Forestland S t e w a r d - calfire.ca.govcalfire.ca.gov/foreststeward/pdf/newslettr30.pdfrepercussions on nearby lands and streams, ... CA Dept of Forestry and ... director Calif dept

California forest stewardship program

Fores t l and S t e w a r d

CDF & UC Cooperative ExtensionForest Stewardship Programc/o P.O. Box 162644Sacramento, CA 95816ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

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PAIDCOLOR TECH

Working TogeTher for healThy foresTs

fall 2006

Inside 2 Silviculture

5 Intermediatetreatments

6 Regeneration

10 Winter’scoming

12 Restoration

Forest Management Part III:

Managingexistingstandsoftrees Nomatterwhatyourforestgoals—improvedforesthealth,increasedhabitatforwildlife,incomefromtimber,etc.—youwillhavetodecidewhatstepstotaketoreachthosegoals.Themanagementpracticesdiscussedinthisissueincludemanyofthetoolsyou’llusetocreatetheforestyoudesire.Youwillfindthatthesamebasicmanagementtechniquescanbeusedtoachieveavarietyofobjectives. Forestlandmanagementisconductedoveraverylongtimespan,oftenexceedingthelandowner’slifetime.Theimpactsarefar-reaching.Yourdecisionsaffectyouandyourfamilyaswellasneighbors.Theyhaverepercussionsonnearbylandsandstreams,onwatersourceshundredsofmilesaway,onwildlife,firesafety,waterquality,andscenicvalues.Evenadecisiontodonothingwillimpactamultitudeofresources.

Inactivevs.activemanagementInactive management istheconsciousdecisiontobehands-offandletnaturetakeitscourse.Beaware,however,thatthistypeofmanagementcanhaveasprofoundanimpactontheforestasactivemanagement.

No,youdidn'tmissanissueDuetoaglitch,wehavebeenonhiatusforafewmonths.Wenowreturntoourregularlyschedulednewsletter,andcontinuewithPartIIIoftheseriesonforestmanagement.

FewforestsinCaliforniaareina“natural”state.Overtheyearstheyhavebeenharvested,grazed,bisectedbyroads,invadedbynon-nativespecies,andalteredinnumerousways. Inaddition,firesuppressionoverthelast100yearshashadaprofoundeffectonourforests,whichrequirefiretokeepthemhealthyanddiverse.Firesuppressionmayleadtoovergrownforeststhatarevulnerabletoinsectanddiseaseattacksaswellascatastrophicfires.Evenifyouchooseaninactivemanagementapproach,youshouldcarefullyconsiderfireissues.

Active managementcanincludeanumberoftechniques,ortreatments.Manyofthesearechosentomimicorspeedupnaturalprocesses.Forexample,thinningcanrelieveovercrowdedconditionsintheabsenceoffireandatthesametimeencouragespecificspeciestogrowmorequickly.Treatmentsmaybechosentoimprovethequalityoftimberforharvest,tochangethespeciescompositionforwildlifehabitat,todecreasetheriskoffire,orforahostofotherpurposes.

N O T E : This discussion includes terms defined in the two previous parts (Winter & Spring).

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2 fall 2006

Forestland Steward is a joint project of the

CA Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection,

UC Cooperative Extension, and USDA Forest Service

to provide information on the stewardship of private forestlands in California.

California Forest Stewardship Program

P.O. Box 944246Sacramento, CA 94244

(916) 653-8286Fax (916) 653-8957

http://ceres.ca.gov/forest-steward

editorial CommitteeJeff Calvert, CDF

Richard Harris, UCHeather Morrison, SAFGary Nakamura, UC

editorLaurie Litman, InfoWright

governorArnold Schwarzenegger

secretary for resourcesthe resources agency

Mike Chrisman

directorCalif dept of forestry

& fire protectionRuben Grijalva

This newsletter was produced under a grant from the USDA Forest

Service.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this

institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis

of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

(Not all prohibited basesapply to all programs.)

Fores tl and S t e w a r d

Usingsilviculturetomeetyourforestgoals You’vecomeupwithyourforestmanagementgoalsandobjectives…nowwhat?Thisisthepointatwhichyouwilluseallyourknowledgeoftreesandforeststoplantheon-the-groundactivitiesnecessarytoachieveyourgoals. Theplanoftreatmentsforaforeststandoveritsentirelifeiscalledasilviculturalsystem.Silviculturalsystemsarenamedonthebasisoftheageclasses(whethertreesinthestandarethesameage[even-aged]orvaryingages[uneven-aged]),andtheregenerationmethodused(e.g.,clearcutting,seedtree,shelterwood,selection).Inaddition,thereareintermediatetreatmentsthatcanbedonewhileaforestisyoungtoimprovethematureforest. Eachsilviculturalsystemisuniqueanddesignedspecificallyfortheparticularpropertyandlandownergoals.Methodsareselectedbasedonthetypeandconditionofthelandaswellasmanagementobjectives.Inaddition,thesesystemsmustbedesignedandexecutedproperlytominimizelong-termdamagecausedbyanyentryintotheforeststands. Iftimberharvestisoneofyourgoals,you’llneedtoworkwitharegisteredprofessionalforester(RPF)tocomeupwithalong-termplanforyourforest.TheForestPracticeRulesareveryspecificonhowharvestingisdone. Commonsilviculturalsystemsarelistedbelow.

Even-agedmanagement Treesundereven-agedsystemsareroughlythesameageandmanagedasagroup.Inalargelandholding,even-agedunitsareoftenstaggeredoverthelandscapesotherearemanydifferentageclasses.InCalifornia,unitsgenerallycannotexceed20acresandtypicallyareregeneratedbyplantingseedlings.Typesofeven-agedmanagementincludeclearcuts,seedtree,andshelterwood.

