HFQLG
Project Evaluation Form
Project Names: Old Station Timber Sale
Jawbone Project interface with Brown’s Fire
Lost Fire Mastication Project
South Station DFPZ Interface with Sugarloaf Fire
Project Types:
Old Station Timber Sale – This project was designed to enhance community protection from wildfire by reducing
both surface and ladder fuels adjacent to the Old Station community. It was also designed to improve forest
health by reducing conifer stocking and masticating brush (see information and diagrams in Appendix 1, field trip
handout).
Jawbone Project interface with Brown’s Fire – A fuel reduction project to provide greater protection to the
community of Hat Creek. This mastication and chainsaw thinning project reduced surface and ladder fuels to
break up the continuity of vertical and horizontal fuels and reduced the wildfire threat to the community (see
photos in Appendix 1, field trip handout). The Brown’s Fire entered, and was extinguished within the fuel
reduction project area.
Lost Fire Mastication Project – Implemented a service contract using mastication technique to remove trees 2- 9
inches diameter at breast height and brush. Additionally a pheromone treatment was applied to control pine
shoot borer moth (see photos in Appendix 1, field trip handout).
South Station DFPZ Interface with Sugarloaf Fire – Implemented a timber sale contract to develop Defensible
Fuel Profile Zones that would be part of a larger strategic system. Before the surface fuels treatment was complete
the Sugarloaf Fire burned 140 acres of the project area (see photos in Appendix 1, field trip handout).
Forest: Lassen Ranger District: Hat Creek Ranger District
Date: June 25, 2010
Attendance: 24 People
Agency- Tim Holabird, Congressman Tim McClintock office.
Public- Frank Stewart, Counties Forester and Quincy Library Group; Rich Coakley, concerned citizen; Donald Curtis,
Hat Creek Valley Fire Safe Council; Dean Lofthus, Fruitgrowers; John Parrish, Hat Creek Valley Fire Safe Council
and Chief Old Station Fire Department; Cerise Chico and Wendi Chico, Day Lassen Bench Fire Safe Council; Bruce
Olsen, Franklin Logging; Robert Hoover, Sierra Pacific Industries, Burney; Ray Manley, Hat Creek Valley Fire Safe
Council and Deputy Fire Chief of Old Station.
USFS- Kit Mullen, Acting Lassen NF Forest Supervisor and Hat Creek District Ranger; Scott Stawiarski, Lassen
Forest Silviculturist; Matt Staudacher, Acting Hat Creek District Ranger and District Silviculturist; Michael Holmes,
Forest Fuels Officer; Debbie Mayer, District Fire Management Officer; Dale Newby, Fuels Officer; Mary Price, NEPA
Planner; Colin Dillingham, HFQLG Monitoring Team Leader; Greg Mayer, Timber Sale Officer; Linda Tiffin, Lassen
National Forest Visitor Center Manager; Ester Miranda-Cole, Lassen NF Assistant Public Affairs Officer; Don Chase,
Plumas NF, Feather River RD NEPA Planner; EJ Solomon, Plumas NF, Feather River RD Culturist.
Type of treatment and acres:
Old Station Timber Sale: 602 acres of mechanical thinning by commercial timber sale. Total project area includes
1649 acres of mastication, prescribed fire and mechanical thinning. The Old Station project was reviewed during this
field trip and the Penny Pines Plantation project was reviewed during the 2009 field trip.
Jawbone Wildland Urban Interface (WUI): This project included 95 acres of mastication and 335 acres (120 acres
completed) of chainsaw thinning to reduce surface and ladder fuels to break up the continuity of vertical and
horizontal fuels and reduce the wildfire threat to the community
Lost Fire Mastication Project – Implemented 1820 acres of mastication to create a DFPZ. There was also 216
acres of pheromone treatment to control the western pine shoot borer moth.
South Station DFPZ Interface with Sugarloaf Fire – Implemented a timber sale contract to develop Defensible
Fuel Profile Zones that would be part of a larger strategic system. Before the surface fuels treatment was complete
the Sugarloaf Fire burned 140 acres of the project area (see photos in Appendix 1, field trip handout).
