Dealing with Catastrophic Events

Originally published in Trout Mountain Forestry’s Spring/Summer 2019 newsletter

We now understand that climate change means we can expect more severe weather, be it in the form of wind, rain, snow, ice, or drought. This February a “100-year storm” dropped 2 feet or more of heavy wet snow in parts of Lane and Douglas Counties that toppled extensive swaths of timber. Many forest management plans went right out the window, that is unless the owners had given thought ahead of time to how they might address catastrophic events.

A “Natural” Disturbance?

When your timber is damaged by wind, snow, or fire how will you respond? Western forests are adapted to all types of weather, and native forests have in fact been shaped by what foresters call natural disturbance regimes — the characteristic natural forces that shape stand structure. Think frequent low-intensity fire in the intermountain west, or gap creation from high wind gusts at the Coast. We can anticipate that certain natural forces are a regular part of any particular forest region. However, extreme events of any sort can wreak havoc, and chances are such damage will be rapid, unpredicted, and widespread — you will not be the only one considering salvage. 

To Salvage or Not to Salvage?

When a natural disaster strikes loggers will immediately be in high demand, log prices may drop, and timber quality may quickly deteriorate —time is of the essence! You have only a few years before down trees dry out, crack, and become infested with insects or decay. Value quickly declines and logs become unmarketable. With Douglas-fir, this takes 2-3 years, less for true firs, alder, and young trees. Logging costs for salvage are higher than for a typical harvest and may exceed the value of the down timber. A rule of thumb is that 100 MBF is needed for salvage to be economical — or a truck-load of sawlogs per acre or more over 20 acres. Smaller sawlogs and pulpwood are often not economical to recover. The higher costs of cable yarding make the economics even more difficult on steep ground. Industrial timber owners will often choose to cut their losses (no pun intended) and clearcut and regenerate any significantly damaged stands. Recognize that loggers may not be available for small or complicated projects. 

Balancing Values

Weather damage can amount to “nature’s thinning”, improving growing space, creating snags, and contributing down wood and other biological values. Timber value lost may be balanced by habitat gains received for free. Of course, too much down wood may increase fire hazards, lead to damaging insect activity, and contribute to erosion by blocking ditches or culverts. The amount, distribution, location, and species of damaged timber all need to be factored into the equation. 

Preventative Measures

It’s rarely possible to anticipate extreme weather events, but there are things you can do to build resilience into your forest. Encourage more drought-tolerant species on marginal sites. Thin stands early to maintain tree vigor, build stable tree form, and create wind-firm stands over time. Maintain a variety of age classes of trees to help to reduce the risk that your entire property is impacted by any particular disturbance.

Funding Assistance

Federal or State agencies may offer emergency assistance, but in most cases, these are unlikely to be of much help for your forest. However, there may be assistance for repairs to critical infrastructure like roads and livestock fencing, or for fire risk abatement. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA) provide Federal cost-share programs, targeting local needs at the county level. Check with your county offices to see what programs are available in your area.

It is too early to tell what the “new normal” in regional weather will be – new occurrences of extreme weather seem to occur every year. But it’s not too soon to start planning for how to you might respond to future catastrophic events.

Addition 2/18/2021 - Storm Damage information from the Oregon State University Extension office’s “Tree Topics” blog

Wildfire Risk and Recovery

While no amount of fuels treatment or preparation could have stopped the unprecedented wildfires of this September, we are learning more about how to prepare for the eventuality of future fires, and steps in the recovery of impacted forests. We are also gaining new appreciation that Western Oregon forests and communities are as vulnerable to catastrophic losses as our neighbors in California. 

Some simple forest management practices help reduce wildfire risk. Thinning helps maintain tree vigor and reduces moisture stress, especially on harsh sites. Maintaining hardwoods and shrubs helps to fire-proof forests. Developing on-site water sources and having firefighting tools on-the-ready can prove invaluable if a fire threatens. Assess risks and identify resources in a Fire Plan for your forest, and protect critical resources by developing defensible space. Keep roads cleared and access open to aid firefighters. Make sure culverts are adequate and functioning—flash-floods often follow wildfire, threatening your road system and other structures. Coordinate with your neighbors. 

