BMP Trivia Question

According to the BMP handbook, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) uses three main criteria when delineating jurisdictional wetlands. Can you list the three criteria?

1.)
2.)
3.)

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BMP Informer - December 2004

December Issue of the BMP Informer Now Available

• Remember BMPs When Planting
• Seedlings On-line!
• Improving My Land - Permanent Stream Crossings
• How Do I Know What Size Culvert I Should Use?
• BMP Implementation Monitoring Program
• Forestry Acronyms

November BMP Q&A

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

Q:  I know that the Texas Forest Service conducts evaluations on how well we are using BMPs, is there any news on how well we are doing?

A:  The Best Management Practices (BMP) Implementation Monitoring Program was started in 1991 in order to measure the degree of implementation with BMP guidelines by the forestry community, or in other words, measure how well BMPs are being used properly in the field. Every two years 150 sites are randomly chosen, and “normal silvicultural” operations are evaluated for the presence, when applicable, of BMPs and whether or not they are functioning properly.  “Normal silviculture” refers to sites that are being managed on a sustainable basis for timber production and does not include sites that are being cleared or converted for other uses.  Operations that are selected for evaluation include public, private, and forest industry lands where landowner consent is obtained. 

The BMP program has been a very successful voluntary, non-regulatory program.  The level of BMP implementation from the last round of evaluations is 91.5% its highest level since we began evaluating in 1991. The Texas Forest Service has completed five BMP implementation reports and they can be found on the Texas Forest Service website at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. 

Currently the Texas Forest Service is working on the sixth BMP implementation report, which will be complete in the fall of 2005.  To date, the Texas Forest Service has evaluated 52 operations throughout East Texas and so far the overall BMP implementation rate is 89.9%. This basically states that at any given time almost 9 out of 10 operations on private forestlands are complying with BMP guidelines   However, this is only an early look at the implementation rate and the final number may change slightly upon the completion of all 150 site evaluations. 

Landownership in East Texas is constantly changing and today most landowners are classified into one of four categories.  The first category is the private or NIPF landowner and this is the primary owner of forestland in East Texas.  Private landowners account for about 61% of the forestland in the 43 counties in East Texas.  So far 23 operations on private forestlands have been evaluated in 13 counties with an overall BMP implementation rate of 83.3% with Liberty County having the highest implementation rate at 97.5%.  This basically state that at any given time roughly 8 out of 10 operations on private forestlands is complying with BMP guidelines.

Forest industry owns about 17% of the forestland in East Texas and with some companies divesting their land this percentage is becoming smaller.  The Texas Forest Service has evaluated 18 operations on industry lands in 9 counties and is showing a 95% BMP implementation rate with operations in Cass, Hardin, and Tyler Counties complying at a 100% BMP implementation rate.

There is a relatively new landowner in East Texas, which accounts for about 15% of the forestland.  This new landowner is a group called Timberland Investment Management Organizations or TIMOs for short.  These organizations are buying forestland and managing it for investors who want to invest their money n forestlands rather than the stock market or other types of long term investments.  So far there have been 7 evaluations on TIMO lands in 5 counties with an overall BMP implementation rate of 95.2% with operations in Liberty and Polk Counties complying at a 100% implementation rate.

The smallest landowner, owning only 7% of the forestland, is public ownership, which is made up of national and a few state forests. Public ownership in Texas is relatively small when compared to some of the other southern states. Since silvicultural operations do not occur regularly on public lands the number of evaluations is smaller when compared to the other landowners in East Texas. To date there have been 4 evaluations on public lands in 4 counties showing an overall BMP implementation rate of 95.9% with operations in Sabine and Walker Counties complying at a 100% BMP implementation rate.

Again these evaluations are voluntary and done only with the consent of the landowner. The BMP implementation reports are completed roughly every two years and are used to help keep the use of BMPs during silvicultural operations non-regulatory in the State of Texas. Hopefully in the future we can see a continued improvement of the BMP implementation rate. Remember that one way we can continue to improve is to recognize the importance of using BMPs to protect water quality by treating each site that you work as if it will be evaluated. If you have any questions regarding the BMP implementation reports or BMPs in general please call me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the November 2004 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

October BMP Q&A

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

Q:  I am a logger in Southeast Texas and for the past few weeks I have been watching the hurricanes slam the East Coast.  The possibility of a hurricane causing damage to timber here in East Texas is not too far-fetched.  Even more damage can be caused here by wildfires, wind, and Southern Pine Beetle outbreaks that could happen at anytime.  Do I still need to follow BMP guidelines during salvage operations when I am trying to get the timber out as quickly as possible?

A:  Great question.  Timber can sustain a lot of damage from events such as hurricanes, wildfires, and Southern Pine Beetle outbreaks.  Hopefully we will not have any widespread timber damage here in East Texas.  However, if you find yourself conducting a salvage operation after such an event BMPs should be implemented just as if it were a normal harvest operation. 

