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FOREST STEWARDSHIP COACHED PLANNING
THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR FOREST
A.K.A.
SILVICULTURE!
Julie Sackett
Western Washington Stewardship Forester
Department of Natural Resources
March 2015
What We’ll Cover Tonight
 Paying Attention to What Your Forest Environment Is Telling You
 A Plan You Say?
 How Do You Feel About Risk?
 Finally! The GOOD Stuff – Silvicultural Practices
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Silviculture
The practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition,
health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The
name comes from the Latin silvi- (forest) + culture (as in growing).
Silviculture also focuses on making sure that the treatment(s) of
forest stands are used to preserve and to better their productivity.
Hawley, R.C. and D.M. Smith. The Practice of Silviculture. 6th edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1954.
Forest Environment
What’s the Story?

SOILS Site Class, Moisture, Compaction, Mycorrhizal Health etc…

TOPOGRAPHY Unstable, Aspect, Frost Pocket, Equipment Limitations etc…

WATER Presence of Wetlands and/or Streams, Depth to Water Table etc…

WEATHER Wind, Precipitation, Temperature etc…

ANIMALS Deer, Elk, Beaver, Livestock etc…

PEOPLE Management History etc…

FOREST HEALTH Disease, Insects, Invasive Species, Wildfire etc…
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Planning
What do you want? What are your objectives?
Planning
Where are you starting from?
Disturbance Event
Stand Initiation Stem Exclusion Understory Reinitiation
Complex
TIME
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Planning
Where are you Going?
Risk Tolerance
Low? Moderate? High?
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Silvicultural Practices

Site Preparation

Reforestation

Vegetation Management

Pre-commercial thinning

Pruning

Commercial thinning

Fertilization
Silvicultural Practices – Site Preparation

Mechanical
•
Hazard Abatement
•
Piling
•
Windrows

Chemical

Prescribed Burning
•
Piles
•
Unit
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Silvicultural Practices – Site Preparation
Mechanical
•Hazard Abatement
•Piling
http://www.ysc.nb.ca/selfsufftaskforce.html
http://perljam.net/bronze4922/5thanniversary/lgthumb/img_0180.jpg
http://www.pgfreepress.com/residents-worriedslash-piles-near-residential-area-a-fire-hazard/
Silvicultural Practices – Site Preparation
Chemical
Photo - Chris Rasor
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Silvicultural Practices – Site Preparation
Burning
•Piles
•Unit
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEduc
ation/Topics/FireBurningRegulations/Pa
ges/rp_burn_silvicultural_burning.aspx
http://www.wildfireinterface.ca/content/slash-and-pile-burning
Silvicultural Practices – Site Preparation
KEY POINTS
 Minimize Adverse Soil Disturbance
 Protect downed wood debris
 Meet Forest Practices requirements
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Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
 Natural
 Artificial
Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
SHADE
WET SOILS
DROUGHT
FROST
BROWSE
Alder (100 yrs.)
SPECIES
1
4
1
2
2
Bigleaf Maple (300 years)
4
4
3
5
1
Black Cottonwood (200 yrs.)
1
5
1
5
1
Douglas-fir (600+ years)
2
2
3
3
2
Grand fir (250+ years)
4
3
2
3
4
Lodgepole Pine (100+ years)
1
3
3
4
4
Noble Fir (300 years)
2
2
2
3
3
Oregon Ash (250 years)
3
5
2
5
2
Oregon White Oak (500 years)
2
4
5
5
4
Pacific Silver Fir (500+ years)
5
2
1
2
4
Ponderosa Pine (Westside) (700 years)
1
5
5
5
4
Sitka Spruce (300-400 years)
4
3
1
1
5
Western Hemlock (800+ years)
5
3
1
1
3
Western Red Cedar (1000+ years)
5
4
1
4
1
Western White Pine (300-400 years)
2
4
2
5
4
Most Tolerant = 5
Intermediate = 3
Least Tolerant = 1
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Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
STOCK TYPE
Plug
2+ 0
Plug + 1
1+ 1
2+ 1
Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
STOCKING DENSITY
Trees per Acre
8' x 8' = 681
10' x 10' = 431
12' x 12' = 303
13' x 13' = 258
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Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
SEEDLING CARE
 Protect from Physical Damage
 Keep Moist (90% to 95% humidity)
 Keep Cool (34 to 36 degrees Fahrenheit)
See http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/lm_webster_seedling_vigor.pdf for
Webster Nursery’s Maintaining Tree Seedling Vigor
Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
PLANTING WATCH-OUTS
Too
deep
Too
Air
“L”
shallow pockets rooted
Compacted Not
Roots
Vertical
“J”
rooted
Poor Properly
Too Planting Planted
Tree
Loose
Soil
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Silvicultural Practices – Reforestation
KEY POINTS
 Know what you’re going to plant prior to timber harvest
 Order your seedlings early!
 Meet Forest Practices requirements
Silvicultural Practices – Vegetation Management
 Chemical
 Hand Slashing
 Mechanical
Lost Growth is Never Regained
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Silvicultural Practices – Vegetation Management
Silvicultural Practices – Vegetation Management
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Silvicultural Practices – Vegetation Management
Bigleaf Maple Stump Sprouts Can Dominate
– Photo by Alison Hitchcock
Photo by Allison Hitchcock
Silvicultural Practices
Vegetation & Animal Management
ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
 Physical Barriers
 Vexar Mesh or Tubing
 Bud caps
 Repellants
 Plantskydd
 Seadust
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Silvicultural Practices
Vegetation & Animal Management
KEY POINTS
 Anticipate challenges up front
 Cannot just walk away after the trees have been planted
 Be honest and realistic
 Meet Forest Practices requirements
Silvicultural Practices – Thinning
 Reallocates limited resources
 Maintains tree vigor
 Favors dominant trees
 Maintains understory plant
community
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Silvicultural Practices – Pre commercial Thinning
CONIFER
•
Typically occurs when trees are young – 10-15 years old depending on site
conditions
•
Spacing will be dependent upon species and existing live trees per acre –
usually between 12’ – 15’ apart
Silvicultural Practices – Pre commercial Thinning
RED ALDER
Needs to occur between age 5-8 years
√
√
√
√
Self pruning height is 8’-12’
Live crown to tree height ratio of 60%
DBH 4”-5”
Tree height between 25’-35’
If planning to CT/275-300 TPA (12’x12’ – 13’x13’)
If not planning to CT/230-250 TPA (14’x14’ – 13’x13’)
Photo - Hardwood Silviculture Cooperative
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Silvicultural Practices – Pre commercial Thinning
Photo by John Keller
Silvicultural Practices – Pre commercial Thinning
600 TPA
Photo by John Keller
275-300 TPA
Photo by John Keller
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Silvicultural Practices – Pre commercial Thinning
Favor