Clearcuts.Alltreesinastandarecutatthesametimeinaclearcutsystem.Seedsfromsurroundingtrees,rootsproutsor,mostcommonly,nursery-grownseedlingsareusedtoregeneratethestand. Harvestingpracticesareespeciallyrestrictedinsensitiveareassuchasalongwatercourses,nearwetareas,andhabitatswiththreatenedandendangeredspecies. Clearcuttingprovidesanopenenvironmentwithplentyofsunlight,thusclearcuttingisbestforregeneratingshade-intolerantspecies.Site

preparation,theremovalofwoodyloggingdebrisandweedcompetitionpriortoplanting,isrequiredforsuccessfulregeneration. Besidesitsusefortimberharvest,clearcuttingcanbethemethodofchoiceforastandthathasbeenseverelyimpactedbypastpractices.Itisoftenprescribedwhenthecurrentstandhasdeterioratedduetohighgrading.Highgradingremovesthebiggestandbesttreesleavingpoorlydevelopedtreesbehind.Inthiscaseitmaybebettertocompletelyremovethedepletedstandandstartover. Clearcuttingalterswildlifehabitatandmaydisplacespeciesthatrequirematureforests.Theplants,shrubs,andseedlingsthatreplacethetreesarefavoredbyadifferentgroupofspecies,suchasdeerandelk.Asastandgrowsandmatures,thewildlifethatuseitwillchange.Inalargelandholding,aseriesofclearcutsovertimecanprovideavarietyofhabitattypesacrossthelandscapeincludingstandsofyoung,middle-aged,andoldertrees. Theadvantagetoclearcuttingisefficiency.Itisrelativelyeasytolayoutaclearcutblockandthereislittletonodangerofdamagingremainingtrees.Anotheradvantageisthattemporaryroadsystemsareclosed.Roadsareasignificantsourceofsedimentinstreamssoclosingroadsaftertheharvestdecreasesthelong-termproductionofsedimenttostreams. Thebigdisadvantagetoclearcuttingandothereven-agedmanagementsystemsisvisual.Theforestchangesabruptlyfromamaturestandtoaveryyoungone,andloggingdebrisisclearlyevident. Therearemanyvariationsofclearcuttingandnoteverytreehastoberemoved.“Fuzzyclearcuts”mayretainsmallerorunmerchant-abletreestoprovidesomehabitatand/orafewtreesthatwillbegintogrowquicklywhen

Clearcuts. All trees in the stand cut at the same time.

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releasedfromthecompetitionofothertrees.Fuzzyclearcutswithislandsofmaturevegetationprovidecoverforwildlifeaswellasstructureanddiversityinthefuturestand.

Seed Tree. Intheseedtreesilviculturalsystem,thestandisremovedexceptforafewdesirabletreeslefttoproduceseed.Thequalityoftheseedtrees,theirdistribution,andthetimingoftheharvestareimportantconsiderationshere. Theseedtreesystemisappliedgenerallytoshade-intolerantspeciesthatregeneratebestinfullsunlight.Sitepreparationmayberequiredtoremoveloggingdebrisandcompetingplantsbeforethenewstandcanbecomeestablished. Usuallytheseedtreesareremovedafterregenerationiswellestablished.Ifyouwaittoolong,however,theyoungtreescanbedamagedwhentheseedtreesareharvested.Seedtreesilviculturehassimilaradvantagesanddisadvantagestoclearcutting.Naturalregenerationbyseedtreesoftenresultsinclumpydistributionofseedlings.Thinningtominimizecompetitionandadditionalplantingtoobtainallthedesiredspeciesmaybenecessary.

untilthefinalharvest.Aswithseedtrees,naturalregenerationbyshelterwoodcanresultinclumpydistributionofseedlings.Astheygrow,thinningmayhelpminimizecompetition.

Uneven-agedmanagement Anuneven-agedforesthastreesofmanyageandsizeclasses.Periodiccuttingsoccurtoestablishandmaintainthisstructure.Carefulloggingiscrucialtoprotectresidualtreesfromdamagefromrepeatedharvestingoperations. Adisadvantagetouneven-agedsilviculturalsystemsisthenumberofroadsthatareopenedandthefrequencywithwhichtheyareused.Unlikeeven-agedmethodswhereonlythosestandsbeingoperatedonneedopenroads,withuneven-agedsilviculturetheentireforestmaybevisitedeverycuttingcycle—typicallyevery10or20years—andtheentireroadsystemactivatedforeachharvest.Uneven-agedsilviculturalsystemsaremandatedforNon-industrialTimberManagementPlans(NTMPs).

Single-Tree Selection.Insingle-treeselection,aforesterevaluateseverytreeinthestandand,inaccordancewiththelandowner’sobjectives,individualtreesareremoved.Cuttingscanbemorefrequentthanwithothersystems,providingincometothelandowneronaregularbasisbutatalowerreturnperharvest. Single-treeselectionrateshighintermsofaesthetics.Totheuntrainedeyeitcanbedifficulttoknowthatharvestingwasconductedatall. Single-treeselectionsystemsaremoredifficulttomanagethaneven-agedsystems.Markingindividualtreesforharvesttakesconsiderabletime,andloggingmustbedonecarefullytoavoiddamagingtheremainingtrees. Singletreeselectioncanbeusedtoinfluencethemixofspeciesintheforestortoimproveoverallstandhealth.Seedlingsdevelopwherever

Silviculture: the science and art of producing, tending, and harvesting a forest.

Seed tree system. A few trees are left behind to produce seed. These trees are later removed.

Shelterwood.Theshelterwoodsystemisappliedwhenthespeciestoberegeneratedrequireprotec-tionfromdirectsunlighttoestablish.Speciesthatnaturallyregenerateintheshadearefavored. Treesareharvestedinstages.Dependingontheconditionofthestand,twoorthreecuttingscanbeused.Theinitialcuttingistoimprovethevigorandseedproductionoftheremainingtreesandtopreparethesiteforseedlings.Theremainingtreesprovideshadeandshelterfortheseedlings. Subsequentharvestsremovetheshelterwoodtreesandallowregenerationtodevelopasaneven-agedstand.Becausethematuretreesareremovedinstagesthereislessvisualimpact

Shelterwood. Trees are harvested in stages to provide shade to seedlings.

