National Silviculture Workshop- Field Trip, June 8
Field Trip Itinerary:
This itinerary takes us to our most distant location first, with the rest of the trip heading
back toward Granlibakken Resort. The route generally follows CA 89 from Tahoe City
north toward Sierraville (see map [at the end of this intinerary]). A local guide (docent)
will be assigned to each bus to answer questions, point out various landmarks and assist
the passengers and bus driver.
Please notify your docent regarding any emergencies or other needs you may have.
0700-0800- Load buses and travel to Cottonwood Fire area. ……………….. Pg.
0800-0815- On-the-bus stop: Bear Valley Shear Thinning……………………. 3
0815-1000- Stop #1: Cottonwood Fire………………………………………….. 4
Fire History of Cottonwood Area…………………………………..……. 4
Cottonwood Stand 645-210 Treatment Synopsis………………………… 4
Cottonwood Fire Restoration……………………………….……………. 6
Alternative Fuel Reduction Treatments………………………………….. 10
Response of aspen to stand replacement fire………………...…………… 12
1000-1030- Load buses and travel to Stop #2.
1030-1130- Stop #2: Liberty Timber Sale Area………………………………… 13
1130-1200- Load buses and travel Stop #3.
1200- 1300 Stop #3- Donner Camp Picnic Area ………………………………. 14
Sack lunch and local history talk (Donner Party)
Stretch your legs on the short interpretive trail
1300-1330- Load buses and travel to Stop #4
1330-1500 Stop #4- Sawtooth WUI Fuels Treatments………………………….. 19
1500-1530- Load buses and travel to Stop #5
1530-1630 Stop #5- Brockway Summit/Agate WUI cut-to-length thinning
demonstration with in woods chipping…………………………………………. 21
1630-1700- Load buses and return to Granlibacken Resort.
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On-the-bus Stop: Bear Valley Shear Thinning
Discussion leader: Docents on the bus.
Year harvested: summers of 1989 & 1990.
Area treated: 368 acres total (209 acres in original contract + 109 acre add-on)
Pre-treatment conditions: BA = 210 ft²/acre
1590 trees/acre (1280 tpa <5”, 260 tpa 5”-12”, 50 tpa >12”)
Figure 1.- Pre-treatment condition of thinned stands:
Treatment: Contactor operated bobcat shear, excavator with a boom mounted shear,
rubber-tired skidder and Morbark chipper.
Rx: Leave the best available trees favoring Jeffrey and ponderosa pine on a 20-25 foot
spacing (≈ 90 trees per acre or 100 ft²/acre). Cut trees from 5” to 20” diameter on the
stump. Whole tree yard to a 3” top. Trees less than 5” were removed at the discretion of
the contractor.
Cost: Original contract = $243/acre. Add-on = $193/acre
Affects on Cottonwood Fire: The Cottonwood Fire started on August 16, 1994,
ultimately burning nearly 50,000 acres. The fire was crowning and torching approaching
the thinned stand. Upon reaching the thinned stands the fire dropped to the ground and
under-burned through the stands, except for a streamside buffer on an ephemeral stream
which was left untreated for 50’ on both sides. The fire climbed the ladder fuels within
the buffer, torching or scorching the trees for up to 200’ on both sides of the buffer.
Although over 100 MMBF of fire killed timber was salvaged from the fire area, no trees
were cut within the thinned areas since very few trees were killed.
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Stop #1- Cottonwood Fire- August, 1994 (46,800 acres)
Sierraville District, Tahoe NF
Fire History of the Cottonwood AreaDiscussion leader- Carl Skinner, PSW- Redding
Cottonwood Stand 645-210- Treatment SynopsisDiscussion leaders: Steve Weaver, Duane Nelson
Burned- August, 1994
Salvage logged- 1995
Site prep- none
Planted- 05/96 with 1-0 and 2-0 JP, PP, WF, IC. Interplanted 05/97 with JP, PP, WF, IC
Release- hand grubbed 07/98 and 09/00
Planned treatment- Herbicide release 2005- directed hand spray with 25-50 gallons/ac
glyphosate (5% by volume, at a rate of 3.75 to 7.5 pounds a.e per acre) or triclopyr (2%
by volume at a rate of 2 to 4 pounds a.e. per acre).
