeline Activity Stand Acreage Volume Total Timing Notes Selective Stand1 50acres 6MBF/acre 300MBF 2025 Partialharvest, diversify, improve Selective Stand2 50acres 6MBF/acre 300MBF 2025 Partialharvest, diversify, improve Selective Stand1 50acres 7MBF/acre 350MBF 2040 Partialharvest, diversify, improve Selective Stand2 50acres 8MBF/acre 400MBF 2050 Partialharvest, diversify, improve Selective Stand1 50acres 8MBF/acre 400MBF 2060 Partialharvest, diversify, improve I haƒ Monitoring, especiallyfirstyearspost-harvest. Managenoxiousweedsandreplantas appropriate. Work withoperatorsandprojectpartnerstodeveloptrailsandmaintainaccessfor fire. Providecommunityeducation onforest management. AdjacencyTealLake West, Termination Point, Tala 4¨¬¤«¨-¤ #®-²¨£¤±4¤±¬ 0±®©¤¢³¨®-² Total Volume Net JC NetAcres Site Management Volume peracreTimingRevenuetoRevenue/AcreHarvested MBF) (MBF) JC EstimateDt/ t/ Teal Lake E Selective 100 600 62025 $600,000 $600/acre Anderson Lake Selective50 3507 2025 $350,000 $700/acre Cape George Selective80 4005 2030 $100,000 $200/acre Totals 309 acres1350 - - $1,010, 500 - L wInitial coststotransferDNR lands andtoaddresshigherneedpre-commercialthinningoncountypropertiesareconsideredhere. Countydesigned carbonoffsetandDNR carbonprogramsdonothaveenoughinformationtoassessrevenueatthis pointeffectively. Thevolumeandrevenueestimatesabove arebestguessesandaredependentonvariousfactors includingoperatorcosts, fuelcosts, millpricesforwood, amountof defectandpulppercentages inproperties. bh 95bw µ¤²³² #®²³² 2¤µ¤-´¤ ¥®± #®¬¯Total Acres Volume per SiteVolume JC TotalRevenueJC Revenue/AcreHarvested Acre (MBF) MBF) 38 376 9.9 Chimacum Park $ 86,026.49 $ 2,263.86100 3773.8 Beausite $ 28,374.05 $ 283.74145.80. 4 CGGravel $ 13,933.81 $ 995.2736 Trailhead $ (39,557.80) $ (1,098.83) Totals 188acres902. 80 - $ 88,776.55 $ 611.01 µ¤²³ 4¸¯¤² Pre-commercial Thinning (PCT): A harvest prescriptionforyoungstandsgenerallyinthefirst20yearsofacommercialplanting. Commercialstands areplantedoverlydenseintentionallyanda pre-commercialthinisneededto releasetreesandallowthemtogrowfreelyoncetheygetintoastageofintensecompetitionaroundage20. Thispractice iscalledpre-commercialbecausethereisnocommercialvalueintheharvestanditisanetloss, but it isanimportantinvestmentina healthierforest. SelectiveThinning ( Selective): These harvests canbedesignedinseveralways, butthey aredesignedtoremoveabout30% ofthe volumefromagivenstandandtoleavethehealthiesttrees. Thereare differentstrategiessuchasthinning frombelow, andvariable densitythinning, dependingon whatthespecificgoalsareforthesite. Theseharvests do providerevenuegenerationfromtimberthatislargeenoughtobesoldforprofit. PNW PacificNorthwest Research Station INSIDE Thinning WithSkipsandGaps ............................ 3 Responding toCustom Treatments ......................4 NextSteps ............................................................... 