Enhanced Forest Management Pilot Project

Enhanced Forest Management Pilot Project

Proposal for Year 2002–2003

efmpp proposal for year 2001-2002page 1

Introduction

The original project objective for the EFMPP in TFL 39, Block 2 was to develop a spatial silviculture investment strategy focused on mitigating impacts of spatial regulatory constraints. This was predicated on using clearcutting as the dominant silvicultural system. Spatial analysis of the pinch-points and gaps in finding the assigned (aspatial) harvest on the landscape was conducted in the Adam/Eve landscape unit. Based on this analysis, a three-part silvicultural investment strategy was developed to address these spatial problems—the Spatial Silviculture Investment Plan (SSIP).

Subsequent to this the former MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. proposed adoption of the Forest Project recommendations to shift its harvest and silviculture systems from clearcutting to variable retention—distributed within a framework of Stewardship Zones across all its tenures. In addition, the North Island Woodlands operating division (responsible for the Pilot Project area) became the first in the world to achieve CSA Sustainable Forest Management certification, in part due to the work conducted in the Pilot.

On November 1, 1999, MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. merged with Weyerhaeuser. The former MacMillan Bloedel, Solid Wood Group, including the TFL 39, Block 2 North Island Woodlands Operation, became Weyerhaeuser, B.C. Coastal Group. Weyerhaeuser has formally accepted the objectives and strategies of the Forest Project. In order to support this shift in forest management direction, the EFMPP objectives and activities in 1999–2000 were realigned with the objectives of the Forest Project.

During 1999–2000 the following was either completed or initiated:

Blocking and scheduling [completed]

VR assignment and stewardship zone representation integrated into scheduling tool [completed]

Aspatial TS analysis—set AAC target [completed]

Adaptive Management and Monitoring Framework documents [completed]

VR and Remnant patch surveys of structural attributes [completed]

Breeding bird census and Hawk and Owl nest survey [completed]

Amphibian dispersal study [completed]

Riparian restoration treatments from the SSIP implemented on 150 ha on the Eve River [completed]

Spatial timber and habitat analysis for Timber Stewardship Zones (Salmon and Adam/Eve) [initiated]

The proposal below highlights the Forest Project objectives and provides an outline for continuing Pilot Project investment in Forecasting Impacts and Adaptive Management and Monitoring. The Enhanced Forest Management Pilot Project can provide a unique contribution to implementation and certification of variable retention and zoning in BC coastal forests in the areas of spatial planning, harvest and biodiversity impact forecasting, and adaptive management and monitoring.

Forest Project- Goals, Strategy, and Tactics

The Forest Project is an initiative of Weyerhaeuser, BC Coastal Group to phase out clearcutting over five years and replace it with variable retention silvicultural systems. The following outlines the goals, strategies and tactics that form the basis for the implementation plan for the Forest Project:

Goals

Retain future options

Maintain economic opportunities

Sustain healthy and productive ecosystems

Ensure no species loss

Strategy

Retention of biological legacies in harvest areas

Use vertebrate species habitat needs as a pragmatic, interim surrogate for identifying key biological legacies

Tactic

Stewardship zoning with disparate objectives and systems/retention levels linked to landscape objectives

Phase-out clearcutting over 5 years

Adopt variable retention (VR) harvest systems focused on retention of key biological legacies

2002/03 Pilot Project Work Plan

Forecasting Impacts

1)Develop a business case for Old Growth restoration. The framework will include proposed silvicultural treatments for Old Growth recruitment, an evaluation of their biological impacts and forecast of the growth and yield component. These will be combined into a socio-economic impact analysis in support of the business case.

2)Develop a new modeling approach that is linked to the Adaptive Management and monitoring framework in a way that allows the components of the model to be tested with the data from the monitoring program. During this development process identify knowledge gaps and use those to guide the fine filter pilot programs.

3)Develop a stand and landscape visualization-modeling framework that will allow for convenient and informative portrayal of spatial forest management scenarios.

Monitoring and Adaptive Management

1)Finalize the Adaptive Management Framework and develop an implementation strategy for operational and experimental monitoring. An Adaptive Management Working Group has been established to develop monitoring protocols, identify criteria and indicators linked to Forest Project objectives, a strategy for sampling, and an adaptive management framework for incorporating the monitoring results into modification of management practices. Below is a short description of the proposed approach.