SYSTUM projections of stand development with and without herbicide treatment:
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Cottonwood Fire RestorationDiscussion leaders: Sam Wilbanks, Steve Weaver; Sierraville Ranger District
Work to mitigate the damage from the fire, and restore the landscape began almost
immediately and continues today, as authorized by the Cottonwood Fire Restoration
Final Environmental Impact Statement issued in June of 1995. This ROD/FEIS did not
consider herbicide use, but it did authorize non-herbicide release treatments for survival.
Work completed to date includes:
≈30,000 acres salvage logged (97 MMBF)
≈ 20,000 acres planted with native conifer seedlings at 16-18’ spacing.
≈ 10,000 acres have re-seeded naturally.
≈ 850 acres planted with native bitterbrush for deer winter forage.
≈15,000 acres of hand grubbing release for survival
Vegetation management planning, appeals and litigation
Following salvage and planting it quickly became apparent that high levels of competing
vegetation would impact survival and growth of planted and natural conifer seedling
without effective release. The District initiated planning for management of the
competing vegetation. It also was apparent that herbicides would be needed to
effectively control the vigorous competing vegetation over such a large area.
Following extensive public involvement, on May 3, 2000 the Sierraville District Ranger
signed a Decision Notice and Finding of No Significant Impact (DN/FONSI) authorizing
a herbicide treatment of approximately 10,900 acres to continue fire recovery in the
Cottonwood burn area. The decision authorized only the highest priority acres for
herbicide treatment. This was approximately half of the acres originally proposed.
The District Ranger’s decision was subsequently appealed. The Regional Forester
affirmed the Ranger’s decision on August 3, 2000. On September 19, 2000, before the
project could be implemented, a lawsuit was filed by Californians for Alternatives to
Toxics, et al. On August 28, 2001, the court ordered the Forest Service to:
1. Evaluate an additional alternative considering no further efforts to accelerate
development of a conifer forest on the burned area.
2. Consider the potentially significant effects of the spread of noxious weeds
(particularly cheat grass) that may be caused by the use of herbicides in an
Environmental Impact Statement.
3. Consider new information regarding endocrine disrupting effects, as well as
immunotoxicity, and neurotoxicity of the herbicides proposed for use.
4. Strengthen the analysis of the potential effects of breakdown by-products of
herbicides such as metabolites of triclopyr.
5. Strengthen the analysis of the potential cumulative effects of activities conducted
under the Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group Pilot Project relative to
Cottonwood Fire Vegetation Management Project.
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Next?
In February 2005, the Sierraville District Ranger signed a ROD for the Cottonwood Fire
Vegetation Management Project FEIS, designed to accelerate environmental recovery by
“managing competing vegetation to effectively promote the development of a
biologically and structurally diverse forest across the landscape”. This FEIS and ROD
addressed the 5 points of the 2001 court ruling. Proposed treatments would:
•
•
•
Accelerate forest recovery by reducing the amount of time the developing forest is
highly vulnerable to another wildfire
Reduce the potential for loss due to another wildfire
Enhance options for the future by having larger trees over more of the landscape.
Enhance opportunity to produce economic benefit in the form of wood fiber
The Proposed Action and selected alternative:
The District proposes to apply herbicide to competing vegetation on 13,500 acres within
the Cottonwood Fire area over the next five to seven years to accelerate the development
of a biologically and structurally diverse conifer forest. This action is needed to:
Reduce competition between shrubs and trees for limited site resources.
Ensure survival and stimulate the vigor and growth of conifer seedlings
Develop a more fire resistant forest, in a shorter period of time.
