J.6.1_CruisePlan_Example_1.pdf

J-6.1

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BEASLEY HOLLOW SALVAGE SALE

TIMBER SALE PREPERATION

CRUISE PLAN

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Before proceeding with the cruising and marking of a payment unit, you should always and without fail refer to all the available instruction associated with the sale. The most important of these is the stand prescription listing and the field notes provided. These will include stand objectives. Also you must have a copy of the applicable mitigation measures.

Caves must be protected by a reserve area of 5 acres in size with the cave being in center of area. This is a circle having a radius of 264 feet. You must be alert for these.

Springs, seeps, sinkholes and fens will be protected with a buffer zone of at least 100 feet. You must be alert for these and take necessary mitigating actions. Maintain a minimum of 100 foot buffer around all wildlife ponds.

Watercourse Protection Zone (WPZ): Watercourse Protection Zones (WPZ) are delineated along all stream channels that have defined banks and streambed, show signs of annual scour, have accumulated sediment and gravel of various sizes within the streambed, and are not included in the RMZ. The WPZ extends 100 feet horizontal distance from the side of the stream channel (measured from the upper break of the stream bank or channel edge), or to the break of the adjacent ridge, whichever is closer.

Within 25 feet of a WPZ stream channel:

*Do not cut trees, unless necessary to move the area towards the desired condition or to facilitate designated crossings.

*Do not operate mechanized equipment, except at designated skid trail locations.

• Boundaries – All payment unit boundaries will be done with two slashes of paint at breast height and two stump spots. Double boundaries are very common in the layout phase. Orange paint will ALWAYS be used to identify payment unit boundaries.

• Monument corners – Under no circumstances can a bearing tree be marked as a cut tree. It is advisable for monuments to be boundaried out of payment units if at all possible.

• Access – If a payment unit / block does not have adequate / capable access for a logging operation the lead marker must identify this problem.

• During layout and marking please note all areas of concern on cutting cards for contract and appraisal purposes such as: powerlines, buried cable, fences, streamcourses, access, trash dumps, continuous mud holes, culvert needs, etc.

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CULUTURAL RESOURCES

� Archeological sites, caves, and dumps – all should have already been identified in project analysis, if one was overlooked please report. Other sites and dumps should be boundaried around incompliance with the mitigation measures.

MEASUREMENT OF TALLY TREES

Determine species and measure the DBH (Diameter at Breast Height). The dbh is found on the uphill side at 4.5 feet (54").

Oak/Pine Sawtimber

• Determine the merchantable height of the tree in feet; the cutoff point is 7.6" inside diameter or a natural stopper such as a fork or collection of limbs. This means the small end of your top log has to be at least 7.6 inches inside diameter.

• Topwood (product above sawtimber cut-off) will be measured from 7.6” d.i.b. to 4.0” d.i.b. while being 90% sound and reasonably straight. Topwood is measured for oak and pine sawtimber as well as oak misc. convertibles.

Pine Posts

• Determine the height of the tree in feet to 4.0” d.i.b. while being 100% sound and reasonably straight. One height measurement is taken on pine posts and recorded in the 4” height column

Counting dead trees as volume to be sold; dead trees must meet the same utilization standards as green trees. You should count the dead tree for volume to be sold if it still has all the bark intact and the top is similar to a green tree in appearance (be careful because these kinds of trees are difficult during leaf-off to tell whether they are dead or alive.)

Defect - Determine what percentage of the tree is bad and record it on the tally card. You should be able to sound the first 8 ft. log with a hammer. Beyond that you should use visual indicators to figure out what the rest of the tree looks like.

TALLY INTERVELS

The Beasley Hollow Salvage Timber Sale had a pre -layout acreage of 259 acres. From past timber sales in the area it is estimated the sale volume would be 7CCF/acre. At this volume per acre 1,813 CCF would be removed from the sale. Using an average base price of $50/CCF (the base price is an average between oak and pine sawtimber) the estimated value of the sale is $90,650. A 14% sampling error is needed for this particular timber sale.

The Cruise method is a Sample Tree Method (STR) cruise and will have a sampling interval of 1:50 for both stratum and all sample groups.