5 issueonehundred twelve / april2009FINDINGS Scienceaffectsthewaywethinktogether.” Lewis Thomas LET’SMIXITUP! THEBENEFITSOFVARIABLE-DENSITYTHINNING INSUMMARY Canmanagementof40- to80-year- James DollinsoldforestsontheOlympicPeninsula acceleratethedevelopmentofstand structuresandplantandanimal communitiesassociatedwithmuch olderforests? TheOlympicHabitat DevelopmentStudy, acooperativeproject betweenthePacificNorthwestResearch StationandtheOlympicNationalForest, beganin1994toexaminethisquestion. Itusesanoveltypeofvariable-density thinningcalledthinningwithskipsand gaps. Tenpercentofthestudyareawas leftunthinned, while15percentwas clearedtocreateopeningsintheforest canopy. Thesegapsalsoyieldedmostof themerchantabletimber. Theremaining 75percentoftheareareceivedalight thinningthatremovedmostlythesmaller TheOlympic Habitat Development StudyontheOlympic National Forest usedvariable-density treesofthemostcommontreespecies. thinning withskipsandgaps toincrease variability intreegrowth rates. Fiveyearsaftertreatment, therewas anoticeabledifferenceingrowthratesforest, itappearsforestmanagementcanhelpTheopportunityliesincreatively throughoutthestudyarea. Inthinnednudgeayoungstandalittlefasteralongtheusingknowledgeoftheseforeststoareas, averagegrowthwasnearly26pathofforestsuccession. improve thesustainability ofall percentgreaterthanintheunthinnedManylate-successionalforestsintheforestmanagementintheregion.” areas. TreegrowthwasgreatestPacificNorthwestarecharacterizedbytheT.SpiesandS.Duncan, eds., aroundthegaps. Understoryvegetationhighlevelsofbiodiversitytheysupport, OldGrowth inaNewWorld increased, andthepresenceofnonnativevariabletreespacing, andmultiplelayers specieswaslow, withmostoftheld-growthforest—there’snotmuch intheoverheadcanopy. Theyareastark nonnativesfoundinthegaps. Windofitleft. Andtogetmore, we’d contrasttoyoung, densestandsorstands damagewaslowandpredictable. TheOhavetowaitawhile, acenturyor managedprimarilyfortimberwherethere treatmentswereeasytoapply, andthesesoontheshortsidetoamillenniumormore, islittlevariationintreespacingandspecies findingssuggestthatgreaterdiversityincomposition. Becauselittlelightreachesthedependingonwhomyouask. Undoubtedly, standstructuresandplantcommunitiestimeisanindispensableingredient. Butif forestfloorinthesetypesofforeststands, westepawayfromtheterm “oldgrowth” theunderstoryisoftensparsetononexistent. canbeacceleratedbythinningwithskips andlookatsomeofthephysicaland Ifyou’reamarbledmurreletoranorthern andgaps. biologicalcharacteristicstypicalofanolder spottedowllookingforaplacetocall home, thesedifferencesinrealestateare KEYFINDINGSadealbreaker. Maintainingbiodiversityandenhancing wildlifehabitatforthreatenedandendangered speciesarenowimportantaspectsofmanage- resultedinlittledamagetoresidualtrees. mentformanypubliclandmanagersandare alsoofinteresttoenvironmentalorganiza- tions, landtrusts, andothers. Workingunder densitythinnings. Responseswereevidentwithin5years, andallsizesoftreesthelegacyofpastmanagementhaspromptedrespondedintheareasthatwerethinned. someforestmanagerstoask, canwemanage standsthatarefairlysimpleinstructureto makethemmorecomplex? Howlongwill regeneration. ittaketonoticeanychange? ScientistsfromthePacificNorthwest (PNW) ResearchStationbeganworkingin1994 InthemoistcoastalforestoftheOlympic throughthe1950s. MoststandsregeneratedwithstaffontheOlympicNationalForestNationalForest, thismeantthinningstands naturally, buttwohadamixofplantedandinWashingtontoimplementtheOlympicof40- to80-year-oldDouglas-fir, western naturallyregeneratedtrees. HabitatDevelopmentStudytoaddressthese hemlock, westernredcedar, andSitkaspruce Managementsinceharvestvaried: fiveofquestions. inawaythatencouragedadiversityoftree thestandshadnotbeenthinnedpriortothespecies, growthrates, anddevelopmentofThegoal,” saysConnieHarrington, a