Backround: Its not a new story. In fact its a common situation across the Western United States. Human intervention in the ecosystem has led to forest conditions that are no longer sustainable nor healthy. Exclusion of fire has led to dense, suppressed understories, creating enormous fuels build up. Old growth overstories are losing ground in the system due to the intense competition and insect and disease build up. That was our situation in the Beaver and Palmer watersheds in 1995 when planning began. This was our very first planning effort under the Northwest Forest Plan. Watershed Analysis had just been completed, showing high fire hazard, rural interface issues, and increasing tree mortality.
A landscape planning effort took place to examine strategies to address these concerns. The resulting plan, Beaver Palmer Coordinated Resource Plan, identified fuelbreaks on key ridges, a less intense treatment along selected roads called Fuels Modification Zones (FMZ), landscape thinning of overstocked stands with post harvest fuels treatment, and prescribed burning projects in timber stands and on south slope brush dominated landscapes.
Findings: This project is now a visible success story on the landscape. Commercial timber sales have allowed completion of many of our goals. The thinning results have been applauded by local neighbors, the Applegate Partnership, and the environmental community. Innovative woods crews utilized unique equipment to minimize resource impacts to soils with small landings, very narrow skyline corridors, and minimal damage to trees remaining. Matching the right size equipment, crew size and production expectations to the job also led to successful outcomes. Helicopter logging of large landscape units meant little road building was needed. Road reconstruction work accomplished strongly needed watershed restoration work in an anadromous fish watershed by increasing culvert size, and vastly improving drainage structures on the roads. Some roads used during the timber sale were decommissioned following harvest activities.
Creative timber sale contract preparation has allowed us to expand our accomplishments. Economically marginal units and small diameter material portion of other units were offered in the contract as "timber subject to agreement", or optional units and material. This allowed us to accomplish as much of our objectives as the market would bear for small diameter material. Creative logging system provisions allowed for the most efficient use of equipment and minimized resource impacts.
Brush disposal collections on the timber sale are treating logging slash on high fire hazard areas. Through the use of Knutsen Vanderberg (KV) funds, necessary post harvest treatment of fuelbreaks is now under way. Some prescribed burns have been completed and more are scheduled this year.
Numerous small timber sale projects were also implemented with traditional and less traditional logging methods such as a mini-tractor, horse logging. These were done to foster small businesses and to utilize and test low impact logging techniques. One study focused on soil compaction. It showed that use of small equipment on some soil types was well within soil compaction standards, even with repeated passes on the same skid trail, contrary to previous studies with larger equipment and materials.
Application: We continue to test and explore small diameter treatments, alternative harvest extraction methods, creative contracting, and sale preparation efficiencies. The important lessons learned are to stay focused on your goals, utilize all tools creatively to shape a feasible and successful project. Be adaptive! Do it, learn, and the do it better! For more information contact Ed Reilly or Bill Warner, Applegate RD, Rogue River NF, at 541-899-1812.