Utilize a method for control that is effective, and least costly, while protecting
environmental resources in the analysis area.
The selected alternative proposes to treat 13,500 acres that are considered a high priority,
based on vegetation cover and the growth rates of the young conifers. These growth rates
were compared to those of conifers in stands of comparable site quality that have grown
without significant competing vegetation, due to past vegetation management. These
stands were used as “reference stands” and represent the potential of the site to grow
conifers without vegetation competition. If conifer growth rates were below those in the
managed reference stands, and showed no indication of approaching the growth rates of
the managed reference stands, the unit was assigned a high priority for treatment. Other
factors considered were: the type of competing vegetation, the number of trees per acre,
and the distribution of the conifer trees (percent stocking). Areas under the most severe
competition would be scheduled for treatment first. Alternative 3 will treat 2,600 more
acres than previously proposed in the revised EA, because these acres have now moved
from a moderate priority into a high priority for treatment, since the delay caused by the
lawsuit.
Competing vegetation will be hand sprayed with 25-50 gallons per acre of glyphosate
(5% by volume, at a rate of 3.75 to 7.5 pounds a.e per acre) or triclopyr (2% by volume at
a rate of 2 to 4 pounds a.e. per acre) using directed application methods to prevent
damage to crop trees and non-target vegetation.
Approximately 1,450 to 3,850 acres dispersed throughout the project area are proposed
for treatment each year, over a five-year period, depending on annual budgets and annual
monitoring results.
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A 60 to 80 percent reduction in the cover of target vegetation is expected. An estimated r
30% of the treatment acres (4,050 acres) may not meet the desired objective of 60 to 80
percent reduction and would require re-treatment within 1-2 years of the initial treatment.
Summary of Resource Protection Measures
Summary of buffer widths by stream type and herbicide
Stream
Channel
Perennial Streams
Intermittent
Streams with
Riparian Vegetation
Intermittent
Streams without
Riparian Vegetation
Ephemeral Streams
Springs, Seeps, and
Fens (not part of
perennial streams)
No Herbicide
Treatment
0 - 25 feet
0 - 25 feet
0 - 25 feet
Glyphosate only
Treatment
Glyphosate and/or
Triclopyr
Treatment
25 - 125 feet
>125 feet
25 - 50 feet
> 50 feet
N/A
> 25 feet
0 - 25 feet
N/A
> 25 feet
0 - 50 feet
50 - 100 feet
>100 feet
♦ Other areas that would be avoided during treatment include; low site quality,
unburned areas, areas with cheatgrass, research natural areas, sensitive plant
population, and wildlife “leave” areas.
♦ Directed spray methods and protective shields will be used to protect crop trees and
other non-target species.
♦ The following vegetative species would not be targeted during treatment: bitterbrush,
wild rose, mountain mahogany, bitter cherry, mahala mat, elderberry, aspen, willows,
cottonwoods, native perennial grass species, and all riparian vegetation.
♦ Noxious weeds found in the project area would be included in the herbicide
treatment.
♦ Best Management Practices (BMPs) to protect soil and water resources:
Herbicide application according to label directions and applicable legal requirements;
Herbicide application monitoring and evaluation plan;
Herbicide spill contingency plan;
Cleaning and disposal of herbicide containers in accordance with Federal State, and local
laws, regulations and directives;
Streamside wet area protection described previously (#13); and
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Control of herbicide drift during spray applications.
♦ Limited operating periods will apply to 2 units with ¼ mile of Northern goshawk
nesting areas.
♦ Re-locate livestock salt blocks outside of treatment areas to encourage cattle
movement away from treated units.
♦ Do not apply herbicides within 200 feet of campsites and along the Bear Valley OHV
Loop trail within 7 days prior to or during the annual Run-A-Muck jeep event that
occurs in July.
♦ Provide threatened, endangered, or sensitive species identification information to
contract inspectors in the event a species is located during project implementation.
