AG-9AB5-S-14-0001_DEFINITION_OF_TERMS.pdf

CONTRACT #: AG-9AB5-S-14-0001 Page 1 of 2 PROJECT: SNF CFLR Eastfork Mastication Project

DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Blister Rust Fungus: A disease occurring in white pines (sugar pine) that girdles branches and eventually kills the tree. Symptoms of this disease will be swelling in the branches and patches of dead needles.

2. Berm: A raised barrier of soil or duff separating two areas that may contribute to the rechanneling of rainfall runoff.

An example of a berm is where the soil is unevenly disturbed by the movement of the equipment tracks.

3. Buffer: An area of untreated vegetation that serves to protect, shield or cushion, such as along the stream side management zone of a draw, creek or river, underneath a mature Black Oak, Incense Cedar 30 inch DBH or larger or along the roadside edge.

4. Conifer: A cone-bearing tree with needles or leaf scales (e.g. pine, fir, cedar). Conifer Plantations are areas that have been planted with conifer seedlings.

5. Created Slash: Debris created from work during this contract, including all treated tops, trunks and branches of trees and shrubs.

6. Crop Tree: A healthy looking, well formed, undamaged tree that will remain in the stand.

7. Cull (Down) Log: A non-utilized log over 18 inches in diameter on the small end, and 10 feet in length.

8. Cut Tree: Tree to be removed from the stand that is not needed to meet spacing and /or leave/crop trees per acre requirements.

9. Damaged Trees (Created): Any damage created by work under this contract which includes stripping or removing of branches, debarking the bole of a crop tree in excess of ¼ of the circumference.

Damaged Trees (Existing): Includes any defect or deformity of a tree resulting from agents such as wind, snow, animals, insects, disease, and equipment. Indicators include dead or broken tops or branches, bark that has been removed extending more than ¼ of the circumference of the tree.

10. D.B.H. (diameter at breast height): The diameter of a tree measured outside the bark at 4 1/2 feet above the ground on the uphill side.

11. Debris: Woody plant material.

12. Dripline/Crown: The tip of the tree’s branches where rain water will drip. The tip of the tree’s branches also identifies the edge of the trees crown.

13. Down Log: All or part of the trunk of a felled tree in various stages of decomposition.

14. Dwarf Mistletoe: A leathery evergreen plant growing as a parasite on trees. Produces long yellowish shoots and causes swells and cankers in the trees stems.

15. Dominant and/or Codominant: A tree displaying greater height and diameter than its closest competitors. A mature dominant and /or codominant tree is also considered as a mature overstory tree.

16. Existing Slash: Debris existing prior to work under this contract, that may, or may not, have been previously windrowed or piled.

17. Excess Trees: A tree other than a crop tree, that shall be removed during the shredding/masticating/mulching thinning process.

18. Fuel Break DFPZ: A wide strip or block of land on which the native vegetation has been or plans to be modified so that fires burning into it can be more readily extinguished.

19. Fuel ladders: An arrangement and volume of vegetation (brush and/or trees) that grows beneath the drip line or whose bole/stem lies within 8 feet from the drip line of a residual overstory tree. This vegetation increases the threat of ignition and spread of fire into the canopy of trees it grows under.

20. Hardwood: A tree with broad leaves rather than needles (e.g. oak, madrone).

21. Machine/Equipment: Boom mounted rotary type mowers/shredders/masticators. (Refer to C.3 (a-e) Contractor

Furnished Equipment).

22. Major Damage: Includes any defect or deformity of a tree resulting from such agents as wind, snow, animals, insects, disease, and equipment, and evidenced by such things as dead or broken tops or trunks, large crooks, and barking extending more than 1/4 of the circumference of the tree.

23. Mapping Boundary: An artificial perimeter established by a series of connecting straight lines, which approximate an average of the irregularities of the unit boundary. The mapping boundary is used in the computation for payment of the enclosed area.

24. Minor Damage: Crooks in the trunk, which are offset less than 3 inches from the long axis and within 13 feet of the ground, and barking of 1/4 or less the circumference of the tree.

25. Natural-Wild Stands: An area of land that consists of an array of natural vegetation such as trees, brush and grass.

The condition and arrangement of these trees and brush are requiring a mechanical thinning treatment. These natural-wild stands have not been treated in recent years.

26. Noxious Weeds: Those plant species designated as noxious weeds by the Secretary of Agriculture or by the responsible State official. The primary species of concern for the project area are: yellow starthistle, medusa head, Klamath weed, bull thistle and Italian thistle. Any plant species designated as noxious by the California Department of Agriculture would be of concern if found in the project area. This list can be viewed at www.cdfa.ca.gov/weedhome.

http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/weedhome

CONTRACT #: AG-9AB5-S-14-0001 Page 2 of 2 PROJECT: SNF CFLR Eastfork Mastication Project

27. Mosaic Design Criteria: An arrangement or design of small to medium size patches/ribbons of untreated understory vegetation in a natural state, consisting of conifers, oaks and a diverse species of brush vegetation, covering no more than 10 percent of the lower profile of the stand. Mosaic patches/ribbons in conifer plantations are approximately 1/10 th acre in size and approximately ¼ acre in size within wildstand treatment areas. These mosaic patches/ribbons must be preserved to maintain stand diversity primarily to provide cover for the Pacific fisher as well as other native wildlife species.

28. Multi-storied stands: A varying-aged forested area that consists of various types of trees that have different ages and heights. These trees are considered either dominate, co-dominate, intermediate, or suppressed.

29. Release: Removal of unwanted vegetation adjacent to a leave tree.

30. Residual: A single tree or shrub/brush or pockets of trees and shrub/brush designated to remain following treatment.

31. Rut: A furrow or sunken track worn into the soil surface, as by the passage of wheels, equipment tracks or by the depression of the cutting head.

32. Screening: A visual barrier consisting of natural vegetation strategically placed parallel to the roadside to maintain habitat concealment for a variety of terrestrial wildlife species including mule deer.

33. Shred/Masticate/Mulch: Created and existing slash which has been treated shall lie in close contact with the soil.

Trees and brush shall be shredded, torn, and broken into narrow strips to 5 feet or less in length.

34. Shrub/brush: A woody plant with no main stem, which may grow higher than 7 feet, commonly called brush. For example: ceanothus, manzanita, and chokecherry.

35. Site Preparation: The mulching/mastication of competing brush, damaged and/or poor vigor small residual conifers by shredding, cutting, and/or chipping to prepare the site for tree planting, while preserving any thrifty crop/leave trees that may be present.

36. Slope Break: The point where the pitch of the slope drastically changes beyond 50 percent.

37. Spacing: The horizontal distance from the trunk of one crop tree to the trunk of the next nearest crop tree.

38. Stump Diameter: The diameter of a tree measured outside the bark at six inches above the ground on the uphill side.

39. Terrace: Any of a series of flat platforms of earth with sloping sides, raising one above the other, mechanically constructed on the contour, as on a hillside with slopes. (The terraces were planted with seedlings on the flat portion of the platforms.)

40. Thinning: The removal of trees in excess of those leave/crop trees to be left for future management.

41. Threatened, Endangered, or Sensitive Plants (TES Plants): Threatened or Endangered Plants are species officially listed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Sensitive plants are those plant species identified by the Regional Forester for which population viability is a concern. Please see the Biological Assessment/Biological Evaluation for TES plants for details (in the project file at the High Sierra Ranger District Office in Prather, CA).

42. Unit: A subdivision of a bid item with a closed perimeter.

43. Unit Boundary: The perimeter of the work unit as indicated by the Forest Service markings at various points along an irregular perimeter. In some instances, the perimeter of the work unit will be defined by roads, drainages, uncut timber stands, natural barriers such as rocks, washouts, or others. Some situations require the exercise of common sense, as it is only possible to mark points along the irregular line.

44. Wildlife Design Criteria: Shrub and understory diversity shall be retained to provide cover for the Pacific fisher in the treatable landscapes between 3,600’ to 6,600’ elevation. The following guidelines shall provide hiding cover utilizing existing vegetation in a natural state.

45. To create diversity in the lower profile of the stand, retain small to medium size mosaic patches/ribbons of untreated understory vegetation consisting of conifers, oaks, dogwood and different species of shrubs, covering no more than 10 percent of the stand and designed to preserve stand diversity while decreasing the threat posed by ladder fuels. Mosaic patches/ribbons in conifer plantations are approximately 1/10 th acre in size and within wild stand treatment areas, approximately ¼ acre in size.

Provide hiding cover and retain the structure underneath the canopy of mature Black Oaks and Incense Cedar trees 30 inch DBH and larger by not treating trees and brush vegetation growing within the canopy. If possible, take advantage of existing visible cavities on 2 to 3 mature Black Oaks per acre. Where no visible cavity is present, select a mature Black Oak with a full dominant crown to reach the 2 to 3 oak per acre requirement.

Do not disturb live trees or dead trees that are leaning (like a ladder) against a mature Black oak or an Incense cedar 30 inch DBH or larger.

46. Windrow: Rows of pushed brush, trees, and debris. The rows are normally on the contour.

47. Work Areas: An area of forestland where the Forest Service has an established fuel break, plantation or natural-wild stands consisting of planted and/or natural conifers. These conifers may be surrounded by various brush species. Competing brush species may impede the conifers growth.