Recovery Resources

OSU Extension recently launched a new Fire Program, hiring four new regional fire specialists. To quickly address the information void, OSU developed the After the Fire webinar series to guide owners in the assessment and recovery process. Timely new research from US Forest Service provides guides to assess post-fire tree mortality probability, summarized in a new ODF fact sheet. USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service have been quick to respond with emergency cost-share reforestation programs. Trout Mountain foresters are helping several owners with wildfire recovery. Contact us for more information, or visit the links below.

OSU Extension Fire Program: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/fire-program

OSU Fire Webinars: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/fire-program/fire-program-online-webinar-guide

ODF Tree Mortality Fact Sheet: https://www.oregon.gov/odf/Documents/forestbenefits/post-fire-tree-mortality.pdf

USFS Post-Fire Tree Assessment: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd814664.pdf

FSA Emergency Forest Restoration: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/disaster-assistance-program/emergency-forest-restoration/index

NRCS: Wildfire Emergency Stabilization: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/or/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=nrcseprd1660818

EQIP Wildfire Reforestation: program in development, contact your local county NRCS office

NW Forest Plan Update: Marbled Murrelets

A follow-up from the Science Synthesis:

"In Washington, the marbled murrelet population declined by 4.6 percent annually from 2001 to 2013; a cumulative decline over 10 years of 37.6 percent. Populations had no detectable trends in Oregon and California."

Main Points From the Marbled Murrelet Chapter

• The assumptions of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP, or Plan) remain relevant for marbled murrelet conservation. 
• Large late-successional reserves (LSRs) in moist coastal forests have successfully protected nesting habitat for the marbled murrelet in the short term. It would be important to evaluate any possible changes to the LSR system against the likelihood of adversely affecting murrelets.
• A long-term goal of the NWFP is to create more nesting habitat than existed on federal lands in 1994. Trends indicated that progress is being made toward this goal.
• Uncertainties remain around the effects of climate change on the murrelet's marine prey and nesting habitat. Future management and design of reserves will benefit from accounting for the anticipated effects of climate change.

Population Trends

• Murrelet populations remain at risk, but protections appear to have helped stabilize populations in some areas
• Based on population monitoring done at sea, the total murrelet population for the NWFP area is roughly 20,000 birds. This includes those nesting on federal as well as nonfederal lands. Population estimates are highly variable from year to year and have fairly wide 95% confidence intervals, averaging about ± 22 percent for estimates at the NWFP scale.
• Based on trend analyses summarized over the three states, murrelet populations may have been stable or nondeclining in Oregon and northern California since monitoring began in 2000, but have declined substantially in Washington from 2001 to 2015.
• Threats to population persistence includes loss of nesting habitat, poor recruitment of young owing primarily to nest depredation by jays and crows, and changes in prey abundance and quality in the marine environment. These changes in prey could be in response to climate change or other human-caused disturbances in the marine environment.

NW Forest Plan Update: Synthesis added

No legislation has had such sweeping impacts on Federal forest management in Oregon as the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP). Put in place by the Clinton Administration in response to the overharvesting of old-growth and the subsequent negative impacts to species such as the Northern Spotted Owl, the NWFP attempted to balance the ecological needs of threatened and endangered species while simultaneously providing a sustainable source of timber. It remains controversial to many, with some clamoring for greater protections for wildlife habitat, and others advocating for increased timber harvesting to support rural communities and local jobs.

On June 26th, several Trout Mountain foresters attended a livestream webinar sponsored by the Forest Service which unveiled a peer-reviewed synthesis of research and monitoring reports spanning the last 20 years. This synthesis will inform upcoming forest plan revisions for 17 national forests, which combined with 7 Bureau of Land Management districts encompasses approximately 24-million acres in Western Washington, Western Oregon, and Northern California. Most of the Forest Service plans have not been revised since the NWFP was enacted over twenty years ago.