Vigorous and full-crowned
 Well formed (no significant sweep, crooks, broken-tops, or other
deformities)

Disease and insect free

Live dominant and co-dominant trees to remain as crop trees

Cut trees should not be allowed to hang up in crop trees. Slash
should be left as close to the ground as possible
Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
CONIFER
Typically occurs 20 years and older – dependent upon species,
site conditions and market conditions
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Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
GROWTH RINGS
Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
LIVE CROWN TO HEIGHT RATIO
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Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
D+ THINNING SPACING GUIDE
SPECIES GROUP
THIN
WHEN:
THIN
TO:
VERY SHADE TOLERANT
D+1
D+4
SHADE TOLERANT
D+2
D+5
SOMEWHAT SHADE TOLERANT
D+3
D+6
SHADE INTOLERANT
D+4
D+7
VERY SHADE INTOLERANT
D+5
D+8
Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
THINNING SCENARIO
 Stand has 300 trees per acre (12’x12’ spacing) and was precommercially thinned 10 years ago (25 years old now)
 Trees average 11 inches so thinning by D+5 you would space trees
16 feet apart on average leaving + 170 trees per acre
 15 years later the trees average 15 in. DBH you thin to 20’ spacing
leaving about 109 trees per acre at age 50
At age 50 you can thin or do a final harvest
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Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
Photo – Steve Teitzel
Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
Stand was thinned down to
300 trees per acre.
Photo – Sandy Sandman
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Silvicultural Practices – Commercial Thinning
RED ALDER
Needs to occur no later than 15 years
Thin to 200 – 225 trees per acre
Final Harvest age 35-40 years
Photo - Hardwood Silviculture Cooperative
Silvicultural Practices – Variable Density Thinning
“...findings suggest that greater diversity in stand structures
and plant communities can be accelerated by thinning with
skips and gaps.” LET’S MIX IT UP! THE BENEFITS OF VARIABLE-DENSITY THINNING, PNW Research Station
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Silvicultural Practices – Thinning
KEY POINTS
 Timing!
 Selection of Crop Trees
 Visual Expectations
 Use of Contract
Silvicultural Practices – Pruning
 Improve wood quality
 Increase understory vegetation for wildlife or special forest
products
 Reduce fuel ladders and fire prevention
 Improve visual aesthetics
 Improve access into the forest
 Reduce incidence of disease in Western White Pine
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Silvicultural Practices – Pruning
 Prune flush to the branch collar
 Do not leave long stubs or jagged cuts
 Choose the best trees to prune
Correct
Incorrect
Photo – Ken Bevis
Silvicultural Practices – Pruning
KEY POINTS
 Keep your feet on the ground!
 Keep record of when trees were pruned
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Silvicultural Practices – Fertilization
 Increase Growth/Wood Fiber
 Not all Forest Soils Respond to Fertilization
 Water Quality Protection is an Important Consideration
In Conclusion
 Always start with a forest stewardship plan that ties activities to
your objectives.
 Regularly monitor the health and condition of your forest.
 Keep your trees growing and healthy.
 Use the best practices at an affordable cost to get the result you
want.
 Don’t be afraid to get help.
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