Management of Late-Successional Forests: Ecological Principles & Silviculture Guidelines

1. What The Northwest Forest Plan says about 80+ year old trees

2. Ecological Principles for Management of Late-Successional Forests Appendix B2 FSEIS B-43 – B-50 and Chapter B. Basis for Standards & Guidelines B-1 – B-34 ROD

3. Structure and composition • Structural characteristics of late-successional and old-growth forests vary with vegetation type, disturbance regime, and developmental stage. • For example, in many Douglas-fir stands in western Oregon & Washington, the mature phase of stand development begins around 80 years and is characterized by relatively large live and dead trees (Spies and Franklin, in press), although multiple canopy layers may not yet be well developed. • App B2 & B-2 ROD

4. Four major structural attributes of old-growth Douglas-fir forests are: • Live old-growth trees • Standing dead trees (snags) • Fallen trees or logs on the forest floor • Logs in streams • Additional important elements include multiple canopy layers, smaller understory trees, canopy gaps, & patchy understory. B-2 ROD

5. Ecological Processes • Ecological processes include: tree growth & maturation, death & decay of large trees, low to moderate intensity disturbances, establishment of understory trees, & closing of canopy gaps. • These processes result in forests moving through different stages of late-successional and old-growth conditions that may span 80 to 1,200 years for forests dominated by long-lived species. • App B2 & B-2 ROD

6. The maturation stage is characterized by a slowed rate of height growth & crown expansion. Heavy limbs begin to form, gaps between crowns become larger & more stable, or expand from insect & pathogen mortality. Large dead & fallen trees begin to accumulate, & the understory may be characterized by seedlings & saplings of shade-tolerant species. • In Douglas-fir stands west of the Cascade Range, this stage typically begins between 80 & 140 years, depending on site conditions & stand history. • App B2 & B-2 ROD

7. The Role of Silviculture in LSRs • Silvicultural systems proposed for Late-Successional Reserves have two principal objectives: • (1) development of old-growth forest characteristics including snags, logs on the forest floor, large trees & canopy gaps that enable establishment of multiple tree layers • (2) prevention of large-scale disturbances by fire, wind, insects & diseases that would destroy or limit the ability of the reserves to sustain viable forest populations B-5 ROD

8. The Role of Silviculture in Matrix • Matrix objectives for silviculture should include: • Production of commercial yields of wood, including those species such as Pacific yew & western red cedar that require extended rotations • Retention of moderate levels of ecologically valuable old-growth components such as snags, logs, & relatively large trees • Increasing ecological diversity by providing early-successional habitat. B-5 ROD

9. LSR Silviculture Standards & Guidelines - West of the Cascades • There is no harvest allowed in stands over 80 years old (110 years in the Northern Cascades Adaptive Management Area). • Thinning may occur in stands up to 80 years old regardless of the origin of the stands. • Purpose: to benefit the creation & maintenance of late-successional forest conditions. • Examples of silviculture treatments that may be considered beneficial include thinning in existing even aged stands & prescribed burning. ROD C-12

10. Risk Reduction in LSRs East of the Cascades & in the Oregon & California Klamath Provinces: • Given the increased risk of fire in these areas due to lower moisture conditions & the rapid accumulation of fuels in the aftermath of insect outbreaks & drought, additional management activities are allowed in LSRs. • Such activities in older stands may also be undertaken in Late-Successional Reserves in other provinces if levels of risk are particularly high. • Note: the limit on activities in stands older than 80 years of age only apply to silvicultural treatments. • ROD C-12 & C-13 • ROD C-12 & C-13

11. While risk reduction efforts should generally be focused on young stands, activities in older stands may be appropriate if: • The proposed management activities will clearly result in greater assurance of long-term maintenance habitat, • The activities are clearly needed to reduce risks, and • The activities will not prevent the Late-Successional Reserves from playing an effective role in the objectives for which they were established. ROD C-13

