LC_190_Cruise_Plan_Final.doc

CRUISE DESIGN

AND

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

LC 190, 195 Timber Sale Long Cane Ranger District

Sumter National Forest

Prepared by:

Steve Wilhelm

TMA

Long Cane Ranger District

Sumter National Forest

INTRODUCTION:

The LC 190, 195 Timber Sale is located south of Greenwood and Abbeville, South Carolina in Greenwood County, on the Long Cane Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest. Access is via Hwy 72, Hwy 10, FS 505, 506 and 516. The sale is located in Compartment 190 Stands 1, 3, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17 and Compartment 195 stands 4 and 8. The Decision Notice and NEPA documentation for this sale are found in the Curltail Upper Little River Analysis Area.

There will be Saw Thinning on an estimated 402.21 acres, and regeneration cuts on 49.56 acres for total treatment acreage of 451.77 acres. These acreage estimates are derived from GPS, the stands have already been laid out and unit boundaries are painted with orange stripes. This sale will use a combination of leave tree and cut tree mark marking. The slopes in the cutting units are gentle 0 to 20%; they do contain shallow gully areas within the units. Elevation of the sale area is about 500 feet.

This sale will be sold as a Tree Measurement Sale.

WORK COORDINATION:

Jason Doolittle is the designated check cruiser for this project – all questions regarding sample design, tree designation, and tree measurement are to be brought to Jason.

HERITAGE RESOURCES:

Approximate locations of heritage resources are shown on the work maps. In the field these boundaries are designated with three orange painted bands on trees.

Any questions concerning known or discovered heritage sites are to be brought to the attention of the COR.

SILVICULTURAL PRESCRIPTIONS AND MARKING GUIDELINES:

The Silvicultural prescriptions for these stands are to create open, early succession, woodlands and regenerate mature pine stands. The leave trees are to be left evenly distributed throughout the stands.

BA

Marking

CTM/LTM/DXSPA

Acres

TOTAL

451.77

NOTE: Please refer to individual Cut Card information to determine what variability there is in Leave BA. Some stands may have an inclusion, which will have a different Leave BA.

ST- Seed Tree

CRUISE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION:

Individual Tree Marking:

Cut Trees (CTM) and Leave Trees (LTM) are to be designated with Forest Service marking paint at or above eye level and at ground level.

· Leave trees will be banded with orange tracer paint and the mark should be visible from 360 degrees. The painted stripe shall be a minimum of two inches in width.

· Cut Tree marks using blue tracer paint will be 270 degrees on both sides of the tree.

· Stump marks shall be at ground level on the down hill side of the tree. Often there will be a build up of pine straw or other material which will need to be kicked out of the way to get to ground level. Stump marks are to be placed inside fluted portions of the stem; two spots at least three inches in diameter are required for sawtimber trees; one spot for pulpwood trees.

Leave Tree Selection Preference:

· Dominate loblolly pines with live crown ratios 30% or better will be selected as seed trees. This may not necessarily be the largest tree – rather the tree with the fullest healthy crown.

· Hard mast-producing hardwoods (such as oak and hickory) with full healthy crowns and stem diameters greater than 8 inches shall be retained.

· Retain all healthy dominate and codominate shortleaf pine.

· Hardwoods and shortleaf pines do not factor into the residual basal area in regeneration units.

Measure Trees

Each tree that is measured must be flagged. Write on the flagging with indelible marker:

· Marker’s initials

· Species

· Product

· DBH

· Sawtimber height for sawtimber trees

· Reference height*

· Date

· Tree number

*Reference Heights

· All Pulpwood trees will be measured to total height.

· Hardwood Saw is measured to a 9 inch top.

· Pine Saw is measured to a 7 inch top.

CRUISE PLOTS:

The cruise design uses a point count measure tree fixed plot system. Each plot will use a 1/10 Acre Fixed Plot to determine the count trees. The measure trees will be the first tree in the direction of travel to the right for each product. Cut trees must meet minimum merchantability specifications.

All questionable trees must be measured and checked to determine if they are in or out.

The information on height measurement and diameter measurement located in the Region 8 Self-Study Training Guide for Qualified Cruiser is to be followed to obtain and record all diameter and height data. For this sale, pulpwood will be cruised to total height, saw-timber to a first height where loss of merchantability occurs and a second height to a seven inch DOB (these heights in some cases are the same).

The contractor shall monument each plot with a wire-staked flag. The flag will have the plot number recorded with permanent ink such as a “sharpie”, in addition to the wire-staked flag an attractor flag will be hung and the plot number along with the initial of the cruiser who used the prism to determine in and out trees. Approximate locations of plots will be kept on a work progress map. All questionable or “border line” trees will be measured and checked to determine if the tree is to be considered in or out of the plot. On count trees, each cut tree will have one dot of paint facing the plot center. Each measure trees will have two dots of paint and a ribbon with the plot number, species, DBH, height, and markers initials. These dots shall be a minimum of 1inch in diameter and blue tracer paint will be used.

Plots will be distributed on a systematic grid on north-south, east-west grid lines. Upon completion of GPS acreage determination the total number of square feet of unit will be divide by the number of plots necessary, the square root of this result will be the square foot spacing used to establish plot locations. Plots which fall on roads - if road rights-of-way are included in the unit acreage plots falling on roads are acceptable – if the rights-of-way acreage is not included in the unit acreage do not take plots which fall on the road since they are not unit acreage.

Data Recording: All trees sampled – count and measure – will be recorded on R8-National Cruise Data Sheet 1.

Errors are most easily and accurately corrected at the data source. Make a visual edit of the data before leaving the plot. Double check the trees counted in the plot before leaving to the next plot.

SAMPLE INTERVALS:

*Sample Intervals and Cruise Plots are subject to change*

DBH Range

Unit 1 – Cruise – 49.56 ac.

1 plot per acre

3 x 3 chain spacing Approx. 50 plots Unit 2 – Thinning – 168.20 Ac.

PS: 1:100

ZP: 1:200

HS: 1: 15

ZH: 1: 100

Unit 3 – Thinning – 95.78 Ac.

PS: 1:100

ZP: 1:200

HS: 1: 15

ZH: 1: 100

Unit 4 – Thinning – 138.23 Ac.

PS: 1:100

ZP: 1:200

HS: 1: 15

ZH: 1: 100

INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE:

Check Cruiser: The responsible qualified advanced cruiser for the LC 190, 195 Timber Sale is Jason Doolittle.

Acceptable work will be determined with completion of the Field measurement Evaluation – R8-FS-2400-62 Form and Plot or Tree Measurement Check Sheet – R8-FS-2400-61 Form. Form R8-FS-2400-63 will be used to evaluate satisfactory plot layout and marking.

MERCHANTIBILITY SPECIFICATION:

Minimum Specifications

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:

Gates:

Some roads are gated or barricaded. Contractor shall have access through these gates. Contractor shall be responsible for insuring that gates are kept shut and locked at all times.

Unit 4 has a blown out culvert and has limited access.

CHECK CRUISE:

This sale shall be check cruised. The Forest Service will document checks on R8-FS-2400-61 and R8-FS-2400-62. Examples are attached.

Contractor shall meet established standards.

LC 190, 195 Timber Sale Cruise Design and Implementation Plan

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