State Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan
A Thinning and Access Strategy for Accelerated Stand Habitat Creation
Designing Cost Effective and Feasible Silvicultural Research
Many questions remain concerning using forest management to accelerate the development of stand structures believed beneficial for wildlife. The use of variable density thinning is believed to be one of the best options to develop older forest stand structures while maintaining forest cover. The project identified operationally feasible and economically viable options for the application of variable density thinning on a landscape within the Olympic Experimental State Forest. This strategy and analysis is applicable in timber harvest planning and the design of cost effective and feasible research and monitoring.
This project was a collaborative effort between DNR and the University of Washington. In spring 2000, University of Washington Forest Engineering students developed a thinning and access strategy for accelerated stand habitat creation in the Burnt Mountain Block of the Olympic Experimental State Forest. The students developed a harvest and transportation plan that provided habitat while considering economic outcomes. The plan identified harvest systems by site and provided information needed to determine the type of silvicultural systems that can be implemented on a site basis. This project also identified alternative harvest strategies to aid in road density management and highlighted new technologies and ideas for providing more intuitive representations of potential management outcomes in a visual format.
Relation to HCP: This project simultaneously met all of the Olympic Experimental State Forest research objectives and allowed us to test alternatives to determine how to manage and harvest timber within northern spotted owl habitat.
Project Status: Concluded in 2000.
Principal Investigators: Dr. Peter Schiess and students, University of Washington.
More Information:
Scheiss, P. and L. W. Rogers. 2000. A thinning and access strategy for accelerated stand habitat creation - Burnt Mountain. Technical Report, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.