July Issue of the BMP Informer Now AvailableTuesday, July 1, 2003
July BMP Q&A
By: Jake Donellan, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service
Q: I am harvesting timber on a landowner’s tract and I came across an area that looked to me like some sort of wetland area. The landowner said he didn’t think that it was a wetland and not to worry about it. I know that timber harvesting is allowed in wetlands but how exactly can you tell what one looks like.
A: You are correct, timber harvesting is allowed in wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1977 as long as it 1) qualifies as “normal silviculture,” 2) is part of “established” silvicultural operation, 3) is not part of an activity whose purpose is to convert a water of the United States into a use to which it was not previously subject, 4) follows the fifteen Mandatory Road BMPs, and 5) contains no toxic pollutant listed under Section 307 of the Clean Water Act in discharge of dredge or fill materials into waters of the United States.
To address your question, let me first quote the definition of a wetland. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACE) and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly define wetlands as:
There are three criteria that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers look at when delineating wetlands: (1) hydrophytic vegetation (plants that have the ability to grow, compete, reproduce and or persist in anaerobic soil conditions), (2) hydric soils (soils that are saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season for anaerobic soil conditions to develop, and (3) wetland hydrology (inundation by water sufficient to support hydrophytic vegetation and develop hydric soils). All three criteria must be present under normal circumstances for an area to be identified as a jurisdictional wetland.
There is an entire section, starting on page 82, in the Bluebook that is dedicated to helping you understand what a wetland is and how to minimize the impacts in these sensitive areas. This section also includes a list of the 15 Mandatory Road BMPs on pages 93 & 94. If you believe you are or will be operating in a wetland or wetland-like area, then you should definitely review the Forest Wetlands section of the Bluebook before beginning operations.
Landowners or loggers who have more questions or who are still unsure about wetlands should contact the Texas Forest Service or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. There are two U.S. ACE districts that cover east Texas, the Forth Worth District which you can reach at (817) 886-1326 or the Galveston District (409) 766-3004.
You can get a copy of the Bluebook at your local Texas Forest Service office or you can view it online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. If you have any questions regarding BMPs please contact me.
Q: I am harvesting timber on a landowner’s tract and I came across an area that looked to me like some sort of wetland area. The landowner said he didn’t think that it was a wetland and not to worry about it. I know that timber harvesting is allowed in wetlands but how exactly can you tell what one looks like. A: You are correct, timber harvesting is allowed in wetlands under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1977 as long as it 1) qualifies as “normal silviculture,” 2) is part of “established” silvicultural operation, 3) is not part of an activity whose purpose is to convert a water of the United States into a use to which it was not previously subject, 4) follows the fifteen Mandatory Road BMPs, and 5) contains no toxic pollutant listed under Section 307 of the Clean Water Act in discharge of dredge or fill materials into waters of the United States.
To address your question, let me first quote the definition of a wetland. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACE) and the Environmental Protection Agency jointly define wetlands as:
“Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency or duration sufficient to support and, under normal circumstances, do support a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.”While this definition is fairly lengthy and in depth, the last sentence provides us with the best idea of what a wetland looks like; “swamps, marshes, bogs, and other similar areas.”
There are three criteria that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers look at when delineating wetlands: (1) hydrophytic vegetation (plants that have the ability to grow, compete, reproduce and or persist in anaerobic soil conditions), (2) hydric soils (soils that are saturated, flooded, or ponded long enough during the growing season for anaerobic soil conditions to develop, and (3) wetland hydrology (inundation by water sufficient to support hydrophytic vegetation and develop hydric soils). All three criteria must be present under normal circumstances for an area to be identified as a jurisdictional wetland.
There is an entire section, starting on page 82, in the Bluebook that is dedicated to helping you understand what a wetland is and how to minimize the impacts in these sensitive areas. This section also includes a list of the 15 Mandatory Road BMPs on pages 93 & 94. If you believe you are or will be operating in a wetland or wetland-like area, then you should definitely review the Forest Wetlands section of the Bluebook before beginning operations.
Landowners or loggers who have more questions or who are still unsure about wetlands should contact the Texas Forest Service or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. There are two U.S. ACE districts that cover east Texas, the Forth Worth District which you can reach at (817) 886-1326 or the Galveston District (409) 766-3004.
You can get a copy of the Bluebook at your local Texas Forest Service office or you can view it online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. If you have any questions regarding BMPs please contact me.