♦ Limit vehicle use to existing roads, landings, and openings to minimize potential for
noxious and invasive-exotic weed spread.
♦ Protect eligible heritage sites
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ALTERNATIVE FUEL REDUCTION TREATMENTS
R.F. Powers, D.H. Young, G.O. Fiddler
Pacific Southwest Research Station, USDA Forest Service
Site Description:
Elev. ~2,000 m (~6,600 ft)
Annual precipitation 890 mm
Soil Tahoma series variant (fine-loamy, mixed, frigid Ultic Haploxeralfs)
Cottonwood Fire Aug. 1994 (>19 thousand ha (47 thousand acres)
Salvage logged and planted 1995-1999 (ponderosa and Jeffrey pine)
Some hand release
Understory Ceanothus velutinus
Experiment established Fall 2003
PRETREATMENT BIOMASS
OF ALL POTENTIAL FUELS
BIOMASS (Mg ha
1.3 x 109
BTU
40
80
30
0.6 x 109
BTU
60
40
20
0.3 x 109
BTU
10
20
--1)
-1)
1 x 109
BTU
100
BIOMASS (tons ac
120
0
0
Sierraville
Mt. Shasta
Whitmore
Challenge
Objectives:
• Evaluate alternative mechanical systems for reducing fire risk.
• Evaluate mulching and incorporation as value-added fuel treatments.
• Determine soil physical, chemical and biological responses to treatment.
• Evaluate treatment effects on the carbon cycle.
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GENERALIZED TREATMENTS
CONTROL
MANUAL
RELEASE
MASTICATE
+ ROTOTILL
MASTICATE
MASTICATE
+ BMP
Rotary masticator used for fuels reduction at Cottonwood PSW plots
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Response of aspen to stand replacement fireDiscussion leaders: Craig Wilson, Larry Ford; Sierraville Ranger District
Prior to the Cottonwood Fire this was a very dense conifer stand, hundreds of stems per
acre, heavy to white fir. There were only a few aspen trees per acre and they were in
poor condition, greatly suppressed by the conifers. There were very few aspen ramets
observable and they were likewise suppressed and browsed by cattle and deer.
Thinning was planned for the stand as unit 13 of the Verdi Timber Sale in the summer of
1994. The stand burned the first afternoon of the Cottonwood Fire on August 16, 1994.
It was salvage logged the summer of 1995 under a revised Verdi Timber Sale Contract.
The area was not planted with conifers after salvage. No cattle were permitted to graze
the allotment for 2 years following the fire. But no other protection was implemented for
the aspen. The stand is now a vigorous aspen grove
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Stop #2- Liberty Timber Sale Area
Group Selection and thinning of a “defensible fuel profile zone (DFPZ)”
Discussion leader(s): Larry Ford, Sam Wilbanks, Steve Weaver; Sierraville Ranger
District
Leftover Timber Sale, Unit 180
Rx: DFPZ thin with groups. Cut tree mark at 22’ spacing of trees 6”-26” DBH. Leave
all snags >20” DBH that are >300’ from the 07-10 road. Apply registered borate
compound, Sporax®, to all freshly cut stumps >12” diameter to prevent infection from
Annosus root disease, Heterobasidion annosum.
Harvested: 7/03 with a Timbco feller-buncher. Whole tree yarded with rubber-tire
skidders. Non-merchantable material chipped at the landing and transported to Loyalton
as fuel for the cogen plant. Sawlogs hauled to Quincy.
Purchaser: Sierra Pacific Industries. Operator: Ed Hood.
Small trees and brush ladder fuels felled and grapple piled spring of 2005. Cost =
$421/acre. Piles to be burned fall of 2005.
Lahontan Timber Sale, Unit 104
Rx: DFPZ thin with groups using cut-to-length. Cut tree mark at 22’ spacing of trees 6”26” DBH. Leave all snags >20” DBH. Apply registered borate compound, Sporax®, to
all freshly cut stumps >12” diameter to prevent infection from Annosus root disease,
Heterobasidion annosum.