Hat Creek projects 2010 monitoring review
Resource
Attribute
Objective
Area
Source of
Objective
Degree Met
Silviculture,
Old Station
Timber Sale
Improve
Forest Health
Reduce interspecific
competition
EA
Yes
Hydrology,
Old Station
Timber Sale
Riparian
Protection
Protect stream while
allowing for
treatment in Hat
Creek Riparian Zone
EA
Yes
Soil Cover
Meet LRMP
objectives to
maintain soil cover
Lassen NF
LRMP
Yes
Surface Fuels
Less than 5 tons per
acre of surface fuels
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Partial, more
treatment
planned
Fuels,
Jawbone
Project
Ladder Fuels
Remove ladder fuels
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Yes
WUI,
Jawbone
Project
Fire Fighter
Safety
Create area to allow
fire fighters ability to
fight fire safely
EA
Yes
Silviculture,
Jawbone
Project
Residual
Stand Health
Maintain a healthy
stand on site
Discussion
Topic
No
Community,
Jawbone
Project
Community
Protection
Protect the
community during
wildfire event
Fire Safe
Council
Yes
Soils, Old
Station
Timber Sale
Fuels, Old
Station
Timber Sale
Comments
The thinning project will
allow for less
competition and
increased vigor of
remaining trees
The 300 foot riparian
zone was entered with
mechanical harvesting
equipment to prevent
impacts from
catastrophic wildfire.
Limited soil cover loss
post-treatment meets
LRMP objectives
Follow-up underburn
planned to treat surface
fuels.
Treatment rearranged
ladder fuels which
allowed fire fighters to
suppress Brown Fire
Fire crews used project
area to stop Brown Fire.
Lost majority of stand in
most areas due to long
burning period during
burn out operations
Jawbone Mastication
area used to help stop the
Brown Fire. Burn out
operation conducted in
the mastication area.
Resource
Area
Fuels,
Lost Fire
Mastication
Silviculture,
Lost Fire
Mastication
Silviculture,
Lost Fire
Mastication
Fuels,
Station 4
Timber Sale
Attribute
Objective
Source of
Objective
Surface Fuels
Less than 5 tons per
acre of surface fuels
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Yes
Tree Spacing
Thin trees
North Coble
EA
Yes
Insect
Infestation
Reduce moth
population so
residual stand has
proper leader
development
Forest Health
Protection
Staff
Yes
Pheromone treatment for
western pine shoot borer
moth.
No
Although a contract was
in place, the project had
not yet been completed.
Surface fuels not treated
prior to Sugarloaf fire,
140 acres of project area
killed during wildfire.
Surface Fuels
Less than 5 tons per
acre of surface fuels
HFQLG FEIS,
Appendix J
Degree Met
Comments
Near complete
decomposition of
masticated material.
Trees and brush
masticated to remove
competing vegetation.
Discussion of Old Station Timber Sale (post-treatment):
Old Station Timber Sale –
Kit Mullen discusses the purpose of the
project. Old Station project was designed to
enhance community protection from wildfire
by reducing both surface and ladder fuels. It
was also designed to improve forest health by
reducing stocking density. The target basal
area objective of 100 square feet per acre was
reached and the resulting stand is expected to
respond positively to the newly available
resources.
Discussion of Old Station Timber Sale (continued):
Old Station Timber Sale –
Fire Safe Council members
discuss the effectiveness of the
project. Although the timber
sale brings the area much
closer to desired conditions, the
area is not ready to withstand a
wildfire yet. A follow-up
underburn is planned to
complete construction of the
DFPZ adjacent to the
community of Big Springs and
the Big Springs Campground.
Old Station Timber Sale –
District Timber Sale Officer Greg Mayer
discusses special management within the
riparian zone. To maintain high organic
cover on soils to prevent erosion, yarding
equipment placed slash along the skid trails
and crushed it on top of the soil. This was
considered to be an effective mitigation
technique. Fire management officers did not
consider the small patches of surface fuels to
impact the efficacy of the fuels reduction
project.
Old Station Timber Sale
Adjacent to the riparian zone, aspen and
cottonwood trees were selected with priority for
retention during the harvest operations.
Discussion of Jawbone fuel reduction project and Brown Fire:
Jawbone Project impacted by Brown Fire
Matt Staudacher, District Silviculturist, and
Debbie Mayer, District Fuels Management
Officer, give an overview of the Jawbone project.
They described that the purpose of the mastication
project was to rearrange the ladder fuels and give
firefighters an opportunity to utilize the site to
fight fire from. A fire crew used the fuels
reduction project to implement a back fire and the
Brown Fire did not burn into the community of
Hat Creek. The mastication project, which
rearranged but did not remove surface fuels, still
allowed much of the stand to be killed by the
resultant heat during burn out operations.
Discussion of DFPZ construction in historical Lost Fire area:
Lost Fire Plantation Mastication Project –
Mary Price explained the historical Lost Fire
and the 1,820 acres of plantation that were
masticated along a strategic network to both
create a fuel break as well as improve forest
health.