study, onehadbeenprecommerciallythinned, understoryvegetation. researchforesterwiththePNWResearch andtwohadbeencommerciallythinnedinStationinOlympia, Washington, “wasto Eightstudyareasintotalwereestablished the1970sand1980s. StandswereselectedtotestifmanagementcouldbeusedtoaccelerateonthewestandeastsidesoftheOlympicprovidearangeofspeciescompositionandthedevelopmentofstandstructuresandplantPeninsula. Allareashadbeenloggedand tobetypicalofconiferforeststhatwouldbeandanimalcommunitiesassociatedwithburnedatsomepointbeginninginthe1930smanagedinthefuture. late-successionalstands.” TheOlympicNationalForesthadawide rangeofstandconditions, andthesestands wereoldenoughtosupportcommercial thinning, makingitagoodlocationforthis study” saysHarrington. ThecommercialLeslieBrodiethinningpaidforitselfandbenefitednearby communitieswithtimber-basedjobs. Astudy intowaystocreateold-growth-likehabitat whileprovidingtimberjobsfellrightinline withtheNorthwestForestPlan, whichhad beendevelopedearlierintheyear. Purpose ofPNWScience Findings Toprovidescientific information topeople whomakeandinfluence decisions about managing land. PNWScience Findings ispublished monthly by: Pacific Northwest Research Station USDA ForestService P.O. Box3890 Portland, Oregon97208 Send newsubscriptions andchange of address information to: pnw_pnwpubs@fs.fed.us Rhonda Mazza, editor; rmazza@fs.fed.us KeithRoutman, layout; kroutman@fs.fed.usAdiagramofastandbeforeandafterthinningwithskipsandgaps. Snag height isexaggerated for visibility. United StatesScienceFindingsisonlineat: http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/ ForestDepartmentServiceThesitealsoincludesScienceUpdate—scientific knowledge forpressing decisions ofAgricultureaboutcontroversialnaturalresourceandenvironmentalissues. 2 Leslie Brodie Diana Livada Byleaving some areas undisturbed (left), while creating gapsinthecanopy inothers (right), thestandbecomes more diverse intermsofstructure, tree size, andhabitat itprovides forother plants andanimals. THINNING WITH SKIPSANDGAPS hemaintreatmentwasanoveltype AndrewCarey, anow-retiredresearchwildlife KathyO’Halloran, anaturalresourcestaff ofvariable-densitythinningcalled biologist, initiatedthewildlifecomponent officerontheforest, hasworkedwiththeT‘thinningwithskipsandgaps’,” ofthisstudy, whichmeasurestheresponse scientistssincetheinitialplanningperiod explainsHarrington. Variable-density offorestfloorsmallmammalstovariable- andhasfoundthisclosecommunication thinning, asthenameimplies, isvariable. densitythinning. SinceCarey’sretirement, immenselyvaluable. “Whenitfirststarted, Someareasofthetreatmentaremoreheavily ToddWilson, aresearchwildlifebiologist thereweresomeoperationalissuesto thinnedthanothers. Inthisstudy, 10percent withthePNWResearchStationinCorvallis, workout, andtherewasabitofalearning oftheareawasleftunthinned (orskipped), Oregon, hasledthisworkandaddedan curve,” sherecalls. “Butnowweimplement andmechanizedequipmentwasprohibited amphibiancomponent. Analysisofpre- and thisconceptinallourtimbersales. It’s fromenteringthoseareas. Thegaps, onthe posttreatmentpopulationsofsmallmammals notacookiecutterapproachbyany otherhand, comprisedabout15percentof andamphibiansisunderway. means, butwe’veembraceditonalllevels, theareaandwereclearedtocreateopenings