Monday, February 27, 2012
Jones State Forest Virtual BMP Tour
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
February BMP Q&A
By: Chuck Coup, Water Resources Forester (Ret.),
Texas Forest Service
Q: It
has been three years since results for BMP implementation monitoring were
published for East Texas. Has the Texas Forest Service updated this report?
What is our current implementation rating?
A: Sure
have! Texas Forest Service (TFS) has recently concluded and published the
results of Best Management Practices (BMP) monitoring Round 8, conducted between
June 28, 2010 and September 9, 2011. The full monitoring report (and previous
reports) can be downloaded for free off of the TFS Water Resources Website (http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/water).
The report documents the findings of forestry BMP implementation across the Piney
Woods region.
Implementation monitoring
evaluated seven categories of BMPs on recently managed sites: Permanent Roads,
Temporary Roads, Stream Crossings, Streamside Management Zones (SMZs), Site
Preparation, Landings, and Wetlands. Each tract received an individual score
for all seven categories as well as an overall implementation score.
I am very pleased to
report that overall BMP implementation across East Texas was found to be at an
all-time high – 94%! That means that for any given tract in East Texas we could
expect that nearly all of the necessary and appropriate BMPs for that operation
would be correctly implemented. That is terrific news, and each and every one
of you should be very proud. It is a direct reflection of all the hard work and
consideration you put into protecting the quality of water in our State while
conducting you forestry operations. For all of you long-timers, you should also
be proud at how far BMP implementation has come over the years. When TFS first
started BMP monitoring in 1992 the implementation rate was around 79%. That
represents a nearly 20% increase in implementation. Go ahead and brag a little.
Overall scores for the
individual categories were as follows: Permanent Roads – 95%, Temporary Roads –
98%, Stream Crossings – 85%, SMZs – 90%, Site Preparation – 98%, Landings –
99%, and Wetlands – 98%. All categories except
Wetlands have maintained or increased their ratings from the previous round of
monitoring. Temporary Roads and Stream Crossings demonstrate the greatest
improvements since the last monitoring round.
The greatest deficiencies were failing to remove and stabilize stream
crossings on temporary roads and inadequate SMZ widths along intermittent and
perennial streams. So let’s be sure to pull all of our temporary crossings out
before we move off a tract and make sure to leave a full 50 feet of buffer
width on either side of any intermittent and perennial stream channels.
Implementation scores
were also analyzed across 4 ownership types: Family Forest, Corporate,
Industry, and Public. While Family Forest Lands have the lowest overall implementation
score of the 4 categories (88%), they saw the greatest improvement since the
first monitoring round in 1992 (26% increase). Overall implementation scores
for the remaining 3 types were as follows: Corporate – 97%, Industry – 98%, and
Public – 98%.
While the 8th
Round of BMP monitoring has demonstrated an all-time high BMP implementation
rate, the work does not end here. It will take a continued effort to maintain the
current score and even more diligence to improve it. But, that is my challenge
to you. Let’s keep up the excellent work and show everyone that we are
dedicated to conducting our forest operations the right way. Let’s continue to
improve the BMP implementation in East Texas!
The Texas Forest Service
Water Resources Program is here to help you. If you have a BMP questions or
concerns about a particular tract, let us know. We would be happy to schedule a
site visit with you and help identify the best method for protecting water
quality on your tract. Site-based training is also available to contractors
through tailgate sessions, in which Water Resource foresters provide technical
assistance during your active forest operation. We will also continue to hold BMP
logger training workshops periodically throughout the year. So keep an eye open
for those.
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.
* This article was published in the February 2012 issue of the Texas Logger
Sunday, January 1, 2012
BMP Trivia Question
Wing ditches collect and direct road surface runoff from one or both
sides of the road away from the roadway and into undisturbed areas
adjacent to the road. According to the BMP Handbook, what are 3 of the 8 Recommended Specifications for the construction and maintenance of Wing Ditches?1.)
2.)
3.)
Click on "comments" below and post your answers.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
December BMP Q&A
By: Chris Duncan, Water Resources Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service
Q: I usually try to comply with Best Management Practices (BMPs) on my harvesting operations, but it is not always easy dealing with landowners. I have a hard time explaining the benefits of following the recommended guidelines. What advice would you give me to tell my clients to convince them of the importance of using BMPs?
A: This is a tough problem that many loggers and contractors are faced with every day. Implementing BMPs is not only time consuming, but can also be costly. It is understandable that in today’s tough economy, many landowners want as much value from their land as possible when harvesting timber from their property. However, if you take some time to explain to the landowner the many advantages that BMPs provide, using BMPs often becomes a more appealing option.
The ultimate goal of BMPs is to provide us with clean water. After a year of such terrible drought, I think we can all agree that water is very important to us all. There is a limited amount of fresh water available for human consumption and we cannot afford to do anything that will further reduce our water source. Polluted water is very expensive to treat, causing our water bills to rise.
