LORAX FORESTRY SERVICESECOLOGICAL FOREST MANAGEMENT 2012AMY BLOOD, THEO DIEHL, AND ALISSA GREGORY

Management Area

• Contains 69.26 acres of forested land

• Divided into four stands with separate management plans

• Each have varied ecology as well as different land use histories

Stand One

• 8.67 acres of forest• Primarily an Atlantic

White Cedar swamp• Soil largely consists of

muck, with the NW side lined with Atsion sand.

• Geographically, the stand sits atop the Cohansey Sand formation.

• Morse’s Mill, a stream, runs directly through he stand

Stand Two

• 13.81 acres of forest• Oak-pine forest with

recent history of burns• Soil consists entirely of

Downer loamy sand.• Sits over the Cohansey

Sand and Bridgeton formations

• Largely understocked and degraded by gypsy moth attacks

Significant Oak Components of Stands Two and Three

Stand Three

• 16.03 acres of forest• Oak-pine forest with

recent history of burns• Soil consists entirely of

Downer loamy sand.• Sits over the Cohansey

Sand and Bridgeton formations

• Largely understocked and degraded by gypsy moth attacks

Evidence Of Recent Burns in Stand Three

Evidence Of Recent Burns in Stand Three

Charred trees!

MORE BURNED TREES

More dense, less light Less dense, more light

You are here

Stand Four• 30.75 acres of forest• Large tract of land

containing mostly upland pine-oak forests, with the areas surrounding Lake Fred and Stand 1 being lowland hardwood and Atlantic White Cedar swamps

• Muck soils along water, Atsion sand bordering Stand One, Downer loamy sand encompassing western portion.

• Sits over the Cohansey Sand and Bridgeton formations

• Not burned recently, dense forest with thick understory

Degraded and Dense

Tall understory

Dense, thin,sad looking pines

Years of litter layer buildup

Stand Four also has a lowland swamp component

in its northern fringe

Meet Our Landowner

• Mr. Phillip Phun• 30 year old from Hoboken, NJ• Owns an internet marital aids

store• Wants to use the forest

recreationally• Concerns:

• Overall aesthetic quality• Protection from pests &

threats• Minimal cutting

• Must meet Farmland Tax Assessment

Apply silvicultural methods modeled after the Stoddard-Neel approach.

Create sources of income through plantings of ginkgo, ginseng, and shiitake

mushrooms.Increase biodiversity and wildlife

viewing/hunting opportunities

Our Plan of Action

Prescribed Burns• Divide the management

area, excluding Stand One, into ten burn patches.

• Burn two patches annually• Will create five-year

rotation cycle for each patch

• Different times of burn will result in a mosaic of densities and age classes

Thinnings• Thin the stands prior to

initial burn• Focus on oaks• Attempt to restore pine

forest similar to pre-fire suppression times

• Reduce ladder fuels to prevent canopy fire

Plantings• Clearcut an acre of Stand Four

to use as a ginkgo plantation• Still aesthetically pleasing

• Plant ginseng in patches surrounding the ginkgo plantation.

Stand One

• Leave the stand mainly untouched, as it already provides significant aesthetic pleasure.

• Single-tree selection

• Thin for small poles (4 to 6 in. DBH) of Atlantic White Cedar at $1000/acre.

• Monitor annually for pests

Stands Two and Three

BURN ALL OF STANDS 2 AND 3 AT YEAR 1

• Thin in first year, favoring the

removal of small oaks (4-6 in. DBH).

Harvest 33 white oaks, each to be cut down into 3

foot logs that will be used for the inoculation of

shiitake mushrooms

• Create open areas for quail, turkey, and deer to roam and feed• Retain some

dense areas to allow for wildlife

shelter

Single-tree selectionColinus virginianus

Meleagris gallopavo Odocoileus virginianus

Introduce quail in year 5 to most recently burned patch

Fire increases nutrient content and availability of

food

Monitor for signs of pests and disease

Southern pine beetle exit holesBacterial leaf scorch

Gouty oak gall

Stand Four• Thin in year 1 to

reduce ladder fuels.• Reduce basal area

of stand by 40%.• Harvest firewood

from thin.• Prescribed burn entire

stand in year 1, and subsequently follow five-year rotation in patches.

• Clearcut 1 acre in year 3 to establish ginkgo plantation.• Plant as seedlings• Harvest annually

after year 10

• Plant ginseng in year 1 within 500 ft of the soon-to-be ginkgo plot.• Must not be

burned after initial burn until harvest and reseeding.

• Monitor annually for signs of disease and pests.

We speak for the trees, as does Mr. Phun

• Wants to meet farmland tax assessment requirements, but with minimal cutting

• Dislikes the look of stumps

Basic Requirements: 1. Applicant must own the land.

He does.2. Owner must annually apply for Farmland Assessment on Form FA-1 with the municipal tax

assessor on or before August 1 of the year immediately preceding the tax year. He will.