Introduction

To gain social license for its forest practices Weyerhaeuser, BC Coastal Group embarked on a plan to improve environmental and economic performance. Several policies and practices, based on a review of current ecological knowledge, have been established to accomplish the ecological objectives of the Forest Project. To allow large-scale heterogeneity and large areas of old growth, the company established three stewardship zones: the old growth zone, habitat zone, and timber zone (in order of increasing management activity and forest retention). Clearcutting will be replaced with variable retention silvicultural systems that maintain key structural elements and landscape patterns important for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function.

Biodiversity Objectives

One of the goals of the new approach to forest management that Weyerhaeuser (formerly MacMillan Bloedel) has initiated is to sustain native biological diversity within Weyerhaeuser’s (formerly MacMillan Bloedel) tenure. Tactics to attain that goal include zoning the nature and intensity of forest practices. In order of increasing levels of fiber extraction, there are three zones: Old Growth zone, Habitat zone, and Timber zone.

Key environmental objectives include maintaining biological diversity and preserving ecosystem function. The key economic objective is to obtain positive returns on investment from the managed landbase. The company intends to sustain healthy, biologically diverse forests to ensure economic prosperity in the future.

Adaptive Management Framework

Consistent with the Forest Project objective of Certification of Weyerhaeuser forest operations, we are proposing to use a criterion and indicator approach to assessing achievement of biological objectives (Appendix 1). Based on the work of Hollings and Walter we also propose to apply this assessment approach in a framework of active and passive adaptive management at the stand and landscape level. We feel it is essential that information gathered in this process be used in a forecast-verify-modify process using spatial models linked to monitoring programs and management action thresholds. This will form the core of the Weyerhaeuser adaptive management and monitoring program that will be in place at the end of the five-year phase-in period (2004).

The following outlines the framework and key questions in more detail.

Compliance vs. Effectiveness

Did we do what we said we would do?

Currently the company has initiated an operations-wide survey of variable retention settings to evaluate the following compliance questions:

• Tracking 20% per year?
• Retention levels above zone minimums?
• Patch size and spatial distribution?
• Key attributes as biological control points?

Did it achieve the objectives?

The primary focus of the Adaptive Management and Monitoring Program and the work to be piloted in the EFMPP is to address key effectiveness questions like:

• Are key structures retained and recruited over time?
• Are they used by organisms as predicted?
• Are ecological functions maintained?
• Are windthrow and forest health issues being addressed?

Criterion, Indicators and Design

Outlined below is a schematic of the overall active and passive adaptive management framework. A description of the objectives and format of the active adaptive component and an outline of the structures and organisms we intend to monitor in the EFMPP area in 2002/03 follow this.

Key Criterion

The adaptive management program, The Forest Project, intends to maintain biodiversity across Weyerhaeuser’s tenure. Maintaining biological diversity, minimizing windthrow and ensuring no increase in forest pests and diseases are the primary criterion. In addition we hope to create direct comparisons of different management options that will provide a framework to determine how well the initial practices and policies meet Weyerhaeuser, BC Coastal Group biodiversity objectives.

Indicators

The proposed adaptive management framework will use a series of three key indictors to assess biodiversity objectives:

Indicator 1. The distribution and abundance of species are maintained in four main geographic areas of Weyerhaeuser’s tenure.

• the drier southeast Vancouver Island,
• the west coast-rain forest of Vancouver Island,
• the higher elevations and northern part of Vancouver Island, and
• the isolated Mid-coast and Queen Charlotte Islands.

Indicator 2. The amount, distribution and heterogeneity of habitat and landscape elements important for biodiversity are maintained over time.

Indicator 3. Ecologically distinct habitat types are represented across Weyerhaeuser’s tenure, to maintain lesser known species and ecological functions.

These indicators will be assessed in an active and passive adaptive management framework outlined in the schematic below:

Active Adaptive Management—A framework for treatment comparison blocks

The objective of the active adaptive experiments is to monitor growth and yield, regeneration, forest organisms, habitat attributes, forest health, windthrow and costs for a range of variable retention treatment options. Key questions are:

What is the effect of the amount (% retention level) and pattern of retention (dispersed, small group, large group, mixed dispersed/group) on the above attributes?