Erosion control is also another important function of BMPs. Erosion can be very damaging to the productivity of the site, can greatly reduce accessibility, and can be very damaging to the environment. This process removes valuable soil that is necessary to grow quality timber. At the same time site productivity is decreasing, there is also an increased risk of sedimentation into our streams.
Wildlife can also benefit from implementing BMPs. Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) can provide habitat and travel corridors for many species, including deer, birds, and squirrels. Water temperatures in streams are kept inside a constant range due to the shade provided by the SMZ, maintaining aquatic populations of fish, amphibians, and insects.
The Texas Reforestation and Conservation Act of 1999 (SB 977) allows for a financial incentive to using BMPs. This legislation gives forest landowners property tax relief in special qualified zones, such as SMZs and reforested acres. Under this bill, a landowner would receive a 50% reduction in their appraised value for these restricted use timberland zones.
In Texas, we are operating under a voluntary BMP system. This means that there are no laws mandating that we follow the recommended guidelines. If we choose not to adhere to these principles, then we might enter into a regulatory system. This type of situation would further infringe upon private property rights, be more costly, and less efficient.
The reasons listed above are good selling points to make a case for installing BMPs on your property. The Texas Forest Service has several brochures and BMP fact sheets on their webpage that are very educational and available for you to use. They are located at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. If you would prefer to have one of our water resources foresters talk to the landowner directly or have a any questions regarding BMPs, please call us at (936) 639-8180.
Q: I usually try to comply with Best Management Practices (BMPs) on my harvesting operations, but it is not always easy dealing with landowners. I have a hard time explaining the benefits of following the recommended guidelines. What advice would you give me to tell my clients to convince them of the importance of using BMPs?
A: This is a tough problem that many loggers and contractors are faced with every day. Implementing BMPs is not only time consuming, but can also be costly. It is understandable that in today’s tough economy, many landowners want as much value from their land as possible when harvesting timber from their property. However, if you take some time to explain to the landowner the many advantages that BMPs provide, using BMPs often becomes a more appealing option.
The ultimate goal of BMPs is to provide us with clean water. After a year of such terrible drought, I think we can all agree that water is very important to us all. There is a limited amount of fresh water available for human consumption and we cannot afford to do anything that will further reduce our water source. Polluted water is very expensive to treat, causing our water bills to rise.
Erosion control is also another important function of BMPs. Erosion can be very damaging to the productivity of the site, can greatly reduce accessibility, and can be very damaging to the environment. This process removes valuable soil that is necessary to grow quality timber. At the same time site productivity is decreasing, there is also an increased risk of sedimentation into our streams.
Wildlife can also benefit from implementing BMPs. Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) can provide habitat and travel corridors for many species, including deer, birds, and squirrels. Water temperatures in streams are kept inside a constant range due to the shade provided by the SMZ, maintaining aquatic populations of fish, amphibians, and insects.
The Texas Reforestation and Conservation Act of 1999 (SB 977) allows for a financial incentive to using BMPs. This legislation gives forest landowners property tax relief in special qualified zones, such as SMZs and reforested acres. Under this bill, a landowner would receive a 50% reduction in their appraised value for these restricted use timberland zones.
In Texas, we are operating under a voluntary BMP system. This means that there are no laws mandating that we follow the recommended guidelines. If we choose not to adhere to these principles, then we might enter into a regulatory system. This type of situation would further infringe upon private property rights, be more costly, and less efficient.
The reasons listed above are good selling points to make a case for installing BMPs on your property. The Texas Forest Service has several brochures and BMP fact sheets on their webpage that are very educational and available for you to use. They are located at http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/water. If you would prefer to have one of our water resources foresters talk to the landowner directly or have a any questions regarding BMPs, please call us at (936) 639-8180.
* This article was published in the December 2011 issue of the Texas Logger
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
November BMP Q&A
By: Chris Duncan, Water Resources Forester (Ret.), Texas Forest Service
Q: We own several hundred acres of timberland which were lost due to the recent wildfires in East Texas. We have spoken with our consulting forester and are planning on conducting some salvage harvesting operations. Our property has a fairly good sized stream which usually flows 3-4 months out of the year during the wetter months. Most of what we will be harvesting was completely or nearly completely killed by the fire, although there are some areas with higher survival. I would like to know if you have any recommendations on how we should conduct our harvesting so that we have as little impact to water quality as possible.
A: Sorry to hear about your loss of timber during this unprecedented fire season. I am glad to hear that you have consulted a professional forester to help you with the recovery of some of your timbers value. I would be happy to provide some recommendations for Best Management Practices which will help you reduce the risk of impacting your streams water quality during your operations. It appears you likely have an intermittent stream that flows through your property based on your description of the stream. Let’s start with the Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) along this stream.
SMZs provide several functions to help protect water quality. One of an SMZs primary functions is to provide shade to the water body. The shade provided by an SMZ helps regulate the water temperature, thereby protecting the thermal qualities of the stream. Many organisms have small tolerances to large thermal changes. Therefore, care should be taken during wildfire salvage operations not to remove more trees from the SMZ than absolutely necessary. Your forester should survey the SMZ, and make determinations of which trees will likely die from the fire, and which trees may survive. We recommend that any trees which may survive be left uncut to provide as much shade to the stream as possible. A good rule of thumb for hardwoods in the SMZ may be to leave any trees which still have at least 50% of their crown intact. As far as the pine trees go, if they are going to die from the fires we had this year, they have probably already turned brown and dropped their needles. Any pine trees which still have a majority of the crown in lush green needles should be saved if possible.
