WHAT IS CONSERVATION?
Aldo Leopold developed the Land Ethic in the Sand County
Almanac (1949.) He defined Conservation as “a state of
harmony between men and land.”
Land stewardship starts with understanding that a
Community includes not just humans, but also soils, waters,
plants, and animals.
CONSERVATION means we should care for the forest and
pass it on to the next generation intact, restored, and
better.
Decisions on Black Forest future
• LANDOWNERS decide, depending on
information, preferences, and choices
• CONTRACTORS influence outcomes,
by knowledge, interests, and capabilities
• FIRST CRITERION SHOULD BE:
• DOES THE ACTION SUPPORT
CONSERVATION?
Is this forest conservation?
Black Forest future = Choices
or
Restore Forest
• Conversion to
• As a natural
grass?
ecosystem?
or
• Forest + grass?
or for
• Aesthetics?
Grassland
Black Forest future = Choices
Grassland
or
• PLENTY ELSEWHERE
Restore Forest
• FORESTS ARE SPECIAL
• … for living in
• NOT THE NATIVE
CONDITION HERE
• … special ingredients
• … unique environment
• … enhanced aesthetics
• OVER-REACTION TO
THE FIRE
• CHEAP and QUICK FIX
• … land values
• RESTORATION CAN BE
• THOUGHTFUL, CAREFUL,
• AFFORDABLE, PHASED
Black Forest future = Choices
Grassland
or
Forest?
Black Forest future = Choices
A future grassland?
A future forest?
Black Forest future = YOUR choice
Grassland?
or
• IF THIS IS YOUR
CHOICE
• CONSIDER PLANTING
50% WITH FOREST
• AND CONSIDER ADDING
NATURAL FOREST
ELEMENTS BACK
Restore Forest?
• IF THIS IS YOUR
CHOICE
• Add FOREST
STEWARDSHIP
• And you are into
PRACTICING
CONSERVATION
#1. Understand NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS
• Relationships of life and ecology over 1000’s of years:
• SOILS -- FROM HILLTOPS TO VALLEY BOTTOMS
• SOIL LIFE – FUNGI, ETC
• WATER, weather, growing season
• VEGETATIVE STRUCTURE
LOW VEGETATION – GRASSES, SHRUBS
HIGH FOREST – STRUCTURAL STAGES DURING LIFETIME
• MOSAICS ON THE LANDSCAPE – meadows, forest
• TERRAIN – ASPECT, SLOPE %
• WILDLIFE – SMALL MAMMALS, DEER/ ELK, BIRDS,
INSECTS.
“Get to know your Community.”
Natural regeneration
SOILS IN BLACK
FOREST HAVE A THIN
“A” HORIZON, BUT
DEEP TREE ROOTS
Even dead trees hold snow
Add a CONSERVATION APPROACH
• CHOOSE TO RESTORE A NATURAL FOREST
• 1. USE WHAT YOU HAVE AFTER THE FIRE
• 2. INVENTORY and STUDY your landscape
• Forest – tree conditions (dead, alive, scorched) and wood uses
• Meadows / understory -- native plants recovering
• Noxious weeds?
• Patterns, mosaics, diversity
• Erosion – sheet or gully, sediment deposits
• Special areas to protect
3. INVENTORY YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD (as above)
Forest ecosystem spatial arrangements
BURN MOSAIC
Burn mosaic
Learn CONSERVATION
• Study NRCS Land Rehabilitation FAQ’s + CSFS pubs
1. Not cutting down all the trees
2. Fire-killed trees hazards
3. Are trees dead or alive?
4. Uses for cut burned trees – how long is wood okay?
5. Replanting trees
6. Treatments to educe erosion and runoff
7. Using mulch to reduce erosion
8. Contour log felling and straw wattles
9. Reseeding grasses
Keep up weekly learning in Black Forest News
Sign up for Black Forest Conservation Assoc. info.
Wildlife trees may fall years later
Black Forest conservation questions
• IS “NEAT AND CLEAN” A SIGN OF A GOOD JOB?
• Or a sign of grassland conversion? And unnecessary costs?
• IS MORE WORK AND ACTIVITY BENEFICIAL?
• CAN BURN CLEANUP AND RECOVERY WORK BE
DIRECTED TO ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION?
• WILL MAINTENANCE BE REQUIRED?
• IS CONSERVATION CHEAP? Or EXPENSIVE?
