SPRING 2000WOR K I NG TOGETH E R FOR HEALTHY FOR ESTS

California Forest Stewardship Program

ForestlandS t e w a r d

California Dept. of Forestry & Fire ProtectionForest Stewardship ProgramP.O. Box 944246Sacramento, CA 94244-2460

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Presort StandardU.S. Postage

PAIDStockton, CA

Permit No. 168

Doerksens work to create“the best forest in the whole world”

Douglas-fir planted in late 60s and early 70s. This area has been thinned and pruned.

I t’s a dream property: 122 acres ofgorgeous forestland just a fewmiles from busy Santa Rosa with a

healthy creek running through it, alarge stocked pond, wildflowers to diefor, and lots of history. Charminghomemade wooden signs mark the wayto trails and other points of interest.The health of the land is a validreflection of the love and care that hasgone into it.

But it hasn’t always been this way.When Jim Doerksen bought RancheroMark West over 30 years ago, it was abadly damaged piece of property. Onlyabout 30 acres were forested. The restwas grass, aged fruit orchards, and atangle of brush where old vineyardshad been. The Doerksens proceeded toturn vineyards into forestland.

With his boundless enthusiasm, JimDoerksen describes how he got started.“I planted trees. Those were thedrought years of ’70 and ’71 and theydidn’t make it so I planted again. I justkept planting trees.” He estimates he’s

planted about a million trees in thearea.

A variety of cost share programshave played a major role in financingthe forest improvements over the years.FIP (Forest Incentive Program), SIP

(Stewardship Incentive Program), andearlier programs helped pay for sitepreparation, planting, and later thin-ning activities. A forest managementplan was developed in 1993 with

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Forestland Steward

Forestland Steward is a publicationof the California ForestStewardship Program

P.O. Box 944246Sacramento, CA 94244-2460

(916) 653-8286Fax (916) 653-8957

http://ceres.ca.gov/foreststeward

GovernorGray Davis

Secretary of ResourcesThe Resources Agency

Mary D. Nichols

DirectorCalif Dept of Forestry & Fire Protection

Andrea E. Tuttle

Editorial CommitteeLaurie Litman, InfoWright

Claralynn NunamakerRichard Harris

Jim Geiger

Fores t l andS t e w a r d

Printed on recycledpaper with soy ink

Doerksens (continued)

Impressive sprouts from a redwood stump.The Doerksens have placed much of theirolder-growth redwoods under a conservationeasement to protect them from logging inperpetuity.

Before and after. Much of theproperty was overgrown withbrush which, besides compet-ing with more desirable treespecies, also constituted a firehazard. The trees below havebeen thinned and pruned toallow better growth.

money from the Forest StewardshipProgram. Work is currently underwayon thinning, pruning, erosion control,and road maintenance using CFIP(California Forest Incentives Program).Jill Butler, CDF Forestry AssistanceSpecialist (FAS), has been instrumentalin working with the Doerksens to findcost-share funding.

On a tour of the property, we pullup to a stand of Douglas-fir. This wasthe first hillside he planted, and Jimexplains that “these trees are way tooclose—they should be about three timesthinner for better growth.” Even so, thetrees rings measure 3/4" per year.

Thinning is the secret. After releasefrom competition (and thanks to thegood site quality of the land), thesetrees have grown at a phenomenal rate.Growth rate more than doubled withthinning—the average growth of theentire Doerksen forest is greater thanan inch in diameter a year! Visitorsfrom the American Forestry Foundationclaimed that the Doerksens are growingmore timber per acre than anyone they

knew.In addition to thinning, lower

branches are pruned up to 25 feet toreduce fire hazard and to produce knot-

free wood. A Husqvarna pole saw (“mywonder tool!”) is used for this labor-intensive job.

A study in intensive managementdone on the Doerksen land by the UCBerkeley School of Forestry concludedthat, with intensive management, forestgrowth could be increased up to 1000percent. Jim Doerksen just says, “I wishI knew then what I know now. I coulddo twice as well.”

The Doerksens learned their forest-ry on the job. Jim is a civil engineer bytraining. He and his wife Betty werereal estate partners, and RancheroMark West was their weekend hobby atfirst. But since 1983 it has become afull-time vocation for both of them. Jimhas continued his education with over

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Forestland Steward

Doerksen Objectives1. To simply have the best forest in the whole world. A very good

management plan is a good start.

2. To have an aesthetically supreme forest from completion of themanagement plan.

3. To have an excellent habitat for wildlife. Our forest improvementshave created this.

4. To prevent occurrence of a disastrous fire. Following themanagement plan will help meet this objective.

5. To leave the land in better shape than we found it.

6. To continue to spread the good word about responsible managementthrough tree farming.

200 forestry workshops and seminarsand makes all his own forest manage-ment decisions. Betty runs the 10-acreChristmas tree farm on the property.

The property has been a certifiedTree Farm for 20 years. At first theyweren’t sure there was enough timberto join the program. It’s hard toimagine that now.

Because of their great success inrehabilitating the forest, the Doerksenswere honored as California TreeFarmer of the Year in 1999 and went onto become the Western RegionalOutstanding Tree Farmer (the westernregion of American Tree Farm Systemincludes all lands west of theMississippi). They were also nominatedfor National Outstanding Tree Farmerwhere they came in as runners-up tothe winner, a member of the RollingStones.

