Tracks Project Record of Decision A1-1 Attachment 1 ATTACHMENT 1 Treatment Codes and Definitions, Design Criteria, and Site Specific Unit Information The Table 1A includes the definitions of the primary, secondary, and conversion/planting activities that will be implemented. Table 1B includes information on the design criteria that will be implemented with the project. Table 1C displays the units that are carried forward in the decision and identifies the primary and secondary treatments, and any planting or conversion activities, along with design criteria that will be implemented with each unit. Table 1A. Treatment Codes and Definitions Primary Treatment Activities Clearcut Clearcut with Reserves: The harvesting of essentially all trees in a stand, producing a fully exposed microclimate for the development of a new age class and an even-aged stand. Regeneration can be from natural seeding, direct seeding, planted seedlings, or existing regeneration. Reserve trees are retained to attain goals other than regeneration, but are not enough to become the featured stand or to create a two-aged stand. Shelterwood An even-aged regeneration method where the cutting of most trees leaves those needed to produce sufficient shade to produce a new age class in a moderated micro- environment. The majority of regeneration is from natural seeding, direct seeding, planted seedlings or advance reproduction. Overwood may be removed once regeneration is established. Thin An intermediate harvest where trees are removed to provide growing conditions for remaining trees. This method is generally used in immature and mature red and white pine stands to reduce stand density of trees primarily to improve growth and/or form, enhance forest health, or recover potential mortality. Some thinned areas would also include small group openings to improve structure within treated area. May also be done to reduce fuels in red pine stands. Thin (wildlife) An intermediate harvest where trees are removed to provide growing conditions for remaining trees. In addition, gaps are created throughout the stand to improve habitat for dwarf bilberry. Spruce-fir thin An intermediate harvest that would be used to increase the amount of spruce and to promote older growth stages. This method would eventually result in an uneven-aged forest with higher percentages of white spruce and white pine and smaller percentages of aspen and jack pine. Mostly balsam fir and aspen would be removed on the first entry. Restoration Actions that would create conditions for either existing or desired species to grow and may include removing less desirable species (using prescribed fire, mechanical, or hand tools), creating ground disturbance to enhance natural regeneration, creating conditions for existing desired trees to grow, planting and/or seeding desired tree species to offset the natural breaking up of older stands and creating conditions to promote specific wildlife habitat. Activities do not include commercial timber harvest but may include biomass removal. Ecological burns Ecological burns would be used in stands that normally would not be treated (cut or burned) such as lowland non-forest, unmerchantable stands, or young stands. These stands would be included as part of a larger burn complex when the stands are within an area of site prep burns for jack pine or lowland black spruce regeneration. It will introduce fire into these stands, and will make the whole burn unit more contiguous and more efficient to burn.
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Tracks Project
Record of Decision A1-1 Attachment 1
ATTACHMENT 1 Treatment Codes and Definitions, Design Criteria, and Site
Specific Unit Information The Table 1A includes the definitions of the primary, secondary, and conversion/planting activities that will be implemented. Table 1B includes information on the design criteria that will be implemented with the project. Table 1C displays the units that are carried forward in the decision and identifies the primary and secondary treatments, and any planting or conversion activities, along with design criteria that will be implemented with each unit.
Table 1A. Treatment Codes and Definitions Primary Treatment Activities
Clearcut
Clearcut with Reserves: The harvesting of essentially all trees in a stand, producing a fully exposed microclimate for the development of a new age class and an even-aged stand. Regeneration can be from natural seeding, direct seeding, planted seedlings, or existing regeneration. Reserve trees are retained to attain goals other than regeneration, but are not enough to become the featured stand or to create a two-aged stand.
Shelterwood
An even-aged regeneration method where the cutting of most trees leaves those needed to produce sufficient shade to produce a new age class in a moderated micro-environment. The majority of regeneration is from natural seeding, direct seeding, planted seedlings or advance reproduction. Overwood may be removed once regeneration is established.
Thin
An intermediate harvest where trees are removed to provide growing conditions for remaining trees. This method is generally used in immature and mature red and white pine stands to reduce stand density of trees primarily to improve growth and/or form, enhance forest health, or recover potential mortality. Some thinned areas would also include small group openings to improve structure within treated area. May also be done to reduce fuels in red pine stands.
Thin (wildlife)
An intermediate harvest where trees are removed to provide growing conditions for remaining trees. In addition, gaps are created throughout the stand to improve habitat for dwarf bilberry.
Spruce-fir thin
An intermediate harvest that would be used to increase the amount of spruce and to promote older growth stages. This method would eventually result in an uneven-aged forest with higher percentages of white spruce and white pine and smaller percentages of aspen and jack pine. Mostly balsam fir and aspen would be removed on the first entry.
Restoration
Actions that would create conditions for either existing or desired species to grow and may include removing less desirable species (using prescribed fire, mechanical, or hand tools), creating ground disturbance to enhance natural regeneration, creating conditions for existing desired trees to grow, planting and/or seeding desired tree species to offset the natural breaking up of older stands and creating conditions to promote specific wildlife habitat. Activities do not include commercial timber harvest but may include biomass removal.
