Herron Fuels Reduction Project

Proposed Action Unit Treatment Descriptions

 

Unit No.

Current Conditions

Current Problem

Proposed Treatment and Rationale

Desired Conditions after Treatment

Comments / Caveats

1

 

 

(whipfall, underburn)

á Natural, open, grassy meadow with widely-spaced ponderosa pine(PP). 

á Dry site. Thin soil.  Will never make a good tree-growing area.

á Southerly exposure.

á Lack of disturbance has allowed Douglas-Fir(DF) seedlings and saplings to encroach into the north and east edges of the meadow.

á Timber litter and brush accumulating under trees.

á Brush and tree litter is accumulating under some trees, potentially increasing ladder fuels and flame lengths during fire.

á Fir regeneration reduces chance of pine regeneration.  Pine is more suited for dry sites than fir, and is more fire resistant.

á Whipfall trees <6Ó  encroaching into north and east sides of meadow to reduce ladder fuels under leave trees and reduce meadow encroachment.

á Rake needle litter 30" away from leave trees >10 Ò DBH to reduce chance of root damage and cat-facing.

á Underburn to remove surface fuels, kill brush, and heat-prune lowest limbs.

á Ponderosa  pine grassland  free of fir seedlings and saplings.  Some Ponderosa seedlings occur  to replace  dying  overstory.

á Reduced surface fuels around leave trees.

á Open, park-like stand structure.

á Resultant stands will be resistant to wildfire.  Wildfire will stay on the ground and have little effect on tree crowns.

 

2, 4, 7

 

 

(harvest, underburn)

á Stand is predominated by older overstory pine.

á Fir regeneration is filling in stand.

á Timber litter and brush accumulating under trees.

á Past overstory removal in unit 2,4.  none in 7.

á Lots of mistletoe in unit 7.

á Ingrowth of young Fir seedlings and saplings is hampering regeneration of pine. Stand is slowly converting to a less fire-resilient stand that is not sustainable.  Is susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks as well as high mortality from wildfire.

á Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  High potential of stand-replacing fire.

á Lots of mistletoe in unit 7.

á Use conventional, ground-based  harvesting to thin stand, leaving the largest and best trees with average spacing 20'-26', favoring fire-resistant pine and larch. 

á Whipfall fir <6Ó to reduce ladder fuels and future overstocking.

á Rake needle litter 30" away from leave trees within 200' of roads and forest boundary to reduce chance of large trees burning and falling onto roads or across fences.

á Pullback slash 6' from around leave trees to reduce chance of excess heat and scorch height around leave trees.

á Underburn to remove surface fuels, kill brush, and heat-prune lowest limbs.

á Development of receptive seed bed for better pine regeneration.

á Reduced surface fuels around leave trees for less chance of intense wildfire with long flame lengths.

á Few ladder fuels under or around leave trees to lessen chance of torching or crown fire.

á Open, park-like stand structure with clear spacing between crowns  that will resist fire mortality and crown fire.

á Treatment of unit 7 will depend upon successful negotiation of access through old logging road on adjacent private property.

5

 

 

(harvest, grapple pile)

á Stand is predominated by larger fir and larch.  Thick.

á Has a few large pine on south aspects.

á Lots of mistletoe and bug-killed fir and larch.

á Fir regeneration is filling in stand.

á Very thick ninebark

á Never been logged.

 

á Ingrowth of young Fir seedlings and saplings is hampering regeneration of pine. Stand is slowly converting to a less fire-resilient stand that is not sustainable.  Is susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks as well as high mortality from wildfire.

á Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  High potential of stand-replacing fire.

 

á Use conventional, ground-based  harvesting to thin stand, leaving the largest and best trees with average spacing 20'-26', favoring fire-resistant pine and larch. 

á Whipfall fir <6Ó to insure ladder fuels will be reduced, and to reduce future overstocking.

á Pile slash as it is created with machine "grapple" methods.  This will allow disposal in confined area between riparian and forest boundary.

á Burn piles in fall when danger of wildfire is minimal.

á Development of receptive seed bed for better pine and larch regeneration.

á Reduced surface fuels around leave trees for less chance of intense wildfire with long flamelengths.

á Few ladder fuels under or around leave trees to lessen chance of torching or crown fire.

á  

á Treatment will depend upon successful negotiation of access through old logging road on adjacent private property.

9, 12, 13, 14, 16, 32

 

 

(harvest, grapple pile)

á These stands were heavily logged in the early 1960s.

á Stands were planted and thinned, mainly with fir.  Even though trees were thinned 10-20 years ago, additional seedlings and saplings are filling in the stand.

á Predominant species is fir with a little larch.

á Young fir seedling and sapling regeneration is coming in thick, providing ladder fuels and dense future canopy.

Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  High potential of stand-replacing fire.

á Use ground-based harvesting equipment to thin trees, seedling and larger, leaving the largest and best trees >7" dbh with average spacing 18' - 24'. 

á As harvester proceeds, accumulate limbs and tops into small piles suitable for jackpot burning.

á Burn slash piles either by pile burning or jackpot burning.

 

á Stand of reproduction will be thinned to a spacing adequate for growth without dense intermingling of canopy. 

á Natural reproduction will be removed to lessen ladder fuels and crowding.

á Surface fuels created by the thinning will be eliminated.

á The small amount of commercial wood may not offset the costs of thinning and piling.

10, 11, 23, 31, 37

 

 

(precommecial thin, handpile)

á This unit as been previously treated in a seedtree harvest followed by a PCT.  Overstory PP and DF are in good condition. 