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It is very critical that it is the 50th tree to get a true random sample. In other words if you come to your 50th tree and it's a low quality/undesirable tree, DO NOT skip it and go find a simple tally tree. This defeats the purpose of the true random sample.

After tallying a tree and writing it down on your card you need to flag the tree and paint that tally information on the tree. Doing this enables us to check to ensure the marking was and is being done correctly. The way we put a tally on the tree is as follows:

3 = card line number 5 = marker number

The cruise cards are to be filled out to their completion by each individual. Your card should be free of errors and should be easy to read. When you finish a block, write down your total number of trees on your counter by stratum group at the bottom of the card.

This way if you make a mistake or miss a tally tree it will be easily noted and quick to fix before leaving the woods.

Upon completion of each payment unit you are to run a copy of the marking cards for your file and place the originals in the preparation folder.

STRATUM GROUPS AND TALLY INTERVALS

BEASLEY HOLLOW SALVAGE TIMBER SALE

Stratum

Sample

Group Products Species Tree Size Payment Units

1 1 Oak Sawtimber

802, 806, 833, 835, 835 11.0" + 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

1 2

Oak Misc.

Conv.

802, 806, 833, 835, 9.0" -

10.9" 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

2 1

Pine

Sawtimber 110 11.0" + 3, 4, 6

2 2 Pine Posts 110

5.0" -

10.9" 3, 4, 6

*Stratum group numbers could vary between timber sales. If a payment unit also includes a separate appraisal group, such as cedar, we will incorporate stratum groups 3 and 4 to account for the numerous appraisal groups.

*Based on the stocking, lead marker could make a judgment call to change the tallying interval.

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UTILIZATION STANDARDS:

Minimum Tree Specifications 1/

Minimum Piece Specifications

Product Type DBH (inches) Length (feet) 2/

DIB at Small End (inches)

Percent of Gross Measure

Hardwood Sawtimber

11.0

8 7.6 40%

Pine Sawtimber 11.0 8 7.6 40% Cedar Sawtimber 6.0 7 5.0 40% Hardwood Misc. Convertibles

9.0 8 7.6 40%

Hardwood Pulpwood (Topwood)

9.0 8 4.0 90% sound 3/, and reasonably straight 4/

Pine Pulpwood (Topwood)

11.0 8 4.0 90% sound 3/, and reasonably straight 4/

Hardwood Post 5.0 8 4.0 100% sound and reasonably straight Pine Post 5.0 8 4.0 100% sound and reasonably straight Cedar Post 4.0 7 3.0 100% sound and reasonably straight

1/ A minimum tree must include at least one piece that meets minimum specifications. As one can see from above specs, there is an overlap of specifications for posts and pulpwood/fuelwood. Pine and hardwood trees 9.0” - 10.99” D.B.H. may be sold as posts or as pulpwood depending on local markets.

2/ Plus trim allowance.

3/ 90% applies to rot, voids, and char. Mechanical type defects such as sweep, crook, spider heart, and ring shake shall not be considered as deductions for soundness.

4/ Reasonably straight is when the true center line of a minimum length piece does not deviate more than one-half the inside diameter of the small end, plus one inch from a straight line drawn between the centers of the ends of the piece.

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Payment Unit Compartment/Stand Prescription Acres Designation Paint Color

1 83 - 2 FH 11 CTM Blue

2 83 - 13 UAM 12 CTM Green

2 83 - 14 UAM 10 CTM Green

2 83 - 15 UAM 19 CTM Green

3 83 - 24 IPRC 6 CTM Blue

3 83 - 25 IPRC 28 CTM Blue

3 83 - 28 IPRC 6 CTM Blue

4 83 - 24 UAM 20 CTM Green

4 83 - 26 UAM 6 CTM Green

4 83 - 27 UAM 10 CTM Green

4 83 - 28 UAM 20 CTM Green

4 83 - 33 UAM 14 CTM Green

5 82 - 11 SAN 24 CTM Blue

5 82 - 16 SAN 23 CTM Blue

5 82 - 43 SAN 13 CTM Blue

6 82 - 20 UAM 16 CTM Green

6 82 - 21 UAM 12 CTM Green

6 82 - 22 UAM 9 CTM Green

� Detailed prescriptions are attached as Appendix A

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Appendix A: Silvicultural Prescriptions

|X | Initial Design Criteria & |__ | Amendment Environmental Analysis

SALEM RANGER DISTRICT

PROJECT NAME________Crooked Creek______

Treatment Proposed:

TIMBER - FH |X| ST |_| SH |_| OSR |_| THN |_| SAN |_| GSEL |_| IPRC |_|

REFOR/TSI - NR |X| PL |X| SD |_| REL |_| CTR |_|

Opportunity Area 3.4-2__ LSC 500

Compartment _83___ BA _70__

Stand number _ 2 __ Hab _____ Std. Ac. 11 ___ Treated Ac. _11 ____ TSD 538 Stocking % ELT _17___ Slope ____ Year of origin _1930__ SI _60_ (Sp 837__) Vol/Ac/MBF - UAM GSEL _ __ __ IMPR _____

Vol/Ac/MBF - EAM FH _1200__ ST _ ____ SW _______ Thin ______ OSR _____

Adv regen survey - yes X no _ not needed _ Current stand condition 1 soil type _________ Current species composition 60% + Black/Scarlet (20% Dead/Dieback) 20% WO/Non-Oak )

Management Objective: Establish a fully stocked new stand of shade intolerant trees by removing the existing stand of trees. Residual trees will be left in clumps in less than 7% of the area and as individual trees.

Full sunlight conditions with minimum competition will help arrest the trend of conversion to shade tolerant species by creating the light conditions necessary for the existing oak advance reproduction to develop.

The existing stand does not contain enough acceptable trees to utilize the site now or in the next 10 years.

Black oak, White oak, and Pine, if present, will all have an equal opportunity to become dominant trees in the new timber stand.

Harvest both sawtimber and roundwood products. Provides a place for personal use firewood gathering.

Encourage development of temporary forage which is a wildlife habitat best provided by this treatment.

Prescribed Treatment:

Commercially remove all merchantable trees, except for wildlife reserve clumps and trees.

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Clumps of thrifty growing stock, unproductive areas, or large den trees and adjacent trees are opportunities for leave areas. Also strips along drainages or islands along roads will be used as leave areas.

Follow-up of the sawtimber sale will include roundwood and firewood sales. Remaining stems over 1 inch DBH will be felled with additional control measures possible on tolerant trees if they will hinder reproduction development.

Burn within light to moderate intensity conditions to retain reserve trees. Plant 1-0 shortleaf pine on 20X20 spacing. Release surviving pine in year 5 if not free-to-grow.

Alternatives Considered: Clear cutting is appropriate at this time. The stand is comprised of dead, dying, and overmature high risk black and/or scarlet oak that are not expected to survive another ten years. Oak decline, borer attacks, and susequent attacks of armillaria have predisposed the black and scarlet oak to incidents of mortality, dieback, and little to no productivity. Optimal treatment to ensure successful regeneration and meet Management Area objectives is included in a Final Harvest.

Overstory trees necessary for shelterwood or UAM treatment would not be expected to be retained due to thinning shock. Advance regeneration present, but additional non-oak supplement will alleviate current lack of adequacy and composition diversity needed to ensure future sustainability. Wildlife reserve trees will be retained, as well as Reserve Areas noted on implementation maps.

Seed tree harvest for pine regeneration not appropriate as pine stocking currently lacking.

Special Coordination Measures:

Visual Wdlf Spec. Hab. Soil Eng Water Tmbr Rec CR Rg.

|_| |X| |_| |_| |_| |_| |X| |_| |_| |_|

Mitigation Measures Prescribed and/or S & G Applications:

Harvest Code 117 Sale Designation: Designate Red Oak Group – DC RO

John Bryan 08/02 FIELD CHECKED BY Date

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Environmental Analysis

SALEM RANGER DISTRICT

PROJECT NAME_______Crooked Creek_______________

Treatment Proposed:

TIMBER - FH |_| ST |_| SW |_| OSR |_| THN | | SAN |X| GSEL |_| IPRC |_|

REFOR/TSI - NR |_| PL |_| SD |_| REL |_| CTR |_|

Opportunity Area 3.4-2__ LSC 500

Compartment _ 82___ BA _100__

Stand number 11,16,43 _ Hab _____ Std. Ac. 24,23,13 Treated Ac. 24,23,13 TSD 539 Stocking % ELT _18,17 ___ Slope ____ Year of origin _1940__ SI _60_ (Sp 837__) Vol/Ac/MBF - UAM GSEL ___ __ IMPR _____

Vol/Ac/MBF - EAM CC ______ ST _____ SW _____ Thin _800 __ OSR _____

Adv regen survey - yes _ no _ not needed X Current stand condition 3,1 soil type _________ Current species composition _______

Management Objective: Sanitation Thinning.

Maintain a stocking level of healthy dominant trees that fully utilizes the growing space while allowing for optimum growth on the remaining trees.

Thin high risk and low quality trees competing with healthier trees.

Maintain fast growth on best trees to avoid stagnation, insect and disease problems and promote larger diameter trees in a shorter time frame.

Maintain and encourage a forage component in the stand by allowing more light to the ground. This will also begin to develop a native hardwood/pine understory if an existing undesirable understory is not already present.

Enhance the visual characteristics of the stand by promoting larger trees.

Increase the potential for seed production by promoting larger tree crowns.

Reduce stand stocking by approximately 1/3 by thinning. Avoid gap creation if possible.

Remove the worst and leave the best, bringing stocking down to no less than 50%. Thinning

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If present 5 cull live trees over 12 inches DBH will be left per acre along with all defective dead trees.

Evaluate need for further treatment after commercial sale. Further treatment would include:

cutting logging damaged trees; cutting trees marked for removal but still remaining; and additional tolerant tree removal.

Alternatives Considered: Clear cutting not appropriate at this time due to younger acceptable tree stocking that need not be regenerated at this time. Shelterwood or seed tree cut for pine regeneration not appropriate as only over stocking is the primary concern. There will be a minimum of B level stocking in residual trees of acceptable growing stock left after harvest. The most dominant and thrifty pine that is present will be left.

Special Coordination Measures:

|_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |X| |_| |_| |_|

Harvest Code 232 Sale Designation CTM - Cut Tree Mark

John Bryan 08/02 FIELD CHECKED BY Date

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SALEM RANGER DISTRICT

PROJECT NAME________Crooked Creek______

Treatment Proposed:

TIMBER - FH |_| ST |_| SH |_| OSR |_| THN |_| SAN |_| UAM |X| IPRC |_|

REFOR/TSI - NR |X| PL |_| SD |_| REL |_| CTR |_|

Opportunity Area 3.4-2__ LSC 500

Compartment _82____ BA _90__

Stand number 20,21,22__ Hab _____ Std. Ac. _16,12,9_ Treated Ac. 6,12,9____ TSD 538 Stocking % ELT 17,11,18__ Slope ____ Year of origin _1938__ SI _60_ (Sp 837__) Vol/Ac/MBF - UAM GSEL _1200 __ IMPR _____

Vol/Ac/MBF - EAM CC ______ ST _____ SW _____ Thin ______ OSR _____

Adv regen survey - yes _ no _ not needed X Current stand condition 1 soil type _________ Current species composition _______

Management Objective: The residual stand will consist mostly of trees with a remaining life expectancy of 20 years or greater. White oak will become more prevalent due to its ability to tolerate more shade thus it is occurring in greater numbers in the younger age classes and also because of its longer life expectancy. Residual stocking will average above C level or 50% stocking level of site capability. (Overstory stocking will generally be capable of utilizing the site resources, except in areas of openings).

Create conditions to favor development of a new age class of shade intolerant tree species including oak and hickories.

Reduce the trend of conversion to shade tolerant species.

Capture hardwood products from mature trees, suppressed trees, and trees with inadequate growing space.

Maintain and encourage a forage component in the stand by allowing more light to the ground.

Increase the potential for mast production by promoting larger tree crowns on younger trees with more fruiting potential.