3. Land must be devoted to agricultural or horticultural uses for at least two years prior to the tax year (also see Qualifying Woodland, page 8).

It will be.4. Land must consist of at least 5 contiguous (adjoining) acres being farmed and/or under a

woodlot management plan. Land under and adjoining the farmhouse is not counted in the 5 acre minimum area needed to qualify.

There are 69.26 conjoining acres. All are either being farmed or are under a woodlot management plan.

5. Gross sales of products from the land must average at least $500 per year for the first 5 acres, plus an average of $5 per acre for each acre over 5, except in the case of woodland or wetland where the income requirement is $.50 per acre for any acreage over 5.

The landowner will make more than $532.13 a year, as is required.6. Owner must represent that the land will continue in agricultural or horticultural use to

the end of the tax year. The landowner intends on managing the forest agriculturally indefinitely.

Farmland Tax Assessment

http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/FarmlandAssessmentGuide.pdf

Non-timber Forest ProductsHoneyPine NeedlesVinesBlueberriesMaple SyrupGinkgoGinsengShiitake Mushrooms

Income with minimal cutting?

*Red line represents $532.13

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 200

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Agricultural/Forest Incomes

Management Year

Inco

me

in U

SD

MedicinalAphrodisiacStrong Antioxidant

Hardy—Resistant to ThreatsOrnamentalCan be harvested for leaves, bark, and nutsNon-Native, but poses no danger of being

invasiveDioecious

Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)

Year 3One acre in Stand 4 is to be clearcut5,000 male trees will be planted

Years 4 through 9PruningFertilization

Year 10 (and on)Harvesting for leavesPruningFertilization

Ginkgo Plantation

Costs:Year 3

Planting-- $30,000 (5,000 saplings at $6 each)Years 4-9

Pruning and Fertilizing-- $50 a yearIncomes:

Years 10+Leaf Harvesting-- $19,000 a year (4,750 pounds of

dried leaves at $4 a pound)

Ginkgo Costs and Income

Ginkgo Discounted• Costs:

– Year 3• Planting-- $28,835 (5,000 saplings at $6 each)

– Years 4-9• Pruning and Fertilizing-- $389 total

• Incomes:– Years 10+

• Leaf Harvesting-- $794,918 over a lifetime

Ginkgo Sustainable Yield : $765,424

Medicinal Aphrodisiac Boosts

Immune System

Relieves Stress

Requires Dense Canopy Well-drained

moist soil

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium)

• Is harvested for roots

• Takes approximately 6 years for roots to mature

Year 1Seeds are to be planted in Stand 4Deer fence will be put around 10 ginseng beds

Years 2-7, 9-14, 16-21, etc.Calcium and Potassium will be added

Years 8, 15, 22, etc.Harvest and Replant

Ginseng Patches

Costs:Year 1

Planting-- $25 (1,650 seeds)Deer fence– $800 (200 feet at $4 a foot)

Years 2-7, 9-14, 16-21, etc.Nutrient Additions-- $10 a year

Incomes:Years 8, 15, 22, etc.

Harvesting-- $1,600 (8,000 roots harvested at 0.01 dried pounds per root and $200 a pound)

Ginseng Costs and Income

Costs:Year 1

Planting-- $25 (1,650 seeds)Deer fence– $800 (200 feet at $4 a foot)

Years 2-7, 9-14, 16-21, etc.Nutrient Additions-- $490 total

Incomes:Years 8, 15, 22, etc.

Harvesting-- $10,751 total ($1600 every six years, starting at year seven)

Ginseng Discounted

Ginseng Sustainable Yield : $9,436

MedicinalUsed for CookingGrow on logsCan be harvested yearly on a rotating basisEasy to harvest

Shiitake Mushrooms (Lentinula edodes)

Year 1133 Thinned oak logs from Stands 2 and 3 will

be inoculatedYears 2+

Harvest and Inoculate

Shiitake Plantings

Costs:All Years

Inoculation-- $250 a year for spores and waxIncomes:

Year 2Harvesting -- $259

Year 3Harvesting -- $518

Years 4+Harvesting -- $1036

Shiitake Costs and Income

Costs:All Years

Inoculation-- $12,500 total Incomes:

Year 2Harvesting -- $253.92

Year 3Harvesting -- $497.89

Years 4+Harvesting -- $49,748 total

Shiitake Discounted

Shiitake Sustainable Yield : $38,000

Fire Year 1, $610 (61 acres burned at $10 an acre) Years 2+, $110 a year (11 acres burned at $10 an acre)

Taxes Years 1 and 2, $14,983.50 a year Years 3+, $317.13 a year

Disease/Pest Monitoring $75 a year, every year

Soil Testing $20 a year, every seven years

Quail Introduction Year 5, $139

Girdling for Snags Year 2, $200

Other Economics (Cost)

Cedar ThinningYear 4, $8,670 (8.67 acres at $1000 an acre)

Oak ThinningYear 1, $1,487.50 (29.75 acres at $50 an acre)