Lost Fire Plantation Mastication Project –
Matt Staudacher explained problem with
insects attacking the leaders of the pines.
Treatment with a pheromone was completed
to confuse the insects and prevent damage to
the trees. Monitoring indicates the treatment
was effective. Future treatment is likely
going to be necessary as moth populations
rebuild.
Sugarloaf Fire/Hat Creek Rim
Overlook –
Kit Mullen explains the devastating
effects the Sugarloaf Wildfire had on the
forest along the rim. The fire burned up
to the ridge from below at high intensity.
This momentum carried the fire over the
ridge and killed the stand along the Hat
Creek Rim.
The restroom, which is made out of
cement, survived the fire and is still
operational.
Sugarloaf Fire/Hat Creek Rim
Overlook –
Hat Creek Rim Overlook view point into
the Hat Creek Valley. Very few trees
survived the intense fire. Sugarloaf Mtn
in the background had some survival in
the rocky ground where there was less
fuel to feed the wildfire.
Sugarloaf Fire –
Tim Holabird from Congressman
Tom McClintock’s office and Dean
Lofthus from Fruitgrowers discuss
the effects of the fire. The private
land owned by Fruitgrowers has
already been salvage logged and
McClintock was questioning why
more material from National Forest
lands was not being salvaged. The
forest behind the Hat Creek Rim
Overlook (background of photo),
had high mortality. Trees further
from the rim experienced less fire
severity and greater survivorship.
South Station (Station 4 Timber Sale
Project) as impacted by Sugarloaf Fire
District Fuels Management Officer
Debbie Mayer explains why the
Defensible Fuel Profile Zone failed when
the Sugarloaf fire burned at high intensity
before the surface fuels were treated. The
high intensity fire killed the entire stand,
which was harvested as part of the still
active Station 4 Timber Sale.
Frank Stewart suggested that we get our
public affairs officers involved in
bringing in more media to tell the story of
our treatments and wildfire effects.
Follow up actions:
•
Complete surface fuel treatments in Old Station timber sale area.
•
Burn piles in Jawbone Project area.
•
Work with Public Affairs personnel to develop a program to explain the forest and wildfire stories as
associated with Herger-Feinstein Quincy Library Group projects.
Notes prepared by HFQLG Monitoring Team Leader: /s/
Colin Dillingham
Date: July 9, 2010
Reviewed by Acting District Ranger: __/s/ Matt A.
(District Silviculturist)
Staudacher
Date: July 21, 2010
Appendix 1. Field Trip Handout
Hat Creek QLG Monitoring Field Trip
June 25, 2010
Stop #1: Old Station Timber Sale
NEPA Project: Old Station Wildland Urban Interface Vegetation Treatment Project
Decision Signed: August 8, 2008
Project Purpose: This project was designed to enhance community protection from
wildfire by reducing both surface and ladder fuels for Old Station. It was also designed to
improve forest health by reducing conifer stocking and masticating brush.
Treatments Identified:
Treatment
Description
Hand Treatment/Mastication/ Cut, pile, and burn trees less than 10.0”
Prescribed Burn
diameter. Masticate brush and trees as needed
to facilitate prescribed burning. Underburn
surface fuels
Hand Treatment/Pile Burn
Cut, pile, and burn trees less than 10.0”
diameter.
Mechanical Thin/Prescribed Cut and remove conifers until the desired
Burn
stocking level has been reached.
Mechanical Thin/Masticate
Cut and remove conifers within the plantation
until the desired stocking level has been
reached.
Acres
(Approxim
ate)
595
Acres
within
RHCA
37
94
3
602
115
358
32
Treatments Completed to Date:
Treatment
Hand Treatment/Mastication/Prescribed Burn
Hand Treatment/Pile Burn
Mechanical Thin/Prescribed Burn
Mechanical Thin/Masticate Plantations
Acres
(Approx.)
150
94
Thinning
Completed
Thinning
completed
Old Station Timber Sale: This sale is part of the Old Station Wildland Urban Interface
Vegetation Project near Big Springs campground and Hat Creek. The sale was sold on
August 8, 2009. It was harvested in the winter and spring of 2010. Stand 18 is located on the
east side of Hat Creek. The following table shows both pre-treatment and post-treatment for
that stand. The forest health objective was to reduce the stocking to approximately 100 ft2
per acre.
