Is Certification under the Forest Stewardship Council Feasible and Desirable at Pack Forest?

1. Is Certification under the Forest Stewardship Council Feasible and Desirable at Pack Forest? Greg Ettl and Duane Emmons

2. Meeting Goals • Review SFI Certification • Examine feasibility of FSC • Recommend a course of action* • Compare this year’s harvest options • Recommend on harvest* *Action Items

3. Post-Eatonville Fire 1926

4. 2000- 5 TPA, plant 300 DF Silviculture Pathway60-81 year-old DF 2005-weeding 2015-Thin 200 TPA 2035-Thin 100 TPA

5. 2001 Management Plan Mean=$3.15 Million/5 years, but 10-20% overestimate by LMS Mean=9.1 MMBF http://www.packforest.org/plan/Expected_files/PackExpectedOutcomes_files/SummaryCharts2.htm

6. Oliver’s Classification 2000

7. Oliver’s Classification Comparison under Existing Plan 20252000

8. Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Certification • November 2004 Pack Forest Certified—Dean Bare’s lead • Washington State Forest Practices and extensive forest inventory data and management plan  compliance • Changes? We now mandate certified loggers, Road Maintenance and Abandonment Plan (RAMP) • No change in annual income target • Pack Forest as SFI Leaders--State Implementation Committee • Initial cost $37,000 • Third Party Certification with Annual audit $5500

9. FSC Certification? • Dean Bare requested a feasibility study • Can we maintain $500,000/yr revenue under FSC? • 5%, 10% more or less harvest? • FSC Forest Practice Restrictions • Older stands (those at culmination of MAI) require 10% BA reserve • Stands not at MAI require 30% BA reserve • Largest allowed cut is 60 acres • Adjacency rules—require 7’ height of all adjacent stands • Costs: Initial $4500 (Group Certification) • Every 1/5th year $3000 • Other years $2000 annual

10. Methods • Use existing recalibrated stand data • Stands broadly classified into 10 groups • Representative from each group selected. • 88 treatment alternatives were developed for both FSC and SFI constraints • The representative stands were treated under the 88 alternatives in LMS and projected out 50 years • The LMS outputs were incorporated into the Toggle spreadsheet • Alternatives compared in GIS database so we did not violate FSC policies or state forest practice rules.

11. Stands separated into 10 groups • Younger than 8 years • Stands 8 – 20 with low site ground (less than 101) • Stands 8 – 20 with high site ground (greater than 101) • Stands 21 - 50 low site • Stands 21 – 50 high site • Stands 51 – 85 low site • Stands 51 – 85 high site • Stands 51-85 high site mixed conifer • Stands 51 – 85 high site mixed hardwoods • Stands 86+ old reserves

12. Costs used by LMS • Planting mixed species -$135/acre • Weeding -$200/acre • PCT from below -$140/acre • CTA (100 TPA proportional) Net $300/MBF • CTB (40% RD proportional) Net $300/MBF • CC (leave 5 TPA >10”, all under 6”, all >45” DBH trees) • Net $400 MBF • CCA (FSC required >65 year-old [reached MAI]) • Leave 10% BA proportional, all >45” DBH trees • Net $400 MBF • CCB (FSC required for stands yet to reach MAI) • Leave 30% BA proportional, all >45” DBH trees • Net $400 MBF

15. Projected 45 years Retain 30% of basal area Plant 50 shade tolerant tpa

17. Projected Income Under FSC Could be Met but…Adjacency Rules

18. Stand Ages 2005

19. Less than 5 years-old or adjacent to recently cut stands are in yellow

20. Stands in green are of harvestable age but are adjacent to young stands (in red).

21. Stands >50 years-old that do not conflict with adjacency rules

22. Stands cut in the next 10 years could satisfy FSC and provide 500K, except… 91.51 acres (tan)

24. Stand Ages with 5% under FSC 2056 2006

26. Age Structures under FSC with 5% and 10% less income FSC with $475,000/yr 2056 FSC with $450,000/yr 2056

27. What if we certified ½ our land under FSC?

28. SFI/FSC Acreage Comparison

29. ½ FSC can only yield $237,500/yr

30. Age structure under split SFI and FSC 2056

31. Percentage of Land Treated in Each Pathway

32. $16,232 $18,678 $10,467 $14,001 $12,180 $35,826 $17,691 $-7638 $12,320 $-15,589 $34,145

33. Discussion • Advantages to FSC Certification • Green Building Standard • Benefits to some wildlife • Public Relations • Advantages to Split Certification • CSF-PF Research Base • Possible Funding • Allows greater flexibility

34. This year’s harvest • We need to harvest to meet budget • There is money in reserve, but… • Goal is to demonstrate Biodiversity Pathways • Variable density thinning to 30 TPA • Multiple entries (every 10-20 years) • 100 TPA75 TPA50 TPA30 TPA • Negative is higher costs, more land treated • Two stands as possibilities • Lower Murphy (29.1 acres) • Silviculture Demo East (49.5 acres)

35. Silviculture Demo East 2000

36. Lower Murphy 2004

37. Harvest Options

38. Retain 5 TPA (current forest practice rules) interplanted with 100 TPA shade tolerant Retain 5 TPA, Projected 45 years

39. Retain 100 tpa (proportionally by dbh) interplanted with 100tpa shade tolerant 100 TPA Projected 45 years Lower Murphy 100 TPA

40. Retain 75 TPA (proportionally by DBH) interplanted with 100tpa shade tolerant Retain 75 TPA Projected 45 years

41. Retain 50 TPA (proportionally by DBH) interplanted with 100 TPA shade tolerant Retain 50 TPA Projected 45 years

42. Retain 100 TPA Retain 100 TPA interplanted with 100 TPA shade tolerant

43. Retain 75 TPA interplanted with 100 TPA shade tolerant Retain 75 TPA Projected 45 years

44. Retain 50 TPA interplanted with 100 TPA shade tolerant 50 TPA Projected 45 years

45. Retain 30 TPA interplanted with 50 TPA shade tolerant 30 TPA, Projected 45 years