Adapted from the UC Cooperative Extension Forest Landowner’s Curriculum. Special thanks to artist John LeBlanc for the graphics in this article.

Improve the species

diversity of your

forest stand by

planting desired

species in small

openings created by

clearcutting or group

selection harvesting.

(continued next page)

Forestland S teward

4 fall 2006

openingsareprovided.Shade-tolerantspeciestendtobefavoredovershade-intolerantonesinstandswithdensecover.Largeropeningsmustbeprovidedforshadeintolerantspecies.Itmaybetemptingtohighgrade(takeonlythebesttrees)butthisshouldbeavoided.Highgradingeventuallyreducesthequalityofthetreesonthesite.Awellmarkedsingle-treeselectionharvesttypicallyremovestreesfromawiderangeofdiameterswhilegivingconsiderationtospeciescomposition,standstructure,andhabitat.

Group Selection. Agroupselectionsilviculturalsysteminvolvesharvestofsmallgroupsratherthanindividualtrees.Theopeningsarelessthan2.5acresinsize.Becausetheopeningsaresmall,treesontheedgesofthecuttypicallyinfluencetheregenerationoftheentireopening.Thismethodissimilartosingle-treeselectioninthatharvestsarefrequent.Itsadvantageisthatitiseasierforloggerstoavoiddamagingtheresidualstand.Groupselectioncanbeusedtodevelopamixofspeciesincludingintolerantspeciesthatrequiremorelight. Keepinmindthatagroupselectioncutpermitssingle-treeselectionharvestofthestandsbetweenthegroups.Alsoregulatorslimittheareacoveredbygroupswithanysingleentrytono

morethan20percentofthetotalareaharvested.Soona100-acreparcelupto20acrescouldberemovedinsmallgroups,eachlessthan2.5acresinsize,andtheremainder(80acres)harvestedundersingle-treeselection.

Specialprescriptions SeveralspecialtreatmentsthatdonotfallintoanyofthesilviculturalsystemsabovearealsopermittedundertheForestPracticeRules.

Variable Retention. Thegoalofvariableretentionistoretainstandstructureelementsofthecurrentforestthatarevaluedbywildlife,thatareeasytoprotectyetdifficulttocreate.Oldertreesorgroupsofvegetationareretainedduringharvesteitherasindividualsoringroups.Oftenindividualtreesofloweconomicvaluebuthighwildlifeorscenicvalueareretained.Animals,plants,andfungihaveaplaceofrefugeintheharvestedunit.Generally,about10-15percentoftheoriginalforeststandisretainedunderthisprescription.Thisisanattractiveoptionformanylandowners.

Single-tree selection. Trees are chosen carefully and harvested singly.

Group selection. Trees are harvested in small groups less than 2.5 acres in size.

Special treatment area prescriptions: Methodstailoredforspecialareas.Forexample,anarchaeologicalsiteisaspecialtreatmentarea.

Rehabilitation of understocked areas: Usedinareasofcommercialtimberlandthatarebeingunderutilized.Theareacanbeharvestedifreplantedwithaspecifiednumberofseedlings.

Fuelbreak/defensible space.Usedtoreducethedangerofwildfire.Aspecifiednumberoftreesorseedlingsmustbeleftimmediatelyafterharvest.ARPFmustdescribespecificvegetationandfuelstreatmenttoreducefuelstomeettheobjectivesofthefuelbreakarea.

Variable retention. Valuable elements of the forest are retained to provide refuge for wildlife.

One way to retain

elements of the

forest needed by

wildlife is with

variable retention

harvesting. In this

system, trees or

groups of vegetation

are retained to

provide shelter and

refuge for a variety of

animals and plants.

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Asyourforestgrows,youmaychoosetodosomeintermediatetreatmentssuchasthinning,improvementcuttings,andpruningtohelpachievetheforestyouwant.Thesetreatmentsareusedtoincreasethehealthofastand,shiftspeciescomposition,andimprovetimberquality.Intermediatetreatmentsareconsideredeithercommercialorpre-commercialdependingonwhethertheharvestedtreesaresoldforrevenue.

Thinning. Treescompeteforsunlight,water,andsoilnutrients.Removingsomeofthetreesinthestandcanreducethecompetitionandaccelerategrowthinthosethatremain.Therearehighthinnings(thinningfromabove)wheredominantandco-dominanttreesareremoved,orlowthinnings(thinningfrombelow)wheresmallertreesbelowthedominanttreesareremoved. Howdoyoudecidewhichtreestotakeorleave?Theanswerdependsonyourobjectives,thespeciespresent,siteconditions,andotherfactors.Somerules-of-thumb:•Thinearlyinthelifeofastandratherthanlater.•Considerthinningwhentreecrownsbeginto

touch.•Removetreeswithpoorformorevidence

ofdamage,insects,ordiseaseareusuallyremoved.

• Rememberthattreeswithlessthanone-thirdtheirtotalheightinlivebranchesrarelyrespondwelltothinning.

Onewaytogaugethehealthofatreeisbyitscrownratio,thepercentageofthetotalheightofthetreethatisinlivebranches.Inthefigureabove,thedominanttreeshaveabouta50percentcrownratio,theco-dominantsabout40percent,intermediatesabout30percent,andthesuppressedtreesabout20percent.Largercrownratiosmeanatreecanproducemorefoodfromsunlightinaday.Treeswithlowcrownratiosaremoresusceptibletoinsectattacks.

Crownclassisjustonemethodusedtoselecttrees.Thetypeoftreeselectedfortreatmentdependsonlandowner’sgoals.Somespecies,likewhitefir,cansurviveassuppressedtreesandrespondifsurroundingtreesareremoved.Others,likeponderosapine,donotsurvivewellassuppressedtreesandoldertreesmaynotrespondtothinning.