Ecological burns
Ecological burns would be used in stands that normally would not be treated (cut or burned) such as lowland non-forest, unmerchantable stands, or young stands. These stands would be included as part of a larger burn complex when the stands are within an area of site prep burns for jack pine or lowland black spruce regeneration. It will introduce fire into these stands, and will make the whole burn unit more contiguous and more efficient to burn.
Harvest activities would be restricted to winter. If sensitive soils can be avoided, and no other resource concerns exist, treatment season may be modified by sale administrator.
D or FG
Dry or Frozen Ground. Harvest activities would be restricted to either dry or frozen ground conditions.
Either Harvest activities may occur any time of the year. Heritage Resources
HR1 Site within unit will have one chain flagged buffer prior to project implementation.
Prescribed burn
The intentional use of fire to accomplish specific resource objectives such as reducing fuels and creating favorable conditions for desired species. May include mechanical removal of vegetation to create conditions safe to conduct burns.
Secondary and Reforestation Activities
Natural
A plant community established through a naturally-occurring process such as seeding, sprouting, or suckering. Generally, no additional regeneration work is needed, however, mechanical, burning, and or seeding may be used to ensure adequate regeneration of desired species if conditions on the ground warrant additional work.
Burn and Seed
Burning of material resulting from natural processes and not directly generated or altered by land management practices. The fire consumes surface fuels but not trees and shrubs. Sites would be seeded following burning to enhance desired species regeneration.
Mechanical site preparation
Site preparation using mechanical equipment to remove undesired vegetation from the site, to crush vegetation on site, and to create ground disturbance to prepare sites for planting or seeding. Some sites may be burned after mechanical site work.
Prescribed burn
The intentional use of fire to accomplish specific resource objectives such as reducing fuels and creating favorable conditions for desired species. May include mechanical removal of vegetation to create conditions safe to conduct burns.
Ecological burn/seed
Ecological burns would be used in stands that normally would not be treated (cut or burned) such as lowland non-forest, unmerchantable stands, or young stands. These stands would be included as part of a larger burn complex when the stands are within an area of site prep burns for jack pine or lowland black spruce regeneration. It will introduce fire into these stands, and will make the whole burn unit more contiguous and more efficient to burn. May include seeding when needed to establish desired tree species.
Convert to or Plant Activities
Convert to:
Activities taken to change a stand from one forest type to another more desirable forest type. Usually applied in even-aged management stands, the conversion may be preceded by mechanical site preparation. After trees are planted, additional actions may be taken to release the planted trees from competing undesirable vegetation.
Diversity Planting
Some stands, especially those within the Riparian and Eligible Wild and Scenic River Management Areas and within riparian zones in other management areas, would include planting of white, red, white spruce, cedar and other species that would increase diversity and increase the longer-lived tree species.
Shear and/or Plant
Similar to mechanical site preparation. Sites may be planted with desired species or allowed to remain as brush stands to provide browse for moose.
Tracks Project
Record of Decision A1-3 Attachment 1
Table 1B. Design Criteria
HR3 Unsurveyed shoreline will be surveyed prior to project implementation if recommended by heritage resource staff.
Sensitive Plants and Non-native Invasive Plants P1 Drop southern finger of Unit 183 to protect New England sedge.
P2 Avoid NNIS occurrences, either relocate skid trails, temp roads, landings if use would be in growing season, OR treat before use in growing season.
P3 Treat NNIS within 50 feet of unit before mechanical site preparation occurs.
P4 Where possible, do not place roads in lowland cedar or black ash stands. If unavoidable, conduct TES plant survey prior to road construction.
P5 Leave 50 foot no harvest buffer around TES plant occurrence. P6 Lay out northwest boundary of Unit 184 to avoid New England sedge. P7 Place legacy patch around lapland buttercup.
P8 Leave higher basal area to protect New England sedge habitat, or place legacy patch around concentration of New England sedge.
P9 Avoid blading TWP 6205 at junction with SLC353 for access to unit 157 to protect TES plant.
P10 Lay out west boundary of unit 58 to avoid small shinleaf and use a wetline during prescribed burn in vicinity of small shinleaf, not a dozerline.
P11 Harvest unit 241 in winter to protect New England sedge. Recreation
REC1
Minimize impacts to recreation resource. Avoid use of system trails for skidding logs, minimize crossing of system trails, place safety signing to warn recreationists of harvest/heavy equipment activity, pile slash and other logging debris out of view of recreation sites and system trails, schedule activities during lower recreation use periods - avoid transporting or skidding logs across trails on weekends and holidays.
REC3
All or portion of stand within Wild and Scenic River Corridor. Activities may be occasionally noticeable to visitors. Vegetation management will generally be done to enhance the recreation experience and, to the extent practical, improve scenic values. Vegetation management practices will generally promote the retention of long-lived tree species, leading toward the development of a big-tree character throughout river corridors.
