summer 2004 conservation almanac newsletter, trinity county resource conservation district

8/3/2019 Summer 2004 Conservation Almanac Newsletter, Trinity County Resource Conservation District

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Also In This Issue:

New Trinity River B ridges ................2Uppe r Trinity River Pr oject ............. 3Roa dside Fuel Man agem ent ............. 4Kids Page (Gardener's Puzzle) ........ 5Nox ious W eeds to W atch ................. 6District Man ager's Corner ................7

Trinity County Resource Conservation District Summer Issue 2004

Road Stabilization and Improvement Demonstration ProjectThe disposal of the small trees, brush and branches thatare removed during fuels reduction or defensibleprojects has frequently been one of the big challengeswith these important projects. Everyone is alwayslooking for ways to find a use for this woody material.This summer the District, in cooperation with privatelandowners and the Trinity Resource Conservation andDevelopment Council tried a new approach.

The District completed a demonstration project usingchunks of chipped wood (Chunkwood) for roadsurfacing material this summer. One parking area andtwo roads in the Oregon Mountain area were selectedfor this innovative project that used wood chips andchunks from the Districts fuels reduction project in thesame area.

The concept of chunkwood for road surfacing wasintroduced in the mid-1970s. It provides a clean andstable material for stabilization and erosion control onlight duty, low-use roads, parking and access areas. It is an alternative to more costly materials such as rock or shale, and in thisdemonstration the chips are produced nearby on the fuels reduction project.

Initially, the project sites were prepared by correcting minor drainage concerns. Next, the areas were graded and shaped. Geo-textile fabric was installed over the prepared road surface. Finally a 4 to 8 inch layer of wood chunks/chips was applied. ProjectManager John Condon described the benefits of this project. It tied it into an existing fuels reduction project; allowed theDistrict to expand the fuels treatment area, because of cost-savings on both projects; used the biomass generated from the fuelsproject (the wood chips) on-site; and reduced our reliance onthe more costly disposal method of burning.

This project was completed with funding from U.S. ForestService under the Economic Action Program of the NationalFire Plan through a grant to the Trinity Resource Conservation& Development Council (RC&D), which, sounds a lot like theTrinity County Resource Conservation District (RCD).

For additional information contact:Scott Eberly, Coordinator

Trinity RC&D(530) 623-2009 ext. 3

Road Stabilization and Improvement Demonstration ProjectSponsored by the Trinity Resource Conservation & Development Council Sponsored by the Trinity Resource Conservation & Development Council Sponsored by the Trinity Resource Conservation & Development Council Sponsored by the Trinity Resource Conservation & Development Council Sponsored by the Trinity Resource Conservation & Development Council

Summer 2004 Vol. XIII No.3


2/8Trinity County Resource Conservation District Summer Issue 2004

Construction is beginning at four roadcrossings of the Trinity River to preparefor releases from Lewiston Dam of upto 11,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)to enhance and maintain fishery habitat.Bridges at Biggers Road (off SteelBridge Road), Poker Bar and Salt Flat

will all be replaced, and the west

approach road to the Bucktail Bridgeon Browns Mountain Road will beraised. Construction schedules showcontractor mobilization and the start of construction at all sites during July andAugust, with all four crossingscompleted and opened to traffic by theend of this calendar year. Detours willbe established during construction tomaintain access.

Designs for the bridge crossings wereprepared by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), withproject funding provided byReclamation, the Central Valley ProjectImprovement Act Restoration Fund,and the California Department of Fishand Game Salmon and Steelhead Trout

Restoration Account. The TrinityCounty Resource Conservation Districtwill be responsible for designing andimplementing revegetation of the siteswith native plant species afterconstruction is completed.

Efforts are also underway to identifyand address possible impacts of thhigher flows to other structures in thefloodplain such as homes and accesroads. Designs are currently beinprepared to raise approximately 1.miles of road in the Poker Bar area thawill be inundated by some of the fisheryreleases. Inundation maps of the riveare being prepared from Lewiston Damto the North Fork Trinity RiverProperty owners will be notified if it isbelieved that they could be adverselyaffected by the higher flows whichcould be implemented as early as thespring of 2005.