á Understory has grown in densely with a clumpy distribution averaging 350 tpa (this is too dense for a dry DF site).

á Stands were planted and thinned. Additional seedlings and saplings are filling in the stand.

á Predominant species is fir with a little larch.

á Young fir seedling and sapling regeneration is coming in thick, providing ladder fuels and dense future canopy.

á Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  High potential of stand-replacing fire.

á Stands occur adjacent to private lands or on slopes that are too steep for machinery.

á Precommercial thin with manual labor with chainsaws.  Reduce understory stocking to approximately 170 tpa, leaving PP when possible (approx. 16 foot spacing of US).  Distribution will remain somewhat clumpy.

á Hand pile activity slash.

Burn handpiles.  Prune boles to 6 feet.

á Stand will be thinned to a spacing adequate for growth without dense intermingling of canopy. 

á Natural regeneration will be removed to lessen ladder fuels and crowding.

á Surface fuels created by the thinning will be eliminated.

Noncommercial, no probable salvage rights.

18, 30

 

 

(harvest, grapple pile)

á Unit 18 and 30 are located in a large stand that was logged down to commercial size (9Ó), then the US was precommercially thinned to 10x10.

á Stand is composed of DF with some WL, PP in OS, mainly DF in US

á Distribution is extremely clumpy.

á Dry grassland/pp site

á Past harvest  favored removal of fire tolerant WL and PP. 

á Understory is composed mainly of fire intolerant DF with some PP, WL.. 

á A greater componant of WL and PP would make the stand more survivable after wildfire.

á Use ground-based harvesting equipment to thin trees, seedling and larger, leaving the largest and best trees with average spacing 18' - 24'. 

á As harvester proceeds, accumulate limbs and tops into small piles suitable for jackpot burning.

á Burn slash piles either by pile burning or jackpot burning.

 

á Stand of reproduction will be thinned to a spacing adequate for growth without dense intermingling of canopy. 

á Interstitial reproduction will be removed to lessen ladder fuels and crowding.

á Surface fuels created by the thinning will be eliminated.

á Improve species mix to a higher proportion of fire tolerant WL and PP.

Most of area is noncommercial may be salvage right opp.

3, 6, 19, 20, 33, 36

 

 

(whipfall, underburn)

á These stands have widely spaced, fire resistance overstory trees that are being filled in with excessive fir understory trees and brush.

á Large overstory leave trees have good fire resistance.

á Most of these stands are on steep ground or rocky areas making for poor accessibility.

á Brush and tree litter is accumulating, increasing ladder fuels and flamelengths during fire.

á Fir regeneration reduces chance of pine regeneration.  Pine is more suited for dry sites than fir, and is more fire resistant.

á Ingrowth of young Fir seedlings and saplings is hampering regeneration of pine. Stands are slowly converting to less fire-resilient stands that are not sustainable.  Is susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks as well as high mortality from wildfire.

á Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  Increasing potential of stand-replacing fire.

á  

á Whipfall fir <6Ó to insure ladder fuels will be reduced, and to reduce future overstocking.

á Underburn to remove surface fuels, kill brush and unwanted seedlings, and heat-prune lowest limbs.

á Development of receptive seed bed for better pine regeneration.

á Reduced surface fuels around leave trees for less chance of intense wildfire with long flamelengths.

á Few ladder fuels under or around leave trees to lessen chance of torching or crown fire.

á Open, park-like stand structure with clear spacing between crowns  that will resist fire mortality and crown fire.

 

38

 

 

(harvest, underburn)

á This stand was heavily logged in the early 1960s.

á Stands were planted and thinned, mainly with fir.  Even though trees were thinned 10-20 years ago, additional seedlings and saplings are filling in the stand.

á Predominant species is fir with a little larch.

á Young fir seedling and sapling regeneration is coming in thick, providing ladder fuels and dense future canopy.

Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  High potential of stand-replacing fire.

á Use conventional, ground-based  harvesting to thin stand, leaving the largest and best trees with average spacing 20'-26', favoring fire-resistant pine and larch. 

á Whipfall fir <6Ó to insure ladder fuels will be reduced, and to reduce future overstocking.

á Underburn to remove surface fuels, kill brush and unwanted seedlings, and heat-prune lowest limbs.

á Development of receptive seed bed for better pine regeneration.

á Reduced surface fuels around leave trees for less chance of intense wildfire with long flamelengths.

á Few ladder fuels under or around leave trees to lessen chance of torching or crown fire.

á Open, park-like stand structure with clear spacing between crowns  that will resist fire mortality and crown fire.

 

21, 22, 34

 

 

(harvest, underburn)

á These stands were heavily logged in the early 1960s.

á Stands were planted and thinned, mainly with fir.  Even though trees were thinned 10-20 years ago, additional seedlings and saplings are filling in the stand.

á Predominant species is fir with a little larch.

á Young fir seedling and sapling regeneration is coming in thick, providing ladder fuels and dense future canopy.

Abundance of ladder fuels (brush, saplings) causing threat of torching and crown fire.  High potential of stand-replacing fire.

á Use ground-based harvesting equipment to thin trees, seedling and larger, leaving the largest and best trees >7" dbh with average spacing 18' - 24'. 

á As harvester proceeds, accumulate limbs and tops into small piles suitable for jackpot burning.

á Burn slash piles either by pile burning or jackpot burning.

 

á Stand of reproduction will be thinned to a spacing adequate for growth without dense intermingling of canopy.  

á Interstitial reproduction will be removed to lessen ladder fuels and crowding.

á Surface fuels created by the thinning will be  eliminated.