Cherokee National Forest Watauga and Unaka Ranger Districts Timber Program Review
North Zone Timber Program Organization • Keith Kelley - District Ranger • Jim Stelick – Timber Program Manager • Prescription Forester – Vacant 2 years – in process of hiring • Timber Sale Administrator – Vacant 1 year – about to advertise • Timber Marker (2) • Chris Wilson • Erika Hoad
North Zone Timber Program • Harvest - Commercial sales • Sale Prep • Timber Sale Administration • Silviculture treatments • TSI • Slashdown (contracts) • Prescribed burning • Site prep • Restoration
Timber Program Direction • Congress – annual volume requirement • Annual volume CNF • Average 4000 CCF / year recently • Sustainable amount using typical practices • 2004 Revised Land and Resource Management Plan (Forest Plan) • Management Prescriptions (North Zone – 23) • Suitable: For Timber Production (7) • 8B Early Successional Habitat Emphasis • 8C Black Bear Habitat Mgt
Timber Program Direction • Unsuitable – not suitable for timber production (16) • 1A Congressionally Designated Wilderness • 4A Appalachian Trail Corridor • 12A Remote Backcountry Recreation – Few Open Roads • So what does this mean for commercial opportunities on the North Zone?
Timber Program – Acres / Volume • CNF ~ 650,000 acres • North Zone ~ 375,000 acres • Wilderness / Scenic: 87,719 ac • Unsuitable land: 351,988 ac • Suitable land: ~280,000 ac • 43% of the land base – Suitable for Timber Production by Prescription
Timber Sale - Volume • 2014 – 7216 ccf • 2015 – 4356 ccf • 2016 – 7376 ccf • 2017 – 6215 ccf • 2018 – 4100 ccf • Average: 5850 ccf / yr • Target requested: 4000 ccf / yr
National Environmental Policy Act - 1969 1969 • Required for all projects / proposals to inform the public • Stewards of the land • Ensure we are doing what we said we would • Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – Forest Plan, Major Project • Environmental Assessment (EA) – Large scale projects: Paint Creek, Offset • Multiple year process • Categorical Exclusion (CE) – smaller scale • Less involved, quicker
Changing Strategy • Unsuitable discussion • Entering areas previously “off the table” • Larger scale CE’s • Farm Bill – 3000 ac - *Insect / disease / Forest Health • Require extensive collaboration • Category 6 – Timber Stand and/or wildlife habitat improvement activities (less than 1 mile low standard road construction) • No acreage limitation • Thinning • Prescribed burning
Changing Strategy • CE’s continued • Category 12 – Harvest not to exceed 70 acres, < ½ mile temp road construction (typically used for our commercial stands) • Farm Bill Authority • Collaborative effort • 3000 acre limitation • Forest Health
Proposed Proje jects • Cedar Gap – Farm Bill • 2000 CCF • Restoration of Upland Oak • Big Creek – EA • Early successional • Restoration • 10,000 CCF • Flatwoods – Farm Bill ? • Additional work – Non- commercial CE’s
Silviculture / Prescribed Burning • 2149 acres TSI – vegetation improvement - 2018 • 250 acres Non-native invasive species treated ** • 1161 acres site prep burning – 2018 • 300 acres Hemlock (Wooly Adelgid)
15 Year Old Stand – TSI
Heavy Rhododendron
Regeneration Harvest
Unsuitable Slashdown
Thinning near AT
Thinning near AT
Unsuitable Rx Burn
Unsuitable Rx Burn
Commercial Thin RX Burn
Thank You!! Questions?
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