Field Day for land owners of small acreage tracts

Peach Creek Plantation, located inside the Sam Houston National Forest, is hosting a field day for landowners of small tracts. Thirteen experts on managing land in Texas will ride along with landowners on a hay ride around the Peach Creek property. There will be several stops along the ride where the experts will address their respective topics at corresponding locations on the property. After the tour, landowners will able to meet and greet with the experts one on one; where the experts can share more insight, materials, and handouts.

Topics covered will include:

·         Wildlife habitat

·         Nuisance animals

·         Reforestation and planting

·         Water quality and erosion

·         Pond construction

·         Implementing your forest/wildlife management plans

·         Managing for aesthetics – Native plants

·         Tax valuation

·         Timber theft prevention and contracts

Please pack a picnic lunch.  Some refreshments provided by POA.

Please register for free for this event with Penny Whisenant at pwhisenant@tfs.tamu.edu  or call 936-273-2261

The event starts at 10:00 AM on Saturday February 15^th and ends around 1:00 PM.

Peach Creek Plantation – Big Buck Pavilion

3615 N. Duck Creek Road, Cleveland, TX 77328

Event signs with directions will be present along adjacent roads.

Big Buck Pavilion Coordinates:   30°19’35.42”N     95°13’30.82”W

February 2013, BMP Q&A

By: Todd Thomas, Water Resources Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q: In the quiz last month you asked a question where we would need to know the slope in order to have appropriately spaced windrows.  My question is how are we supposed to know the slope in the field off hand without a tool such as a clinometer? 

A: I am glad you asked this question and I am always glad to highlight areas of the blue book.  However this time I will not be referencing the text of the book, but a feature that many of you may have noticed, but never paid much attention to.  This feature is the slope calculator. 

The slope calculator can be found on the inside of the back cover of the blue book.  There are instructions on how to use it, but since you asked, I will go ahead and explain.  In addition to your blue book, you will need a piece of string, approximately 12-inches long and something to use as a weight, such as a small nut or washer.  First, tie one end of the string to the middle ring of the spiral binding or punch a hole through the cover of the book at the apex of the slope calculator.  Go ahead, it is okay.  There is a small circle there for your reference.  Next, tie your small weight to the loose end of the string. 

Now that your slope calculator has been constructed, here is how you will use it.  The spiral binding should be on top, use this as your sight.  With the binding parallel to the ground, sight the book up or down the slope (depending on which way you are facing), the string will hang vertically and the slope can be read directly along the line where the string lies.  The number on the line with the string is your percent slope.

Now that you are aware of the slope calculator, there are no excuses for not having your blue book with you.  Not only is the book full of BMP information, it is also a tool that you can use in your day to day functions.  In addition to windrow spacing, this tool can be used for determining road gradients so you know where to locate your water control structures such as waterbars, wing ditches, culverts, and dips; in conjunction with the culvert size chart to determine culvert sizing; as well as how wide to make SMZs when near steep slopes, or any other time you need to know the percent slope in a pinch. 

In conclusion, keep those blue books handy, you never know when one might come into use.  If you need a blue book you can get one from your nearest TFS office.  Please keep your questions coming.  You can email them to me at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu or phone them in by calling (936)639-8180.  

*This article was published in the February 2013 issue of the Texas Logger

Training Courses are Now Available Online

Do you want to test your forestry knowledge?  Obtain continuing education credits for the Texas Professional Logger and other certification programs?  Well you are in luck.  CFEgroup, a website designed to provide continuing education opportunities for the forest sector, can now be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, adding a little convenience to your already hectic schedule. 

The first course to be offered is the Forestry BMP Refresher Course developed by the Texas Forest Service.  This module is approved for two (2) hours of continuing education credit for the Texas Professional Logger Program.  It reviews many of the fundamental aspects of using BMPs and their importance in protecting our water resources while minimizing erosion and sedimentation. 

To begin the online training, go to www.cfegroup.org and follow the directions on the screen. If you  have any questions or need technical support, please contact Eric Taylor at 903-834-6191 or eltaylor@tamu.edu.  Additional courses will be offered in the near future, so check back often.           

December BMP Q&A

By: Chuck Coup, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q: I have heard that the Texas Forest Service has recently released a revised version of the Forestry Best Management Practices Handbook, is this true? If so, why was it revised and how can I get a copy?