A wide range of topics were covered, addressing such issues as climate change, threatened and endangered species, late-successional habitat, and environmental justice. Some of the key points made by the presenting scientists included the need for more active management of Late Successional Reserves (LSR’s), as well as potentially reclassifying some LSR designations. Concerning salmonid species, it was recognized that most of the productive salmonid habitat was located downstream from national forest lands, emphasizing the need for public/private partnerships. Despite the fact that late-successional habitat has been conserved within the NWFP area, Northern Spotted Owl populations have declined over the past 20 years by ~30-70%. This has been largely due to competition from barred owls, loss of habitat from fire, and past or current (private lands) logging practices. Marbled Murrelets, another endangered species linked to the NWFP have retained a stable population [in Oregon and California, see more information here]. Finally, the synthesis recognized the dramatic uptick of people using the national forest system for recreation, as well as various northwestern tribes, minorities, and low-income populations.

A link to the Forest Service Science Synthesis containing the report as well as other useful information can be found at https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/research/science-synthesis/

Tethered Logging: A Steep Slope Option

We’ve been hearing a lot about tethered logging systems at Trout Mountain Forestry, so we decided it was time to check out an operation. Brent Klumph, Timber Manager for Oregon State University’s forest management program was kind enough to invite us out for a tour of an active harvest that is utilizing this type of technology on OSU’s McDonald Dunn Forest outside of Corvallis.

Tethered logging systems are not new, having been utilized in New Zealand on the steep (and similar) terrain there. The systems themselves aren’t utilizing any dramatically new technology either. In tethered systems, a winch has been fitted to the back of a piece of equipment such as a harvester or a forwarder. The winch then allows that piece of equipment to access 40%+ slopes by tying itself off to an anchor point and lowering itself down or climbing up a hillside. If a slope “breaks away” in a different direction from the original descent line, the operator would then anchor off to a 2nd anchor point to be able to lower themselves down the new slope’s fall line.

Like a more traditional ground-based harvest, protection of skid trails and corridors from compaction remains a potential concern and can even be amplified on steeper slopes. Depending upon the time of year and the type of logging (whole tree vs. cut-to-length for example), there may not be enough slash available to place in the corridors for the machines to travel upon.

Economics are a big consideration, of course, especially in thinning work. The stand must be at a certain age and condition to make the harvest viable, and these systems aren’t cheap. That said, the ability to thin on steep ground had been limited to more conventional cable thinning in the past, which comes with its own set of constraints (logging crew size needed, increased exposure for the ground crew, associated cost of a larger crew, etc.). When OSU ran the numbers on the harvest that we visited, they found that they were saving money over using a cable thinning operation, and actually had better utilization of their wood. Due to the added flexibility and maneuverability of the tethered logging system, they were even able to retain more trees than they would have through a cable thinning.

A big drawback right now is that there is currently only one operator with this type of equipment in the state. Although that operator has thirteen “sides” (thirteen harvester/forester combos), they are in high demand and are difficult to schedule less than a few years out, especially during fire season. This could perhaps change if other operators decide to invest in this style of equipment. Though tethered logging systems may not be a silver bullet for steep slope harvesting, we do see the potential for this technology to expand our management options in rugged terrain. In that sense, it is exciting to have another “arrow in the quiver” to help us accomplish our clients’ forest management objectives.

Forwarder on level ground

New Streamside Buffer Rules

Last month, a modification of the Oregon Forest Practices Act’s (FPA) stream buffer rules went into effect. Below is a brief discussion summarizing the new regulations, and how it may affect Trout Mountain Forestry clients.

The main change to the current FPA was the creation of a subset of fish-bearing streams. This subset is known as the Salmon, Steelhead, and Bull Trout (SSBT) category. This means that for any small or medium sized fish-bearing stream on a property (or in some cases adjacent to a property) that is known to have salmon, steelhead, or bull trout, the changes in the table above on the right-hand column will be applicable.

The new rules aim to better protect salmon, steelhead, and bull trout by increasing the riparian buffers, increasing the basal area to be retained, and requiring the “well-distributed” spacing of residual trees, among other things. Hardwoods can now be counted for residual trees as well. All of these steps are meant to put more shade on the stream, cooling the water for fish.