Along with human recognition,wildlife have proclaimed the health ofthe forest by their increasing diversity.An enthusiastic birdwatcher, Jimproudly lists his residents: “I have awhole slew of new birds—chickadeesand bluebirds. And, man, do I haveturkeys!” There are six pairs of pileatedwoodpeckers and even a pair of spottedowls. Over 100 species of birds havebeen identified on the property.

The management plan includes

protective measures for wildlife. Smallareas of brush as well as openings in theforest are left to promote biodiversity.“We never cut a toyon—they produceberries that are badly needed by birdsand animals.”

The Doerksens are also stewards toa lot of fisheries habitat. RancheroMark West includes 4000 feet of creekfrontage which a three-year study bythe California Department of Fish &Game concluded is probably the mostideal spawning area for coho inSonoma County.

The rich history of Ranchero MarkWest goes back to the Native Miwokand Pomo residents who left numerousartifacts on the land. In 1834, it becamepart of General Mariano GuadalupeVallejo’s vast ranchero. The Doerksenhome dates back to Vallejo’s time asdoes a blacksmith shop and a barn onthe property. Owners in the 1930s wereloggers, fruit growers, and bootleggers.In 1947, Rollie B. Newman, the inven-tor of the pay telephone, purchased theproperty and put in about $250,000worth of improvements including awater system that is still in use.

Jim and Betty are generous stewardsof this land and history. They readilyshare their knowledge and time, as wellas their land, with others. There areeducation demonstrations for both

children and adults. More than 3000schoolchildren came to visit last year tolearn about the forest and numerousorganizations are invited to meet on theproperty. The Sonoma WildflowerSociety comes for an annual visit—lastyear they counted 59 species ofwildflowers on the property.

And what about the long-termfuture of Ranchero Mark West? Aboutfive years ago the Doerksens decided toput their property into a conservationeasement that will prevent subdivisionand protect the old growth redwoodfrom harvest. When asked why theydid this, Jim answered immediately, “toprotect against vandals in the future. Itwas the only thing to do to protect theproperty. It should stay as a goodtimber ranch.”

Jim says, “I did a good job ofmanaging this property. Anyone canget a logged over area and do what Idid. You need to work hard—have towait a while—but eventually you’ll getan income. It’s not glamour work but Ican take a nice vacation every year.” s

Forest management requires diverse skills.Here Jim Doerksen is working on roadrehabilitation, knocking off the outside bermto allow water to drain. Some sections of theroad have been rocked for erosion control.

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Forestland Steward

Forest StewardshipWorkshops

for Family ForestLandowners

Co-sponsored by: University of CaliforniaCooperative Extension and Center forForestry, Berkeley; California Departmentof Forestry & Fire Protection, ForestStewardship Program

Are you interested in understandingmore about your forest parcel? Aboutprotecting it from wildfire, insects anddisease? Do you want to learn moreabout its ecology and use? How aboutfinding out where to get money to dothings on the land and how to deal withlaws and taxes? If so, then contact usto find out more about a University ofCalifornia Cooperative Extensionworkshop scheduled in your area.

Sample Workshop agenda:u Local forest history—how did this

forest come to be?u Forestland ownership, laws, and

regulations-Forest Practice Actu Forest ecology, forest management,

and forest products including timberu Cost-share and assistance programsu The Forest Stewardship Program in

Californiau Other education and information

opportunities

At least one workshop for forestlandowners is scheduled to be held inSouthern California in the summer of2000. Other workshops are tentativelyscheduled for Trinity and ShastaCounties. For further information or toregister contact Sherry Cooper at (530)224-4902: shcooper@ucdavis.edu. s

Every landowner has a uniquevision of what they want theirproperty to be and do. Have you

thought about your objectives?

Some common objectives include:

u aesthetics

u income (timber, grazing, specialproducts, etc.)

u biological diversity/wildlife habitat

u recreation (hunting, fishing, hiking)

u water quality and quantity

u fire safety

u protection of historical artifacts

Most of the time, landowners willhave a number of objectives, each ofwhich needs to be prioritized as to itsrelative importance. The best way to dothis is with a management plan.

If your objectives are your vision,your management plan is the blueprintto make that vision a reality. Thisdocument will help you decide what youwant from your land and the stepsneeded to achieve that. It also serves as areference from which to check backperiodically and see if you are on trackor need to make changes to yourmanagement plans or goals.

The first step in developing a plan isto assess what you’ve got—to gatherinformation about your land. You needto inventory what is there (e.g. wildlife,plants, structures), physical characterist-ics (e.g. slope and aspect, soil, habitattypes, location in the watershed),historical background, etc.

There are constraints to what can bedone on any property. Some of these aredue to the characteristics of the land itself(size, location, soil types, etc.). In addi-tion, every property exists in a social

Landowner objectives andthe management plan

Planning

context so there are regulations, publicconcerns, and other limitations that needto be addressed.

Armed with this backgroundinformation and your objectives, you canthen answer the all-important question,“What does it take to get from where Iam to where I want to be?”

Your land may already be in the stateyou desire, in which case your manage-ment plan will emphasize maintenance.If not, you may need to make changes,restore or enhance your property toreach your objectives. Costs and atimeline for these can be included inyour plan as can possible alternatives.

Management plans can be relativelysimple or extremely detailed and com-plex—it depends on your goals andresources. You can do it yourself or hirea consultant, however, if you choose thelatter, it is important to remain activelyinvolved in all aspects of the plandevelopment to make sure that the finalplan reflects your objectives.

In some cases a management plancan be financed through cost shareprograms. Expert assistance is availablethrough a number of agencies includingResource Conservation Districts (RCDs)and California Department of Forestry &Fire Protection (CDF). In addition, UCCooperative Extension holds workshopsto help forestland owners developmanagement plans. The Working in theWoods CD will also walk you throughthe steps of developing a plan. It is foundonline at http://www.CNR.Berkeley.EDU/departments/espm/extension/ABOUT.HTMand is currently being updated. For moreinformation, call the Forest StewardshipHelpline at 1-800-738-TREE. s

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Forestland Steward

Seasonal Stewardship

Protect your forest from wildfire

You know all about defensiblespace and how to make yourhome safer from fire, but what

about your forest? What can you do toprotect your forest from wildfire?

Now, before the fire season begins, isthe time to give serious consideration tothat question. There are a number ofthings you may want to do. Some aresimply common-sense measures, but it’sa good idea to take some time andactually develop a fire plan for yourproperty.

The approaches you take will dependon your unique situation—your propertysize, location, habitat, fuel load, foresthealth, and a host of other factors, in-cluding your own landowner objectives.

According to Wayne Mitchell, FireSpecialist with the California Depart-ment of Forestry & Fire Protection(CDF), there are three major strategiesfor protecting your forest. You can:

u prevent a fire from occurring in thefirst place

u suppress a fire quickly after it starts

u reduce the damage from any fire thatdoes break out

You will want to consider all three.Start by trying to determine the fire riskfor your property. Some areas of theproperty may be at higher risk thanothers. Identify the priority areas toprotect. In addition, look at the fire riskfor the surrounding area. If neighboringproperties are at high risk, you may wantto establish a fuel break or other barrieraround your property to protect it from afire that originates elsewhere.

A fire history of your area will alsoprovide useful information. Your localCDF Unit has data on fires over the last20 years and often longer.

There are a number of common-

sense steps that can be taken to reducethe risk of a fire breaking out in yourforest. Make sure that all yourequipment (e.g. chain saws,tractors) is fitted with sparkarrestors. Be careful whereyou drive and park—especially avoid driving ondry grass which can catch firefrom the heat of the engine.Certain activities, such as weld-ing and burning in wildlands, areregulated by state law to help reducethe risk of fire.

If a fire should start on your property,you want to be prepared to put it outquickly. Know where your water sourcesare (map them out) and keep up-to-dateon the condition of your roads to knowwhat kinds of vehicles can get through.

It’s important to have basic fire fight-ing equipment close at hand—shovels,axes, McLeods, rakes, pulaskis, personalsafety gear, etc. A 5-gallon back pumpcan be mounted on your vehicle alongwith the tools so that you are alwaysprepared for an immediate response to asmall fire.

If a fire does occur, you want tominimize the damage to your forest. Oneway to do this is with fuel breaks inappropriate places. Fuel breaks are areaswhere the forest is thinned and theundergrowth removed—by cutting,prescribed burns, chipping, etc. Trees arepruned to get rid of lower limbs thatcould take the fire up the tree and anyfuel ladders are removed. (Of course,any pruning and other material gener-ated by this activity should be collectedand chipped, burned, or lopped andscattered safely.) The goal is to keep thefire on the ground surface and out of thecrowns of the trees.

If your forest is a large one, you may

want to break it into smaller chunks withstrategic fuel breaks so any fire will becontained within a single portion. Agood place for strategic fuel breaks isoften along roads, which themselves actas fuel breaks. With smaller properties,the same concept is used, but the fuelbreak may be around the property toprovide a barrier in case a fire starts on aneighboring property.

Remember that you don’t have to doall this planning yourself. There are fireexperts who are willing and eager towalk your property and give on-siteadvice. All CDF Units have personnelwho are trained to help. Look in thephone book for the Unit (Gov’t, State,Forestry & Fire Protection) nearest to youor call the Forest Stewardship Helpline,1-800-738-TREE.

In addition, Fire Safe Councils areactive in many communities. Thesevaluable organizations provide a settingwhere people can get together to shareideas and experiences. Many councilsalso plan community projects andreceive grants for larger jobs. You canfind a Fire Safe Council in yourneighborhood at their website, http://www.firesafecouncil.org/. s

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Forestland Steward

Basic Concepts

John LeBlanc

Applying ecological principles to aforest stand to enhance growthof desirable species or to

promote regeneration is termedsilviculture. Like a gardener tending agarden, removing weeds, encouragingthe best plants, and finally harvesting theproduce, you use silviculture to tend theforest.

Silvicultural treatments usually, butnot always, involve felling trees. Theyare generally divided into proceduresdesigned to reproduce forest stands andintermediate treatments that maintainvigor and desired composition and standstructure.

The descriptions of the silviculturalsystems below are representative of idealconditions. These techniques are oftenadapted to local conditions. Forexample, while a clear cut removes all ofthe trees in a stand, often landownerswill leave a few trees in a clump to offerwildlife habitat or vertical structure. TheCalifornia Forest Practice Act also strictlydefines some of these silvicultualsystems, usually in terms of how large anarea the treatment can be applied to andthe number of trees that must remainafter the treatment.

Reproduction CuttingsThe goal of reproduction cuttings is

to get new trees growing in the stand inan efficient manner. Reproduction mayeither be from natural seeding or byplanting seedlings to regenerate thestand.

