Winter 2016 BMP Q&A

Winter 2016 BMP Q&A

Todd Thomas, BMP Forester, Texas A&M Forest Service

Q: A buddy of mine attended one of the recent logger training courses and was telling me about this fancy new computer mapping tool that the TFS has produced.  Where can we find this tool and what are the details? 

A:  The tool your buddy was referring to is called “Plan My Land Operation.”  Plan my land operation is an application that can be found at www.texasforestinfo.com.  At this website, there are several useful tools that I encourage you to try out.  Other applications that can be found there include an interactive forest products directory, to a timber decision simulator, as well as several other interactive web based applications. 

Plan My Land Operation was designed to help loggers, foresters, and landowners to gather information to plan out their forest operations more efficiently.  The first step in conducting your operations in a BMP savvy manner is to plan.  On this application, the user can view aerial imagery that is linked to bing maps, historical aerial imagery dating back the last 10 years or so, USGS topographic maps, and maps that display only the hydrology of the area.

The first step is to find the location of the property.  This can be done by zooming in with your mouse, or by entering the latitude/longitude of the site.  Once this is done, you may use your mouse to draw out the boundaries of the property.  If you have the boundaries saved you may load them to save you time if they are of the following file types: mmp, shp, kml, or gpx.  Once you have your boundaries drawn, you may save them and load them later if you need to revisit the application.  Acreage is automatically calculated once you get the boundaries drawn out. 

The next tool listed on this application is the “Sensitive Areas” tool.  This tool automatically draws out any streams on the site, applies an SMZ to these streams (defaults to 50 feet, but you can tailor it to your needs), shows any steep slopes (slopes greater than 8%, but can be changed to your liking), and any wet areas where rutting may be a concern.  The application will even produce a written report on these sensitive areas for your reference.  After this comes the “Soils” tool.  This overlays NRCS soil maps onto the landscape allowing you to view not only soil type, but erodibility, site index, etc.   If this wasn’t enough, the tool below soils is called “Operational Considerations.”  This contains layers that show suitability for roads and landings, harvest equipment operability, soil rutting hazard, and others that give the user a view of landscape conditions that could hinder operations. 

Possibly my favorite two tools are next on the menu.  These are the “Culvert Size” and “Elevation Profile” tools.  The culvert size tool allows the user to select a location on a stream and the area that drains down to that point on the stream is automatically drawn out on the map.  Next a report is produced that gives the user recommendations on what size culvert would be appropriate for the location selected.  The “Elevation Profile” tool gives the user the ability to draw out a potential road or trail on the map, and a graph charting the elevation of that path as it snakes along is produced.  This gives you the ability to choose a location for a road or trail with the least amount of slope.  This tool is also handy for any of you hikers out there.  The last four tools on the application allow the user to measure area and distance, add labels, add linear features, and add points of interest.  Once you are satisfied with the map you have produced, the last button on the menu gives you the option to save the map in pdf form for future reference or print it out. 

That, in a nutshell, are just some of the options brought to the table by the “Plan My Land Operation” tool.  I encourage you to visit the website and play with this particular application and the many others provided on the website.  Don’t worry, this web tool is way more user friendly than I have made it sound.   It was designed to be as user friendly as possible and is constantly being improved and added on to.  If you have any questions about this or any BMP issues call my office in Lufkin, the number is (936)639-8180.  You can also email me at tthomas@tfs.tamu.edu.  

Texas Forestry BMPs - Constructing Waterbars and Wing Ditches

Texas Forestry BMPs - Locating Waterbars

BMP Instructional Videos Coming Soon!!

Hot behind the scenes photo from the water bar and wing ditch video shoot on the Fairchild State Forest in Cherokee County last week.  

Riparian and Stream Ecosystems Workshop – Attoyac Bayou Watershed

December 3, 2015
8 am – 4 pm

Courthouse Annex
203 W. Main Street
Nacogdoches, TX 75961
This workshop is being co-hosted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office in Nacogdoches County and the Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership. The training will focus on the nature and function of stream and riparian zones and the benefits and direct impacts from healthy riparian zones. The riparian education programs will cover an introduction to riparian principles, watershed processes, basic hydrology, erosion/deposition principles, and riparian vegetation, as well as potential causes of degradation and possible resulting impairment(s), and available local resources including technical assistance and tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation.

These one-day trainings in watersheds across the state include both indoor classroom presentations and outdoor stream walks.  The goal is for participants to better understand and relate to riparian and watershed processes, the benefits that healthy riparian areas provide, and the tools that can be employed to prevent and/or resolve degradation and improve water quality. At the conclusion of the training, participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Continuing Education Units Available

• Texas Department of Agriculture Pesticide Applicators License – 3 CEUs
• Texas Water Resources Institute  – 1 CEU
• Texas Nutrient Management Planning Specialists – 6 hours
• Texas Board of Architectural Examiners “Acceptable for HSW credit”
• Texas Forestry Association – 6 hours
• Society of American Foresters – 5.5 hours
• The program may also be used for CEUs for Professional Engineers.

RSVP is required by November 27, 2015. A catered barbecue lunch is available from C.C.’s Smokehouse for $10 with RSVP prior to November 27 and $15 after the 27^th payable at the door the day of event. Please remember to select if you would like the catered lunch options or if you will bring your own. RSVP online at http://nrt.tamu.edu/schedule/dec-3-2015-texas-riparian/  and send in a check or credit card authorization form for lunch payment by email to ndictson@tamu.edu or by mail by to Nikki Dictson, 1500 Research Pkwy, Ste 110, College Station, TX 77843-2260. Dress is casual and comfortable for the weather as we will be outside at the stream during the afternoon.

Wildfire Recovery Workshop - Edwards County

To get to the Edwards County Park Building, take State Highway 377 N. from Rocksprings toward Junction. The facility is a pale yellow brick building on the left side of the road just before the 4-H Barn which is part of the Edwards County Fairgrounds (903 US 377 N, Rocksprings, TX 78880).

Lone Star Healthy Streams Workshop in Copperas Cove on July 29th

The Lone Star Healthy Streams program aims to educate Texas livestock producers and landowners on how to best protect Texas waterways from bacterial contamination associated with livestock production and feral hogs. By participating in this workshop, livestock producers and landowners can learn specific conservation practices that can help combat bacteria pollution and improve and protect the quality of Texas water bodies, specifically the Lampasas River and its tributaries. Three Texas Department of Agriculture general continuing education credits will be provided for certified pesticide applicators. To RSVP for the workshop, go to http://lshs.tamu.edu/workshops/ or call Matt Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist in College Station at 979-862-8072.