Improvement cuttingsareprescribedtoremoveundesirabletreesandshrubstofavordesirableones.Thechoiceofspeciesdependsonlandowner’sobjectivesfortimber,wildlife,aestheticappeal,orrecreation.Manytreesthathavelittletonotimbervaluemaybeleftfortheseotherpurposes.

Pruning. Pruningisalabor-intensiveactivityusedtoimprovethehealthoftrees,toremovebranchesthatcouldcausepropertydamageorinjury,andtoincreasethevalueoftimber.Pruninglowerbranchescanresultinknot-freewood.However,thereisabalancebetweenlettingtreesdevelopfullcrownsandpruninglowerbranchestoproduceclearwoodinthelowerportionsofthetree. Itisveryimportantthatpruningbedonecorrectly.Thismeansknowingwhentoprune,whattopruneandhow,usingtheproperequipment,andaboveall,doingthejobsafely.

Adjustmentsalongtheway:intermediatetreatments

D=Dominant; C=Co-dominant; I=Intermediate; S=Suppressed; W=Wolf.Crown classes are used to describe these trees. Dominant trees are the largest in the stand; they receive full sunlight on all sides of their crown. Co-dominant trees are mixed with other trees and receive full sunlight on much of their crowns. Intermediate trees get full sunlight only on a small part of their crown. Suppressed trees receive almost no full sunlight. Mortality represents dead trees. A “wolf tree” has an unusually large crown.

The type of tree you

choose for treatment

depends on your

goals. For purely

timber production,

wolf trees use up

too much space.

But as they die and

decompose, wolf

trees can make

excellent snags for

wildlife.

Forestland S teward

6 fall 2006

Silviculturalsystemsarefirstandforemostthemeansbywhichforestsareregenerated.Rapidregenerationpreventserosionandspeedsupthetimefromstandestablishmenttoharvest. TheCaliforniaForestPracticeActrequiresthatlandownersregeneratetheirforestfollowingtimberharvestorleaveitinastockedconditionwithreservedtrees.TheForestPracticeRulesrequirethatastandhaveaminimumnumberoftreeswithinfiveyearsfollowingharvest,andcomplianceismonitoredbyaCaliforniaDepartmentofForestryandFireProtection(CDF)inspector.Theexactrulesvarybyregionandsite.Planningbeforeharvestwillgoalongwaytowardsreducingcostsandsecuringadequateregenerationquickly. Aforeststandcanberegeneratedintwoways:naturallyorartificially.

Natural regenerationgenerallycomesfromseedproducedbytreesleftintheharvestunitorborderingit.Sometrees,e.g.someoaksandredwoods,canberegeneratedbysproutingfromstumpsorroots.Manybrushspeciesandtreessuchastanoakandmadronearealsovigoroussprouters. Naturalregenerationistheleastexpensiveoptionforalandownerandshouldbeencour—agedwheneverpossible.Naturalregenerationrequiresseedproduction,successfulgermina—tion,andseedlinggrowth.Seedproductioninanygivenyeardependsonweatherandotherfactors.Ifyourharvestoccursinapoorseedyear,youmayneedtosupplementwithartificialregeneration.

Artificial regenerationinvolvessowingseedorplantingseedlingstoregeneratethestand.It

isusedtochangespeciescomposition,toestablishastandofgeneticallysuperiortrees,whennaturalregenerationfailsorisinadequatetoestablishastand,ortogiveyoungtreesabetterchanceofcompetingagainstbrush,grass,animals,drought,orthemyriadotherlivingthingsinthesoil.Artificialregenerationalsoreducestheriskofapoorseedyearorpoorgerminationconditionsbyusinghardy1-to2-year-oldseedlings. InCalifornia,seedisrarelysown.Experiencehasshownthatmostseedislikelytobeeatenbyanimalsordamagedbydisease.Themostsuccessfulartificial

regenerationmethodisplantingseedlings,whichallowsforbettercontrolofspacing,species,andgeneticcomposition. Thekeytoplantingsuccessisproperplanning.Thisshouldbeginaboutayearinadvanceoftheactualplanting.Seedlingstobeplantedinthewinterneedtobeorderedfromthenurseryinthefall.

GettingReady—SitePreparation Sitepreparationisvital.Neglectingthisstepcanleadtoseedlinglossesrangingfrom40tonearly100percent;yourentireplantinginvestmentmaybelost.Withgoodsitepreparationandproperplantingtechniquesalandownercanexpectlessthan20percentseedlingmortality. Aseedlingfacesagreatnumberofdifficultiesonitswaytobecomingatree.Thereistheconstantthreatthatrodentsorrabbitsmaygnawit,deerorlivestockbrowseortrampleit,orfrostactionheaveitfromthesoil.Seedlingsaresusceptibletobeingburned,drowned,shaded,orstarved.Whetherartificiallyplantedornaturallygerminated,seedlingsneedallthehelpyoucangive. Thegreatestchallengeofallismakingsureseedlingsgettheirfullshareofsoilmoistureandnutrients.ThisisespeciallycriticalinCaliforniawithitsMediterraneanclimatecharacterizedbylong,rain-freesummers.Soilmoistureisseverelylimitinghere.Allthemoisturethatseedlingswillhaveforsurvivalandgrowthisinthesoil. Sitepreparationcanlimitthedangersaseedlingwillfaceinitsfirst,mostcritical,yearsofsurvival.Considereverylikelythreattothenewstandandtrytominimizeit.Postthearea,fenceoutlivestock,andremovebrushpilesthatharborrabbitsandrodents.Youcanreducecompetitionbyremovingasmuchbrushandgrassaspossible.Managementofcompetingvegetationdoesnotnecessarilyendafterplanting.Whenbrushisespeciallyvigorous,youmayhavetorepeatsometreatmentseitherbyhand,herbicides,orwithmachinestoensureseedlingsurvival. Ifyouareusingnaturalregeneration,youwillneedtoprepareaseedbedthatfavorsgermination.Allsitepreparationtechniquesshouldbeplannedandcarriedouttominimizelossofvaluabletopsoil.