* This article was published in the July 2003 issue of the Texas Logger
Sunday, June 1, 2003
BMP Trivia Question
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Thursday, May 1, 2003
May BMP Q&A
By: Jake Donellan, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service
Q: I would like your advice on Woods Road Maintenance. Just exactly how do you maintain the road ditches. We are perpetually challenged with keeping our sandy woods roads open and preventing washes. I need to know how to work the ditches and not get the tractor stuck. Our ditches are wet through early summer. Thank you.
A: This question actually came from a forest landowner rather than a logger, however, I thought it would be a good topic of discussion for this month’s Q&A. Maintaining the ditches on a woods road can often be very difficult especially when they are located on sandy soils. In a situation like this it may be better, when practical, to wait to conduct ditch maintenance in mid-to-late summer.
There are a couple of reasons why waiting to do ditch work in mid-to-late summer makes sense. One good reason for waiting is that there is usually not as much water or in many cases no water at all in the ditches. With very little water present, the soil should be able to be worked very easily with equipment without having to worry about bogging down or getting stuck.
Another reason for waiting until summer to work the road ditches is because of reduced rainfall. The amount of rainfall and the amount of vegetative cover on the soil play significant roles when considering the potential for erosion. By conducting ditch work in the summer when rainfall amounts are reduced, you can minimize the potential for erosion occurring in your ditches despite the lack of vegetative cover on the soil. The ditches should be vegetated with grass as soon as possible but that can often times be difficult during the summer months. If you look on pages 64 & 65 in the “Blue book,” (Texas Forestry Best Management Practices) there is a revegetation chart that describes information about which grasses are best suited to plant based on soil types, and season.
Based on the chart in the “Blue book” I would make a recommendation for this landowner that they conduct their ditch work in summer and then attempt to revegetate the disturbed soil with some type of millet seed which can be planted as late as August 1st. Since millet is an annual grass that needs to be re-established each year, I would also recommend that the landowner possibly follow-up with some type of Bermuda grass which could be sown beginning in January
There are many times that it is not possible to wait until summer to maintain the ditches. In those cases you must use your professional judgment to determine whether or not it is appropriate to conduct the maintenance. Ditch maintenance should be attempted when there is a minimal chance for significant erosion. Check the weather forecast and conduct the maintenance when there will several days of clear weather and when possible, revegetate the area immediately.
You can get a copy of the Blue book at your local Texas Forest Service office or you can view it online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. If you have any questions regarding BMPs please contact me.
Q: I would like your advice on Woods Road Maintenance. Just exactly how do you maintain the road ditches. We are perpetually challenged with keeping our sandy woods roads open and preventing washes. I need to know how to work the ditches and not get the tractor stuck. Our ditches are wet through early summer. Thank you.
A: This question actually came from a forest landowner rather than a logger, however, I thought it would be a good topic of discussion for this month’s Q&A. Maintaining the ditches on a woods road can often be very difficult especially when they are located on sandy soils. In a situation like this it may be better, when practical, to wait to conduct ditch maintenance in mid-to-late summer.
There are a couple of reasons why waiting to do ditch work in mid-to-late summer makes sense. One good reason for waiting is that there is usually not as much water or in many cases no water at all in the ditches. With very little water present, the soil should be able to be worked very easily with equipment without having to worry about bogging down or getting stuck. Another reason for waiting until summer to work the road ditches is because of reduced rainfall. The amount of rainfall and the amount of vegetative cover on the soil play significant roles when considering the potential for erosion. By conducting ditch work in the summer when rainfall amounts are reduced, you can minimize the potential for erosion occurring in your ditches despite the lack of vegetative cover on the soil. The ditches should be vegetated with grass as soon as possible but that can often times be difficult during the summer months. If you look on pages 64 & 65 in the “Blue book,” (Texas Forestry Best Management Practices) there is a revegetation chart that describes information about which grasses are best suited to plant based on soil types, and season.
Based on the chart in the “Blue book” I would make a recommendation for this landowner that they conduct their ditch work in summer and then attempt to revegetate the disturbed soil with some type of millet seed which can be planted as late as August 1st. Since millet is an annual grass that needs to be re-established each year, I would also recommend that the landowner possibly follow-up with some type of Bermuda grass which could be sown beginning in January
There are many times that it is not possible to wait until summer to maintain the ditches. In those cases you must use your professional judgment to determine whether or not it is appropriate to conduct the maintenance. Ditch maintenance should be attempted when there is a minimal chance for significant erosion. Check the weather forecast and conduct the maintenance when there will several days of clear weather and when possible, revegetate the area immediately.