What is the effect of size of opening and timing of adjacent openings on the above attributes?

Each operation has chosen to establish two or three comparison blocks by 2004 (15 total, company wide). Each block will have 4 or 5 treatments: clearcut, uncut (old growth or 2nd growth), and two or three variable retention alternatives (20 ha minimum size for each treatment). Each comparison set will require an area of 80 ha to 100 ha, with random allocation of treatments. Each set of comparisons will be done on 3 sites across Weyerhaeuser’s tenure, with at least 2 of these in old growth or older second growth. North Island Woodlands will be implementing one installation each of the Group Retention, Group Removal, and Dispersed Retention comparisons by 2003. The Group Removal comparison was installed in 2001. Fine filter pre-assessments were completed during the 2001 field season for the organisms highlighted below.

Comparisons:

Group retention levels: 10%, 20% and 30% Group Retention; group size range of 0.2 ha to 0.5 ha

Dispersed retention levels: 5%, 10%, and 30% Dispersed Retention; single trees to small groups up to 0.1 ha

Group size: large groups (0.8 ha to 1.2 ha), small groups (0.2 ha to 0.5ha), and dispersed (single tree to very small groups up to 0.1 ha); retention level at 15% for all treatments

Mixed dispersed size: large groups (0.8 ha to 1.2 ha) plus dispersed, small groups (0.2 ha to 0.5 ha) plus dispersed, and dispersed (single tree to very small groups up to 0.1 ha); retention level at 15% for all treatments

Group removal—short/long cycle: group removal—short cutting cycle (5–7 years), group removal—long cutting cycle (20–30 years); groups in both treatments range in size from 0.1 ha to 1.0 ha.

2)Develop and pilot monitoring protocols for forest structure and organisms. Evaluate efficiency and effectiveness of these components as indicators of performance towards the objectives of the Forest Project.

Structures, Organisms, Windthrow and Forest Health

The following are the components of the initial monitoring program piloted in the EFMPP area during 2001/02. This work will be completed in the 2002/03 season:

1)Structure—Following on the 2001 season’s results, sampling protocol will be revised and sampling design will be altered to achieve satisfactory analytical power. We will continue to sample live and dead structure amounts and vegetation distribution, size and species composition and distribution. We will compare the 1999-2001 field results for VR settings to benchmark sites established in 2001/02.

2)Birds—Re-sample the 2001 Breeding Bird survey transects and begin to work with local bird and naturalist groups to take over this annual function. Focus the stand level observations on hawks and owls. Develop variant distribution maps as a predictive tool and evaluate rare and endangered bird lists as part of the indicator selection process. Link the 1999-2001 datasets to neighborhood models to provide forecasting capability.

3)Carabid Beetles- Extend the sampling protocol from 2001 to benchmark sites and a wider range of BGC variants to assess variability and monitoring indicator utility.

4)Canopy Epiphytes— conduct post-harvest assessments of the Tsitika experimental site.

5)Slugs, Snails and Terrestrial Amphibians— conduct post-harvest assessments of the Tsitika experimental site.

6)Aquatic Amphibians— conduct post-harvest assessments of the Tsitika experimental site.

The results of the 2002/03 monitoring year will be used to:

assess the power of the test issues and help to improve sampling efficiency

refine sampling protocol

evaluate organism utility as indicators

evaluate post-harvest impacts on experimental treatments

Deliverables

The expected deliverables for the Enhanced Forest Management Pilot Project Steering Committee are:

Development and implementation of an adaptive management and monitoring program focused on implementation of variable retention silvicultural systems.