Stepstogrowinganewforest

Planning planning planningThe key to planting

success is proper

planning. This should

begin about a year in

advance of the actual

planting.

Dr. Robert Thomas and Margaret Orr © California Academy of Sciences

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Mechanical Preparation isaccomplishedwithvariousdevicesattachedtoabulldozerortractor.Beawarethatsoilcompactioncanbeanissuewhenusingheavyequipment.However,wheresoilcompactionexists,deeprippingcanactuallyimprovesoilproductivitydependingonsoiltype. Brushyareasmayrequirecrushing,chopping,orbrushraking.Loggingresidue(slash)mustbeclearedfromthesitetofacilitateplantingandweedcontrol,andtominimizefuelloadsandfirerisk.Brushrakes,aspecializedblade,canuprootandpushbrushandloggingdebrisintopiles,orwindrows,wheretheyrotorareburned.Acarefuloperatorwillscrapeupverylittlesoil,whichisimportantforsoilproductivity. Unburnedwindrowsmayserveashabitatforsmallanimals.Dependingonlandownerobjectives,thiscanbeanassetoraliability.Landownerswhowishtoencouragewildlifesuchasquailorrabbitsmightwanttoleavethewindrows.Thisislikelytoresultinsomeseedlingloss,mainlyfromsmallrodents.

Controlled Fire.Usedwithcare,controlledfirecanbeaneffectivewaytoreduceslashorlargebrushpilesandprovidebetterplantingconditions.Controlledburningalsoreducesfirehazardbyconsumingfuel.Burningalonemaynotachievecompletesitepreparation,inpartbecausefirecanencouragetheregenerationofsomecompetingshrubspecies.Post-plantingtreatmentofbrushmaythereforebenecessaryonsomesites. Inaddition,cool,lowintensityfiresarebestsinceintensefiremayhaveundesirableeffectsonphysicalandchemicalsoilproperties.Iffiresburntoohot,soilnutrientsmaybelostandthesoilbecomelesspermeabletowater,causingerosionaswaterrunsoffthesurfaceratherthanbeingabsorbedintothesoil.This,combinedwithalackofplantstoholdthesoil,increasesthechanceforseriouserosionandlessensthechanceforaplantation’ssurvival. Aprofessionalforesterandlocalfireofficialsmustbeconsultedbeforeattemptingcontrolledburning.Controlledburnsrequireafirepermitandaplantocontrolthefireshoulditescape.YoumayberequiredtosubmitawrittenSmokeManagementPlanorAirPollutionControlPlan.Insomeareas,theAirResourcesBoardmaycollectaper-acrefeeforburning.Ifthefireescapes,thelandownermaybeheldlegally

liableforallsuppressioncostsanddamagesrelatedtothefire. Whiletherearesomedisadvantagestousingfireasasitepreparationtool,itcanbehighlyefficientandcosteffectivewhenusedcarefully.Fireisthetoolofchoiceforsitepreparationinmanycommercialoperationswheresteepslopesprecludeuseofmechanicalsitepreparationandheavyslashrequirestreatment.

Chemical Site Preparation.Herbicidesareoftenusedtoreducecompetitionfromweeds,especiallyinfollow-uptreatments.Herbicidescanbesprayedoverlargeareasquicklyfromtheairormoreslowlybutunderclosercontrolfromtheground.Someherbicidesareinjecteddirectlyintothestemsofunwantedplants. Itiscriticallyimportanttousethecorrectherbicide,attheproperrate,andattherighttime.ByFederallaweveryherbicidemustberegisteredwiththeEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.InCalifornia,pesticidesmustalsoberegisteredbytheCaliforniaDepartmentofPesticideRegulation.Theregulationsrequirethatallherbicidesbelabeledwithproperuseandwarninginformationthatexplainshowtosafelyandeffectivelyapplytheproduct.Youarerequiredbylawtoreadandfollowtheinstruc-tionsonthelabel.YourCountyAgriculturalCommissionercanprovideinformationontheregistrationofdifferentchemicalsusedintheforestandanylegalconsiderationsthatmayapply.Lawsvarybycounty.Somecountiesdonotallowaerialapplication.

Selectingtheseedlingstock Seedlingsurvivaldependsonhowwelltheseedlingisadaptedtothecharacteristics(elevation,aspect,moisture,soilconditions,etc.)ofthesiteitisplantedon.Ifpossible,contractwithanurserytogrowseedlingsfromseedcollectedonyourland.Thetreescurrentlygrowingtherearebestadaptedtotheuniqueconditionsofyourproperty. Ifyouarenotabletousestockfromyour

A seedling faces a

great number of

difficulties on its way

to becoming a tree.

Rodents may gnaw

it, deer or livestock

browse or trample

it, or frost heave it

from the soil. It is

susceptible to being

burned, drowned,

shaded, or starved.

Whether planted or

naturally germinated,

seedlings need all the

help you can give.

© 2005 Christopher L. Christie

Forestland S teward

8 fall 2006

land,trytofindseedlingsfromthesameseedzone.TheCaliforniaDepartmentofForestryandFireProtection(CDF)hasestablishedtreeseedzonestohelpmatchseedandseedlingstolocalconditions.Checkthismapandmatchascloselyaspossibleyourseedlingswiththesametreeseedzoneandelevationasyourplanting

site. Choosefromtwotypesofseedlings—

barerootandcontainerized.Barerootseedlingsaregrownoutdoors

inanurserybedandareharvestedbycarefullylifting

theseedlingfromthenurserywhentheir

rootregenerationcapacityisatitsmaximum.Thebarerootsoftheseedlingsmustbekeptmoistandcoldandmustbe

plantedwhiledormanttoavoiddamagetotheroots.