Maintain or develop fast growth on best trees to avoid stagnation, insect and disease problems and promote larger diameter trees in a shorter time frame.

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Prescribed Treatment: Purposefully create canopy gaps of up to 2 acres in size. Gap creation requires removing all stems over 1 inch DBH. Gaps can occupy up to 10% of the stand, but will average between 2 and 5%. Gaps locations will take advantage of existing conditions such as; advance regeneration, mature trees clumped in a group or in combination with low quality trees.

Between gap openings remove individual trees of sawtimber size that have insufficient room to grow, have suppressed crowns, are mature or high risk or are crowding trees of better quality.

Evaluate need for further treatment after commercial sale. Further treatment would include:

increasing opening size and clearing existing openings by cutting nonmerchantable trees of low quality; cutting logging damaged trees; cutting trees marked for removal but still remaining; and additional tolerant tree removal.

Alternatives Considered: Clear cutting not appropriate at this time due to younger a acceptable tree stocking that need not be regenerated at this time. Shelterwood or seed tree cut for pine regeneration not appropriate as only the high risk and mature trees are the primary concern. The stand condition and the species composition will allow group selection UAM to be successful. Any pine that is present will be left.

Special Coordination Measures:

Visual Wdlf Spec. Hab. Soil Eng Water Tmbr Rec CR Rg.

Harvest Code 153 Sale Designation CTM - Cut Tree Mark

John Bryan 08/02 FIELD CHECKED BY Date

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Environmental Analysis

SALEM RANGER DISTRICT

PROJECT NAME_______Crooked Creek_______________

Treatment Proposed:

TIMBER - FH |_| ST |_| SW |_| OSR |_| THN | | SAN |_| GSEL |_| IPRC

|X|

REFOR/TSI - NR |_| PL |_| SD |_| REL |_| CTR |_|

Opportunity Area 3.4-2__ LSC 500

Compartment _ 83___ BA _120__

Stand number 24,25,28 _ Hab _____ Std. Ac. 26,28,26 Treated Ac. 6,28,6 TSD 329 Stocking % ELT _11,18__ Slope ____ Year of origin _1945__ SI _60_ (Sp 837__) Vol/Ac/MBF - UAM GSEL ___ __ IMPR _1200_ Vol/Ac/MBF - EAM CC ______ ST _____ SW _____ Thin _ __ OSR _____

Adv regen survey - yes _ no _ not needed X Current stand condition 5 soil type _________ Current species composition _______

Management Objective: Improvement Thinning.

Maintain a stocking level of healthy dominant trees that fully utilizes the growing space while allowing for optimum growth on the remaining trees.

Thin high risk and low quality trees competing with healthier trees.

Maintain fast growth on best trees to avoid stagnation, insect and disease problems and promote larger diameter trees in a shorter time frame.

Maintain and encourage a forage component in the stand by allowing more light to the ground. This will also begin to develop a native hardwood/pine understory if an existing undesirable understory is not already present.

Enhance the visual characteristics of the stand by promoting larger trees.

Increase the potential for seed production by promoting larger tree crowns.

Reduce stand stocking by approximately 1/3 by thinning. Avoid gap creation if possible.

Remove the worst and leave the best, bringing stocking down to no less than 50%. Thinning

- 13 -should be carried out across the entire merchantable diameter range. Emphasis is on removing high-risk trees across all merchantable dbh classes.

If present 5 cull live trees over 12 inches DBH will be left per acre along with all defective dead trees.

Evaluate need for further treatment after commercial sale. Further treatment would include:

cutting logging damaged trees; cutting trees marked for removal but still remaining; and additional tolerant tree removal.

Alternatives Considered: Clear cutting not appropriate at this time due to younger acceptable tree stocking that need not be regenerated at this time. Shelterwood or seed tree cut for pine regeneration not appropriate as only over stocking is the primary concern. There will be a minimum of B level stocking in residual trees of acceptable growing stock left after harvest. The most dominant and thrifty pine that is present will be left.

Special Coordination Measures:

Harvest Code 210 Sale Designation: Designate Red Oak Group DC RO + CTM Pine Sawtimber

John Bryan 09/02 FIELD CHECKED BY Date

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