Reproduction cuttings are dividedinto even-aged systems, which producetrees of nearly equal age (but notnecessarily of equal size) and uneven-aged systems designed to produce standswith a range of ages. The selection of asilvicultural system depends on thegrowth characteristics of the desired

species, which relate to the landowner’sobjectives. Outside factors, such as insectinfestation, might dictate which system isbest to control a particular problem.

Even-aged Reproduction CuttingThe goal of even-aged reproduction

cuttings is to create a forest stand withtrees that are roughly the same age.Even-aged stands of various ages can bedistributed throughout the property toprovide a continuous flow of products.

Clear Cut Method

cutting can enhance habitat for a numberof other species. In a small holding, itmay be impossible to provide wildlifehabitat for all species that inhabit aparticular type. With a carefully executedschedule of clear cuttings, a variety ofhabitat types, including stands of youngtrees, middle-aged trees, and older trees,can be established.

The big disadvantage to clear cuttingfrom a small landowner’s point of view isvisual. Clear cutting is a dramatic changein the character of the forest. The forestchanges abruptly from a mature stand toa very young one. Logging debris isclearly evident.

One major advantage of clear cuttingis efficiency in logging operations. It isrelatively easy to lay out a clear cut blockand there is little to no danger of damag-ing remaining trees. In addition, clear cutharvests are done less frequently thanselective cuttings which can reduce theuse of access roads and trails, therebyreducing erosion.

If you decide that clear cutting is theappropriate technique, consider keepingcut blocks small (see discussion of groupselection). Design cut blocks with curvedrather than straight edges. Leave islandsof mature vegetation to provide hidingcover for wildlife and vertical structureand diversity in the future stand.

Seed Tree

Silviculture: applied forestry

The seed tree system is an even-agedregeneration method that removes most

With the clear cutting silviculturalsystem, all trees in a stand are cut at onetime. Seeds from surrounding trees, rootsprouts, or artificial seeding or plantingare used to regenerate the stand.

Clear cutting provides an open envi-ronment, with plenty of sunlight for treesto be reproduced in the regeneratedstand. As such, clear cutting is desirablefor regenerating shade-intolerant species.Tree species that require shade to regen-erate successfully would be discouragedby clear cutting. Site preparation, whichis the removal of woody logging debrisand weed competition, is required forsuccessful regeneration of eithernaturally seeded or planted trees.

Clear cutting alters wildlife habitat byreplacing mature stands of trees withherbaceous plants, shrubs, and seedlingtrees. Different wildlife use thesedifferent forest stand structures. Clear

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Forestland Steward

of the stand while leaving a few desirabletrees to produce seed. Usually, but notalways, the seed trees are removed afterregeneration is established. The qualityof the seed trees, their distribution, andthe timing of the harvest are importantconsiderations when using the seed treesilvicultural system.

The seed tree silvicultural system isalso applied generally to shade-intolerantspecies that regenerate best in fullsunlight. Often site preparation isrequired to remove logging debris andcompeting plants before the new standbecomes established.

Usually the seed trees are removedafter the regeneration is well established.If you wait too long, however, the youngtrees can be damaged during seed treeremoval. Seed tree silviculture hassimilar advantages and disadvantages toclear cutting. After the seed trees areremoved, the new stand will closelyresemble a regenerated clear cut block.

Shelterwood

aged stand. The species favored by theshelterwood system are the more shade-tolerant species that naturally regeneratein the shade. Because the forest isremoved in several stages, there is lessdirect visual impact until the finalharvest.

Uneven-aged ReproductionCutting

An uneven-aged forest has trees of allage and size classes. Frequent periodiccuttings occur to establish and maintainthis structure. The residual stand must beconsidered when using this system. Thepossibility of residual trees beingdamaged from repeated harvesting oper-ations makes careful logging crucial.

A disadvantage to the uneven-agedsilvicultural systems are the number ofroads that need to be opened and thefrequency with which they are used.With uneven-aged silviculture, the entireforest is visited every cutting cycle—typically every 10 or 20 years. The entireroad system must be activated for everyharvest. With even- aged methods, onlythose stands that are actually operatedupon need open roads.

Single Tree Selection

difficult to manage. Damage to theremaining trees is a consideration. Singletree selection rates high in visual quality.

A key temptation to avoid in singletree selection is removing only the big-gest and best trees and leaving the rest.Known as high grading, this misapplica-tion of single tree selection eventuallyreduces the quality of the trees that aregrowing on the site. A well-markedsingle tree selection harvest removes theless desirable trees, those with poor formor those injured by insects or diseasealong with the crop trees.

Group SelectionA group selection silvicultural system

requires harvest of small groups ratherthan individual trees. The openingsresemble clear cuts, but since they aresmall (< 1 acre to 2.5 acres), the edgetrees still provide a protected environ-ment for the developing regeneration inthe group opening. This method issimilar to single tree selection in thatharvests are frequent. Its advantage isthat it is easier for the logger to avoiddamaging the residual stand.

One final note about reproductioncuttings to keep in mind is that some ofthese silvicultural systems blend into oneanother. A seed-tree system leavingmany trees per acre might be viewed asa shelterwood. Large areas removed in agroup selection system might be miscon-strued as small clear cuts. It is up to thelandowner to work with the forester toensure that the proper system is appliedto meet the landowner's objectives.Environmental considerations, desiredwildlife species, financial criteria, localmarket conditions, and stand conditionsare all important aspects in determiningthe proper silvicultural system.