Bare root seedlings. Nurserycatalogslistbarerootplantingstockas1-0,2-0,2-2orsomeothercombinationoftwonumerals.Thefirstnumeralreferstothenumberofyearsthetreespentintheseedbed.Thesecondisthenumberofyearsspentinatransplantbed.Therefore,2-2stockis4yearsoldandquitelarge.Treesthatcomedirectlyfromaseedbed(1-0,2-0,3-0)arecalledseedlings.Thosethatcomefromatransplantbedarecalledtransplants.Aruleofthumbistousetransplantsonharshsitesandseedlingsforeasiersites.Transplantscostconsiderablymorebecausetheytakemoretimeandlabortoproduce.Yourparticularsiteconditionsdeterminethestocktypeyouneed.Typically2-0or1-1areplantedtoregeneratemoststands. Plantingstockshouldbeevaluatedwhenreceivedfromthenursery.Treesmustbedormant,andthebudsfirmwithnoevidenceofnewgrowthorshootelongation.Whiteroottipsshouldbelessthan1/4inch.Ifyoustripbackthebarkofthestemandrootsystemonacoupleoftrees,theinnerbarkshouldbemoistandglisteningwhite.Moldorasourodorsuggestsimproperstorage.Iftheyareyellow,brown,orhavebrownspots,thestockisbadlydamagedandhaslittlesurvivalpotential. Propercareofyourplantingstockwill

increasetheirchancesforsurvival.Keeptherootsmoist,thetreescool(between32ºand36ºF)andoutofthesun.Plantassoonaspossibleafterreceivingyourseedlings.Ifyoumuststorethemformorethan3days,heelinyourseed-lingsbyplantingthemtemporarilyinatrenchinacool,shadedplace.Youcanstorethetreesthiswayfor7to10days.

Containerized seedlings. Containerizedseedlingshavebeengrownfromseedinaplasticcontainerfilledwithaspecialsoilmixture.Containerizedseedlingsareusuallyproducedinagreenhouseunderacarefullycontrolledenvironment.Theseseedlingscanbeplantedduringthegrowingseasonbecausetheirrootsremainencasedinthegrowingmedium. Containerizedseedlingsareusuallymoreexpensivethanbarerootstock.However,theycanbegrowninashortertime,4to8months,thusreducingtheleadtimeinvolvedintheplanningprocess.Containerizedseedlingsmaybeeasiertoplantinrockysoilswhereitisdifficulttoopenaholeforlargerbarerootseedlings.Evaluationofcontainerizedstockissimilartobarerootstockexceptthatcontainerstockdoesnotneedtobedormant.

Timingforplanting Thebesttimetoplantdependsonthetypeofplantingstock,soilcondition,climate,andyourlocationinthestate.Beforeplanting,thesoilmoistureshouldbeatfieldcapacity(themaximumwaterthesoilcanstoreagainsttheforceofgravity)toadepthofatleast12inches.Thiswillrequireabout2to4inchesofrainfallformostsoiltypes.Thesoiltemperatureat3˝depthshouldbe40ºForhigherandonawarmingtrendwithadditionalrainexpectedintheseason.Thesemoistureandtemperaturerequirementsareessentialforrootgrowth. Manylandownersreportbestsurvivalwhenseedlingsareplantedduringalightrainordrizzle.Avoidplantingduringextendedwarmanddryperiods,orwhenfrostorextremewindsarelikely.Athigherelevations,plantwhenthesnowisgoneandthechanceoffrostisminimal. IntheSierraNevada,NorthernCalifornia,andtheeasternsideoftheCoastRange,plantingconditionsareusuallyoptimalinlatewintertoearlyspring.OnthewarmerwestsideoftheCoastRangeplantingcanbeginasearlyaslatefall—oncetherainshavesaturatedthesoil—andcancontinuethroughtolatewinter.

Seed Map of California Use caution in introducing seed from outside your planting zone or within 500 foot elevation of your planting location.

Seedlings are

available from

numerous private

nurseries and the

CDF Nursery—call

530-872-6301.

Generally, these

nurseries can supply

appropriate stock

by knowing the

county, nearest

town, and elevation

of your planting site.

Large orders can be

contracted 1 or 2

growing seasons in

advance of planting.

Forestland S teward

fall 2006 �

Plantingtechniques Varioushandtoolsandmachinesareusedforplanting.Plantingbars,hoe-dads(westernplantingtool),andmattocksareusedwitheasilyworkedsoil.Thehoe-dadisgenerallythemosteffectiveinroughterrainwithrockysoils.Power-drivenaugerscandigholesincompactedorhardpansoils.Plantingmachinesarelimitedtofairlylevelsiteswithcarefulsitepreparationandarecosteffectiveonlyforlargeareas. Whichevertechniqueisused,careofseedlingsisofparamountimportance.Alwayskeeptherootsmoist,withnomorethanonehourworthofstockintheplantingbagatonetime.Eachseedlingshouldbeplantederectatthedepthitwasplantedinthenursery.Therootsmustbeproperlyplaced,pointingdownwardintheplantinghole.Kinkedrootsorrootsplantedina“J”shapewillstrangle

themselvesinafewyears.Airpocketsaroundtherootsshouldbeeliminatedbyfirmingthesoil. Everyplantingeffortshouldbefollowedbyregularregenerationsurveys.Todothis,alandownervisitsnewplantingsitesasoftenaspossibletocheckseedlingsurvival,planforanyreplacementtrees,andassesstheneedforreleasingtreesfromcompetingvegetation.Ataminimum,thesiteshouldbeinspectedatleastonceayearforthefirstthreeyears,andeveryotheryearuntilyear10.TheForestPracticeRulesrequirestockingreportsfollowingaharvestthatuseseven-agedsilvicultureuntiltheharvestedstandsachieverequiredstockinglevels.

Plantingsuccess Plantingrepresentsalargeinvestmentthatiscarriedoverthelifeofastand.Itisinyourbestinterestto:1.Planregenerationoperationscarefully.2.Prepareyourplantingsite.3.Takepropercareofyourplantingstock.4.Closelysupervisetheplantingcrew.5.Followthroughwithregenerationsurveys

thatindicatewherereplantingandbrushmaintenanceisnecessary.

