Forest Stewardship Plans for Private Woodland Owners Presented by Bruce Blair District Forester, Iowa DNR

Forest Stewardship Plans for Private Woodland Owners Presented by Bruce Blair District Forester, Iowa DNR What is a Forest Stewardship Plan? It is a...
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Forest Stewardship Plans for Private Woodland Owners Presented by Bruce Blair District Forester, Iowa DNR

What is a Forest Stewardship Plan? It is a document written for your property by a Natural Resource Professional (mostly Foresters) that promotes the long-term sustainability of private forests. The goal is to balance future public needs for forest products with the need to protect and enhance watershed productivity, air and water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and threatened and endangered species.

When, or why, would you need a Forest Stewardship Plan? • It is important to have a recorded assessment to help you have a better understanding of the forest resources on your property. • Necessary for enrollment in Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law and Illinois’ Forestry Development Act. • Needed to quality for State and Federal cost-share assistance programs.

How do Stewardship Plans differ between States?

Illinois Illinois Forest Management Act: Act includes property tax incentives for people enrolled in the program. (Must have an Illinois Stewardship Plan. Forest land is valued at 1/6 of its equalized assessed value based on cropland.)

Timber harvest fee: 4% of value of timber harvest put into Forest Development Fund.

Cost-share program: The cost share program will reimburse an eligible landowner for a portion of their costs (up to set maximums) for the preparation of forest management and tree planting plans, reforestation, forest improvement practices, fencing to exclude livestock, firebreaks, and other management practices.

Wisconsin Managed Forest Law (MFL)

landowner incentive program that encourages sustainable forestry on private woodlands by reducing and deferring property taxes.

Severance and Yield Taxes

Collected on timber

harvested on Forest Crop Law and Managed Forest Law lands.

Wisconsin Forest Landowner Grant Program (WFLGP) Created to encourage private forest landowners to manage their lands in a manner that benefits the forest resources and the people of the State. WFLGP assists private landowners to protect and enhance their forested lands, prairies, and waters. The program allows qualified landowners to be reimbursed up to 50% of the eligible cost of eligible practices.

Iowa Forest Stewardship Plans are required to qualify for timber marketing assistance from District Foresters Required to qualify for cost-share assistance programs. (REAP, EQIP, WHIP, LIP) .

What goes in a Forest Stewardship Plan?

Major Plan Components •

Plan Identification



Management objectives



Description of baseline habitat conditions



Discussion of management recommendations



Supplemental information pertinent to the plan

Where Do We Start?

Contact your State’s DNR or Forestry Extension office

Be Prepared to provide information about the property • Location of the property (county, township, section, etc.) • Who owns the property & who is responsible for management. • Access information (provide keys to locked gates, secure permission to cross other ownerships.) • Provide maps of property if requested.

Browse Damage

Field Work

Forest Stewardship Plan Prepared by: Bruce Blair, District Forester, Iowa DNR 500 Gunder Rd. NE - Suite C Elkader, IA 52043 Phone: (563) 245-1891 e-mail: [email protected]

John Q. Public 2184 Whippoorwill Hollow Dr. Harpers Ferry, IA 52146

2/17/09 Home #: (563) 555-3456 cell #: (563) 880-0000

Location of the property: Section 4, Taylor Township, Allamakee County, Iowa. [T97N, R3W] (see the attached aerial photo for the exact location) Total acres under Stewardship: 78 (approximately) Owner’s long range goals: The primary goal is to manage the property for wildlife habitat. Periodic income from timber harvests is another goal. Harvesting activities will be conducted in ways that limit impacts to wildlife habitat.

Property Wide Resource Information

Soils Information - The soils found throughout the park are very typical of the Paleozoic Plateau. All of the soils have a silt loam texture. The upland soils consist of weathered bedrock with a loess cap. Loess is a wind deposited parent material at that forms the Dubuque, Fayette and Nordness soils found throughout the upland. The bottomland parent material for the soil called Dorchester silt loam derives from slope alluvium deposits with the same silt loam texture. All of these soil types are very productive for producing commodity crops or high quality timber. The original vegetation was a mosaic of mixed oak forest, savanna and goat prairies. Geology Information – The bedrock formation from the highest elevation in the park down to the base of the hills consists of Ordovician-aged layers of dolomite, limestone and sandstone. The prominent rock outcropping throughout the park occurs at a layer of weather resistant dolomite. The stream bed and bottomland rest on a layer Cambrian-aged sandstone called the Jordan formation of the Prairie du Chien unit. Uses of Fire – Fire as a management tool is gaining popularity and acceptance in mid-west forests. As far as Bloody Run Park is concerned, fire could be used for a number of purposes. For example, it could be used periodically to control invasive exotic garlic mustard and Japanese barberry. It could also benefit natural regeneration of some tree species by reducing leaf litter build up. This, in-turn, would promote better caching of seed by wildlife and better nature seed germination. The understory plant community can be shifted from shade loving mesophytic species to coarser xerophytic species more typical of oak woodlands. The major drawback to the use of fire is the difficulty in pulling it off. The window of opportunity can be very small in the spring and fall. Also, there is the obvious concern of damaging, or even killing, valuable timber trees. Forest Health Issues of Concern – Overall, the forested portion of the park seems healthy. There are, however, a few issues that are worth mentioning. The bottomland timber is in pretty severe decline most likely due to frequent annual flash flooding. The bottomland black walnut, in particular, is in very poor health. These trees show signs of fusarium canker disease. This disease is a result of stress from low temperature injury, flooded root systems or both. There is a small white pine planting on the bottom that is also in severe decline. This is probably due to hardwood encroachment and waterlogged roots. Pine, in general, prefers well drained soils which these bottomlands cannot provide. Recruitment of young trees into the open gaps in the bottomlands is not occurring probably due to the scouring from frequent floods, waterlogged soils, super competition from vegetation (e.g. heavy reed’s canary grass, green-headed coneflower, etc.) and severe herbivory from white-tail deer.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INDIVIDUAL STANDS Stand A:

1.8 acres

Site description: This is an upland site. The stand has a small ravine running through it’s middle. The soils are a combination of productive Fayette and Village silt loams. The north side of this stand was open pasture many years ago as you can see from the 1950’s aerial photo. Stocking information: This is a stand of mixed hardwoods with an overstory layer of unevenaged 4 to 20 inch DBH elm (for the sake of this plan, “elm” includes both white and red elm), boxelder, black cherry, shagbark hickory, red oak and aspen. The understory layer is mostly boxelder, elm and gray dogwood. Objectives & future stand: Boxelder and elm are very abundant and do not provide very good wildlife habitat or timber products. Therefore, this stand should be converted to growing different trees. Recommendations: Step 1: Site Prep. Fell or girdle all of the undesirable trees. This includes the boxelder and elm. These species should be treated with a herbicide (e.g. Tordon RTU) to prevent stump sprouting. Also fell the aspen and poorly formed trees but don’t treat. Most of the trees will be on the ground after this treatment. The cherry, shagbark hickory and aspen you cut should all stump sprout back and provide great early successional habitat. Step 2: Tree Planting. It would be good to add a little more diversity to the stand at this time by planting some species like mixed oak and black walnut. Plant about 75 seedlings per acre into all of the gaps and openings. Place a 5 foot tall, ventilated, plastic translucent tree shelter over each tree to protect them from deer and rabbits. Stand B:

2.6 acres

Site description: This stand was once mostly open pasture as can see from the 1950’s aerial photo. The soil is mostly Paint Creek silt loam. Stocking information: This mixed hardwood stand contains mostly of pole-sized aspen, ironwood, elm and boxelder. The understory layer is mostly boxelder, elm and ironwood, and shrubs like prickly ash and gray dogwood. Objectives & future stand: This would be an ideal site to regenerate early successional habitat. This would specifically benefit species like roughed grouse and American woodcock. Recommendations: Aspen is a prolific root suckering species. If you fell an aspen tree, it will regenerate many adventitious root suckers that can develop into dense woody cover that many wildlife species prefer. Wait until the trees go dormant in the fall, then fell all of the trees by cutting them off near the ground.

PRIORITY OF SUGGESTED TREATMENTS 1.

Regenerate Stand E. Plant Stand E

2.

Crop Tree Release Stands D, H & F.

3.

Fell weed trees in Stand C.

4.

Regenerate and Plant seedling in Stand B.

5.

Kill undesirable woody competition and plant seedlings in Stand A

6.

Weed undesirable trees in Stand G.

REFERENCE SECTION - EXPLANATION OF TIMBER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES Forest managers often group trees into diameter classes to describe their size. The size of a tree is usually defined as its diameter in inches at 4 1/2 feet above the ground. This location is called DBH, which means Diameter at Breast Height. Below is a list of common terms used to describe a tree’s size and stage of development. Seedling: Sapling: Pole: Small Sawlog: Sawlog:

less than 4 1/2 feet tall. 1” to 3” DBH 4” to 11” DBH 12” to 17” DBH >18” DBH

The overstory layer contains the tallest trees. Overstory trees that receive full sunlight from above and plenty of sunlight onto their sides are called “dominant.” Those trees that receive sun mostly from above and are crowded and receive little sunlight on their sides are said to be “co-dominant.” Trees that receive little direct sunlight, and are shaded from the top and sides, are called “suppressed.” The understory layer contains all the trees below the overstory and are completely in the shade. This includes the small tree and shrubs. Regeneration is defined as the woody understory seedlings and saplings that are less than 4 ½ feet tall.