fromplanning, tolayout, totimbersaleOpinionsdifferedastowhetheritwasactuallyintheforestcanopyaboutthesizeoftwoadministrator. Theyallgettheconcept.” possibletousesilviculturalactivitiestocreateside-by-sidetenniscourts. Theremaining diversestandstructure, explainsHarrington. “Theloggerslikedcreatingthegapsbecause75percentreceivedalightthinninginwhichSomepeoplethoughtthetreatmentswouldtheycouldfellthetreesintothem,” saysthesmallertreesofthemostcommontreemakethetreesmoresusceptibletowindHarrington. Whenselectivelythinninginspecieswereremoved. damage. Othersthoughtthetreatmentswould denseforests, treesandunderstoryintended Theskipswereanovelpartofthis betoodifficultorcumbersometoapply tobeleftstandingcanbedamagedbythe treatment,” saysHarrington. Previous effectively,” sherecalls.machineryandfellingofthetreeslatedfor studieshavelookedattheeffectsofgaps removal. Withthistreatment, therewasveryTherewasalotofdiscussionabouthowtoanddifferentthinninglevelsbuthavenotlittledamagetotheresidualtrees. Thegapsspecifythetreatments,” saysHarrington. includedsmall-scaleskips. Inthisstudy, the werealsothesourceofthelarger, merchant- Wedidn’twanttheloggerstofindthemskipswerestrategicallyplacedtomaintain abletrees, whichhelpedmakethetimbersalesimpractical.” Thesediscussionsincludedcertainconditions. “Oftenwhenapplyinga payforthemselves. personnelontheOlympicNationalForest. thinningtreatment, youhavetofellsnags fortheloggers’ safety,” explainsHarrington. Whenworkingwithatreatmentthatincludes skips, “youcanarrangetheskipstoavoid workinginareaswithlotsofsnagsorother Jana Carlsonkeystructuresthatyouwanttomaintainfor wildlifehabitat.” Theskipsessentiallycreatedsmallreserves acrossthetreatmentarea. Ecologistshave arguedfortheimportanceofmaintaining reservesatdifferentscales, explainsHarring- ton, andinplacesotherthanriparianzones. Theskippedareascanbecomearefuge forspeciesthatareparticularlysensitive todisturbance, whilethevariationinthe landscapecreatedbythegapsandthe thinnedareasmayprovideforthehabitat needsofotherspecies. Thegaps provided mostofthemerchantable timber, enabling thetimber saletopay foritself. 3 RESPONDING TOCUSTOM TREATMENTS omepeoplesaid60-, 70-, 80-year-old treesweretoooldtorespondtothin- S ning,” recallsHarrington. “Butwithin 5years, wesawaresponse, whichisavery shortperiod. Thetreestookadvantageofthe Connie Harringtonextraspaceandadditionallightthatthethin- ningprovided. Thepoorestgrowthanddevel- opmentwasintheskippedareas,” shesays. Thescientistsfoundthatinthethinnedareas, averagegrowthwasnearly26percentgreater thanintheunthinnedareas, whenadjusted forspecies, initialtreesize, andcrownclass. Midstorytreesandtheunderstoryalso respondedpositively. Thestandconditions priortothemostrecentthinninginfluenced themagnitudeofthegrowth. “Treegrowthwas greatestifthestandhadnotbeenpreviously thinned,” notesHarrington. Oneinterestingthingwasthattheeffectsof thethinningsandgapsextendedpastthetreat- mentlinesontheground,” saysHarrington. Vegetationalongtheedgesofskipsdeveloped Winddamage wasminimal and predictable. morethanvegetationfartherawayfromthe edges. Treesclosertothegapsgrewmorethan treeslocatedfartherwithinthethinnedareas. Withthisvariable-densitythinningtreatment, wecreatedmanyedgeswithineachstand, Leslie Brodiewhichcreatedanotherlevelofvariability,” saysHarrington. Whentheobjectiveisto creatediversityinstandstructureandvegeta- tion, allthisvariabilityisagoodthing. Anissueofconcernbeforethetreatmentswas