The Texas Water Source - May 2011

May Issue of the Texas Water Source Now Available

• Best Management Practices in Action
• Updates on Texas Wildfires
• Agency Spotlight: Texas Forestry Association
• American Tree Farm System
• Feral Hogs Can Affect Water Quality
• TFA Spring Tailgate Rally

May BMP Q&A

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

Q:   In recent months the outbreak of wildfires and the threat of wildfires occurring has been high.  I want to protect my timber from a possible wildfire by installing firelanes around my tract.  Are there any BMPs that I should follow during this project to prevent any impacts on water quality from occurring?

A:   Installing firelanes around your timber is a great way to protect your investment by reducing the threat of a possible wildfire.  Firelanes work by creating a barrier and removing the available fuel source between adjoining stands or tracts.  By removing the fuel source along these barriers aids in preventing a wildfire one stand or tract to another.  However, it is important to remember that there are potential impacts to water quality that can occur if caution is not taken. 

Guidelines for properly constructing and maintaining firelanes can be found in the Texas Forest Service’s BMP Bluebook.  These recommendations are designed to prevent any unnecessary erosion form occurring thus minimizing the potential for impacts on water quality. 

Firelanes should be constructed along the perimeter of the tract and follow the boundaries of Streamside Management Zones.  Locating these barriers outside of SMZs will limit the amount of sedimentation that may result.  This will also protect the litter and organic matter of the SMZ so it can continue to serve as a filter.    

To allow for proper drainage and erosion control, waterbars and wing ditches should be installed in a timely manner.  Recommendations for installing these devices can be found on pages 34 and 38 of the BMP Bluebook.  These recommendations include how to properly build waterbars, proper spacing for waterbars, and specifications on properly installing wing ditches.  When installing wing ditches, make sure that the runoff water is not being discharged directly into streams.    

Regular maintenance on firelanes is necessary to avoid potential erosion problems.  This includes periodic inspections, especially after heavy rains, to make sure that they are still functioning properly and are not washed out.  Mowing, rather than blading, is the preferred type of maintenance because it minimizes the amount of exposed mineral soil.  Care should be taken when blading is the only option. 

Implementing these control structures can be very costly when using heavy machinery.  For economical as well as environmental reasons, it is important to only build firelanes as wide and deep as necessary.  Woody debris and other flammable material should be kept away from firelanes.  These objects can ignite, creating a pathway for the fire to spread into SMZs or adjoining lands.  If you have a question regarding BMPs, please call me at (936) 639-8180.

* This article was published in the May 2011 issue of the Texas Logger

BMP Trivia Question

True or false? Dirt may be pushed into a stream channel to create a temporary crossing as long as stream flows will wash the dirt downstream and restore the natural flow of the waterbody within a reasonable period of time.

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March BMP Q&A

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

Q:  I understand that taking time to plan out a forestry activity is an extremely important step in protecting water quality. In order to keep up with the times I am interested in using new technology to help in planning my forestry operations. Can you make some suggestions?

A:  I sure can. Many of you may be familiar with traditional forest planning tools such as aerial photos, paper topographic maps, and soil survey books. All of these resources are very useful and readily available to forest landowners, managers, and loggers today. However, with the rise of today’s technological society these tools are also now readily available on the internet, free of charge. Now, some of you may cringe or break out in a cold sweat at the thought of sitting down to a computer or going online. Not a problem! As I mentioned, soil surveys, topo maps, and aerial photos are all still available from local agencies, and the Texas Forest Service would be more than happy to help you locate these resources. Professional foresters also have access to these tools and use them regularly.

If, however, you are tech savvy, or know someone who is, or if you are just feeling adventurous here are some online forest planning resources that you may find helpful.

Topographic maps

Topographic maps help you get an overall view of the forest and a feel for the layout of the land. They display elevation through a series of contour lines and show the location of roads, towns, pipelines, lakes, wetlands, streams, structures, and land cover across the landscape. They are useful for laying out road systems, estimating the costs of implementing best management practices, and avoiding wet area’s and steep slopes.

Free topo maps are available to download from the United States Geological Survey(USGS) Store. The interactive map locator allows you to navigate to any place in the Country and download all available maps (7.5, 15 and 30 minute topographic map series) for that location. TheNational Map Seemless Server, also maintained by the USGS, is another good source for free topographic maps (and much more). Click on “Seamless Viewer” on the left hand side of the screen.

Aerial Photos

Aerial photographs give you a bird’s eye view of the forest. While many of the features visible on aerial photos are also shown on topo maps, aerial photos tend to be newer and therefore reveal more current features of the landscape. Knowledge of current road systems may help in identifying backside access to a tract or avoid the expense of crossing a large stream. Aerial photos can also show existing land uses and the arrangement of forest timber types.

GoogleMaps is a free online mapping program that allows you to view and zoom in and out of aerial photos at nearly any spot on planet Earth, with the additional benefit of labeled roads, towns, and structures. GoogleEarth is a similar program, free for download, that also allows you to measure distances, mark points and areas, and displays additional map features. Google Earth also allows you to share the map information you generate with other Google Earth users, such as a consulting forester for example. Both of these programs offer the ability to view aerial photos in 3D. These aerial photos are frequently updated.