Clearcutting of 1 acre of Stand 4Year 3, $300 (1 acre at $300 an acre)

Other Economics (Income)

CostsFire -- $6,000Taxes -- $44,901.66Soil & Pest/Disease Monitoring -- $3,896.50Quail Introduction -- $139Girdling for Snags -- $196.08

IncomesCedar Thinning -- $8,170Oak Thinning -- $1,487.50Clearcutting -- $288

Other Economics Over the Course of Forever

Other Sustainable Yield: -$45,187.70

Ginkgo + Ginseng + Shiitake Mushrooms + Other Income = Total Sustainable Income

$765,424 + $9,436 + $38,000 - $45,187.70 =

$767,672.30$767,672.30

$767,672.30

Total Sustainable Income

Most Debt: $59,185.50 (Year 3)Forest Begins Making Profit: $14,349.88 (Year 13)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

-100000.00

-50000.00

0.00

50000.00

100000.00

150000.00Amount of Net Income

Year of Management

Amou

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f Mon

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n U

SD

WILDLIFECONSIDERATIONS

Mr. Phun wants to use the land recreationally!HUNTINGBIRDWATCHINGCAMPINGHIKING

WILDLIFE IS ESSENTIALTO THESE EXPERIENCES

Bobwhite QuailWhite-tailed DeerWild Turkey

Hunting

BOBWHITE QUAIL(COLINUS VIRGINIANUS)

• Prefer open hardwood and pine forests• Requires open space for foraging, yet enough dense space for shelter

• Uneven aged forests preferable• Fire stimulates plant growth and nutrient content, and exposes insects

• Too short fire rotation = threat to nesting cover

WHITE-TAILED DEER(ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS)• Too much slash hinders

movement• Prefers uneven-aged stands

• Open areas for feeding, covered areas in winter for shelter

• Fire• Pros

• Reduce parasites• Reduce litter• Increase in plant

nutrient content• Cons

• Can trap and kill deer• Temporarily decreases

availability of fruit and mast

WILD TURKEY(MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO)

• Populations generally decline when faced with heavy cutting and burning• Not a problem – Stoddard Neel

• Prefer open, mature forests to allow effective travel and protection

• Fire can stimulate plant growth and expose insects• Preferably 4 to 6 year rotation cycle

General Considerations

• Hard mast• Oaks produce acorns en masse• Essential to all of these animals’ survival, as well

as the other creatures of the forest• Shelter

• Atlantic White Cedar swamps in Stand 1 and the top of Stand 4 provide year-round cover from the elements

• Rotation cycles allow different cover types in other stands

To facilitate habitat for wild game

• Stoddard-Neel approach• Thinnings

• Create multiple age classes• Different canopy covers will create variations in

understory vegetation density • Prescribed burns

• Stimulate plant growth• Create mosaic of understory growth – some bare,

some dense• Presence of hard mast

• Select large oaks with full, rounded crowns• Most reliable and steady seed production

Legacies• Girdle trees to

create snags, as well as retain existing snags

• Serve as homes for cavity-nesting

birds• 12 snags per

acre

(Melanerpes carolinus)

(Sitta canadensis)

(Certhia americana)

(Picoides pubescens)

Birdwatching?

Different species utilize different strata of the forest!

Sparrows

Thrushes

Some Warblers WrensCardinals

Catbirds

Woodpeckers

Most Warblers

Nuthatches

Kinglets

Grosbeaks

Blackbirds Crows Robins ChickadeesMourning Doves

All can exist at the same time!

Sparrows

Thrushes

Some Warblers WrensCardinals

Catbirds

Grosbeaks

Blackbirds Crows Robins Chickadees

Woodpeckers

Most Warblers

Kinglets

Mourning Doves

Nuthatches

Hiking• Mr. Phun wants to see the

beauty of the forest• Trails will be preferable

for ease of travel• Fire breaks can function

as trails• No significant physical

disturbance to the forest• He only visits

occasionally• Less direct impact

on wildlife surrounding trails

PESTS

Southern Pine Beetle• Extremely destructive to pines

• Feed directly on phloem tissue• Create winding galleries that eventually completely

block phloem movement and girdle the tree• Carry blue-stain fungi

• Blocks water flow through xylem• Eventually kills tree

• Management plan:• Monitor annually for signs of an attack• In case of an attack, immediately remove affected tree(s)

as well as surrounding trees to prevent spread

Beetles are in the tree

Beetles are out of the tree

And on to the next one

Galleries on the inside of tree

Something wicked this way comes…

DISEASE

GOUTY OAK GALL

BACTERIAL LEAF SCORCH

Conclusions• The land will be converted from an ignored,

degraded forest to one that is healthy and biologically diverse

• The forest will be protected from attacks from pests, disease, and wildfire

• The cost of taxes for the land will be kept low thanks to the Farmland T ax Assessment

• Mr. Phun will enjoy his time in Phun Forest and show his friends how to have fun in a forest

Questions?

Thank you