A: You heard correctly, a new version of the Forestry Best Management Practices handbook was printed in August and is now available.

Texas Best Management Practices (BMPs) for protecting water quality during forestry operations are periodically updated to account for new research, technology, and operational methods. The Texas Forest Service has been working with the Texas Forestry Association’s BMP Task Force for over a year to evaluate and make revisions to the current forestry BMP guidelines. Members of the task force represent loggers, various state and federal agencies, academia, private industry, environmental organizations, and landowners across the region. Revisions to the guidelines were made in an effort to continue to improve and enhance the ability of forest landowners, loggers, and other forestry professionals to effectively protect water quality before, during, and after forestry operations.

Forestry BMPs were first developed in Texas in 1989, and have undergone four revisions since that time. The 1992 revision recommended that Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) be maintained on intermittent streams, and wetland BMPs were added to the handbook as part of the 1995 revision. In 2004, the guidelines were clarified, and information on stream classification and basal area calculations (a measure of forest density), two important factors in providing adequate SMZ protection to streams, was added.

The most recent update to the handbook, August 2010, further clarifies the guidelines, and includes improved BMP design schematics, and information on slope calculations and wetland protection. Federal regulations for mechanical site preparation for pine establishment in forested wetlands are included in the manual, along with indicators of established and ongoing forest operations, a critical component of complying with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The glossary was reformatted and several definitions were added or revised.

To make the new books distinguishable from past versions, the color was changed from dark blue to light blue. A summary of all revisions made to the BMP guidelines has been included at the beginning of the new BMP handbook. I would encourage you to take some time and review all the revisions and familiarize yourself with any of the changes.  It would be a good opportunity for you to re-visit the handbook if you have not thumbed through it in a while.

To obtain a free copy of the new BMP handbook, please visit the Texas Forest Service website at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water or contact the Texas Forest Service BMP project office in Lufkin (936) 639-8180 or Longview (903) 297-3910. If you have any questions about BMPs or any of the revisions made to the BMP handbook please contact Chuck Coup at the TFS office in Lufkin.

* This article was published in the December 2010 issue of the Texas Logger

The Texas Water Source - August 2010

August Issue of the Texas Water Source Now Available

• Guidelines to Protect Soil and Water
• New Updates to Texas BMPs
• Agency Spotlight: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
• TPWD and Water Quality
• Texas Surface Water Quality Standards
• BMP Fact Sheets On-line

December BMP Q&A

By: Jake Donellan, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q:   I am about to begin harvesting on a tract which shares a border with one of our National Forests and is also bordered by a major river; Are there any special BMPs that I should be aware of before I begin cutting? Specifically do I need to leave a buffer strip on the border with the National Forest or a wider SMZ on the major river?

A:   I recently received a phone call asking this very question from an interested individual. It is important to remember that the primary function of any BMP is to protect and minimize impacts to water quality from forestry operations. This question reveals that often times there can be confusion between what exactly are BMPs and what are policies/requirements that some companies, consulting foresters, and even landowners want met during operations.

For example, a timber company may require that an aesthetic buffer strip be left on any adjacent boundaries to the National Forestland. While this may be a requirement by the timber company, it is not related to the protection of water quality and thus it is not a BMP guideline or recommendation. It would certainly be prudent (especially if you wanted to continue your employment with this company) to leave the buffer strip, but during a BMP implementation evaluation, there would be no consideration given as to whether or not you followed company guidelines. The only consideration would be did the operators follow the guidelines set forth in the “Bluebook” and did the BMPs that were implemented effectively minimize and protect water quality on the site.

The second part of the question deals with the width of the SMZ on a major river. There is no special classification for rivers whether they be considered major or minor, they are all classified as perennial streams. There are however, several factors that need to be addressed before an answer about SMZ width can be determined. It is a known that the SMZ should meet the minimum width of 50 feet on each side of the river. There are two separate directives in the “Bluebook” that address the need to determine if the SMZ should be wider:

BMP Guidelines, Section 9.23, Pg. 28

"The width of an SMZ should be a site-specific determination made by foresters or other qualified professionals. Soil types, slope gradient, vegetative cover, volume of flow, and stream classification should be taken into consideration when designing each SMZ."