Soils
S1 Harvest operations, temporary roads, and skid trails limited to frozen ground conditions or avoid wetlands. No fill in wetlands.
S2 Harvest operations, temporary roads, and skid trails restricted to the dry season or to periods when the ground is frozen. Suspend operations if excessive rutting occurs.
S3 Retain/return distributed slash or woody debris, stumps and bark on site. No biomass removal from regeneration harvest on these units. When conducting prescribed burn minimize loss of surface organic layer.
S4 On slopes >18%, confine operations to lower end of slope. Slopes >35%, use equipment and techniques to minimize operations on slopes.
S5
Remove mapped ELT 5, 12 and 18 from harvest. Temporary roads, skids trails, landings, blading, shearing and rockraking limited to frozen ground on ELT5. Skidding limited to frozen ground on ELTs 12 and18. Temporary roads and landings not permitted on ELTs 12 and 18.
Tracks Project
Record of Decision A1-4 Attachment 1
Table 1B. Design Criteria Scenery
SC1
Harvest units along Concern Level 1 and 2 travel routes, lakes and waterways, and use areas would be designed to ensure a natural appearance of treated areas is achieved within a reasonable length of time. Treatment strategies would include: Layout unit to ensure that apparent size of opening is minimized (i.e. use curvilinear edges and adequately-sized leave islands). Visible edges should avoid abrupt transitions between cut area and adjacent uncut stand. For instance, leave mid-story shrub-layer species in the transition zones between cut areas and adjacent stands and leave islands and follow Forest Plan direction. Within 100 feet of either side of Concern Level 1 and 2 travel routes, lakes and waterways, and use areas, slash or residue created by logging operations should be removed if practical. If not practical, then slash depth should be less than twelve inches deep.
Wildlife WL1 Near historic great blue heron colony; check with biologist on status.
WL2 Stick nest present; maintain 50-foot buffer around stick nests.
WL5 Wood turtles may be present. Prior to prescribed burns, fire crew would search for and remove turtles that may be present in burn units.
WL6 Wood turtles may be present. No harvest from May 30 - Oct 1st. Keep all temporary roads a minimum of 330 feet from stream channel.
Water Quality and Riparian
WS1 Stream > 5' in width and slope < 5%; no management within a tree length from the ordinary high water mark of the stream unless for riparian functions.
WS2 Stream > 5' in width and slope > 5%; no management within a tree length from the top of the slope above the floodplain (if present) unless for riparian function. This zone does not need to extend more than 200' from ordinary high water mark.
WS3 Stream < 5' in width and slope < 5% = no management within 50' from the side of stream unless for riparian function.
WS4 Stream < 5' in width and slope > 5% = no management within 100' from the side of stream unless for riparian function.
WS5 Lakes and Open Water Wetland with slope < 5%; no management within 100' of ordinary high water mark unless for riparian function.
WS6 Lakes and Open Water Wetland with slope > 5%; no management within 100' of slope top unless for riparian function.
WS7 Designated trout stream; no management within 150 feet unless > 60 sq.ft. residual basal area and for riparian function.
WS8 Plant long-lived conifer species within riparian zone. A variety of methods would be used, including mechanical and manual site preparation, hand planting site-appropriate riparian species, and mechanical or manual release of natural and planted riparian species.
Reserve Trees N No need identified.
RT In general, retain a minimum of 6-12 live trees left uncut per acre. Reserve trees should be a minimum of 6 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) and include at least two trees per acre from the largest size class available on site.
RT-ASH Maintain 30 - 60 BA ash. Protect advanced regeneration.
RT-BO
Where possible, in harvest units adjacent to large lowland areas, reserve areas and trees should be concentrated along the wetland boundary to maintain potential nesting trees for boreal owl. If present within this area, retain some large aspen or birch capable of producing cavities for nesting.
Tracks Project
Record of Decision A1-5 Attachment 1
Table 1B. Design Criteria
RT-CLUMP
Reserve trees should be left in clumps ranging from a minimum of 1/4 acre to promote vigorous aspen regeneration in rest of unit. Minimal harvest within clumps is acceptable (min. 80 BA) as long as the integrity of the clump or key leave trees are not disturbed; and as long as the clump is not a legacy patch.
RT-SF Maintain 80-100 BA favoring spruce and pine.
RT-SW Maintain a minimum of 6 to 12 live trees per acre. Follow prescription for maintenance and spacing of birch for future seed source.
RT-THIN
In conifer thinning stands, maintain deciduous trees especially aspen where possible.
RT-TTW
In even-aged jack pine and upland mixed conifer, retain 6-10 jack pine/acre either scattered or clumped. Jack pine reserve trees can count toward reserve tree design criteria. Where not enough jack pine occurs, upland black spruce may be substituted. For the remainder of the reserve trees follow design criteria for reserve trees.
Tracks Project
Record of Decision A1-6 Attachment 1
Table 1C. Site specific unit information Unit Information Treatment Prescriptions Design Criteria