Harvested: 8/02 with cut-to-length harvester. Sawlogs removed to landing by a
forwarder and hauled to Quincy. Non-merchantable material left in the woods.
Purchaser: Sierra Pacific Industries. Operators: Norcal Enterprises and CMP
Group B = 1.4 acres
Group C = 1.7 acres
Grapple piled fall of 2003 at $400/acre
Burned piles fall of 2004.
Inter-plant the groups with ponderosa pine in the spring of 2005 at 16’x16’ spacing.
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Stop #3- Donner Camp Picnic Area: lunch and historic overview
of the Truckee Ranger District
Discussion leader: Carrie Smith, Truckee Ranger District
Prehistory
•
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•
The oldest archaeological evidence of human use of the region dates to 8,000
years ago (Pre-Archaic).
Intensive occupation in the Truckee-Lake Tahoe region began 4,000 years ago
(Middle Archaic). Hunting large game animals is represented by dart and spear
technology.
2,000 years ago, there is a technological change to the use of the bow and arrow
for hunting. Increasing evidence of severe and prolonged drought over much of
the west between ca. 1050 and 600 years ago led to profound cultural changes
amongst native groups.
Ethnography
•
•
•
•
Truckee lies within the center of Northern Washoe territory. Lake Tahoe is
considered the heart of Washoe territory.
Those living along Truckee River were called ‘fish-river dwellers,’ a name which
points to the importance of the river as a key fishery for native people.
Truckee was the location of a large Washoe village site as are many locations in
the region.
Washoe are known for long treks across the Sierra passes to hunt, trade, and
gather acorns. These routes are often the precursor of our historic period and
modern road systems (i.e., Donner Pass).
History
•
•
•
•
•
First successful wagon crossing of the Sierra Nevada along the Truckee Route in
1844 occurs.
During the winter of 1846-47, the George and Jacob Donner families became
entrapped at Alder Creek. The remaining families and teamsters wintered in
cabins at Donner Lake. Their stories of struggle, death, and survival have become
legend. At Alder Creek, the Donner’s set up three shelters composed of poles,
tree branches, canvas, and quilts but there exact locations have been a mystery.
Archaeologists discovered one of these shelter sites in 1990. Recent excavations
have provided additional evidence of this site. The other two shelter sites have
not been located.
1849-Gold Rush to California began.
1859- The Comstock silver lode silver is discovered in Virginia City, Nevada.
Truckee is directly tied to its position along a transportation corridor. A
constructed road to link the goldfields of California with the silver mines was
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•
•
•
•
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•
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imperative. Construction of The Dutch Flat-Donner Lake Wagon Road
(DFDLWR) began in Alta, near Dutch Flat in 1864. Tolls were collected through
1868. It was built near the planned railroad line to Truckee to facilitate the
movement of men and supplies during the construction of the Central Pacific
Railroad. It became the primary route for freight wagons and passenger coaches
headed for the mines at Virginia City. During 1864-1868, the toll road was so
lucrative that the owners used the profits to support the railroad construction.
By 1863, Joseph Gray had constructed a log cabin along an existing wagon road
at what was to become Truckee, charging toll to cross a bridge. The area was
known as Gray’s Toll Station.
West of Gray’s station, S. S. Coburn opened a way station for teamsters and
stagecoaches along the DFDLWR in 1865. When the Central Pacific rails
reached the Sierra foothills, Coburn’s Station was selected as the advance camp
for the railroad construction crews. The settlement grew overnight into a busy
lumber town. In 1868, the town was renamed Truckee.
The Central Pacific Railroad is completed through Truckee in 1868. Logging
became a key industry in Truckee, beginning with the construction of the railroad
and later providing wood to support the railroading industry. Wood was also
transported throughout the west to support the mining industry and the building of
large urban centers such as San Francisco and Sacramento.