Thesuccessofyourplantingeffortdependsoneachofthesesteps.Itcanonlybeassuccessfulastheweakestlinkofthesefivesteps.

—Adapted from the Forest Landowner’s Curriculum

Planting represents a

large investment. It is

your best interest to:

1. Plan regeneration operations carefully.

2. Prepare your planting site.

3. Take proper care of your planting stock.

4. Closely supervise the planting crew.

5. Follow through with regeneration surveys.

Your planting

operation can only

be as successful as

the weakest link of

these five steps.

Howmanytrees? Determinethenumberofseedlingstoplantbythesizeoftheplantingareaandthespacingyouwilluse. Spacingisafunctionoftheproductsyouexpecttoharvest(landowner’sobjectives).Timberisusuallygrownatspacingsfrom8x8feet(680treesperacre[tpa])to12x12feet(300tpa).Closerspacingisnecessaryifpoorsurvivalisexpected.Christmastreesareplantedcloser,commonly5x5feet(1240tpa)or6x6feet(1210tpa).Eucalyptusforfirewoodisplantedat6x6feet(1210tpa)to7x7feet(890tpa).

Planting technique

Forestland S teward

California Stewardship Helpline 1-800-738-TREE; [email protected]

California Dept of Forestry & Fire Protection ForestLandownerAssistancePrograms JeffreyCalvert 916-653-8286;[email protected]

Forestry Assistance Specialists

JillButler(SantaRosa)707-576-2935

GaryWhitson(Fresno-King)485-7500x107

EdCranz(Placer)530-889-0111x128

MaryHuggins(S.LakeTahoe)530-541-1989

PatrickMcDaniel(Ama/ElDorad)530-647-5288

DaleMeese(Butte)530-283-1792

AlanPeters(Calav/Tuol)209-754-2709

RickCarr(Yuba/Nevada)530-265-2661

JimRobbins(Fortuna)707-726-1258

HerbBunt(RedBluff)530-528-5108

BrookDarley(TGU)530-538-5199

California Association of RCDs 916-447-7237 [email protected]

Many agencies

are available to

provide technical

assistance, referrals,

information,

education, land

management plan

assistance, and

advice.

TechnicalAssistance

10 fall 2006

California Dept of Fish & Game MartyBerbach 916-327-8839;[email protected]

Natural Resources Conservation Service JerryReioux 530-792-5655;[email protected]

U.C. Cooperative Extension Advisors/Specialists MikeDeLasaux,Plumas-Sierracounties 530-683-6125;[email protected]

GregGiusti,Mendocino-Lakecounties 707-463-4495;[email protected]

RichardHarris 510-642-2360;[email protected]

GaryNakamura 530-224-4902;[email protected]

YanaValachovic,Humboldt-DelNortecounties 707-445-7351;[email protected]

USDA Forest Service SandraStone 707-562-8918;[email protected]

seasonal stewardship

Forestland S teward

Eachyearatthistimeitisvitallyimportantthatyouprepareforthecomingrains.Dothemaintenanceanderosionworknecessarytoprotectyourpropertyandwaterways.

Roads Beforetherainscome,inspectalltheroadsonyourpropertyandmakesuretheyarereadyforwinter.Winterizingincludesallthenecessaryactivitiesneededtoprotectwaterwaysfromexcesssediment.•Makesureroadsurfacesdraincorrectly,and

thatditchesandculvertsareopenandfreeflowing.

•Constructwaterbarswherenecessaryonunsurfacedroads.

•Cleantrashbarriers,culvertinletbasins,andpipeinletsofdebrisandsediment.

•Clearpluggedditchesandtrimheavyconcentrationsofvegetationthatimpedesditchflow.

•Excavateallpotentiallyunstablefillsandsidecastthatcouldbedeliveredtoawatercourse.

•Closeseasonalandtemporaryroads.•GettheHandbook for Forest and Ranch Roads by

WilliamWeaver,DannyHagans,andPacificWatershedAssociatesformoreinfo(see sidebar).

Winteriscoming…getreadyHazards•Developahazardplanbeforeamajorstorm

strikes•Identifyhazardoustrees,unstablesoilsorrock

faces,orflashystreamcrossings.•Whenthesoilissaturatedwithwater

landslidescanoccur,especiallydrainageheadwallzonesabovesteepgradientsandlargestreaminnergorgeareas.

•Consideralternatetransportationroutesincaseofroadfailuresorflooding.

The Handbook

for Forest and

Ranch Roads and

the Forest and

Ranch Roads DVD

or video are all

available for sale

from the Mendocino

County Resource

Conservation District

at http://mcrcd.

org/pubs.html or

707-468-9223.

These are invaluable

resources for all

forest landowners.

Forestland S teward

For more information

on these events call

the number provided

or the Forest

Stewardship Helpline,

1-800-738-TREE.

To submit an event,

contact Sherry

Cooper, 530-224-

4902; slcooper@

nature.

berkeley.edu. Find a

more comprehensive

calendar at the Forest

Stewardship website

http://ceres.ca.gov/

foreststeward.

fall 2006 11

Calendar

January9–11,2007California Board of Forestry MeetingLocation: SacramentoContact: 916653-8007Notes: Foranagenda,gotohttp://www.bof.fire.ca.gov/board/board_current_docs.aspx

January31–February2,2007California Forestry Assoc. Annual Meeting"The Role of Managed Forests in Meeting California's Clean Air and Renewable Energy Needs"Location: Monterey,CASponsor:CaliforniaForestryAssociationContact:EleanorAnderson,(916)444-6592,[email protected]:TBANotes:RegistrationdeadlineTBA

February7–8,2007California Board of Forestry MeetingLocation: SacramentoContact: 916653-8007Notes: http://www.bof.fire.ca.gov/board/board_current_docs.aspx