A great way to get started with Google Earth is by taking a look at “Making GoogleEarth Work for Land Management,” a free forestry webinar available online.

Soil Surveys

Knowing and understanding the soil type for the property that you are managing can be a tremendous help in protecting water quality during forestry activities. Soil surveys classify and describe the location and expanse of different soil types and contain other useful information, such as the location of wet areas, drainage patterns, and the grade of slopes. Soil surveys also provide important information related to forestry operations, such as a location’s suitability for logging roads, landings, equipment operability and tendency for erosion and compaction. This information can assist in locating new roads, identifying problems with existing roads, and avoiding wetlands and other sensitive areas.

Soil survey information for nearly any location in the United States is available for free using the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Web Soil Survey, a free online mapping program that allows you to locate and define an area of interest and explore the soil data to determine the suitability of the soils for a particular use. You can also produce custom soil maps and reports. Free copies of the traditional soilsurvey reports for each County in Texas are also available in .pdf format online.

While an in depth explanation and detailed instructions on how to use these individual resources is beyond the scope of this article, a lot of helpful information is available online for free. Generally, each site offers specific information on how to use and navigate their respective program. We understand that these tools may not necessarily be right for everyone, but the good news is that other means of obtaining the same information still exist. However, if you are interested in exploring new resources and ways of gathering information to plan your forestry activities, I would encourage you to take a look at these sites.

To learn more about Texas’s forestry BMPs, please visit the Texas Forest Service website at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water or contact the Texas Forest Service water resources office in Lufkin (936) 639-8180 or Longview (903) 297-3910. If you have any questions about BMPs please contact Chuck Coup at the TFS office in Lufkin.

* This article was published in the March 2011 issue of the Texas Logger

The Texas Water Source - February 2011

February Issue of the Texas Water Source Now Available

• Planning Tools for Use in Forest Operations
• Agency Spotlight: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wetlands
• Aquatic Invasive Species
• Watershed Water Quality Monitoring
• Workshop Opportunities

February BMP Q&A

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

Q: I know that the Texas Forest Service periodically monitors and reports on the rate that best management practices are being used during our forestry operations in Texas. What is our current implementation rate and how does that compare to the rest of the United States?

A: Great question! The implementation rate for forestry best management practices (BMP) is a key measure for judging the effectiveness of our efforts to protect water quality during forest operations. For nearly two decades now the Texas Forest Service BMP program has been monitoring the level of BMP implementation on forestry operations across East Texas. Over this time, implementation of Forestry BMPs has risen from 79% in 1992 to its current level of 92%. That means that at any given time 9 out of every 10 forestry operations in East Texas are implementing BMPs properly. Now that is certainly something we should all be proud of! 

So how do we stack up with the rest of the country? Well let’s first look at how our 92% implementation rate compares to the rest of the south. In 2008 the Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF), representing 13 southern states (including Texas), published a report comparing BMP monitoring data across the South from 1997 - 2007. The overall implementation rate was 87%, so as you can see, Texas is a leader in the region. 

We can also make this comparison in finer detail. The report breaks down BMP implementation into seven categories: timber harvesting, site preparation, forest roads, stream crossings, SMZs, chemical application, and firebreaks. The implementation rate for each of these categories across the south was at least 85%, except the firebreaks category which only scored 73%. In Texas, results from the most recent round of monitoring (2008) demonstrate higher rates of implementation in each of these categories with the exception of stream crossings and SMZs. However, implementation in these categories was within three percentage points of the average for the Southern Region and has shown significant improvement since the first survey in 1992.

Comparing implementation rates across the country is a little trickier because different BMP guidelines and evaluation systems are used, and because some states do not monitor or report BMP implementation. A recently published report (2010) estimates the national average BMP implementation rate, after adjusting for different harvest levels in each state, to be 89%. The average implementation rate reported by the states with the 10 highest annual harvest removals, which includes Texas, was 91%. However, it should be noted that several of these states have strict regulatory programs for protecting water quality. Texas has achieved a 92% BMP implementation rate through voluntary compliance alone.

The take home message here is that Texas is a leader in implementing forestry BMPs, both at the regional and national level. That of course is the direct result of conscientious loggers and landowners such as you voluntarily taking the initiative to protect water quality during forest operations. Let’s continue to keep the use of BMPs in Texas voluntary by protecting water quality and showing the rest of the country how to operate in an efficient, economical, and environmental manner.

To learn more about Texas’s forestry BMP implementation rate, please visit our website at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water or contact the Texas Forest Service water resources office in Lufkin (936) 639-8180 or Longview (903) 297-3910. If you have any questions about BMPs please contact Chuck Coup at the TFS office in Lufkin.

* This article was published in the February 2011 issue of the Texas Logger 

BMP Trivia Question

True or false? Herbicide rinsate resulting from cleaning empty application equipment is safe to dump on the ground as long as the equipment has been rinsed the recommended 3 times. (Hint: Herbicide equipment cleanup is covered in the BMP handbook)

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