Budget 2002/03

GIS Data and Ortho-photography$ 35,000

Habitat Supply Modeling 40,000

Monitoring and Adaptive Management276,000

Communication and Tech Transfer30,000

TOTAL$381,000

Detailed Cost Breakdown of the 2002/03 Monitoring Program

Forest Structure and Organisms / Plots/ Crew Day / Crew Day Cost / Plots/
Year / Crew Days / Cost per Year

Structure

Variable Retention / 2 / $800.00 / 50 / 25 / $20,000.00
Benchmarks / 4 / $800.00 / 40 / 10 / 8.000.00

Birds

VR Settings

/ 4 / $800.00 / 300 / 75 / 60,000.00

Breeding Bird Survey

/ 2 / $800.00 / 50 / 25 / 20,000.00
Beetles / 2 / $800.00 / 50 / 25 / 20,000.00
Epiphytes / 4 / $800.00 / 300 / 10 / 8,000.00
Gastropods and Terrestrial Amphibians / 2 / $800.00 / 150 / 75 / 60,000.00
Aquatic Amphibians / 2 / $800.00 / 200 / 100 / 80,000.00
GRAND TOTAL / $276,000.00

— draft —

1

APPENDIX 1

DRAFT

Weyerhaeuser’s Forest Plan: Monitoring Biological Diversity

1.0Module 1: an overview

The approach BC Coastal Group has taken with its coastal forest practices is intended to improve both environmental and economic performance. Key environmental objectives include sustaining biological diversity and ecosystem productivity. The term “biological diversity” often is equated, implicitly or explicitly with ecosystem productivity, health, resistance to pathogens, or even forest structure. Those relationships await clarification and it is more accurate to use “biological richness” (number of species) as a useful, interim surrogate for the complexity intended by the term “biological diversity” (e.g., DeLong 1996; Bunnell 1998; Module 4). The key economic objective is to obtain positive returns on investment in the company’s forest operations. Combined, these objectives should sustain healthy, biologically diverse forests that ensure economic returns in the future.

Tactics to attain these objectives include leaving habitat structure through variable retention and zoning the kinds and intensity of forest practices. In order of increasing levels of fibre extraction, there are three zones: Old growth zone, Habitat zone, and Timber zone. Variable retention is applied in the Timber and Habitat zones. Both the widespread use of variable retention and the approach to zoning are novel. Although well reasoned (Beese and Zielke 1998; Bunnell et al. 1998), all consequences of the new practices are unknown, and encumbered by uncertainties. BC Coastal Group is committed to refining and improving the new practices through a program of adaptive management. Adaptive management is a formal process for continually improving management practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs. This module and those following describe important elements of an adaptive management program to assess success in sustaining biological richness. In this module we provide an overview of the program.

The adaptive management program must consider not only the success of variable retention, but the success of the overall mix of zones, including their location. It is thus important to recognize the nature of the three zones and the broad management objectives of the zones in terms of biological richness. Briefly:

The Timber zone comprises most of the productive forest within the tenure (about 65%). The silvicultural system is variable retention, ranging from 5% dispersed retention to a minimum of 10% aggregated retention. Specific sites may receive 10% shelterwood. The sustained provision of late-successional features through variable retention is intended to sustain many species that would not be present under clearcutting. The degree of fibre removal is highest in this zone, but variable retention adds to older forest habitat already present in riparian buffer strips, deer winter ranges, and other areas reserved from harvest. Because of the large extent of the zone and uncertainty about the outcomes from variable retention, monitoring efforts are concentrated in this zone, although adaptive management program applies to the entire tenure.

The Old growth zone comprises about 10% of the tenure. Within the old growth zone, two-thirds of the area is reserved from harvest, and harvest in the remaining third is by group selection or irregular shelterwood. The intent is that sufficient forest will remain in the old growth zone to meet the needs of late-successional organisms, particularly those requiring larger areas of older seral stages. Such species may decline significantly, or even disappear from the Timber zone. To attain the broad goal of sustaining biological richness, late-successional species must remain productive within the Old growth zone if they cannot be accommodated within late-successional inclusions within the Timber or Habitat zones (e.g., deer winter ranges or late-successional features sustained by variable retention).

The Habitat zone occupies 25% of BC Coastal Group’s coastal tenure. The silvicultural systems applied include variable retention, shelterwood, and group selection. A minimum of 15% of the block is unharvested. Because of the greater range of practices planned for the Habitat zone and opportunities for “mini-zoning”, it may become the location of “intelligent tinkering” to refine practices. For example, monitoring in the Timber zone, may suggest utility in higher levels of retention. Or, the Habitat zone may serve to reduce gaps that become apparent in the representation of habitat types within the Old growth zone. In the broad sense, the Habitat zone can become the area where early refinements documented by the adaptive management program are applied. The zone is thus critical in applying adaptive management.