12. Salvage in LSRs • The NWFP allows for salvage of dead trees following a large, stand-replacing event within a LSR. • Salvage guidelines are intended to prevent negative effects on late-successional habitat, while permitting some commercial wood volume removal. • Salvage sales need to be either beneficial to late-successional habitat objectives or neutral to the future attainment of late successional habitat objectives. • Note: the 9th Circuit Court Opinion on the Timbered Rock Sale ruled that salvage has to be beneficial. ROD C-13 – C-15

13. Regional Ecosystem Office consistency reviews • If a project is being proposed that is not covered by an existing, approved Late Successional Reserve Assessment or the silvicultural exemption criteria; the project needs to be brought to the REO LSR Workgroup for review to provide concurrence that projects are consistent with the NWFP. • If a project is not consistent, site specific rationale may be brought to the Regional Interagency Executive Committee to consider a Forest Plan Amendment. • Refer to “REO Late-Successional Reserve Project Level Consistency Reviews, August 5, 2009” for more information.

14. Matrix Stand Management • Stands in the matrix can be managed for timber & other commodity production, and to perform an important role in maintaining biodiversity. • Silvicultural treatments of forest stands in the matrix can provide for retention of old-growth ecosystem components such as large green trees, snags and down logs, and depending on site and forest type, can provide for a diversity of species. • ROD B-6

15. Matrix Standards & Guidelines Coarse woody debris • Obj.: provide coarse woody debris well distributed across the landscape in a manner which meets the needs of species & provides for ecological functions. • Scattered green trees will provide a future supply of down woody material as the stand regenerates. • Specific measures include providing a renewable supply of large down logs, retention & protection of CWD during treatments, leaving specific levels & sizes of logs, & leaving logs in patches retained under green-tree retention. ROD C-40 – C-41

16. Green Tree Retention - Matrix • Retention of green trees following timber harvest in the matrix provides a legacy that bridges past & future forests. • Retaining green trees serves several important functions including snag recruitment, promoting multistoried canopies, and providing shade & suitable habitat for many organisms in the matrix. • Retaining green trees of various sizes, ages, and species, in well-distributed patches as well as dispersed individuals, will promote species diversity. • Diversity of tree structure should be considered when selecting trees for retention. ROD B-6

17. In Matrix, retain at least 15 percent of the area associated with each regeneration harvest unit. • As a general guide, 70 percent of the total area to be retained should be aggregates of moderate to larger size (0.2 to 1 hectare or more) with the remainder as dispersed structures (individual trees, and possibly including smaller clumps). • To the extent possible, patches & dispersed retention should include the largest, oldest live trees, decadent or leaning trees, & hard snags. • Patches should be retained indefinitely to provide support for those organisms that require very old forests. • ROD C-41 – C-42

18. The green tree retention limitation does not apply to intermediate harvests (thinnings) in even-age young stands. • In addition: • Landscape areas where little late-successional forest persists should be managed to retain late-successional patches. This standard & guideline will be applied in fifth field watersheds in which federal forest lands are currently comprised of 15% or less of late-successional forest. Within such an area, all remaining late-successional stands should be protected. ROD C-44

19. Survey & Manage species •  Survey and Manage 2001 ROD: • These standards and guidelines apply within all land allocations; however, the Survey and Manage provision for each species will be directed to the range (or portion of range) of that species, to the particular habitats where concerns exist for its persistence, and to the management activities considered “habitat-disturbing” for that species. 2001 ROD S&G’s p.6 • ) 

20. Currently, the FS is implementing the 2001 ROD using the December 2003 species list with the exception of the Red Tree Vole which remains a Category C (pre-disturbance surveys practical), and/or the four categories of projects exempt from the Survey and Manage standards and guidelines as stipulated by Judge Pechman (October 11, 2006, “Pechman exemptions”.)

21. Bottom line: the 80 year old threshold is only mentioned in the context of the LSR. • And in the matrix, standards & guidelines assure appropriate conservation of ecosystems as well as provide habitat for rare and lesser-known species. ROD pg. 10