You can get a copy of the Blue book at your local Texas Forest Service office or you can view it online at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. If you have any questions regarding BMPs please contact me.
* This article was published in the May 2003 issue of the Texas Logger
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
April BMP Q&A
By: Jake Donellan, BMP Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service
No question and answer this week, only a suggestion. I, like many of you, recently received a letter in the mail from the Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Logging Council reminding landowners, loggers, and foresters to be observant for any space shuttle material while operating in the woods. In the letter, Ron Hufford, the Executive Vice President of the Texas Forestry Association, urges loggers to walk tracts to look for shuttle debris before commencing operations. If you do find something that you suspect is shuttle material please mark the location (flagging, etc.) and call (936) 699-1032 or (936) 699-1034 or call your local sheriff’s office. If you find something that may be human remains please call (936) 699-1022. Do not handle or remove any debris you may encounter. The small amount of time it takes to conduct the walk could play a crucial part in the effort to help solve the shuttle tragedy and give closure to this event.
From a logging point of view, even after the shuttle recovery is over, I would encourage you to continue walking tracts before beginning your operations. In fact, the BMP program has always recommended to loggers that they walk the tract as part of the planning process before starting up operations on a tract.
If you are working on a private tract, ask the landowner or the landowner’s forester to be a part of the walk through, or if you are on an industry tract ask the company forester to come along. By walking a tract, you can find a wealth of information that can help you conduct an efficient and well-organized harvest operation. You can identify the best location to cross a creek, locate a skid trail or road, or place a loading deck. You can also get a feel for problem areas such as steep slopes or wet areas that may not be easily planned for from a map or aerial photo. Locating boundary lines is another important reason to walk a tract before starting. If it is a private tract, the landowner may identify special areas that may require a little more care and attention when harvesting. By paying attention to those sorts of things, you can certainly save yourself some headaches down the road. There is a lot of useful information that can be gained by a simple walk around a tract before starting an operation, especially if you include the landowner. That information may, in the end, save you some grief, it will save you some time and possibly even save you some money.
The forestry community has already done a fabulous job in assisting with the Columbia space shuttle recovery and your efforts are greatly appreciated by many. I would urge you all to continue with your gracious assistance by conducting a walk through on your tracts before starting up operations. Something you find may be the key to unraveling the mystery about what caused this terrible tragedy. While you are out there scanning the woods for shuttle material, take a few more minutes to be observant about the tract itself. These tract inspections, for obvious reasons, are something you definitely need to do right now, and something you should consider doing from now on. And if you are not anywhere near the shuttle recovery site, give this walk through a try and see if it helps and then let me know how it turns out.
From a logging point of view, even after the shuttle recovery is over, I would encourage you to continue walking tracts before beginning your operations. In fact, the BMP program has always recommended to loggers that they walk the tract as part of the planning process before starting up operations on a tract.
If you are working on a private tract, ask the landowner or the landowner’s forester to be a part of the walk through, or if you are on an industry tract ask the company forester to come along. By walking a tract, you can find a wealth of information that can help you conduct an efficient and well-organized harvest operation. You can identify the best location to cross a creek, locate a skid trail or road, or place a loading deck. You can also get a feel for problem areas such as steep slopes or wet areas that may not be easily planned for from a map or aerial photo. Locating boundary lines is another important reason to walk a tract before starting. If it is a private tract, the landowner may identify special areas that may require a little more care and attention when harvesting. By paying attention to those sorts of things, you can certainly save yourself some headaches down the road. There is a lot of useful information that can be gained by a simple walk around a tract before starting an operation, especially if you include the landowner. That information may, in the end, save you some grief, it will save you some time and possibly even save you some money.
The forestry community has already done a fabulous job in assisting with the Columbia space shuttle recovery and your efforts are greatly appreciated by many. I would urge you all to continue with your gracious assistance by conducting a walk through on your tracts before starting up operations. Something you find may be the key to unraveling the mystery about what caused this terrible tragedy. While you are out there scanning the woods for shuttle material, take a few more minutes to be observant about the tract itself. These tract inspections, for obvious reasons, are something you definitely need to do right now, and something you should consider doing from now on. And if you are not anywhere near the shuttle recovery site, give this walk through a try and see if it helps and then let me know how it turns out.
