Weyerhaeuser Company: Soil Monitoring Methods for Western Timberlands

1. Weyerhaeuser Company:Soil Monitoring Methods for Western Timberlands By: Ron Heninger and Alex Dobkowski Weyerhaeuser Company, Western Timberlands Research

2. Objective of Today's Presentation • Describe methods Weyerhaeuser Company is using to monitor soil disturbance to minimize erosion and harmful soil disturbance • Discuss consequences of Douglas-fir growth responses on non-tilled and tilled skid trails and logged only controls.

3. Process Components Required to Achieve Sustainable Site Productivity STRATEGIC DATABASE RESEARCH GUIDELINES MONITORING TRAINING IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs)

4. Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance Classification

5. Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExample of Class 1 Soil Disturbance

6. Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExample of Class 2 Soil Disturbance

7. Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExample of Class 3 Soil Disturbance

8. Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExample of Class 4 Soil Disturbance

9. Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExample of Class 5 Soil Disturbance

10. Soil Management Process Monitoring and Tracking • Quality Control Monitoring • Self-monitoring by the equipment operator, a visual inspection • Spot-checks by the Harvest Manager or auditor, using a point-intercept method • Compliance Audit after the setting is completed, using a point-line intercept method

11. Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking • Quality Control Monitoring • Compliance Audit • A sub-sample of ground logged settings will be audited. • Levels of soil disturbance will be determined by a point-line intercept method of sampling • Sampling will be done by “certified” contract auditors

12. Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking / Compliance Audit • Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures 1. Delineate the portion of the setting operated on by ground equipment onto the setting map 2. Plot the sample grid onto the map • Random Start • Equal distance between sample points • Randomly oriented grid

13. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresSetting map showing area to be sampled and the sampling grid

14. Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking / Compliance Audit • Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures 3. Become familiar with the undisturbed soil profile • Weyerhaeuser Soil Survey or NRCS County Survey • Dig a small soil pit or view a road cut bank • Be able to distinguish the differences between topsoil and subsoil • Develop an association between depth of disturbance and the different soil disturbance classes

15. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresViewing a small soil pit in undisturbed soil and using the soil survey to confirm soil series

16. Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures Determining the differences between topsoil and subsoil

17. Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking / Compliance Audit • Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures 4. Locate one of the predetermined sample points using direction and distance from a known point (e.g. road junction) 5. Follow the Line-Intercept Transect procedures • Audit transect starts at grid intersection point • Randomly select transect direction from the sample point • Record the beginning and ending distance for each change in soil disturbance class intersected by the transect line (measuring tape or electronic distance)

18. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresLine-Transect along a randomly select azimuth

19. Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures Identifying a change in soil disturbance class and measuring length of the disturbance

20. Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures Verifying the classification

21. Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking / Compliance Audit • Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures 5. Follow the Line-Intercept Transect procedures: (continued) • Estimate for each soil disturbance class line segment • Average depth of soil disturbance relative to the undisturbed soil • Suitability of the soil condition for planting (severity of compaction and the extent to which logging slash is churned with the soil)

22. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresUsing shovel to estimate the level of the undisturbed soil surface

23. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresAssessing planting media - topsoil is compacted through a 10 inch planting depth - loss of macroporosity (air-space between soil aggregates).

24. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresExample of non-compacted topsoil - soil loose and friable (soil macroporosity intact)

25. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresRecording data on an electric hand-held data recorder

26. Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresAuditor continues on the azimuth and verifies the next length of either non-disturbed soil or soil disturbance

27. Soil Management Process Monitoring and Tracking / Compliance Audit • Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures 6. Use the sample grid direction and interval to travel to the next sample point 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all sample transects are assessed 8. Summarize the data and generate reports with the Soil Assessment Summary Software

28. Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking • Quality Control Monitoring • Compliance Audit • Reports • Setting Compliance - shows performance against standards • Setting Detail - shows more detailed information useful for determining the need for soil rehabilitation • Reports are distributed immediately to Harvest Manager and Forester • Information is summarized on a Monthly, Quarterly, Year-end basis to track performance trends over time

29. Soil Management ProcessReport Copy - Cover Page

30. Soil Disturbance from Ground-Logging Declined After Soil Management Process Implementation

31. Soil Management ProcessDouglas-fir Growth Response on non-tilled and tilled skid trails, and logged only controls • Soil Bulk Density, Total Height and Height Growth Response • Coastal Washington: • Soil bulk density increased on skid trails 40+% • Early height growth differences were not detectable • Height at 18 years did not differ among treatments • Oregon Cascades: • Soil bulk density increased on skid trails 14% • Early height growth differences were detected through year 6-7 • Height growth from years 8 through 10 were not different • Total height at age 10 was 61 cm (2 ft.) less on non-tilled trails, or less than 1 years current height growth • Tillage improved growth to that of the logged-only control

32. Trends of total height for Douglas-fir through 18 years after planting in Coastal Washington on disturbance classes 0 and 2 & 3 skid trails with and without tillage (mean +/- standard error). Average change in net bulk density = +40%

33. Annual height growth of Douglas-fir through 10 years after planting in the Oregon Cascades on disturbance classes 0 and 2 & 3 skid trails with and without tillage (mean +/- standard error) Average change in net bulk density = +14%

34. Soils Management Process Summary • We have been auditing soil disturbance for the last 11 years • Sharing audit data results and training of machine operators has resulted in decreased levels of Class 2, 3 and 4 disturbance • Consequences of soil disturbance on tree growth varies by climate and soil types • Tree height growth on non-tilled skid trail eventually becomes equal following early height growth reductions, in Oregon after age 7 • Tillage recovered the soil’s growth potential