While selectively harvesting within the SMZ, care should be taken to disturb the ground as little as possible to maintain the SMZs protection of the stream from runoff. If the vegetation on the ground within the SMZ was completely consumed, efforts should be made to re-establish vegetation as soon as possible.
On rare occasion (flat terrain, lightly erodible soils, and cooler burned areas), a forester may use his professional judgment to determine if it is safe to narrow an SMZ so that it is less than the recommended 50’ on each side of a stream during salvage operations to recover some of the value. If it is determined that an SMZ will be narrower (maybe 30’– 40’ feet wide) than the 50’ recommendation, efforts should be made to disturb the soils and vegetation that would normally fall within the recommended SMZ as little as possible. Any mechanical or chemical site preparation or machine planting should be conducted outside the original 50’ buffer to reduce the risk of impairing water quality.
As far as the rest of the tract outside the SMZ; the harvesting, site preparation, and planting should all be conducted in accordance with all other BMP guidelines in the bluebook.
If you have any questions about wildfire salvage BMPs or any other BMPs please contact me.
Q: We own several hundred acres of timberland which were lost due to the recent wildfires in East Texas. We have spoken with our consulting forester and are planning on conducting some salvage harvesting operations. Our property has a fairly good sized stream which usually flows 3-4 months out of the year during the wetter months. Most of what we will be harvesting was completely or nearly completely killed by the fire, although there are some areas with higher survival. I would like to know if you have any recommendations on how we should conduct our harvesting so that we have as little impact to water quality as possible.A: Sorry to hear about your loss of timber during this unprecedented fire season. I am glad to hear that you have consulted a professional forester to help you with the recovery of some of your timbers value. I would be happy to provide some recommendations for Best Management Practices which will help you reduce the risk of impacting your streams water quality during your operations. It appears you likely have an intermittent stream that flows through your property based on your description of the stream. Let’s start with the Streamside Management Zone (SMZ) along this stream.
SMZs provide several functions to help protect water quality. One of an SMZs primary functions is to provide shade to the water body. The shade provided by an SMZ helps regulate the water temperature, thereby protecting the thermal qualities of the stream. Many organisms have small tolerances to large thermal changes. Therefore, care should be taken during wildfire salvage operations not to remove more trees from the SMZ than absolutely necessary. Your forester should survey the SMZ, and make determinations of which trees will likely die from the fire, and which trees may survive. We recommend that any trees which may survive be left uncut to provide as much shade to the stream as possible. A good rule of thumb for hardwoods in the SMZ may be to leave any trees which still have at least 50% of their crown intact. As far as the pine trees go, if they are going to die from the fires we had this year, they have probably already turned brown and dropped their needles. Any pine trees which still have a majority of the crown in lush green needles should be saved if possible.
While selectively harvesting within the SMZ, care should be taken to disturb the ground as little as possible to maintain the SMZs protection of the stream from runoff. If the vegetation on the ground within the SMZ was completely consumed, efforts should be made to re-establish vegetation as soon as possible.
On rare occasion (flat terrain, lightly erodible soils, and cooler burned areas), a forester may use his professional judgment to determine if it is safe to narrow an SMZ so that it is less than the recommended 50’ on each side of a stream during salvage operations to recover some of the value. If it is determined that an SMZ will be narrower (maybe 30’– 40’ feet wide) than the 50’ recommendation, efforts should be made to disturb the soils and vegetation that would normally fall within the recommended SMZ as little as possible. Any mechanical or chemical site preparation or machine planting should be conducted outside the original 50’ buffer to reduce the risk of impairing water quality.
As far as the rest of the tract outside the SMZ; the harvesting, site preparation, and planting should all be conducted in accordance with all other BMP guidelines in the bluebook.
If you have any questions about wildfire salvage BMPs or any other BMPs please contact me.
* This article was published in the November 2011 issue of the Texas Logger
Saturday, October 1, 2011
BMP Trivia Question
Streamside Management Zones (SMZs) are buffers maintained on perennial and intermittent stream to protect water quality during forest operations. The minimum width of an SMZ is 50 on either side of the stream to allow runoff water to be filtered before entering the stream. The minimum tree density of the SMZ is based on a measure called "basal area" and recommends that a mimum of 50 square feet of basal area be evenly distributed across the SMZ. If an SMZ was made up entirely of 7” DBH trees and nothing else, how many trees per acre would it take to meet the minimum recommended guideline of at least 50 Sq. Ft of basal area within the SMZ? (Hint: Refer to the chart on page 109 in the bluebook)A. 36 trees per acre
B. 92 trees per acre
C. 187 trees per acre
D. 306 trees per
Click on "comments" below and post your answers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)