biomass.forestguild.org - 1022 Biomass Removal for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Habitat, GA

Biomass Removal for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Habitat

Round Oak, GA
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge
Submitted by Carl Schmidt, Supervisory Forester, Fish and Wildlife Service

Project ID: 1022

1. Name - Biomass Removal for Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Habitat

Managing the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW) is the first priority for the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge (PNWR), and biomass removal has been crucial to improving woodpecker habitat. The refuge has 50 managed RCW cluster sites, of which 38 were active in 2005, and the long-term goal is 96 active cluster sites. The RCW requires mature pine trees in stands of 40 to 80 square feet per acre basal area with little to no midstory. Silviculture is an important tool for the management of RCWs since appropriate practices can restore and maintain the required habitat. PNWR pine stands are managed using the two-aged system with a 100-year rotation. Two-aged stands are created by modified seed tree and irregular shelterwood methods. This style of forestry is compatible with RCW management. Timber thinning is important in reducing stand density to the desired basal area range, thereby creating the desired habitat. Prescribed fire is necessary in controlling the midstory in a two-aged stand.

Hydro-Ax feller buncher

In the 393 acres of the treated area (Compartment 22), three RCW cluster sites were present. In addition to habitat benefits, 70 acres of Compartment 22 had WUI benefits, and most of the rest of the treatment had hazardous fuel benefits. Many of treated stands were loblolly pine or pine-hardwood uplands. The prescription was generally to remove half of the trees and one-third of the volume. This promoted a thinning from below, concentrating on the trees greater than 10 inch DBH. This provided enough larger trees to make the sale marketable while creating or maintaining the openness desired by the RCW. For the harvest, pine stands were combined with upland hardwood and bottomland hardwood stands. In the upland hardwood stands, a crop tree release was designed to increase acorn production of good quality oaks. Similarly, in the bottomland sites, scattered low quality hardwoods (mostly sweetgum) and pines that overtopped oak trees were removed to release mast-producing trees, increasing acorn production.

Harvesting within cluster sites was carefully controlled, with no activities occurring within a cluster site during the RCW breeding season (April to July). Harvesting in cluster sites was also avoided within at least one or two hours of dawn or dusk. Heavy equipment use was restricted within 50 feet of cavity trees. The plan called for a prescribed burn within two to three years of the harvest. Waiting at least one growing season after harvest before burning would give the logging slash time to cure, allowing better fuel consumption. It would also let leaf litter and needle cast cover skid trails, permitting the fire to better carry across the unit. Burning before three or more growing seasons had passed would take advantage of the open nature caused by the logging and would better achieve the objectives.

The total value to the government of this project was over $69,000, while costs to the government to implement the sale were about $14,000, for a net gain of $55,029. The material removed was as follows:

Pine pulpwood: 2,382.13 tons. Value: $10,124
Pine sawtimber: 1,412.84 tons. Value: $45,243
Hardwood pulpwood: 983.95 tons. Value: $10,823

Links

	2	Land Ownership Fish and Wildlife Service
	3	Location Round Oak, Georgia
	4	Forest Type Loblolly pine
	Context
	5	Is this project a part of a landscape plan? Yes
	6	In a Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)? Yes
	7	Acreage treated 393 ac
	8	Type of contract Timber sale
	9	Funding source
	10	Collaborators and partners
	11	Project start date 2006
	12	Project completion date 2007
	Treatment Goals
	13	Restoration, watershed, or habitat improvement
	14	Reduce fuel load
	15
	16
	17
	Treatment Specifics
	18	Primary treatment objective Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Habitat
	19	How does biomass removal fit with other objectives? Well
	20	Treatment description Thinning from below
	21	Description of contractors
	22	Travel distance for contractors
	23	Type of equipment used Hydro Ax feller buncher; grapple skidder
	24	Treatment of residual slash if any Prescribed fire
	25	Treatment cost per acre Revenue $177 - cost $37 = profit $140/ac
	26	Trucking costs
	Utilization
	27	Products from project Pulpwood, sawtimber
	28	Price for products Pine pulp: $4.25/ton; Pine Saw: $32/ton; HW pulp: $11/ton;
	29	Date of Sale 2007
	30	Did biomass markets exist previous to project? Yes
	31	Type of utilization
	32	How well did the woody biomass match the utilization options?
	33	Distance to utilization
	Treatment guidelines, targets, limitations
	34	Diameter limit
	35	Basal area reduction
	36	Crown coverage
	37	Fuel loading Reduce
	38	Retention guidelines
	39	Treatment of snags and downed logs
	40	Soil impacts
	41	Other ecological impacts monitored
	Pre Treatment
	42	Fuel load
	43	Stem density (stems/ac)
	44	Basal area (ft2/ac)
	45	Canopy closure (%)
	46	Height to live crown base
	47	Snags and downed woody material
	48	Size class distribution Skewed to small trees
	49	Tree species composition
	50	Presence/absence of invasive species
	51	Soil and other ecological data
	Post Treatment
	52	Fuel load
	53	Stem density (stems/ac)
	54	Basal area (ft2/ac)
	55	Canopy closure (%)
	56	Height to live crown base
	57	Snags and downed woody material
	58	Size class distribution
	59	Tree species composition
	60	Presence/absence of invasive species
	61	Soil and other ecological data

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