Other important early industries were ice harvesting and ranching. Many of the
large open valleys in the area bear names from the early homesteaders and
ranchers.
Early logging is dominated by small, independent operator using portable
sawmills. As stands closest to the railroad are harvested and transportation
distance increases between tree, sawmill, and the railroad, larger corporate backed
monopolies, many with company towns, are created to meet the demand.
Three large-scale yet independent lumber companies established logging
operations in and around Martis Valley from 1872 to ca. 1906. George Schaffer
began logging in Truckee with Joseph Grey in 1867. The Schaffer family
operated two mills in Martis Valley from 1871-1903.
The Richardson Brothers operated from 1874-1906. Warren and George
Richardson operated 2 sawmills. Wood was floated down a flume to the
lumberyard at Martis Creek Station on the Central Pacific Railroad. They
operated one of the largest box factories in the area.
The Truckee Lumber Company was established in 1867 by E. J. Brickell and
George Geisendorfer by establishing a sawmill in Truckee. In 1873, W. H.
Kruger joined the company. The company’s timber holders and mill operations
became one of the largest in the Truckee region. The company ceased logging in
the Truckee Basin in 1909.
The history of the company town of Hobart Mills provides an excellent example
of the development of company towns, the effects of the Great Depression, and
the ending of World War II. This common pattern can be observed across many
industries in the United States during this time frame.
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Walter S. Hobart and S. H. Marlette started in the lumbering business
in Nevada in 1876 supplying lumber for the silver mines of Virginia
City, Nevada. In 1878, Hobart and Marlette moved to the shores of
Lake Tahoe, establishing the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber
Company (SNWLC) at Crystal Bay and modern day Incline Village.
The last season of cutting in the Lake Tahoe Basin was in the fall of
1894. The railroad was dismantled and all sawmilling equipment was
hauled to the company town of Overton (1896-1917), later renamed
Hobart Mills (1917-1936). The town was located 6 1/2 miles north of
Truckee on Prosser Creek. In 1896, the town, sawmill, and railroad
linking to the Central Pacific Railroad in Truckee were complete.
Originally, the town was named for Captain James Bear Overton,
Superintendent in 1880. Overton was renamed Hobart Mills in 1917
when the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company was dissolved
and all properties were transferred to the Hobart Estate Company. The
standard gauge railroad between Hobart Mills and Truckee changed in
1932 with the Hobart Southern Railway operating as a common
carrier.
At its peak of operation, Hobart Mills consisted of a large sawmill,
planing mill, box factory, sash and door mill, shingle mill, light plant,
lathe mill, dry kiln, welding shed, carpenter shop, paint shop,
lumberyard, two large sheds for finished lumber, yard office, machine
shop, blacksmith shop, donkey shed, roundhouse, boardinghouse and
kitchen, eight two story bunkhouses, two dormitory bunkhouses, rip
track, main office, two ice houses, slaughter house, garage, laundry,
dairy, mercantile store, soda fountain, pool room, a hotel with old
annex and new annex, barber shop, schoolhouse, post office, hospital,
theater and over 85 houses.
Hobart Mills closed in 1936 with the arrival of the Great Depression.
Most of the buildings burned in 1939. The last train operated on the
Hobart Southern Railway on December 1, 1937.
Hobart Mills was sold to Fibreboard Products, Inc. following World
War II. A small sawmill was constructed. In 1946, a standard gauge
railroad was rebuilt on the right-of-way of the former Hobart Southern
Railway. With a change in milling technology and a shift to paper
production, the operations at Hobart Mills ceased in 1955 and the
railroad grade to Truckee was once again removed. Hobart Mills has
remained in private ownership to this day.
•
The Lake Tahoe Forest Reserve was established on April 13, 1899 by President
William McKinley; 55 miles of shoreline on the southwest shores of the Lake
Tahoe Basin were included.