February8,2007Oak Woodland Planner’s WorkshopLocation:SanLuisObispo,CASponsor:UCIntegratedHardwoodRangeManagementContact:SherryCooper,530-224-4902;[email protected]:$20duebyFeb2.Notes:http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp/

February13–14,2007Forests, Carbon and Climate Change ConferenceSponsor: OregonForestResourcesInstituteLocation: Corvallis,ORContact:OFRI971-673-2944Notes: http://www.oregonforests.org

March5–9,2007Sudden Oak Death Science SymposiumHyattVineyardCreek,SantaRosa,CaliforniaCost:$250Notes:http://nature.berkeley.edu/comtf/sodsymposium/index.html

March7–8,2007California Board of Forestry MeetingLocation:SacramentoContact: 916653-8007Notes: http://www.bof.fire.ca.gov/board/board_current_docs.aspx

March26–29,20072007 California Interagency Prevention/Mitigation/Education ConferenceLocation:RanchoCordova,CAContact: JeffTunnellat(707)275-1443([email protected]);MartyO’Tooleat(805)370-2364(marty_o’[email protected])Notes:http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/fire/management/prev_conf/.YoumustregisternolaterthanMarch1.Limitedtothefirst200registeredpersons.

March26–30,2007Fire Behavior and Fuels Conference: Fire Behavior Fundamentals and ApplicationsLocation:SanDiego,CASponsor: InternationalAssoc.ofWildlandFireContact:650-890-2348,[email protected]:TBANotes: http://www.iawfonline.org/conferences.shtml

Forestland S teward

January8,10am–1pmSonoma-Lake-NapaCDFUnitOffice,1199BigTreeRoad,St.Helena

January9,10am–1pmSierraNationalForestSupervisor'sOffice,1600TollhouseRoad,Clovis,CA

January12,10am–1pmSanJuanOaksGolfClub,3825UnionRoad,Hollister,CA

January13,10am–1pmSilveradoCommunityCenter,27641SilveradoCanyonRoad,Silverado,CA

January15,10am–1pmVenturaCountyFireTrainingCenter,102DurleyAve.,Camarillo,CA

GrantWritingWorkshopsTheFireSafeCaliforniaGrantsClearinghouseoffersaone-stopshopthatsimplifiestheprocessoffindingandapplyingforgrantstoimproveCalifornia'scommunitywildfirepreparedness.Theyarecurrentlysponsoringworkshopsongrantwriting.Formoreinformationgotohttp://www.grants.firesafecouncil.org/.

Interestedinaforeststewardshipworkshopinyourarea?

ForestStewardshipworkshopswillbeofferedthroughoutthestatebyUCExtensionForestrythisyear.Timesandlocationsarenotyetavailable.PleasecontactSherryCooperifyouareinterestedinattendingoneoftheseexcellentworkshops,530-224-4902.

How can Forestland Steward newsletter serve you?I’d like to see more information on _____________________________

________________________________________________________

My suggestions are ________________________________________

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q Add me to the mailing list / q Change my address:

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q To save on printing costs and paper, we encourage you to get the internet version of Forestland Steward. Check here for an email copy of each issue instead of a hard copy.

Send to CDF, Forestry Assistance, P.O. Box 944246, Sacramento, CA 94244-2460. Phone: (916) 653-8286; Fax: (916) 653-8957; email: [email protected]

12 fall 2006

Restorationisanimportantgoalformanylandowners.Butrestorationisaveryopen-endedconceptthatmeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Bespecificindefiningyourforestrestorationgoals.Yourgoalmaybe:•ahealthierforest•aforestwithaspecifictypeofwildlifehabitat•apre-Europeanforestcondition•anativeforestwithoutexoticspecies Thebetteryoucandefineyourvisionofrestoration,thebetteryouwillbeabletomeetyourgoals.Herearesometypesofrestoration

projects:

Forestry restoration.Ifyouhavelandsthathavebeenheavilycut,yourfocusmightbeestablishingahealthy,matureforest.Youmightdothisthroughaseriesofselectioncutsorthinningsthatallowtheforesttoincreaseinvolume.

Riparian restoration. Thiscouldincludeanumberofoverlappingprojects.Somemight

focusonkeepingstreamtemperaturedownbyplantingtreestoprovideshadecanopy.Thosetreescanalsohelpimprovebankstability.Insomecases,youmightputlargewoodydebrisorlargerocksinstrategiclocationstoprotectbanksfromerosionortohelpcreatepoolsforfish.Bioengineeringprojectsuselivingmaterial,suchaswillows,tostabilizestreambanksandfiltersediment.

Erosion control.Projectstoreduceerosionoftenfocusongettingwaterintoitsoriginaldrainage.Waterisoftendivertedbyroadsorskidtrails.Erosioncanalsooccuronareasdenudedofvegetation.

Oak-woodlands restoration.Thiswouldincludeprojectssuchaspreventingconiferencroachmentandplantingoaks.

Control of exotics.Thistypeofactivityaimstoreduceoreliminateaspeciesthatisnotnativesuchasstarthistle,broom,etc.Youmightaimtoeliminatetheexoticsonyourentirepropertyoraportionofit.

Habitat manipulation for a particular species,type,orgroupofspecies.Youmightwishtoencouragecertainspecies(suchasdeerandelk)oraspecifictypeofspecies(waterfowl)toutilizeyourland.Oryoumightwishtodiscouragecertainspeciesforecologi-calorpersonalreasons.Thiscanbedonebymanipulatingthekindsoftreesandshrubsintheforest,theavailabilityofsnags,downedwoodydebris,year-roundwater,orothercriticalhabitatelements.

Recovery after wildfire.Thiscouldincludearangeofprojectslikeplantingtrees,spreadinggrassseed,erosioncontrol,etc.

Ifrestorationisyourgoal

(below) Revegetating with seedlings. (below right) Bioengineering project using living willows to stabilize the streambank.