* This article was published in the April 2003 issue of the Texas Logger
Saturday, March 1, 2003
March BMP Q&A
By: Hughes Simpson, BMP Forester, Texas Forest Service
Q: I have been reading the Texas Forestry Best Management Practices (Bluebook) and am a little confused about some of the Streamside Management Zones (SMZ) guidelines, especially regarding thinning within these areas. Would you mind trying to clarify these guidelines?
A: Certainly! SMZs are very important areas that should be established when conducting forestry operations. These areas provide many benefits to us, mainly through the protection of water quality by filtering runoff water before it enters waterways. To offset potential monetary losses for establishing SMZs, tax incentives were passed by the 76th Texas Legislature to encourage these practices.
A SMZ is a 50-foot strip of trees between the stream channel and the harvest area. These zones are primarily left on perennial and intermittent streams, but depending on site conditions, you may also want to establish them on ephemeral streams. Specific attention is given to management activities within these areas to protect instream and downstream water quality.
Partial harvesting (thinning) is acceptable within the SMZ. A minimum residual density of 50 square feet of basal area per acre should be retained. Basal area is generally measured using a 10 factor angle gauge (prism) and is based on the theory of the probability of selection being proportional to tree size. There is no minimum diameter limit for residual trees.
If you are not familiar with the concept of ' 'basal area" or do not have a prum, a. general rule of thumb that you can use is to retain a minimum of 50% of the original Crown cover. This is easily accomplished by looking up at the canopy and visualizing how it will look after the harvest while you are marking the trees to be cut. Keep in mind that in order to stay Within the guidelines, you usually must remove less than half of the original timber in the SMZ.
When thinning the SMZ, it is important to remember that the residual trees should be evenly distributed. Large gaps or open patches where the basal area falls below 50 square feet per acre should be avoided when possible. This can reduce the filtering and shading capacity of the SMZ. It is also important to plan for the damage and accidental felling of "leave" trees while thinning within this zone. SMZs that do not have an original basal area of 50 square feet per acre should not be thinned.
Placing a higher priority on removing the more valuable timber (mature pine) over lesser valuable timber (scrub hardwoods) can help reduce the financial burden of leaving an SMZ. However, harvesting this timber under certain site conditions may cause additional water quality impacts. Operating heavy equipment while the ground is saturated may cause rutting and sedimentation. If you have a question regarding BMPs, please contact me at (936) 639-8180.
* This article was published in the March 2003 issue of the Texas Logger
Q: I have been reading the Texas Forestry Best Management Practices (Bluebook) and am a little confused about some of the Streamside Management Zones (SMZ) guidelines, especially regarding thinning within these areas. Would you mind trying to clarify these guidelines?
A: Certainly! SMZs are very important areas that should be established when conducting forestry operations. These areas provide many benefits to us, mainly through the protection of water quality by filtering runoff water before it enters waterways. To offset potential monetary losses for establishing SMZs, tax incentives were passed by the 76th Texas Legislature to encourage these practices.
Partial harvesting (thinning) is acceptable within the SMZ. A minimum residual density of 50 square feet of basal area per acre should be retained. Basal area is generally measured using a 10 factor angle gauge (prism) and is based on the theory of the probability of selection being proportional to tree size. There is no minimum diameter limit for residual trees.
If you are not familiar with the concept of ' 'basal area" or do not have a prum, a. general rule of thumb that you can use is to retain a minimum of 50% of the original Crown cover. This is easily accomplished by looking up at the canopy and visualizing how it will look after the harvest while you are marking the trees to be cut. Keep in mind that in order to stay Within the guidelines, you usually must remove less than half of the original timber in the SMZ.
When thinning the SMZ, it is important to remember that the residual trees should be evenly distributed. Large gaps or open patches where the basal area falls below 50 square feet per acre should be avoided when possible. This can reduce the filtering and shading capacity of the SMZ. It is also important to plan for the damage and accidental felling of "leave" trees while thinning within this zone. SMZs that do not have an original basal area of 50 square feet per acre should not be thinned.
Placing a higher priority on removing the more valuable timber (mature pine) over lesser valuable timber (scrub hardwoods) can help reduce the financial burden of leaving an SMZ. However, harvesting this timber under certain site conditions may cause additional water quality impacts. Operating heavy equipment while the ground is saturated may cause rutting and sedimentation. If you have a question regarding BMPs, please contact me at (936) 639-8180.
* This article was published in the March 2003 issue of the Texas Logger
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