—from Working in the Woods: A Guidefor California’s Forest Landowners. ThisCD-ROM, produced by UC CooperativeExtension, is currently being updated. Formore information, see the announcement onpage 10. s

In single tree selection, a foresterevaluates every tree in the stand. Unde-sirable trees are removed, overly denseareas are thinned, and mature trees areharvested. Seedlings of shade-toleranttrees develop wherever they can findspace. Cuttings are more frequent, pro-viding income on a regular basis but at alower return per harvest to the landown-er. Single tree selection systems are more

When the species to be regeneratedrequire some protection from directsunlight to become established, theshelterwood system is applied. Depend-ing on the initial condition of the stand,two or three cuttings are used to regen-erate the stand. The objective of theinitial cuttings is to improve the vigorand seed production of the remainingtrees and to prepare the site for newseedlings. Shade and shelter fromextreme conditions are provided by theremaining trees. Subsequent harvestsremove the shelterwood trees and allowthe regeneration to develop as an even-

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Forestland Steward

Silviculture (cont.)

John LeBlanc

To reach its full potential, a treeneeds room to grow and access tosunlight, nutrients, and water. The

surrounding vegetation should be free ofdisease or harmful insects. The standshould be comprised of desired speciesto meet the landowner's objectives.

You may want a series of intermedi-ate treatments to improve the quality ofthe existing stand. If these treatmentsproduce revenue from the sale of theharvested trees they are called commer-cial. Pre-commercial operations occurwhen the trees removed cannot be sold.The cost of pre-commercial operations isjustified by improved growth and standcharacteristics which significantlyincrease the value of the stand at harvest.

ThinningThinnings are prescribed to reduce inter-tree competition and to accelerategrowth on the trees that remain. Thin-nings are grouped as commercial or pre-commercial. They might be termed ashigh thinnings (or thinning from above)where dominant and co-dominant treesare removed or low thinnings (thinningfrom below) where smaller trees belowthe dominant trees are removed.

The obvious question is how do youselect which trees to take or leave. Theanswer depends on a lot of factors—species, landowners’ objectives, and siteconditions among others. Some rules-of-thumb might be helpful. Thinning early

in the life of a stand is usually better thanlater. When tree crowns begin to touch isoften used as an indicator that thinningcould be considered. There is a balancebetween letting the trees develop full,long, and healthy crowns and havingenough shade to prune lower brancheswhich are shed to produce clear wood inthe lower portions of the tree. Trees withless than one-third of their total height inlive branches rarely respond well to thin-ning. Trees with poor form or showingevidence of damage, insects, or diseaseare usually removed.

Improvement CuttingsImprovement cuttings are made toremove undesirable trees to favor desir-able ones. The choice of species dependson the landowner's objectives for timber,wildlife, aesthetic appeal, or recreation.Many trees with little to no timber valuemight be left to favor these other uses.

Crown class is one method used toselect trees for silvicultural prescriptions.Dominant trees are the largest trees inthe forest stand. They have crowns overand above the other trees, receiving fullsunlight on all sides of their crown. Co-dominant trees also receive full sunlighton much but not all of their crowns.They are mixed with other trees. Inter-mediate trees get full sunlight only on asmall part of their crown; most is shaded.Suppressed trees receive almost no fullsunlight. A wolf tree has an unusuallylarge crown for the stand. Often wolftrees grew up in relatively open condi-tions and the rest of the forest stand filled

in around it.The type of tree selected depends on

the landowner’s goals. For purely timberproduction goals, wolf trees use up toomuch space. But as they die and decom-pose, wolf trees can make excellent snagsfor wildlife. Some species, like white fir,can survive as suppressed trees andrespond if the surrounding trees areremoved. Others, like ponderosa pine,do not survive well as suppressed treesand will not respond after a point.

One way to gauge the health of a treeis to look at its live crown ratio. The livecrown ratio is the percentage of the totalheight of the tree that is in live branches.In the example, the dominant trees haveabout a 50% crown ratio; the co-domin-ants about 40%; intermediates about30%; and suppressed trees about 20%.The wolf tree has a crown ratio of about80%. Larger crown ratios mean that thetree can produce more food fromsunlight during a given day. Once a treehas less than about a 33% crown ratio, itusually cannot be released fromcompetition. Trees with low crown ratiosare more susceptible to insect attacks.

Silviculture in the Real WorldThe Forest Practice Act defines many ofthese silvicultural treatments withspecific guidelines as to the amount ofacres involved, the number and size ofthe trees that should be left, etc. Thespecifics vary by region. If you areplanning any of these procedures, checkwith CDF and a Registered ProfessionalForester about the applicability of thesetreatments for your property.

Most of these silvicultural treatmentscan be adapted to the landowner’s spe-cific goals. Often the actual prescriptionwill be a blend of treatments. Havingclearly defined goals and objectives willhelp you create the forest structures thatmeets your needs.

—from Working in the Woods CD-ROM.

Intermediate treatmentsThe obvious question is

how do you selectwhich trees to take or

leave?

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Forestland Steward

What is a conservation easement?A conservation easement is a voluntaryagreement with a nonprofit land trust orgovernment agency that allows a land-owner to limit the type or amount ofdevelopment on their property whileretaining private ownership of the land.When completed, the conservation ease-ment becomes part of the property deed.