Forest Stewardship Management Considerations Wildlife Resources: A walk in the woods often includes the pleasure of enjoying a variety and abundance of wildlife. All species of wildlife have core basic needs: clean air, shelter, food, water and space. The quality and quantity of these resources varies greatly from one woodland to the next. It is important to understand how your activities may effect these basic needs and the wildlife residing in your woodlands. Diversity is key to attracting lots of wildlife. Woodland diversity can be measured by the variety of plants, and by the presence of well developed understory, mid-story and overstory canopy layers. In the movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner kept hearing a voice whispering in his head, “Build it and they will come.” That message aptly applies to wildlife management; create the habitat and the wildlife will usually come. Brush piles are often used by wild turkey for nesting cover. Brush piles also provide cover for rabbits and homes for wood chucks and reptiles. Young brushy cover provides the preferred habitat for important game species such as woodcock, ruffed grouse and white-tail deer. Nesting boxes can be constructed for squirrels, bats and many bird species. Retain some standing dead trees, called “snags” and some live hollow den trees. These trees also provide food, shelter and roosts. An important source of food for many wildlife species in hardwood forests is called “hard mast” and includes things like acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts and hazelnuts. Forestry activities can positively or negatively effect the availability of hard mast. For example: one way to reduce the negative effects of timber harvesting on mast production is to postpone harvesting trees like oaks, walnut and hickory beyond there economic maturity point to give them more seed producing years. Forestry activities can also positively effect mast production. Releasing young pole-sized oaks from over-crowding will help them to become more vigorous and become better seed producers. These are just a few ways improve and protect wildlife habitat. If you want more in-depth information about wildlife management, contact your DNR, Private Lands Wildlife Biologist, Greg Schmitt (563) 422-6201.

Threatened and Endangered Species: As a good steward of the land, it is important to protect threatened and endangered plant and animal species. In Northeast Iowa, the chance of a forestry activity causing harm to a threatened or endangered species is relatively small. However, here are some important things to look for to reduce the odds of causing potential harm to threatened and endangered species.

Recreation and Aesthetic Considerations: Forestry activities can have both positive and negative effects on the aesthetic qualities of a woodland. For that reason, it is important to visualize the effects of activities like timber harvesting and TSI before you launch into a project. Trails can be developed and maintained to improve access through your woodlands. Debris from harvesting can be broken down with a few saw cuts to get it closer to the ground where it would be less visible and decay faster. Roads and skid trails can be located where they are less visible.

Historical and Cultural Resources: Prime examples of historic and cultural resources in Northeast Iowa are Indian mounds. Mounds can be shaped as animal effigies or as circular and linear burials. They are commonly found on high ridges; usually with a nice view and near a quality source of water. Indian mounds are also found on upper benches near rivers. Good examples of these mounds can be found at Fish Farm Mounds State Preserve and Effigy Mounds National Monument, both in Allamakee County. Other important resources to protect are home sites of earlier settlers. The foundations of these sites are frequently found near springs and small spring-fed streams. Forestry activities, especially those involving the use of heavy equipment, can destroy important historic and cultural resources. It is important to identify and protect these sites from destructive activities. No important historic and cultural resources were observed on your property. Current or proposed management practices may need to be altered if any unique archeological, cultural, or historical sites are discovered.

Water Quality Issues: There is growing public awareness surrounding water quality issues. Forests play a valuable role in providing high-quality surface and ground water. The forest canopy and litter layer help reduce the erosive power from heavy rains. Forest soils have a high capacity to absorb lots of rain. Forest soils act as a filter to clean water as it percolates underground to feed aquifers and springs. Best management practices, or BMP’s, are steps taken to limit any negative impacts from forestry activities on water quality and wildlife. During logging operations, limit or avoid crossing ditches and streams to reduce erosion and siltation of streams. Harvest only when soils is frozen or firm. Keep the number of skid trails to a minimum during a harvest operations. When they are no longer in use, seed down with a cover crop and install water bars on skid trails to keep them from eroding. Leave undisturbed woody buffer zones around streams to filter runoff, and always avoid operating heavy equipment on wetlands or saturated soils. Never push tree tops and other woody debris into ditches and streams.

Forest Management Resources & References Iowa’s Forest Reserve Law: This law provides property tax relief for qualifying woodland owners. To qualify for the Forest Reserve, a woodland cannot be grazed by livestock, it must contain a minimum 200 trees per acre, be greater than 2 acres in size and be greater than 66 feet wide. Apply for this program at your County’s Assessor’s Office. After enrollment, the Forest Reserve designation stays on the land even if the land changes hands. The Assessor will measure the acres from their archive of aerial photos. Wood products may be harvested from Forest Reserve lands without having to being reporting as long as 200 tree per acre are maintained. Woodlands leased for hunting do not qualify for the Forest Reserve. Contact your Assessor’s office for more information. Cost-Share Assistance Programs: Here is a brief description of the important cost-share programs available to private landowners: Conservation and Reserve Program (CRP) – This is a voluntary program used to set aside highly erodible crop ground by planting it to an alternative cover such as trees, shrubs, native prairie and switchgrass. The landowner receives an annual rental payment for the set-aside land and costshare assistance to establish the cover. Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) – This is a State cost-share program which includes cost-share assistance for tree planting and timber stand improvement activities. Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) – This program can be used for some forestry related projects as they apply to water quality. Each County NRCS sets priorities for how their EQIP funds are to be distributed. Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) – This program is used to assist with the installation of projects intended to provide improved wildlife habitat. This included planting mast producing hardwood trees (e.g. oak, hickory, walnut, etc.), shrubs, native prairie grasses and wildflowers (forbs), and timber stand improvements.

What does a Plan cost? Is there any financial assistance for the development of plans?

That’s the end of my presentation. Thank you for coming!