Recommended Specifications, Section 9.11, Pp. 58-59

"The width of the SMZ should be adjusted for slope, soils, and cover type and especially when protecting municipal water supplies"

Both of these directives indicate that a wider SMZ is certainly a possibility. Both of the directives also point to site conditions that should help you to determine if a wider SMZ is needed. According to the SMZ width chart on page 59 of the “Bluebook,” a 100 feet wide buffer is necessary if the river is a municipal water supply, i.e. water is being treated and used as the water supply for a community. I would suggest that some evaluation is needed of the soils and slope to fully answer this question. However based on the information that this is a “major river,” it probably has a large volume of flow. I would make a recommendation that the SMZ width be increased past the minimum width of 50 feet and I would further use the site’s soil and slope conditions to determine how much wider.

For more information regarding BMPs consult the Texas Forestry Best Management Practices book (a.k.a. the “Bluebook”), contact your local Texas Forest office, or you can contact me.

* This article was published in the December 2007 issue of the Texas Logger

July BMP Q&A

By: Shane Harrington, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q:  I heard that the Texas Forest Service has recently released a revised version of the BMP Handbook, is this true?  If so, how can I get a copy of the revised handbook? 

A:  The Texas Forest Service along with the Texas Forestry Association’s BMP Task Force recently evaluated and made revisions to the current BMP guidelines.  These revisions were made in an effort to continue to improve and enhance the ability of forest landowners, loggers, and other forestry professionals to effectively protect water quality before, during, and after silvicultural operations.

           

BMPs were developed in 1989, and have undergone three major revisions over the past 15 years.  It is important to review and update these guidelines periodically to ensure that they are still effective in protecting water quality.  BMPs prevent almost 12,000 tons of dirt from entering East Texas streams annually and over 96,000 tons of dirt from eroding off East Texas forestlands.  This is enough dirt to cover a football field, endzone to endzone, 30 feet high.

To make the new books distinguishable from past versions the color was changed from light blue to dark blue.  Also new terms were added to the glossary, statistical data was updated, and some guidelines were clarified.  

Two sections were added to the handbook that address stream classification and basal area.  The “Stream Classification” section, found under the Recommended Specifications for Streamside Management Zones (SMZs), lists characteristics that can be used in the field to distinguish between perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral streams.  This is important because ephemeral streams do not require leaving an SMZ along both sides.  The other section, entitled “How to Calculate Basal Area” and located in the Appendix, was added to aid loggers, foresters, and landowners in properly calculating basal area to ensure that 50 square feet of basal area is left inside SMZs.  This section gives step-by-step instructions on how to calculate basal area. 

A summary of all revisions made to the BMP guidelines has been placed at the beginning of the new BMP Handbook.  By reviewing all of the revisions and familiarizing yourself with the changes you can ensure that BMPs are being implemented properly.  To obtain a copy of the new BMP Handbook, please visit the Texas Forest Service website at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water or contact the Texas Forest Service BMP Project Office at (936) 639-8180.  If you have any questions about BMPs or any of the revisions made to the BMP Handbook please contact Shane Harrington at the TFS BMP Project Office. 

* This article was published in the July 2005 issue of the Texas Logger

 

April BMP Q&A

By: Shane Harrington, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q: Do BMPs apply to land conversion operations?  I am a landowner here in East Texas and I am considering converting my land from timber to pastureland.  So do I still need to implement BMPs during and after this harvest job?

A:  Today more and more timberland is being converted for other uses such as pastureland, residential expansion, and the list goes on and on.  The Texas Forest Service (TFS) encourages the use of BMPs before, during, and after any silvicultural (forestry) operation.  However, the BMP Bluebook only offers guidelines and recommendations for protecting water quality during forestry operations and not during land conversions.  Although the Bluebook does not address land conversion operations, there are many reasons why you would want to follow many of the forestry BMPs.

Land conversion, just like forestry operations, has the potential to negatively impact water quality if done improperly.  For this reason, I would recommend leaving a streamside management zone (SMZ) along both sides of any perennial or intermittent streams that may be running through the area that is being converted to pasture.  The SMZ should follow the guidelines specified in the Bluebook and extend out 50 feet on both sides of the stream and retain a minimum of 50 square feet of basal area per acre. 

