Sagehen Project

SAGEHEN PROJECT

Tahoe National Forest, Truckee Ranger District PSW Sagehen Experimental Forest

UC Berkeley Sagehen Field Station

SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

GTR 220 THE OBJECTIVES gather up recent research pertaining to certain key land management issues in the Sierra

consider individual management imperatives within a more wholistic ecological context

provide recommendations on certain key land management issues that are supported by the prevailing, recent scientific literature



SAGEHEN PROJECT

WHAT GTR 220 IS NOT it is not a prescription

it does not represent new Standards and Guidelines

there are no recommendations cast in stone; that would be a conflict with the notion of inherent variability of the landscape

economics and other relevant considerations are not addressed in this GTR



SAGEHEN PROJECT

CURRENT KEY LAND MANAGEMENT ISSUES ADDRESSED IN GTR 220

Fuel dynamics and current management practices

Ecological restoration and the role of fire

How climate change may influence future management activities

How do we address sensitive wildlife species habitat requirements within this context?



SAGEHEN PROJECT

SOME KEY FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Importance of vegetation heterogeneity use topographic position on the landscape as a template for landscape heterogeneity to guide silvicultural strategies consider modifying silvicultural approaches to mimic through decades of forest practices we have lost some key features of landscapes; e.g. large defect trees that provide structure for denning and nesting sites consider the spatial and temporal context of both current stand conditions and management initiatives work with the conditions you have; use local knowledge and locations to craft treatments best suited to the landscape



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

APPLICATION OF THESE PRINCIPLES a well conceived vision of the "desired future condition" of the landscape is important consider the complex spatial and temporal context of these desired conditions when evaluating a given stand for treatment some landscapes, and portions within landscapes, are better suited to immediate applications of these principles (e.g. plantations are much harder to move in this desired direction) some landscapes will require multiple entries to move the trajectory of the landscape where we want initial steps can involve just portions of a landscape; many places will require incremental steps

SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDConceptual IDT meetings began in 2003First meeting with UC Berkeley and Sagehen Field Station in 2004 - brainstorm ideas to manage fuels and mitigate fire hazardsLooked at theoretical SPLATs and started the Fireshed Assessment process in 2004



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDMade first attempt at SPLAT designationUsed FlamMap and FARSITE to assess preliminary effectivenessThe Fireshed Assessment process done with input and coordination from Sagehen Field Station as a primary partner



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDOnly a portion of the landscape needs to be treated and maintained to influence overall fire behaviorTreatment prescriptions designed to significantly modify fire behavior in unitRange in size 50 - 1,000 acres (average 100 - 300 acres)



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDData collection primarily in 2004 and 2005 with updates continuing through 2010

Stand informationFuel modelsResource surveys (wildlife, plants, hydrology, etc)

Heritage resourcesGeneral layout of potential treatment areas



SAGEHEN PROJECT

2004 FRAMEWORK DIRECTION

Species specific management direction from the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment (SNFPA) Record of Decision (ROD) 2004 – AKA the 2004 FrameworkMechanical treatments in PACs only when necessary to ensure effectiveness of fuels strategyAvoid treatments in PACs to the greatest extent possible



SAGEHEN PROJECT

2004 FRAMEWORK DIRECTION

Reduce risk of insect/pathogen drought-related mortality by managing stand density levelsMaintain or develop old forest habitatMinimize old forest fragmentationConsider retaining forested linkages with canopy closure greater than 40% that are interconnected



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDCoordination with Sagehen Field Station and UC Berkeley began in earnest in Jan 2006 and continued through Sept 2007Worked with John Battles and FS R5 fire specialists to model treatmentsUsed FARSITE and FlamMapModified preliminary proposal numerous times over 1.5 years



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDMarch 2009 - GTR 220 – An Ecosystem Management Strategy for Sierran Mixed-Conifer Forests (North et al.)Wanted to consider the concepts from GTR 220 for the Sagehen ProjectConsidered an opportunity for a larger collaborative effort



SAGEHEN PROJECT

BACKGROUNDAugust 2009 - American Marten Distributions over a 28 Year Period: Relationships with Landscape Change in Sagehen Creek Experimental Forest, California, USA - Master’s Thesis by Katie MoriartyManagement implications put forth for the Sagehen area



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

COLLABORATION Because of substantial

investments (over $350,000 to date), looking at determining treatments within existing unit boundaries

Want to collaborate on what, if anything, would be proposed within unit boundaries while considering multiple needs



SAGEHEN PROJECT

COLLABORATION End goal is a Proposed Action and

Purpose and Need (PA/PN) document that will be used to begin NEPA process

Use input from the collaborative group to write a draft PA/PN

Expect that pieces of PA/PN (i.e. prescriptions, mitigations) written over the course of the spring with opportunities for review by the collaborative group



SAGEHEN PROJECT

COLLABORATION Expectation is that FS will write the

PA/PN document Want feedback and review of a full

draft PA/PN from the collaborative group before it is finalized and before official NEPA scoping would begin

SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

ONGOING EFFORTSStill gathering information pertaining to vegetation conditions, historical and currentAre two different representations of vegetation for both historical and current

One is based on digital remote sensing (RSL)One is based on aerial photo interpretation (TNF)

Exploring a third representation using LiDAR



SAGEHEN PROJECT

ONGOING EFFORTSVegetation information combined with slope data and species habitat requirements used to help determine potential prescriptions Pursuing additional modeling for post treatment fire behavior and forest stand dynamics/tree growth



SAGEHEN PROJECT

MARTEN UPDATEMarten habitat conditions are represented by using the California Wildlife Habitat Relationships model (CWHR)Ranks vegetation type/canopy closure/tree size combinations into high, medium, or low habitat for marten



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT



SAGEHEN PROJECT

MARTEN UPDATEPlan to address/analyze concerns for marten habitat basin-wide using relevant science: Distribution and abundance of high quality habitat throughout the basin

Location of current and past (i.e. ~1980) high quality habitat within the footprint of potential treatment areas

Movement corridors throughout the basin and as they fall within potential treatment areas

Opportunities for enhancing habitat in strategic locations and how to do that

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Sagehen Project

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