A way to visualize this is to think ofowning land as holding a bundle ofsticks. Each stick represents the landown-er's right to do something with theirproperty—the right to build a house, toextract minerals, to harvest timber, allowhunting, etc. A landowner may give upcertain rights, or sticks from the bundle,associated with their property through adocument: the conservation easement.

How does it work?Conservation easements are tailored tothe needs of the landowner and therecipient organization (which must be aqualified nonprofit organization or gov-ernment agency). The recipient agrees tohold, but not use, the transferred rights. Alandowner may either donate the conser-vation easement or sell it for partial orfull appraised value. The terms of eachconservation easement are negotiated bythe landowner and the recipientorganization.

Who owns and manages easementprotected land?The landowner retains full rights to con-trol and manage their property within thelimits of the easement. The landownercontinues to bear all costs and liabilitiesrelated to ownership and maintenance ofthe property. The organization that ownsthe easement will monitor the property toensure compliance with the easement'sterms, but has no other managementresponsibilities and exercises no directcontrol over other activities on the land.

Why do people grant conservation

easements?People grant conservation easementsbecause they want to protect theirproperty from future unwanteddevelopment and damaging land uses,while retaining ownership of their land.By granting a conservation easement, alandowner can assure that the propertywill be protected forever, regardless ofwho owns it in the future. An additionalbenefit is that the donation of aneasement may provide significantfinancial advantages.

What kind of financial advantagesresult from donating an easement?Many landowners receive a federalincome tax deduction for the gift of aconservation easement. The InternalRevenue Service allows a deduction if theeasement is perpetual, is donated“exclusively for conservation purposes”and meets certain criteria for those con-servation purposes. The amount of thetax deduction is determined by the valueof the conservation easement. Inaddition, the landowner may have estateand property tax relief because the valueof the property is reduced.

What activities are allowed on landprotected by an easement?The activities allowed depend on thelandowner's wishes and the terms of theeasement. In some cases, no furtherdevelopment is allowed on the land. Inothers, some additional development isallowed, but the amount and type isrestricted. Conservation easements maybe designed to cover all or only a portionof a property, and specific restrictions canvary for different parts of the property.Every easement is unique, tailored toeach landowner's goals and landcharacteristics.

Can the landowner still sell or givethe property away?The landowner continues to own the

property after executing an easement.Therefore, the owner can sell, give, orlease the property as before. However, allfuture owners assume ownership of theproperty subject to the conditions of theeasement.

Does the public have a right ofaccess to easement-protectedproperty?Not unless the landowner who grants theeasement specifically allows it. Most ease-ment donors do not want, and thereforedo not allow, public access to theirproperty.

How long does an easement last andwho upholds it in the future?To be eligible for a federal income taxdeduction the easement must be"perpetual," that is, it must last forever.The property is monitored by the landtrust or government agency selected bythe landowner as the easement grantee toassure that the easement is not being vio-lated. If the easement has been breached,steps must be taken to uphold the termsof the easement. Land trusts typicallyrequire the landowner to make a finan-cial contribution (also tax deductible) tocover long-term management costs.

Does the easement have to cover allof the landowner's property?No, some easements only cover a portionof the property. Again, it depends on thelandowner's wishes. For example, ifsomeone owns 80 acres, of which 35acres are wetlands, the landowner maydecide to restrict development only onthese 35 acres. The remaining 45 acreswould not be affected by the easement.

What kind of land can be protectedby conservation easements?IRS regulations require that the propertyhave "significant" conservation values.This includes forests, wetlands, endan-gered species habitat, scenic areas andmore. s

Estate Planning

Conservation easement FAQs (frequently asked questions)

10 Spring 2000

Forestland Steward

Resources ATTN:Working in the

Woods CD Users

I f you received a copy of the UCCooperative Extension's Working in

the Woods program CD-ROM, call530-224-4902 (shcooper@ucdavis.edu) fora survey form and to be placed on thewaiting list for the new and improvedversion due out later this year.

UCCE needs your input so thatthey can upgrade and improve thisinformative program for Californiaforest landowners. If you haven’t hadthe opportunity to check it out, theentire CD curriculum is on the Internetat http://www.CNR.Berkeley.EDU/departments/espm/extension/ABOUT.HTM.Let us know what you think. s

Find it all atabout.com

What do you want to know aboutforestry: Information on silvicul-

ture? Timely tax tips? Tree identifica-tion? What to do about various forestpests?

The best collection of forestry-related web sites can be found atabout.com where your guide willanswer forestry questions, recommendbooks, and evaluate useful websites.Besides connections to hundreds ofvaluable websites, the site contains abulletin board, a forestry newsletter,and a chat group that convenes everySunday night.

Check it out at http://forestry.about.com/education/forestry/ . s

Maps!