Generally there is a since of urgency when it comes to harvesting timber in a salvage operation because damaged trees are more susceptible to insects and disease, lowering their economic value.  It is still important to implement BMPs during these situations.  BMPs are effective in  preventing or reducing erosion, allowing your land to be managed in a sustainable manner.    Following are a few recommendations to consider while conducting a salvage operation.

Prior to the salvage operation, the ground should be inspected to ensure that it is stable enough to support heavy machinery.  Often times after an event such as a hurricane, tropical storm, or even an East Texas thunderstorm, the soil is saturated and operating heavy machinery on these soils can cause rutting.  Rutting creates channels for water flow, which can lead to widespread soil movement.  This reduces site productivity, decreases tree growth and financial returns, and impacts water quality.  Firelanes installed to control wildfires should be cleaned up and stabilized with the proper water control structures to prevent additional erosion. 

Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) should be visibly marked and all operations within the SMZ should be kept to a minimum.  It may be necessary to flag the SMZ for greater visibility, because it is sometimes difficult for machine operators to see the original painted line with the additional debris on the ground.  All roads, skid trails, decks, and firelanes should be located outside the SMZ.  Removal of any felled timber within the SMZ should be done by dispersed skidding or by cable retrieval.  This is done to prevent damaging the filtering capabilities of the SMZ and to keep the forest floor virtually undisturbed.  Remember, even in salvage operations, 50 square feet of basal area should be left in the SMZ.  Try to leave trees that have not been too severely damaged.    

Personal safety should also be stressed when conducting a salvage operation.  Treetops and limbs may be left dangling above the ground and could cause serious injury to ground personnel.  It is also important to be aware of machine operators, especially when visibility is impaired from excessive debris.

For other recommendations regarding BMPs and salvage operations please refer to the Texas Forest Service BMP Bluebook.  If you do not have a copy of the Bluebook you can obtain a copy from your local Texas Forest Service office or online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water.  If you have any questions or comments regarding BMPs please call me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the October 2004 issue of the Texas Logger

BMP Trivia Question

Log landings should have a slight slope in order to promote drainage, allowing the landing to dry quickly after rain events. According to the Bluebook what is the recommended slope percentage for landings?


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August BMP Q&A

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

Q:   Recently a landowner asked me why I left trees along the stream bank and why the trees I cut were directionally felled away from the stream.  I really did not have a good answer for him because this is the way that I was always taught.  A friend of mine told me that I should send this question in to get an answer as to why we do this.  Can you give me a good answer for these questions so next time, I will be able to give the landowner a better answer?

A:   This is a very good question and thanks to your friend for recommending that you send this in.  Many people may be like you and only do this because that is what they grew up doing or was taught.

First of all lets look at why trees should be felled away from a stream.  The reason we recommend doing this is to minimize the chance or amount of logging debris that can enter a stream during a harvest operation within a Streamside Management Zone (SMZ).  The problem with debris entering a stream is that if enough of it is deposited, a dam can form.  When a stream becomes blocked the water has nowhere to go, so it begins to back up on itself.  This can cause flooding of the surrounding land and eventually the stream will create a new channel around the dam.  Now not only do you have logging debris in the stream but also a large amount of dirt from the newly formed channel. The sedimentation that has occurred not only impacts aquatic wildlife, but also raises treatment costs to make the water suitable for human consumption.  The Bluebook recommends that trees that can only be felled across a stream or into a stream should not be harvested. 

Why should trees be left along the stream bank?  The answer to this question is much like the answer to the previous question.  When trees along a stream bank are harvested, the bank may become unstable.  When the root system of the tree dies the bank will begin to sluff off or erode into the stream channel.  Before removing the trees from the stream bank the soil was held in place by the root system of the trees.  The excessive amount of sedimentation will have an immediate impact on the stream.  The soil moving into the stream could potentially dam up the stream much like logging debris can with the result being the same. 

Not only does the removal of bank trees cause the stream bank to become unstable but it also reduces the amount of shade that once covered the stream channel.  This increases the water temperature of the stream, making it hard for fish and other aquatic species to live in the stream.  The removal of bank trees will also increase the flood plain of that particular stream.  A stream that was unlikely to flood during the winter months will probably now flood covering a greater area of the surrounding lands.  The Bluebook recommends that trees found along the stream bank should be left to provide shade and to stabilize the stream bank.

Remember that harvesting within an SMZ is acceptable as long as 50ft² of basal area is left in the SMZ.  If you are not familiar with basal area the Texas Forest Service has a chart on its website that will aid you in determining basal area or you can leave 50% crown cover and achieve the 50ft² of basal area.  If you need a copy of the Bluebook you can get one from your local TFS office or view it online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water.  If you have any questions or comments regarding BMPs please call me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the August 2004 issue of the Texas Logger