Forest Management

1. Forest Management

2. Forest Management http://nrs.fs.fed.us/fmg/nfmg/docs/fm101_silv.pdf

3. Forest Management Some basic concepts: -The principle objective of forest management across the vast majority of acres in North America (and around the world) is to harvest wood for human use. -Thus, our discussion will start with some basic “forestry” concepts. In Kentucky -$2.2 billion annually wood & furniture -37,500 jobs, payroll of $820 million KY Forest Fact Sheet (Co-op extention pub: FOR 53)

4. Forest Management • Some basic concepts: • -Forest harvesting is actually a complex process, as you can imagine, accessing the trees can be quite difficult. • Forestry operations generally involve designing and laying in skid trails upon which will drive skidders(vehicles that drag logs- often a modified bull dozer or tractor). And establishing log landings, which are flat areas that the skidders pull the logs to. At the landing the logs are loaded onto trucks for hauling to a sawyer. • This will result is substantial forest disturbance.

5. Forest Management • Some basic concepts: • An important management question is where to put the roads, and how to “retire” them. In many places (including KY, not sure about OH) there are laws that require certain practices. These are called “Best Management Practices” Or “BMPs.” • Generally speaking, BMPs are focused on keeping sediments in place, and protecting stream water. One rule is don’t drive up and down the stream bed, cross at 90O. Then there are rules about the kinds of temporary crossings you can install. • There are also protected areas called “Streamside Management Zones” or SMZs. These limit the amount of cutting you can do right next to the stream. • FYI, there are BMPs and SMZs for agriculture as well (in Ohio)

6. Forest Management • Some basic concepts: • Any forestry practice has to have roads, and deal with streams. Now…how many trees to cut and when to cut them? • So forestry is based, first and foremost, on the idea of making money. • How much money? • A) how much board foot volume is standing in your forest? • Basic forest sampling, except measure “logs” in each tree • B) what is the species composition of that board foot volume? • C) what is the value of those species, as lumber?

7. Forest Management • Some basic concepts: • You cannot make any money cutting down small trees, you need to wait until the trees are large. That takes time. In fact, as a general rule, the forest needs to be at least 50 years old to get good value for the investment it takes to harvest the trees. • Thus, a conundrum! You (Ms. Landowner) only have one chance to cut your trees in your life time. When? • Couple of ideas: • Rotation age = how long between cutting the forest . • Maximum sustained yield = rotation length that will maximize the board foot volume coming off of a particular tract without losing value over the long term. • Alternative rate of return= amount of “interest” you can earn on a particular amount of money. Generally set at 4-5%. Thus, the economically rational question- are the trees on your property gaining value at a faster rate than the alternative rate of return.

8. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Clearcut • Patch clearcut • Seed tree • Shelterwood cut • Group selection • Individual tree selection

9. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Clearcut • Patch clearcut • Seed tree • Shelterwood cut • Group selection • Individual tree selection Disturbance Intensity

10. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Clearcut

11. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Seed tree http://appalachianforestconsultants.com/index.html

12. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Patch Clearcut

13. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Shelterwood Note: shelterwoods can be prescribed at different intensities. 25%, 50% etc.

14. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Group selection

15. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Single tree harvesting http://www.ruralheritage.com/apps/directories/directory_list.cgi?directory=1&sortby=contact

16. Forest Management • Forest harvesting concepts: • Clearcut • Patch clearcut • Seed tree • Shelterwood cut • Group selection • Individual tree selection # of entries into the forest Disturbance Intensity

17. Forest Management Many timber harvesting operations/operators are just trying to pay the damned bills on the skidding equipment, and therefore, want to cut as much wood as they possibly can, as quick as possible, with as little hassle as possible. -most operations are small (dozen or less employees) -most operations are on private land In practice- best case, the land owner gets a “Consulting Forester” involved who writes a harvesting prescription for the land (charging a nice fee of course, usually associated with the amount of money coming from the harvest). The land owner might also involve a state forester (Division of Foresty). At least these plans will follow minimal BMPs etc. In practice- what often happens is that a dude walks up on the porch and offers the land owner $50k to “cut yourn trees” and the land owner- needing to pay for sissy’s braces, and a new transmission for the F-150, etc, says “SURE!!!” and later bitterly cusses into the wind at the mudslide in the backyard. This is common.

18. Forest Management Worst case scenario, and probably most common, is “high grade harvesting” Logger, wanting max value for min effort, cuts all the best trees, and leaves broken, twisty, trees in the forest. This is a form of “directional selection” (from an ecological/evolutionary perspective) and will lead to a permanently degraded forest…those “crappy” trees will regenerate their bad form, etc.

19. Silvicultural Systems: Rational Approaches to Forest Harvesting - Patch clear cuts spread out through a landscape, timed to create a mosaic. http://www.sudburyforest.com/index.html

20. Silvicultural Systems: Rational Approaches to Forest Harvesting -Shelterwood-like system, remove the leave trees at some point. http://www.sudburyforest.com/index.html

21. Silvicultural Systems: Rational Approaches to Forest Harvesting -selection cutting, diversify age structure http://www.sudburyforest.com/index.html

22. Silvicultural Systems: Sustainable management http://darwin.bio.uci.edu/~sustain/issueguides/TimberCert/certprog.html Certification programs State. Consultants Resources Value added systems - Single trees selection using horses for skidding, then wood miser to hardwood floors, then install the floors. http://www.sudburyforest.com/index.html

23. If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen. Henry David Thoreau

24. A new era…Carbon credits and forest management? General concept: Carbon emissions are recognized (by sane people) as a driver of global carbon. Companies involved in global trade, particularly among Kyoto signatory nations, may be required to buy “carbon offsets” in exchange for burning fossil fuels and releasing CO2. These companies, or governmental organizations, to “offset” the release of CO2, then need to “purchase” equivalent carbon sequestration. One method for this is to pay landowners to keep their forest intact and absorbing carbon. Barclays Capital predicts that "Carbon will be the world's biggest commodity market, and it could become the world's biggest market overall (wikipedia) Individual forest owners can get a check for agreeing to do nothing with their forest! Generally, it is a very small amount of money compared to forest cutting…nevertheless, this may eventually provide a significant income source – altering the paradigms underlying forest management. . Coordinating organizations http://www.maced.org/foi/carbon.htm http://forestrycarbon.com/ Carbon exchange https://www.theice.com/ccx.jhtml

26. Forest management has the power to significantly influence the global carbon cycle. For eastern North America, where mostly private operations and private lands, this is quite hard to manage. But in other systems (other countries & western US), we can- potentially take a rational approach to forest management that includes carbon storage.

27. Forest Management