One potential problem comes with the north-side stream buffer option. In the new ruling, if an SSBT stream flows within ±30° of an easterly/westerly direction, and flows for at least 200’, the buffer on the north side of the stream may be reduced to 40’. This is because the trees on the north side of the stream are not providing shade to the stream. The problem of course comes with the concept of sinuosity, or the natural curves of a stream. In the northside buffer scenario, consider the following:

In the diagram above, which buffer takes precedence over the other? The 40’ or the 80’? At the time of the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) training, officials did not have an answer.

A concern for landowners and practitioners alike is the increased workload for the already understaffed stewardship foresters of ODF. Under the new ruling, the ODF forester will need to come out to each operation, measuring and recording the lengths of stream reaches impacted, the proposed residual basal area in the riparian zone, and the live tree count to insure compliance. Due to the seasonality of working in the woods here in Oregon, this process could create a bottleneck for getting projects approved and running before the rains return.

Several components of the new ruling are meant to provide flexibility. A relief clause for smaller landowners was worked into the new rules. In essence, if buffers created by the new ruling impact more than 8% of the landowner’s total forestland, that landowner is entitled to a reduced riparian buffer or reduced basal area targets and live tree requirements. Additionally, if a landowner or forester has an alternate prescription that meets or exceeds the protection of the resource in the opinion of the ODF stewardship forester, they may submit it in writing for approval.

In closing, it remains to be seen how practical implementation will be for landowners and operators, or if they will simply avoid managing the riparian zones altogether due to the increased red tape. While this discussion has been focused on the changes and challenges to implementation, it also remains to be seen if these improvements will actually benefit salmon, steelhead, and bull trout. For that, only time will tell.

For more information on the FPA, as well as additional resources, please refer to: http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/Working/Pages/FPA.aspx

11th Annual 'Run for the Hills' Benefit

Trout Mountain Forestry is pleased to sponsor Greenbelt Land Trust's 11th annual Run for the Hills benefit race taking place on Saturday, June 10, 2017.

This event features 30K and 8K trail runs, a 2-mile run/walk, and a 1/4-mile kids fun run. Proceeds benefit Greenbelt Land Trust's Trails Fund to help maintain and enhance the public trail systems in the Corvallis area. Over $50,000 has been raised in the last eight years through this benefit, with a portion of these proceeds directed towards trail maintenance at Bald Hill and for the construction of the new Mulkey Creek to Fitton Green trail. 

Registration is now open online. For more information about this race, visit gltrunforthehills.com

Canadian softwood tariff

Steps have been taken by the Trump Administration to impose a new 20% tariff on Canadian softwood lumber coming into the U.S. These steps are the culmination of complaints that have been levied at Canadian lumber producers and exporters for years. The Department of Commerce determined last week (at least preliminarily) that the Canadian government subsidizes their timber industry through the way that timber is harvested there. A second investigation is underway to determine if allegations of past Canadian “dumping” of subsidized lumber on U.S. markets has hurt the U.S. timber industry in the past.

In Canada, timber companies can harvest on Crown lands by paying a fee to the government, while harvesting in the U.S. has been largely relegated to private lands since the early 1990’s. This “subsidy” has allegedly allowed the Canadians to sell lumber in the United States at a lower cost than domestically produced lumber, causing many here in the U.S. to cry foul.

A protective tariff on Canadian softwood lumber is meant to shift demand to domestic sources. This would theoretically benefit family forestland producers, loggers and foresters, mills, etc. here in the Northwest. However, the National Association of Homebuilders is claiming that the tariff will increase the cost of housing construction, hurting their industry and making it harder for home buyers to get financing.

While we have seen steady to modest increases for log prices even before the announcement of the new tariff, it is still too early to see if and just how much the anticipated higher log prices will benefit our clients here in Oregon and Washington.

