Attachment 7 - Cruise Plan_Bell Hollow.pdf

Bell Hollow– 70454 TIMBER

SALE PREPARATION 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 instructions 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 10 acres in size with the cave being in center of area. This is a circle having a radius of 372 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 it is 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.

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 Sawtimber/Miscellaneous Convertibles

• 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 sawtimber as well as oak misc. convertibles.

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.

Pine Post

• Determine the merchantable height of the tree in feet; the cutoff point is 4.0”. A pine post has to have an 8 foot product and be 90 sound and reasonable straight.

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

Bell Hollow Timber Sale has a layout acreage of 413 acres. From past timber sales in the area it is estimated the sale volume would be 7 CCF/acre. At this volume per acre approximately 2891 CCF would be removed from the sale. Using an average base price of $70/CCF (the base price is an average between oak sawtimber and oak misc.

convertibles) the estimated value of the sale is $202,370.00 A 10% 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 1:100 for Stratum 1 Sample Group 1. A sampling interval of 1:100 will be used for Stratum 1 Sample Group 2. A sample interval of 1:25 for stratum 2 sample group 3. A sample interval of 1:100 for stratum 2 sample group 4.

It is very critical that it is the 100th tree to get a true random sample. In other words, if you come to your 100th 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:

1st = card line number 2nd = 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 payment unit, 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. Below is a breakdown of the tally card.

FOREST –05 DISTRICT – 07 SALE NUMBER - 70454

P.U. NO. – Payment unit that is currently being cruised.

DATE – Date the unit was started

SALE NAME – Bell Hollow

CRUISER – Cruiser’s initials and a designated cruiser number.

PAINT BRAND – LHB

BATCH NO. – Lot# printed on paint can

COLOR – Color of paint being used to mark the payment unit.

Stratum and Sample Group – For each tally tree the appropriate stratum and sample group code for each product shall be entered. Refer to table 1 below for codes.

Tree Count – This is the number of trees that a tally tree represents. For example: If a person marks 325 oak sawtimber within a payment unit and a sample interval of 1:100 is being used for this sample group, three of the tally trees will represent 100 trees and the fourth tree will represent 25 trees.

Species – For each tally tree the appropriate species code shall be entered. The primary species codes are located at the bottom of each tally card and include:

110-Shortleaf Pine, 802-White Oak, 806-Scarlet Oak, 835-Post Oak, 837-Black Oak, 403-Hickory (this code represents Hickory spp)

DBH – (Diameter at Breast Height). The DBH is found on the uphill side of a tree at 4.5 feet (54") and will be measured to the nearest tenth inch.

Sawlog Height – This height will be measured for sawtimber and miscellaneous convertible trees. The height will be measured in feet, and end at a cutoff point of 7.6" diameter inside bark (DIB) or a natural stopper, such as a fork or collection of limbs where there is not a merchantable 8’ foot product above the stopper. This means the small end of your top log will generally be at least 7.6 inches inside diameter.

Non-Saw Height – This height will be measured for all sample groups. The height will be measured in feet, and end at a cutoff point of 4” diameter or to the very tip of the tree for the total height. Ensure non-saw heights are recorded in the correct column on the tally card so as to not mis-represent the height and respective tree volume.

Defect - Determine what percentage of the tree is not merchantable and record it for each applicable height. The first 8-foot should be sounded with a hammer and beyond that visual indicators should be used to figure out what parts of the tree are not merchantable.

Live/Dead – Record if the tree is alive or dead. Dead trees must meet the same utilization standards as green trees. 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.

Cutting Card Instructions:

After the completion of each payment unit, the marking section for that payment unit’s cutting card should be filled out. All areas of concern for contract and appraisal purposes should be included such as power lines, buried utility cable, fences, stream courses, springs, seeps, sinkholes, current access, access issues, trash dumps, culvert needs, significant mud holes, marking corrections, etc.

STRATUM GROUPS AND TALLY INTERVALS (Table 1)

Bell Hollow Sale

Stratum Sample Group

Products Tally

Interval

Species

Tree Size

Payment Units

Hardwood Sawtimber

1:100

403, 802, 806, 833, 835, 837

11.0" +

All

Hardwood Misc.

Conv.

403, 802, 806, 833, 835, 837

9.0" -10.9"

All

2 3 Pine Saw 1:25

110 11.0” + All

2 4 Pine Posts

110 5.0” -10.9” All

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)

7.6 8 4.0 90% sound 3/, and reasonably straight 4/

Pine Pulpwood (Topwood)

7.6 8 4.0 100% sound 3/, and reasonably straight 4/

Hardwood Post 5.0 8 4.0 90% sound and reasonably straight Pine Post 5.0 8 4.0 100% sound and reasonably straight Cedar Post 4.0 7 3.0 90% 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.

Compartment/Stand Prescription Acres Paint Color

1 84/10 & 11 Salvage 42

84/14 Salvage 19

3 84/19 Sanitation 30

4 107/1 & 84/24 Sanitation 49

5 107/4 Salvage 11

107/3 Sanitation 29

7 107/16 & 17 Salvage 18

8 107/14 & 15 Salvage 14

9 107/5 & 6 Salvage 17

10 107/12 Salvage 26

11 107/9 Salvage 18

12 106/9 & 10 Sanitation 52

13 106/ 5, 6 & 8 Salvage 43

14 106/1 & 4 Salvage 45

Detailed prescriptions are attached

MARKING GUIDE: Payment Units 1-14

Name of Treatment – Sanitation

- Salvage

Residual BA

Variable

Q-Factor- NA

Traversed Acres – 413

Species Priority

• All merchantable live 9” DBH or larger and all live and dead 11” DBH or larger merchantable Scarlet/Black/ Red oak will be designated (Dx-spp) for harvest with chalk. Standing dead oak must meet minimum utilization standards just like live trees.

• CTM (Cut Tree Mark) suppressed and over stocked white oak, post oak, hickory and short leaf pine to be cut with 2 paint slashes at eye level on opposite sides and two stump marks.

• Thin pockets heavily stocked with white oak to approximately 50 BA, CTM most overtopped and suppressed white oak. (Suppressed trees may be left if they are in a canopy gap)

• Thin pockets heavily stocked with short leaf pine to approximately 60-80 BA, CTM most overtopped and suppressed pine. (Suppressed trees may be left if they are in a canopy gap) Payment units 1 & 2 have approximately 6 acres of overstocked pine in the middle along the ridge.

• In all silvicultural treatments, relic old growth tree specimens (e.g. post oak, white oak) will be left as they are key structural elements of the on-site natural communities

DESIGN CRITERIA AND MITIGATION MEASURES

Soil/Watershed

Drains have been partially buffered by layout crew. Additional trees may need to be left not marked in interior drains if sufficient scouring is observed

Wildlife

• Leave some den trees.

Visual -None

• None

UTILIZATION STANDARDS: