Operation Type: Timber Sale

County: Coos

Land Management Classification: General Stewardship

Operation Type: Commercial Thinning

Acres: 260 Basin: 9,10 Target Harvest Age: 80

Report Prepared by: Norma Kline

I. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION AREA: This operation is a two unit commercial thinning sale. It is located in the Tyee Core Area and has steep and dissected topography typical of this area. The soil types consists of the Valino, Forna, Flournoy and Noah series. Slopes are mostly over 55%. The Forna series may have a higher than normal slide hazard on precipitous slopes and is moderately susceptible to windthrow. The Valino series has an average slide hazard and may be moderately susceptible to windthrow. The Flournoy series is windfirm but susceptible to compaction when wet. The Noah series is associated with benches. It is wind firm, but compaction can result from winter tractor logging. Many streams within the Tyee formation have extended reaches of bare bedrock. See Section IX for additional details

II. CURRENT STAND CONDITION: These units are well stocked with plantation grown Douglas-fir approximately 35 years old.

III. DESIRED STAND CONDITION. The purpose of plantation thinning sales is to manage the density of young-planted stands. Thinning assures that the levels of stocking are maintained to provide for effective use of the site by the trees while preventing the overstocking of the site. Proper stocking levels help provide for good forest health and allow trees to progress more quickly towards mature and diverse stand characteristics that may be important to wildlife. As tree stands or plantations grow larger, they naturally begin to over stock the site and shade out understory vegetation that the wildlife depends upon. Thinning provides for increased sunlight conditions in the understory that will allow for increased numbers of species to grow in the otherwise deeply shaded understory. Thinning also provides an earlier economic return on investments in tree planting, site preparation, and brush control.

IV. PROPOSED MANAGEMENT PRESCRIPTION: To help promote biological diversity, measures will be taken to maintain or create certain stand components that will diversify the structural features in these areas. Stands within the sale area will be thinned using an automark system in which cutters select trees in accordance with unit specifications for residual stocking and average diameter. Relative densities (RD) will be reduced to between 25 and 35. RD numbers shown in the table in Section II are average densities and are increasing at a rate of 2 to 3 units per year. In general, these stands will range in RD from 40 to 60 at actual time of thinning. Residual stocking is expected to range from 100 to 140 trees per acre and a residual basal area from 100 to 120 square feet per acre. Final specifications are developed after cruising data are gathered during the sale preparation process. All existing mature or old growth trees within the sale area will be reserved from cutting.

Timber/Revenue Information –

Sale Type: Cash Recovery __X___

Fund: BOF _40_ % CSF 60 %

Volume: Conifer 1.3 MMBF Hardwood .01 MMBF

Planned Quarter: 4

Estimated Gross Value: $210,000

Project Costs: $35,000

Estimated Net Value: $175,000

VI. ROADS AND OTHER PROJECTS: The main access points to the sale areas are the STATE maintained 2000 road and the 0503 road. The 2000 road is a commonly used road and will be left open for year round traffic. The 0503 road involves a low water crossing on the West Fork Millicoma. After log hauling each year, the spurs into the sale area will be water barred and blocked to all traffic except for ATV access needed for management access. The low water crossing will require decommissioning at the end of sale. An ODFW biologist will be consulted with respect to repair and use of the low water crossing on the West Fork of the Millicoma River. The existing crossing consists of bed rock and a cement and culvert structure. An existing log stringer road suppport structure needs to be replaced due to rot. No new road construction is planned on any high risk site. Project work will be done during the dry season. Any excavated material from project work will be disposed of onto stable locations.

VII. AQUATIC RESOURCES AND WATER QUALITY: The sale area is within the West Fork Millicoma watershed. There are a number of small type N streams bisecting the sale areas. Unit I has a small type F stream in the southern portion, this unit also borders the West Fork of the Millicoma on its southern boundary. Area II has a small unknown type stream within its boundaries which will be buffered as if it were a Type F stream with a 100 foot slope distance no timber removal buffer unless subsequent survey shows this stream to be other than Type F. Vegetation along the streams are similar to the 35 year old timber in the sale area, but somewhat sparser because of underlying bedrock and shallow soil. Classification of known streams have been or will be made by on the ground examinations and by stream class designations by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Cable layouts through or over the buffer strips are needed to provide for adequate suspension of logs. To protect water quality, full suspension cable logging will be required over the type F and perennial type N streams where possible and single end suspension will be required over the rest of the unit. In addition, all road construction will be done during the dry season and excavated material will be deposited on stable slope locations. Areas of bare soil associated with project work will be grass seeded when operations are completed. An existing low water crossing on the West Fork of the Millicoma River will be need to be used.

VIII. T&E SPECIES CONSIDERATIONS: This sale is planned under the standards of the Elliott State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan which protects the major threatened or endangered species in the Elliott State Forest. The specific measures are as follows:

Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) - There are no spotted owl activity centers near this sale

Marbled Murrelet - This stand does not contain habitat for Marbled Murrelet. By thinning this stand, late successional characteristics can be achieved at a younger age. Portions of Unit I are within a quarter mile of the Schumacher Marbled Murrelet Management Area. The northeast portion of Unit II is within the Henry’s Bend Marbled Murrelet Management Area and the remaining portions are within the quarter mile buffer. These areas will require seasonal operating restrictions to avoid disturbance of possible nesting murrelets. A modification of our normal seasonal restrictions will be needed to enable use of an existing low water crossing on the West Fork of the Millicoma River during the low water season. This unit will be reviewed on the ground in mid-March 2002 with ODF Biologist Marcia Humes for determination of seasonal restriction modification and thinning prescription development.

Fragmentation - No fragmentation of mature habitat will result from this thinning harvest.

Salmon and Steelhead. - Units I and II have tributaries to type F streams used by Salmon and Steelhead, these tributaries will be buffered. For a discussion of protection measures for listed fish, see section VI, VII, IX and XVII of this report.

Bald Eagle, Other: - There are no bald eagles or other listed animal species in the vicinity of this sale.

Plants. - There are no known threatened or endangered plants in this unit. The prospect for finding threatened or endangered plants is minimal in the Elliott except for certain small niche habitats. This area will be checked for niche habitats. Follow up examination of niche habitat will be done in the spring when flowers are available to provide the best opportunity for identification

IX. SLOPE STABILITY AND GEOTECHNICAL ISSUES: The sale areas are mostly in a high risk areas with possibilities of high risk sites. It is thought that thinning, which maintains canopy cover and fine root distribution does not exacerbate the rate of debris flow initiation. Preliminary Geo Technical Review indicates the following:

1. Portions of the thin have map measured slopes of 60% or greater.
2. Probability of hypothetical slope failure to enter channel: High.
3. Probability of hypothetical slope failure to become a channelized debris flow: High.

1. Portions of the thin have map measured slopes of 60% or greater.
2. Probability of hypothetical slope failure to enter channel: High.
3. Probability of hypothetical slope failure to become a channelized debris flow: High.

Measures planned to protect stream resources include no new road construction on steep ground, seasonal restrictions, safe disposal of excavated materials, single end and full suspension of logs, and ODFW consultation for stream crossing development.

X. RECREATION RESOURCES: The most common recreation type for this area is hunting and dispersed, undeveloped recreation. Harvesting this unit will help maintain forage area, as older forage areas grow into tree types. Forage acreage maintenance promotes healthy deer and elk populations for suitable hunting opportunities. In addition, areas of bare soil around road edges and landings will be grass seeded after logging to provide forage. Surrounding forest types provide escape cover. No conflict is seen with respect to the undeveloped, dispersed recreation usage of the forest.

XI. CULTURAL RESOURCES: There are no cultural sites associate with this sale.

XII. SCENIC RESOURCES: This unit is not typed within any scenic management area. There are no scenic management constraints for this sale.

Forage Release - The residual thinned stands will support an increased variety of ground cover and under story components because of increased light. The resulting stand would improve habitat and forage for ungulate and other non-game species.

Snag Retention - Felling of snags within the unit will be allowed only if necessary to provide for safety of work crews. There are very few snags within the sale units and most are too small to have much value to wildlife. Trees that become damaged during the yarding process may be left as snags.

Group Selection - For every 20 acres thinned, one acre of timber will be group selection harvested to provide areas of forage and to help promote a multi-layer canopy structure. The sale area will have approximately 12 acres harvested in group selections. Group selection areas may contain some residual trees reserved from harvest. Selection of areas will be done during the sale preparation process and can include pockets of diseased trees.

Reforestation - Planting of shade tolerant species will be planned for certain larger group selection harvest areas. Group selection cuts will increase the mix of tree species within the sale area.

Snag Retention .- Existing snags within the sale area will be left, with the exception of those that endanger work crews.

XIV ACCESS: All legal access to the sale area is secured.

XV. PROPERTY LINES. No property lines are involved with this sale.

XVI. INSECT AND DISEASE PROBLEMS: No significant insect or disease problems have been identified in this stand thus far due to favorable climate and moisture and moderate stocking levels.

XVII. LOGGING METHOD: Harvesting will be a combination of ground based and cable yarding systems. In cable yarding areas, full suspension will be required over stream channels and any high risk sites as feasible. Single end suspension will be required on the rest of the cable areas. Portions of the units with gentler slopes may be tractor yarded when soil moisture is low and approved in the sale operations.