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In 1905, Theodore Roosevelt expanded the Tahoe Forest Reserve and established
the Yuba Forest Reserve. In 1906, he combined the Yuba Forest Reserve with the
Tahoe Forest Reserve to create the Tahoe National Forest.
At the top of Martis Peak, an early Forest Service fire detection lookout was built
in 1914. This location was selected as its views ranged from Lake Tahoe to Sierra
Valley. It was built by Robert Watson, a Tahoe City resident, and contractor for
$309.55.
Major changes occur with the development of the automobile and roadways
suitable for automobiles, such as the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway
route was established in 1914 and used until 1928.
When U.S. Highway 40 opened over Donner Summit in 1926, people could drive
to the Sierra Nevada in a matter of hours along a paved and maintained road.
Modern winter recreation began when the ski industry developed in Donner
Summit with the opening of U.S. Highway 40. In 1932, the first ski hill on
Donner Summit was opened. By the winter of 1938, rope tows and J-bar ski tows
were scattered up the hills in the Donner Summit area.
Sugar Bowl Ski Resort opens as the area’s first resort in December 1939 with a
lodge, 3 homes, and the Mt. Disney chairlift.
Wayne E. Poulson realized the potential of Squaw Valley as a ski resort as early
as 1932. By 1948, Poulson had purchased land and organized the Squaw Valley
Development Corporation with Alexander Cushing. The Squaw Valley Lodge
opened on Thanksgiving Day 1949. Alex Cushing lobbied hard to the
International Olympic Committee to have the 1960 Winter Olympics held at
Squaw Valley. By 1958, Squaw Valley had been awarded the honor, sealing
Squaw Valley’s status as an internationally recognized resort.
Interstate 80 completed to Truckee in 1959 in support of the 1960 Winter
Olympics. Development of the area accelerates with people moving to the region
to escape urban city problems. This trend continues to this day.
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Stop #4- Sawtooth WUI Fuels Treatment Project
Discussion leaders: Kathy Murphy and John Minutilli, Truckee Ranger District
Mike Dunsford (concerned neighbor)
Background: Historically, fire occurred in this area approximately every 6-12 years. The
Forests were open pine stands with light fuel loadings on the forest floor. In 1870, the
area was heavily logged by the Truckee Lumber Company. Aggressive fire control began
in the area about 1910. Fire exclusion dramatically changed this fire adapted ecosystem.
Stands became much denser and downed fuel loadings increased with passing time.
Today the area adjacent to the Sawtooth area has more than 10,000 residents and
development is rapidly increasing to the north and the east. Prevailing winds would carry
fire into these subdivisions so a fuelbreak system was designed to help mitigate fire
spread.
1976- Sawtooth Overstory Removal Timber Sale- removed 12 mmbf in large trees on
tractor ground in the area.
1982- 1987 Bald Compartment Clearcuts (e.g. stand 815-05)- Clearcuts with advanced
regeneration prescribed in 1982. Logged in 1986-87, ≈ 20-25 mbf/acre was removed.
Tractor piled fall 1986, piles burned in November. Planted in April 1987, with 1-0
Jeffrey pine at 10’ X 10’ spacing. Release for survival in 1991 by hand cutting 100% of
the competing shrubs. Certified stocked in June, 1992. Precommercial thinned in 1999
with Slashbuster.
1989- Bald Insect Salvage of mostly white fir killed by drought and fir engraver beetle.
1992 – Sawtooth Fuelbreak – This was the first biomass project designed for fire hazard
reduction on the Truckee Ranger District. The project was implemented with a service
contract and removed 1 million board feet from 105 acres.
Rx- Thinned from below to open canopy, spacing crowns from 10’ to 25’. Left all
trees > 30”dbh, unless designated for cut. Retained all sugar pine. Cut trees
down to 4”dbh. Cut trees along property lines were designated and the rest was
designated by description, leaving the healthiest trees with good form. Much of
the fuelbreak has been underburned and will be again in the future.