thepotentialforincreasedwinddamageafter thinning. Ifatreeissuddenlyexposedtomore windthanitisaccustomedto, itmaysnapor blowover, perhapstakingothertreeswithit onitswaydown. Treeseventuallyadjusttothe conditions, andovertimetheriskofwindthrow isreduced. “Wefoundlittlesignificantwind damageifyou’recarefulwhereyouplace gaps, skidtrails, andlandingsinrelation totopography,” explainsHarrington. That meansavoidplacinggapsonhilltops, ridges, andotherlocationssusceptibletohighwind speeds, especiallyifastandisfairlydense. Thegapscreated theopportunity foryoung trees and amorediverse understory tobecome established. Scientistsalsodeterminedthatdamagefrom windstormscanbepredictedbasedonthe Themainreasonforcreatinggapsintheforest Acommonconcernisthatdisturbancesheight-to-diameterratio—thetallerand canopyistoletmorelightreachtheforest associatedwiththinningandharvesttreat- skinnierthetree, themoresusceptibleitis floor. Thevariable-densitythinningcreated mentswillclearapathforinvasionbynon- towinddamage. Thegapsweredesigned awiderangeofoverstoryandunderstory nativeplants. Harringtonsays, “Ingeneraltobesmallerindiameterthantheheightofconditionsandthecoverageofherbaceoustherewerefairlyfewnonnativeplantsthatthetreecanopytoreducethelikelihoodthatplantsreflectedthat. Thegreatestincreasein developedafterthinning—andsincemostofgapswouldfunnelthewindintothestandthenumberandcoverageofherbaceousspeciestheinvasivenonnativeplantsareadaptedtodownwindofthegaps. Ofcoursewhenthe wasinthegapsandthinnedareas, while disturbed, highlightenvironments, it’snotobjectiveistoincreasestanddiversity, a coverageofmossesandliverwortswasreduced surprisingthatmostofthemwererestrictedcertainlevelofwinddamagemaybeinthoseareas. togaps.” welcome. Asnappedtreebecomesasnag, andblowdownscreatetheirowngapsin theforestcanopyandaddwoodydebris WRITER’SPROFILE totheforestfloor. RhondaMazzaisasciencewriterwiththePacificNorthwestResearchStation. 4 NEXTSTEPS alkingthroughthestudyareason theOlympicNationalForest10yearsWafterthefirstvariable-densitythin- nings, thedifferencesareobvioustoeventhe mostcasualobserver. O’Halloran, thestaff officer, hashelpedleadanumberoffieldtrips throughthestudyareas. “Wehavehadpeople fromalldifferentbackgroundscomeouttosee thisstudy, ForestService, non-ForestService, environmentalists, loggers. Forthemostpart they’vealllikedwhatthey’veseen,” shesays. It’sencouragingtoseethistreatmentpushthe standsintherightdirection, andIexpectthe effectstocontinueforalongtime. Butifyou reallywanttotesthowquicklywecanacceler- atestructuraldiversityordevelopsomeplant communities, thenweneedtore-enterthese Midstory western hemlock trees grew muchfaster inthe6yearsafterthinning thanstandsandtryvarioustreatmentsinboththetheydidinthe5yearsbeforetreatment, whereas similar-sizedtrees intheunthinnedoverstoryandunderstory” saysHarrington. areasgrewslightly lessinthesame6-yearperiod thantheydid earlier. Forexample, thinningthewesternhemlock understorywhichisdevelopinginsomestands mightfavorsomeoftheherbaceousspecies wewouldliketoseeincreaseincover.” LAND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS Anotherbeneficialoutcomefromthisstudy isthenewinformationaboutgrowthrates. littledamagetoresidualtrees. Thethinningtreatmenthascausedsometrees togrowfasterthanothers, asintended, butit complicatesgrowth-rateprojections. “Forest