You can now get topo maps free onthe internet at TopoZone. Go

there for any USGS 1:100,000,1:25,000, and 1:24,000 scale map forthe entire United States. http://www.topozone.com. s

California Department of Forestry &Fire ProtectionForest Landowner Assistance Programs

Jim Geiger(916) 653-8286jim_geiger@fire.ca.gov

Forestry Assistance SpecialistsJill Butler(707) 576-2935

Tom Porter(909) 782-4140

Tom Sandelin(559) 243-4108

California Association of RCDsThomas Wehri(916) 447-7237carcd@ns.net

California Resources Agency:California Environmental ResourcesEvaluation System (CERES)

Deanne DiPietro(916) 653-8614deanne@ceres.ca.gov

Natural Resources Conservation ServiceJerry Reioux(530) 792-5655jerry.reioux@ca.usda.gov

Farm Service AgencyLarry Plumb(530) 792-5520

California Dept of Fish & GameMarty Berbach(916) 327-8839mberbach@dfg.ca.gov

U.C. Cooperative Extension ForestryRichard Harris(510) 642-2360rrharris@nature.berkeley.edu

Gary Nakamura(530) 224-4902gmnakamura@ucdavis.edu

USDA Forest ServiceSandra Stone(707) 562-8918sstone/r5@fs.fed.us

Many agencies are available to provide technical assistance, referrals,information, education, land management plan assistance, and advice.

California Stewardship Helpline (800) 738-TREE; ncsaf@mcn.org

Technical Assistance Resources

The American Tree Farm System is anationwide program that has been

active for more than 50 years. Theprogram focuses on working forests thatprovide timber in a manner that willprotect watersheds and wildlife habitat,conserve soil and provide recreation.

To qualify as a Tree Farmer,landowners generally manage at least10 acres of forest land. They mustprepare a written plan that details theirmanagement objectives and shows howthey will provide for wildlife, recrea-tion, water and soil conservation whileproducing timber. After their land isinspected by one of the foresters whovolunteer time to the American TreeFarm System, landowners are certified

and can display a Tree Farm sign.Every five years thereafter, Tree Farmsare reinspected to assure that land-owners continue to meet the rigorousforestry certification criteria of the TreeFarm System.

The California Tree Farm programis sponsored by Forest Landowners ofCalifornia, an association of individualor family forest owners. The nationalprogram is sponsored by AmericanForest Foundation.

For more information, contact:California Tree Farm Committee5441 Shelley WayCarmichael, CA 95608(916) 488-8322http://www.caltreefarm.com/ s

American Tree Farmers

11Spring 2000

Forestland Steward

For more information on these calendar items,call the number given or the California ForestStewardship Helpline, 1-800-738-TREE. Tosubmit an event or to receive this calendar by e-mail, contact Sherry Cooper, 530-224-4902;shcooper@ucdavis.edu.

Calendar

ONLINE CALENDAR!You will find a more

comprehensive calendar,updated regularly, at the Calif.

Forest Stewardship website:

http://ceres.ca.gov/foreststeward

May 30, 2000Wetland PlantsHopland R&E CenterUC Integrated Hardwood Range Mgmt.ProgramKerry Heise 707-744-1424;kheise@nature.berkeley.edu; $35http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp

June 1, 2000WeedsHopland R&E CenterUC IHRMPKerry Heise 707-744-1424;kheise@nature.berkeley.edu; $35http://danr.ucop.edu/ihrmp

June 1–2, 2000Advances and Challenges in ForestRegenerationTigard, OROSU Nursery Technology Cooperativeand West. Forestry & Conservation Assn.Freida 888-722-9416 or 503-226-4562freida@westernforestry.org$195 before 5/26; $235 after 5/26http://www.westernforestry.org/Reforestation.htm

June 2, 2000Management of Water in CaliforniaSan Francisco, CAUC Berkeley Extension510-642-4111, fax 510-642-0374; $295http://amber.berkeley.edu:4243/em/nr1.htmlCourse EDP 263038

June 2–3, 2000Stream Biological MonitoringBerkeley, CAUC Berkeley Extension510-642-4111, fax 510-642-0374; $415www.unex.berkeley.edu/enroll

June 10, 2000AmeriCorps Watershed StewardsFestivalMendocino, CADept of Fish and Game and many othersKy Carnell or Sarah Adams at (707) 964-5831; watershedfest@yahoo.comhttp://watershedfestival.homestead.com

June 18–21, 2000Forest Products Society's 54th AnnualMeetingS. Lake Tahoe, NV

Forest Products Society608-231-1361 ext. 208, fax 608-231-2152$225-$635; www.forestprod.org

June 18–24, 2000Forestry Institute for TeachersShasta County, CANo. Calif Society of American Foresters707-467-0600 or 707-467-1871;ncsaf@mcn.orghttp://www.toshop.com/forestry orhttp://www.humboldt.edu/~csy1/NorCalSAF/FIT.html

June 22–23, 2000Wood Adhesives 2000 SyposiumS. Lake Tahoe, NVUSDA FS, Forest Products Lab608-231-1361 ext. 208; $475www.forestprod.org

July 20, 2000CFPC's Insect and Disease FieldMeeting 2000Mt. Shasta area, McCloud FlatsCalifornia Forest Pest CouncilDave Schultz 530-242-2335dschultz01@fs.fed.us; Free

July 16–22, 2000Forestry Institute for TeachersHumboldt County, CANo, Calif, Society of American Foresters707-467-0600 or 707-467-1871ncsaf@mcn.orghttp://www.toshop.com/forestry orhttp://www.humboldt.edu/~csy1/NorCalSAF/FIT.html

July 25–26, 2000California Forest Pest Council’sSummer Week TourLake Almanor, CACalifornia Forest Pest CouncilEd Fredrickson 530-365-7669edf@rfpco.com

July 27–29, 2000CFSC Summer Field Meeting: Visitthe Area Where the Cascade & SierraNevada Ranges MeetButte County, CACalifornia Forest Soils CouncilDean Burkett 530-343-2731,dean.burkett@ca.usda.gov; David Howell707-822-7133, david.howell@ca.usda.gov