It is important to remember that SMZs play an important role in filtering the runoff before it enters the stream.  The fact that you are clearing the land will only increase the amount of water flow across the area thus increasing the chance of sediment or other types of nonpoint source pollution entering the stream.  SMZs also provide valuable habitat for many different species of wildlife and since this is being converted to pasture, the SMZ may also serve as a good shady spot for livestock if you will have any grazing in this pasture.  Not only does the SMZ provide shade for livestock but also for the steam, keeping the water temperature cool and the root systems of the trees aid in stabilizing streambanks keeping them from washing away.

The TFS would also recommend the use of water control structures such as waterbars, rolling dips, broad based dips, wing ditches, etc. on any road or skid trail left after the harvest job.  Chances are that most if not all of the roads and skid trails used during the operation will be seeded and become part of the pasture.  Until the seed has established itself water control structures should be used in order to prevent any dirt from moving off the road and possibly into the stream.  Also by using these water control structures you are keeping your topsoil in place which is beneficial in producing a healthy pasture.

While forestry BMPs are not designed or expected to be implemented during land conversions, you can see that BMPs are very broad based and it makes sense to consider implementing some of these practices.  Also, you may want to contact your local NRCS office to see if there are other agricultural BMPs that need to be followed that are more specific to pastureland.  Whether you are conducting a forestry operation, land conversion, or some other operation remember that everyone plays a role in protecting the water quality of our lakes, rivers, and streams.  Take time to review all aspects of your operation and things that can be done to minimize the impact on the surrounding environment.

If you have any questions regarding BMPs please call me at (936) 639-8180.  Also if you need a copy of the newly revised BMP Bluebook please visit or call your local TFS office or you can view it online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water.  

* This article was published in the April 2005 issue of the Texas Logger

January BMP Q&A

By: Shane Harrington, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service

Q:  I heard that the Texas Forest Service has recently released a revised version of the BMP Handbook, is this true?  If so, how can I get a copy of the revised handbook? 

A:  The Texas Forest Service along with the Texas Forestry Association’s BMP Task Force recently evaluated and made revisions to the current BMP guidelines.  These revisions were made in an effort to continue to improve and enhance the ability of forest landowners, loggers, and other forestry professionals to effectively protect water quality before, during, and after silvicultural operations.

           

BMPs were developed in 1989, and have undergone three major revisions over the past 15 years.  It is important to review and update these guidelines periodically to ensure that they are still effective in protecting water quality.  BMPs prevent almost 12,000 tons of dirt from entering East Texas streams annually and over 96,000 tons of dirt from eroding off East Texas forestlands.  This is enough dirt to cover a football field, endzone to endzone, 30 feet high.

To make the new books distinguishable from past versions the color was changed from light blue to dark blue.  Also new terms were added to the glossary, statistical data was updated, and some guidelines were clarified.  

Two sections were added to the handbook that address stream classification and basal area.  The “Stream Classification” section, found under the Recommended Specifications for Streamside Management Zones (SMZs), lists characteristics that can be used in the field to distinguish between perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral streams.  This is important because ephemeral streams do not require leaving an SMZ along both sides.  The other section, entitled “How to Calculate Basal Area” and located in the Appendix, was added to aid loggers, foresters, and landowners in properly calculating basal area to ensure that 50 square feet of basal area is left inside SMZs.  This section gives step-by-step instructions on how to calculate basal area. 

A summary of all revisions made to the BMP guidelines has been placed at the beginning of the new BMP Handbook.  By reviewing all of the revisions and familiarizing yourself with the changes you can ensure that BMPs are being implemented properly.  To obtain a copy of the new BMP Handbook, please visit the Texas Forest Service website at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water or contact the Texas Forest Service BMP Project Office at (936) 639-8180.  If you have any questions about BMPs or any of the revisions made to the BMP Handbook please contact Shane Harrington at the TFS BMP Project Office.  

* This article was published in the January 2005 issue of the Texas Logger

BMP Informer - October 2004

October Issue of the BMP Informer Now Available

• Texas Forestry Best Management Practices Handbook Revised
• From the Editor . . .
• Improving My Land - Do Your Firelanes Measure Up?
• Certified Forest Steward
• BMP Effectiveness Monitoring
• Forestry Acronyms