BURNED TREE REMOVALS
• PLAN THE LANDSCAPE FIRST – MAP, SKETCH
• Inventory all elements important to you AND methods to use
• Terrain, watershed, vegetation, trees, meadows
• MARK AREAS TO CLEAR AND TO NOT CUT
• INCLUDE RETAINED DEAD TREE CLUSTERS
• For habitat, windbreaks, snow, shade, and micro-environments
• MARK OFF-LIMIT AREAS, SUCH AS MEADOWS
• DETERMINE WOOD USES, RETENTION OF SLASH
• DETERMINE FUTURE TREE PLANTING AREAS, CLUMPS,
SPECIES
High Impact practices can lead to
-- Landscape uniformity, lack of diversity
-- Susceptibility to erosion, loss of soil, leading to
unhealthy vegetation and landscapes
-- Destroyed meadows/ wetlands/ biodiversity
-- Churned up natural vegetation
-- Destroyed underground biomass and structure
-- Loss of above ground structure and wildlife habitat
-- Easy noxious weed invasion
-- Use of non-native grass seed/ invasive vegetation
-- Earthmoving and seeding issues
Too clean and on a slope
Setting up erosion
PRACTICES to copy – Low Impact
• EXPECT THE “IMPERFECT”, but organized actions
• Retain some groups of dead and scorched trees
• Allow for natural tree fall
• Retain some slash on slopes/ gullies for erosion control
• Leave logs for habitat and some erosion control
• Keep large wildlife snags, habitat slash piles
• Use mulch on bare ground
• Seed lightly with native grasses
• Stay off meadows
• Use chips in thin amounts
• Leave ground holes for animals (mark for safety)
BURNED TREE area methods
• LEAVE SCATTERED SLASH and WOOD DEBRIS
• PLACE SLASH PILES, LARGE AND SMALL
• For silt dams and habitat / wildlife cover/ micro-environments
• MULCH LIGHTLY AND SEED / RAKE BARE AREAS
• MONITOR FOR BARK BEETLES IN LIVE TREES
• RETAIN SOME LARGER TREES AND CLUSTERS
• For snags, for wildlife/ birds = perches and insect feeding
• CUT STUMPS GENERALLY LOW
• With exceptions for anchoring silt dams, shading seedlings
- PLANT NATIVE TREE SPECIES AND SHRUBS
- Only where you have good watering access
Floods, or erosion control?
Slash placed across slopes
Erosion dams in a gully
Old woody material is natural
Opportunity for beneficial use of logs
PLAN BEFORE ACTING
• PREPARE THE CONSERVATON PLAN
• Either do it yourself or hire a professional
• Include your neighbors if possible
• LIST PROJECTS TO PERFORM
• With THEIR PRIORITIES
• INCLUDE METHODS AND STANDARDS FOR EACH
• And your BUDGET
• IMPLEMENT PROJECTS IN STAGES
• Do them YOURSELF, or CONTRACT OUT
• KNOW WHAT YOU WANT AND EXPECT
• MONITOR RESULTS
THE BURN MOSAIC
includes roads, house
sites, wetlands, black,
green, and scorched trees.
A landscape neighborhood
conservation plan can
show potential for
-- DEAD TREE GROUPS
(see black)
--GREEN TREES (blue)
-- SCORCHED TREES
(yellow)
-- CORRIDORS AND
EDGES – Tie together
CONTRACTING SUGGESTIONS
PLAN YOUR PROJECT BEFORE HIRING
CONTRACTOR
-- HAVE DETAILED DESIGN AND
SPECIFICATIONS.
Be ready to DISCUSS YOUR BUDGET LIMITS.
-- Possibly hire a forest project contract manager.
-- This could be an experienced professional
forester.
PITFALLS of per-acre pricing
May lead to non-conservation results and less variety:
-- fast-fix grassland conversion (no forest)
-- too clean, based on “quality” standards,
-- landowner or contractor expecting “perfect” job
Solution A: Study, plan, mark, and layout the project, define
what to be cut/ treated, slash treatments, erosion methods,
and specifications with map, and get 3 bids for the project.
Solution B: Pay a rate per tree by tree size, limited project.
Solution C: Pay by the hour for labor and equipment use,
using a trusted contractor.
CONSERVATION APPROACH
• Don’t be in a rush
• Learn about your land and Black Forest
environment, and how to bring the forest back
• Check out contractors’ jobs, and do-it-yourself
• Be aware of your neighborhood and get involved
• SHARE YOUR IDEAS AND RESULTS!
Contact information
• Len Lankford
• Consulting Forester
• Lankford Foresters, Inc, and
• Greenleaf Forestry and Wood Products, Inc.
• Phone 719-429-4404
• See Len’s bio and info on community-based forestry at:
• Website: www.greenleafforestry.com
• Email: len.at.greenleaf@gmail.com