July 28–29, 2000NorCal SAF Summer MeetingScotia, CANorCal Society of American Foresters

Barry Dobosh 707-764-4307,dobosh@mail.northcoast.com; Sherry Cooper530-224-4902, shcooper@ucdavis.edu

August 13–19, 2000Forestry Institute for TeachersPlumas County, CANo. Calif. Society of American Foresters707-467-0600 or 707-467-1871ncsaf@mcn.orghttp://www.toshop.com/forestry orhttp://www.humboldt.edu/~csy1/NorCalSAF/FIT.html

September 6–8, 2000Cumulative Watershed EffectsSacramento, CAUniversity of California, The ForestryCenter and the UC DANR N.Coast & Mtn. Region (Kim Rodrigues)Contact: Joni Rippee 510-642-0095, fax510-643-3490rippee@nature.berkeley.edu

October 26–29, 2000SERCAL'S 7TH Annual Conference:Trends and Lessons in EcologicalRestorationSanta Barbara, CAThe Society for Ecological RestorationCalifornia Chapter (SERCAL)Susan Clark 661-634-9228smclark@lightspeed.net; www.sercal.org

November 27–30, 2000Managing Watersheds in the NewCenturyMonterey, CAWatershed Management CouncilRick Kattelmann 760-935-4903rick@icess.ucsb.edu or510-273-9066http://watershed.org/wmc

How can the Forestland Steward newsletter help you?

I’d like to see more information on ____________________________

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My suggestion is __________________________________________

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q Add me to the mailing list / q Change my address:

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Send to CDF, Forestry Assistance, P.O. Box 944246, Sacramento, CA 94244-2460.Phone: (916) 653-8286; Fax: (916) 653-8957; e-mail: jim_geiger@fire.ca.gov

12 Spring 2000

Terminology

canopy—a layer or layers of branches andfoliage at the top or crown of a forest's trees.

clearcut—regeneration technique that removesall the trees regardless of size.

co-dominant—trees that receive full sunlight onmuch but not all of their crowns.

commercial—treatments that produce revenuefrom the sale of the harvested trees.

crown ratio—the percentage of the total height ofthe tree that is in live branches.

dominant—the largest trees in the forest stand.They have crowns over and above the other trees,receiving full sunlight on all sides of their crown.

even-aged stand—stands in which the treesstarted together and are all of one age.

forest—a collection of stands administered as anintegrated unit, usually under one ownership.

high grading—timber harvest in which larger,commercially valuable trees are removed withlittle regard for the quality of trees andregeneration left on the site.

intermediate treatment—forest cutting treat-ments between regeneration harvests; includesthinnings and timber stand improvement.

intermediate trees—crown class that gets fullsunlight only on a small part of their crown.

pre-commercial—treatments that do notproduce revenue.

prescription—the silvicultural treatmentrecommended by the forester or other manager.

release—removal of trees to allow others to growin response to increased light.

regeneration—replacement of one forest standby another as a result of natural seeding,sprouting, planting, or other methods.

regeneration method—harvest approachdesigned to promote natural establishment oftrees. Even-aged stands are perpetuated bythree regeneration methods: seed tree,shelterwood, and clearcutting. Uneven-agedstands are perpetuated by selecting individual orsmall groups of trees for removal.

reproduction cuttings—systems to get newtrees growing in an efficient manner.

residual stand—trees remaining following anycutting operation

rotation—the period during which a single cropor generation is allowed to grow.

salvage cut—removal of dead, damaged, ordiseased trees to decrease threat of infestationsand/or reduce economic loss.

sawlog—log large enough to yield lumber.

seed tree method—regeneration techniquewhere mature trees are left standing in aharvested area to provide seed for regeneration.

selection method—regeneration technique

designed to create and perpetuate an uneven-aged forest. Trees may be removed singly or insmall groups.

shelterwood method—removing trees in aseries of two or more cuttings so new seedlingscan grow from the seed of older trees. Thismethod produces an even-aged forest.

silviculture—the art, science, and practice ofestablishing, tending, and reproducing foreststands.

silvicultural treatment—altering the existingcomposition and structure of a stand to achieve agiven management objective.

stumpage—the commercial value of standingtrees.

site—all the environmental characteristics of alocation including biotic, climatic, topographic,and soil conditions.

stand—a contiguous group of trees sufficientlyuniform in composition, arrangement of ageclasses, site quality, and condition to be adistinguishable unit.

stand dynamics—the development of standsover time.

stand structure—the vertical and horizontalarrangement of plant communities in a stand.

succession—the replacement of one plantcommunity by another over time.

suppressed trees—trees in a stand that receivealmost no full sunlight.

sustained yield—a timber management conceptin which the volume of wood removed is equal tovolume of growth within the total forest.

thinning—selective removal of trees to reducecompetition and encourage growth of remainingtrees. May be commercial or pre-commercial.

timber stand improvement (TSI)—intermediatetreatments designed to improve growth andcomposition of the forest.

treatments—procedures used to regenerateforest stands or tend existing stands; ofteninvolves felling trees.

understory—smaller vegetation within a foreststand (shrubs, seedlings, small trees).

uneven-aged stand—a group of trees of varyingages and sizes growing together on a site.

wolf tree—tree with an unusually large crown forthe stand.

The language of silviculture