1997-1999 – Bullshead TS– Treated the area adjacent to the fuelbreak with the objective
to improve the health of the existing forest and to increase the ability to control wildfires.
10 to 12 MMBF was thinned, salvaged and sanitized over 2,472 acres of overstocked
stands. The prescription met the 1992 direction for management of California spotted
owl habitat by retaining 40% of the pre-harvest basal area in the largest available trees
and retaining all trees > 30” dbh. Minimum commercial diameter was 8” dbh. Wildlife
cover patches were left on 10-15% of the treated are in ¼ – 3 acre patches.
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National Silviculture Workshop- Field Trip, June 8
2001 - 2004 – Mechanical thinning/fuels reduction - 900 acres of mastication in
Bullshead T.S.area was funded largely through the National Fire Plan to reduce
hazardous fuels and improve fuelbreak function. Trees < 8” were thinned to 20’ X 20’,
leaving all larger trees. Various equipment was tested. An ASV with modified Quadco
head proved too small; Megamulcher from Australia – too big; Fecon – Bullhog on an
excavator was just right at $400 per acre.
National Silviculture Workshop, June, 2005
18 of 19
National Silviculture Workshop- Field Trip, June 8
Stop #5- Brockway Summit/Agate WUI cut-to-length thinning
with in-woods chipping
Discussion leader- Scott Parsons, Vegetation Management SpecialistLake Tahoe Basin
Management Unit
Stand identified for treatment under North Shore Project Final Environmental Impact
Statement, signed 1996. Objectives for treatment: reduction of stand density for forest
health purposes and reduction of ground and ladder fuels for fire hazard reduction. Stand
is even-aged, ~140 years old, established after logging in the 1860/70’s.
The original stand identified for treatment was 520 acres but was later reduced to 242
acres due to discovery of a California spotted owl nest site in the southern portion of the
stand. After agreement with wildlife staff and procurement of funding for a service
contract, contract award was made in 2003. Forest Leadership Team recommended in
1998 that all ground based logging systems should be limited to Cut-to-Length/Log
Forwarding (CTL) systems to minimize ground disturbance and soil erosion concerns.
Stand prescription: Remove all dead trees within defense zone (~1300 of private
property) less than 30.0 inches dbh. Remove all dead trees within threat zone less than
24.0 inches dbh. Remove all dead trees within 100 feet of private property, roads and
trails. Understory thin live trees between 3.0 and 30.0 inches dbh within defense zone
and 3.0 and 24.0 inches threat zone by removing suppressed, intermediate and
codominant crown class trees to achieve a residual basal area of ~120 square feet per
acre. Use the following order of species priority for selecting trees to retain: sugar pine,
Jeffrey pine, incense cedar, white/red fir, lodgepole pine. Remove or chip all slash (>1”
diameter and >3 feet length) and down logs less than 30.0 inches diameter within decay
classes 1 and 2.
The contractor started work in August 2004 and completed 140 acres by the end of the
2004 season (end of October). The general public and local environmental groups have
generally been supportive of these types of fuel reduction treatments. We have been
using CTL logging systems since 1998 and the public seems to like how areas look after
CTL operations have been completed.
National Silviculture Workshop, June, 2005
19 of 19
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COTTONWOOD
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DONNER RIDGE
FIRE - 1960
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CRYSTAL
FIRE - 1994
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Soda Springs
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Class C and larger Fires:
1900-1929
1970-1989
1930-1949
1990-2003
Previous Fire
1950-1969
Most recent fire in color.
Field Trip Locations
National Forest Land
Non-National Forest Land
Prosser Res.
MARTIS
FIRE - 2001
Stop #3
Truckee
ÚÊ
Donner L.
TNF Field Trip
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89
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26 7
Stop #4
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Stop #5
89
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Kings Beach
TAHOE NF
LTBMU
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28
Tahoe City
Granlibakken Resort - start tour
r
ÚÊ
Lake
Tahoe
Prepared by TNF Eastside GIS 5/2/2005