Northwest forest study aims to examine various management treatments

A recent proposal filed jointly by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the University of Washington (UW) announced a new forest management study set to occur on the Olympic Peninsula. The study aims to experiment with various forest management treatments within the 270,000-acre Olympic Experimental State Forest which is owned and managed by DNR. What is interesting about this study is the scale of it- covering approximately 21,000 acres of land over 16 watersheds. Criticism of ecologically-based forest management in the past has been in part due to issues of scale. This study, if approved, would attempt to provide relevant data illustrating just how profitable various silvicultural techniques may actually be when stacked side by side and considering ecological and social factors.

Besides helping gain a better understanding into the economics of various forest management approaches, the experiment may also be useful for state and federal land managers in the broader region. DNR is charged with managing forests for a variety of interests, notwithstanding endangered species and rural communities (the latter having been historical beneficiaries of timber tax revenue). Given the recent controversies here in Oregon swirling around the proposed sale of the Elliott State Forest and our O&C lands management, testing solutions that appease seemingly opposed groups of stakeholders may provide valuable insights.

The experiments themselves aim to test four different treatments which vary in intensity and spatial arrangement. Silvicultural treatments include different types of variable density harvests and thinnings, similar to those that Trout Mountain Forestry utilizes for our clients. The study plans to experiment with more alder interplanting and management, testing of wind firmness of residual trees, as well as utilizing hardwoods to increase nutrient loads to salmon-bearing streams (among other things).

While the first treatments may not occur until as early as 2018, the prospect of such a wide-reaching and relevant experiment to the work that we currently do here at Trout Mountain Forestry is exciting.

View fullsize

Variable density harvest in a coastal hemlock forest, managed by Trout Mountain Forestry

Record December rains challenge forest roads

Fill slope erosion where the culvert was blocked with soil and debris washed downstream by the record December rains. 

December 2015 saw some serious rainfall and storm events, far exceeding the previous record for precipitation in that month, and with that record rainfall came some major challenges to forest road infrastructure in northwest Oregon. During the most intense periods of rainfall, small landslides were a common occurrence on steep slopes, particularly where high cut-banks along roads became saturated. As small headwater streams became raging torrents, they sometimes overwhelmed culverts at stream crossings, particularly where soil and rock were being carried downstream and filling catch-basins. In such situations, the downhill side of the road fill is very vulnerable to erosion as the stream is flowing across the road and finding its way down the other side. Seen here is a picture of such a situation in the North Tualatin Mountains, west of Portland. 

Of course, no one knows what the rest of the winter and spring holds in store for us, but the break in heavy rain we are experiencing now (minus the snow and ice) presents a good opportunity to get out and survey forest roads and culverts for damage and assess whether maintenance is needed to keep them functioning properly for the remainder of our rainy season. 

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Watershed Tour

Watershed Tour A Feast For Tree Lovers

Excerpt from  JAMES DAY Corvallis Gazette-Times

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Stop 1 included a new wrinkle for the tour, now in its ninth year. A short trail was carved off to the side of a rutted forest road to get participants closer to some of the forest’s older trees. The ground was crunchy and mulchy, with a fat slug perched on dead wood and black-and-yellow millipedes moseying about among the moss.

As the tour moved down the ridge Charlie Bruce of the watershed board spotted a bald eagle flying overhead. Mark Miller of Trout Mountain Forestry, which manages the watershed for the city, pointed in the direction of the bird’s nest … then talked some more about the forest.

“Our stewardship plan calls for three types of forests: middle-aged, plantation and old growth and older,” Miller said, while pointing toward a 180-year-old Douglas fir, the oldest tree in this stand.

“We have some trees that are 300 to 500 years old, but you only get one or two of those per acre.”

The city has been receiving drinking water from the area since 1906, but it wasn’t until after the start of the 21st century that the city put a plan in place to manage the forest. Miller notes that the first harvesting of trees took place in the 1920s and 1930s, “with the practices of the time: clear-cutting.”

“Our goal is forest health and resiliency from fire, wind, insects and disease,” Miller said. “Without a forest we don’t have good water quality. And a healthy forest needs timber harvests.”

Read the entire article at the Corvallis Gazette-Times