Conifer Information Stand 18
Pre Treatment Tree Data
Trees Per Acre
251-438
Basal Area Per Acre
203-239
Canopy Cover
59%-63%
SDI
384-392 (>100%MaxSDI)
(MaxSDI: 365)
Ave. Diameter
9.2-13.2
CWHR
EPN3D/EPN4D
Post Treatment Tree Data
68
101
33%
152 (41.6% MaxSDI)
16.5
EPN4P
Figure 1. Old Station TS. Post Thinning
Figure 2. SVS Post Thinning Simulation 1
Stop #2: Jawbone/Brown’s Fire
NEPA Decision Document: The Jawbone Wildland Urban Interface Fuel Reduction
Project Categorical Exclusion/Decision Memo
Decision Signed: June 29, 2007
Project Purpose: To provide greater protection to the community of Hat Creek. To reduce
surface and ladder fuels to break up the continuity of vertical and horizontal fuels and reduce
the wildfire threat to the community.
Treatments Identified:
Treatment
Manual Treatment/Piling/Pile
Burning/Underburning
Mechanical Treatment and
Underburning
Description
Remove small conifers and
hardwoods, brush, and other
surface fuels. Underburn if
needed.
Remove brush, small hardwoods,
and conifers followed by
underburning
Acres
335
95
Treatments Completed:
Treatment
Manual Treatment/Piling/Pile Burning/Underburning
Mechanical Treatment and Underburning
Acres
(Approx.)
120
97
Brown’s Fire: The Brown’s fire was started by lightning on August 1, 2009. It burned
through the northern part of the Jawbone project area, including the mastication unit and a
portion of the hand treated areas. It burned through the mastication unit and a portion the
hand treatment areas. The following photos show portions of Brown Butte both before and
after the fire.
Figure 3. Brown Butte Before treatment 1
Figure 4. Mastication unit after fire 1
Stop #3 Lost Fire Mastication
NEPA Document: North Coble Environmental Assessment
First Decision Signed: July 31, 2001
Second Decision (plantation treatment only): August 10, 2007
Treatment Purpose: A field evaluation was conducted in February 2006 by Forest Health
Protection staff. They noted that the plantation was being attacked by three insects: western
pine shoot borer, sequoia pitch moth, and pine needle sheathminer. Of the three insects
causing damage, the one causing the most serious infestation was the western pine shoot
borer.
Treatments:
Treatment
Mastication
MalEx Application
Figure 5. Mastication/MalEx Treatment 1
Figure 7. Untreated Pine
Description
Removal of trees 2.0” to 9.0”
along with brush and other debris
(dead branches, etc.) to a spacing
of 20 feet by 20 feet.
Pheromone treatment for western
pine shoot borer moth. The
following photos show both
treated and untreated t
Acres
1820
216
Figure 6. Leader Growth of treated pine 1
Figure 8. Multiple leaders on untreated pine
Stop #4: South Station/Sugarloaf Fire
NEPA Decision Document: South Station Project
Decision Signed: August 9, 2003
Project Purpose: To develop Defensible Fuel Profile Zones (DFPZs) that would become
part of a larger strategic system that spanned the HF-QLG pilot project area. DFPZs would
provide fire suppression personnel a relatively safe location to fight wildfire and take
suppression action.
Treatments Identified:
Treatment
Mechanical Thinning
Underburning
Machine Piling and Burning
Manual Thinning
Plantation treatments
Aspen Release
Description
Thin by removing the smallest
trees (those receiving little or no
sunlight)
Prescribed fire to reduce surface
fuels (needles, twigs, grass).
Pile and burn surface fuels
Chainsaw cutting, hand-piling,
pile burning trees less than 10.0”
diameter
Thinning, limbing, hand-piling,
pile burning, and underburning
Conifer removal within aspen
areas
Acres
5,500
11,850
120
20
765
30
Treatments Completed to Date:
Treatment
Mechanical Thinning
Underburning
Machine Piling and Burning
Manual Thinning
Plantation treatments
Aspen Release
Acres Completed or
under contract
4,500
500
500
0
Thinning completed
30
Sugarloaf Fire: The Sugarloaf fire was started by lightning on August 1, 2009. The fire
burned through the western portion of the South Station project area. Although some of the
thinning had been accomplished through service contracts and timber sales, not all of the
surface fuel work had been completed. A machine-piling contract was in place to treat the
remaining surface fuels. However, before the contract was initiated, the fire burned about
140 acres of the area.
The Station 4 Timber Sale was also in the area. Work in that timber sale had not started and
a portion of the sale was burned. The burned area was harvested last fall and planted this
spring. The following photos show portions Sugarloaf fire in the South Station area.
Figure 9 Sugarloaf Fire in South Station 1
Figure 10 Sugarloaf Fire in South Station 1