managersusegrowthmodelstopredictwhat’s bytheratioofmeantreeheighttodiameter). goingtohappen,” explainsHarrington. “Data fromthisstudyarebeingusedtotestgrowth modelstoseehowaccuratelythemodelspredict thinninginafairlyshortperiod. whatwehaveobserved. Sofar, wefoundthat theydoagoodjobpredictingthegrowthof bigtreesbutnotofsmalltreesunderaforest componentsincreasedthedevelopmentofstructuraldiversity. overstory.” Scientistsareatworkonthisnextphase. initialstandconditionsaswellasthevariabilityinresourcescreatedbythinningGrowthmodelsthatincorporatetheeffects withskipsandgaps. ofthinningwithskipsandgapswillbea usefultoolforforestmanagersdesigning treatmentstomeetspecificobjectives, such asacceleratingthedevelopmentofstand FORFURTHERREADINGstructuresassociatedwitholderforests. Reutebuch, S.E.; Harrington, C.A.; Marshall, Carey, A.B.; Harrington, C.A. 2001. SmallHarringtoncommented, “Onethingthatis D.D.; Brodie, L.C. 2004. Useoflarge-scalemammalsinyoungforests: implicationsveryimpressiveabouttheseforestsisnotjust silviculturalstudiestoevaluatemanage- formanagementforsustainability. Forestthelongevityofthetreesbutthelongevityof mentoptionsinPacificNorthwestforestsEcologyandManagement. 154: 289–309. theirgrowthrates. Theycouldcontinuetogrow oftheUnitedStates. ForestSnowandinheightanddiameterforcenturies.” Thus, Harrington, C.A.; Roberts, S.D.; Brodie, LandscapeResearch. 78(1/2): 191–208. applyingtreatmentsinstandsthatpreviously L.C. 2005. Treeandunderstoryresponsesmighthavebeenconsidered “rotationage” Roberts, S.D.; Harrington, C.A. 2008. tovariable-densitythinninginwesternandreadyforaregenerationharvestcan IndividualtreegrowthresponsetoWashington. In: Peterson, C.E.; Maguire, effectivelynudgestanddevelopmenttoward variable-densitythinningincoastalD.A., eds. Balancingecosystemvalues: goalsassociatedwithprovidingmoreacresof PacificNorthwestforests. ForestEcologyinnovativeexperimentsforsustainableforestswithstandstructurestypicalofthoseandManagement. 255(7): 2771–2781. forestry. Proceedingsofaconference. Gen. foundinolderstands. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-635. Portland, OR: Roberts, S.D.; Harrington, C.A.; Buermeyer, U.S. DepartmentofAgriculture, ForestTomakeknowledgeproductive K.R. 2007. Doesvariable-densitythinningService, PacificNorthwestResearchwewillhavetolearntosee increasewinddamageinconiferstandsonStation: 97–106. theOlympicPeninsula? WesternJournalboththeforestandthetree.” ofAppliedForestry. 22(4): 285–296. Peter Drucker 5 PRSRTSTD USPOSTAGE PAID PORTLAND OR FINDINGS PERMIT N0G-40 U.S. DepartmentofAgriculture PacificNorthwestResearchStation 333SWFirstAvenue P.O. Box3890 Portland, OR97208-3890 OfficialBusiness PenaltyforPrivateUse, $300 SCIENTIST PROFILE Harringtoncanbereachedat: CONNIEHARRINGTON COLLABORATORS isaresearchforester PacificNorthwestResearchStation/ KathyO’Halloran, OlympicNationalForestworkingonawiderangeUSDAForestService ofresearchquestions ForestrySciencesLaboratory ScottRoberts, EmilyComfort, Mississippi rdrelatedtoplantgrowth362593Ave, SW StateUniversityandmanagement. She Olympia, WA98512 AndrewCarey (retired), ToddWilson, receivedherPh.D. in Phone: (360) 753-7670 LeslieBrodie, DavidPeter, JamestreephysiologyandsoilsE-mail: charrington@fs.fed.us Dollins, DavidStephens, PacificfromtheUniversityofNorthwestResearchStationWashington. 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