IMPLEMENTATION METHODS COLORADO FRONT RANGE LANDSCAPE RESTORATION - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

IMPLEMENTATION METHODS COLORADO FRONT RANGE LANDSCAPE RESTORATION INITIATIVE

Implementation Methods Through 6 Years Of Fuels Reduction & Restoration Treatments

Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project, Colorado Front Range Initiative, Pike National Forest.

COLORADO FRONT RANGE LANDSCAPE INITIATIVE



800,000 acre Wildland-Urban Interface landscape.



Dominated by ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir.



Conduit for 75% of Colorado’s drinking water.

Woodland Park Healthy Forest Initiative Area

Front Range Fuels Treatment Partnership & Roundtable

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MAJOR TREATMENT GOALS



Fuels Reduction



Reduce canopy closure (mid structure stage, closed to

• pen)



Reduce ladder fuels



Increase Heterogeneity (ICO - Individuals, Clumps, Openings)



Clumpy (tree spacing)



Variable residual density (structure)



Openings (structure)



Favor early seral / shade intolerant species for retention



Enhancement of Aspen



Retention of Legacy Trees



Product Utilization



Biomass, non-sawtimber, sawtimber

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SILVICULTURAL METHODS



Variable Spacing - Thinning



Clumps & Groups: Experimenting with different implementation methods



Variable Residual Density

 

Openings



Patch cutting around aspen



Persistent openings on south facing slopes



Patch cuts on north slopes that regenerate aspen and pine / remove dense Douglas-fir & spruce

COVER TYPE LIVE BASAL AREA (sq. ft.) Ponderosa pine / Douglas-fir 40 – 60 Dry Mixed Conifer 60 – 80 Mesic Mixed Conifer 80 – 100 Aspen (live conifer BA) 0 – 40 UNEVEN-AGED METHODS, SELECTION SYSTEMS

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IMPLEMENTATION METHODS – CUT & LEAVE TREE DESIGNATION

 DxP - Designation by

Prescription

 Sample Marking  Hybrid ITM w/ DxP  Hybrid ITM w/ DxD

(Designation by Description)

 ITM (Individual Tree Marking)

Most subjective Low-No discretion

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DESIGNATION BY PRESCRIPTION

Pre-treatment Post-treatment

PHANTOM CREEK 1

2011

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HYBRID: CUT TREE MARKING & DxP

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Post-treatment

LEAVE TREE MARKING

Pre-treatment

2012

LONG JOHN

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HYBRID – CUT TREE MARKING & DxP

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WHAT WORKS



Vary residual density by forest type in areas with distinct stand breaks / aspect changes



Retention of legacy ponderosa pine per tree characteristics



Patch cuts around aspen clones – south facing pine / aspen stands



Thin from below, even spacing



Opening Designation - range of location criteria



Variable tree spacing



Variable Density – similar stands/terrain

CHALLENGES DxP

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TRADE OFFS - DxP



Personnel experience - use of DxP may work where experience is high. Very limited with high turnover



Efficiency

• DxP will save time and $ with layout, contract prep
• Savings gained by prep crew transferred to sale administrator

and/or contractor



Accuracy - cruising more subjective with DxP (may not matter depending upon market conditions, type of contract, etc.)



Accountability - less accountability with contract administration



Desired Conditions - less certainty in post treatment results

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SOLUTIONS

 Prioritize use of DxP by objectives, stand type & RX  Visualization Guide  Sample Marking  Emphasis on residual stand attributes in contract acceptance

provisions

 Include tolerances in contract provisions

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KEY TAKE HOME MESSAGES

 No “one size fits all” implementation method  Opening designation has not worked well via DxP or DxD  Rule of thumb: RX may be too complicated to implement via

DxP with more than 3 key prescription criteria

 Emphasis on heterogeneity should be at the project - watershed -

landscape scale

 Prioritize areas where highly complex structures are desirable and

implementation methods may require more time and $

 Heterogeneity at the stand scale is a process that may take

multiple entries. 1st entries often reduce structural complexity in

• rder to shift species composition and reduce densities

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