These activities are being performedthrough the Trinity River RestorationProgram Office located at 1313 SouthMain Street in Weaverville (next toTops Market). The Executive Directorof the program is Doug Schleusnewho can be reached at 530-623-1800If you have any questions specificallyconcerning the floodplain modificationprogram you can call Ed Solbos at 530-623-1802.

Construction to Start on Trinity River Bridges

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Trinity CountyResourceConservation Districthas obtained fundingfrom the State WaterResources ControlBoard through the

Costa-Machado WaterAct of 2000(Proposition 13) toconduct watershedmanagement planningin the Upper TrinityRiver watershed aboveTrinity Dam a part of the Trinity River basinthat has not beenlooked atcomprehensively.

The Upper TrinityRiver watershed is 692square miles and over70% is publicly owned,most of which isadministered by theUS Forest Service.The Trinity AlpsWilderness Areaaccounts for 32% of the total area. Privatelands account for 29%,including the small communities of Coffee Creek, Covington Mill andTrinity Center, recreational facilities,and resorts.

This is a community-based projectwith active local leadership thataddress issues like high turbiditylevels seen in Trinity Lake following

big storms and will look to thecommunities to developrecommendations in a comprehensivewatershed assessment and actionplan.

The District intends to meet withinterested landowners, land managersand other watershed stakeholders in

public meetings and individually inthe various communities. Existingstudies are being summarized and alist of prioritized concerns will becompiled. Look for future articles inthe Conservation Almanac, on theDistricts website, and in thenewspaper for information oncommunity meetings, and field trips.

The goal is not just to write a plan,but also to identify issues andimplement recommended projectsthat will reduce sediment andturbidity levels in the lake, improvewater quality for the Trinity RiverBasin and the Central Valley Projectand promote good natural resources

example, the Distrihas already begun conduct road invenin cooperation withTimber Products in

very upper portion the watershed. (Sephoto below), withfunding from the UFish and WildlifeService.

I really look forwaworking with myneighbors, resourcemanagement collea

and all of the otherstakeholders in thewatershed, commPat Frost, DistrictManager and landoin the Covington Miarea. Ive gotten ka lot of folks in thewatershed through projects the Districdone in the watershSo, if youd like toparticipate in thiscollaborative planni

project or need more informationplease give me a call or email [email protected].

conservation andstewardship. For

Upper Trinity River Watershed Management Planning Project Underway

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Roadside Fuel Management Project

During the summer of 2004, theResource Conservation District fuelscrew is implementing 5 miles of a 300foot wide fuel management zone forthe protection of Weaverville (which is

considered a "community at risk"),residents of Rush Creek Estates andthe homeowners along Rush Creek Road. This project will reduce the risk of catastrophic fire by reducing currentfuel ladder and surface fuel buildup tolevels that reduce the probability of crown fire development and firegrowth.

The crew of six is removing 1" to 6"trees, ladder fuels, and brush on USForest Service lands along theHighway 3 and Rush Creek road corridors.Fire wood is being provided where it is feasible.The remaining material in excess of otherresource concerns will be chipped, lopped andscattered, or hand piled and burned. This projectis expected to improve 238 acres of forest alongthese roadways, which are high risk areas forfire starts.

Monitoring the success of this project willinclude before and after photo comparisons onfour selected plots. Material removed forutilization will be measured based on per boardfoot and material utilized for firewood will bemeasured based on cords removed.

Come See Us Again at the Trinity County Fair

The Trinity County Resource Conservation District will have a booth at the Trinity County Fairagain this year, August 27-29, 2004. We will be highlighting our children's education programs.

Kids come and take the conservation quiz and you could win a prize!

We hope to see you there!

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Kids Page--Gardener's Puzzle

WORD LIS

RAKE

HOE

SPADE

WATERROSE

SUNSHINE

PEONY

TOMATO

BEANS

LETTUCE

SOIL

MARIGOLD

BUGS

SHOVEL

WEEDS

L G B E K A R I M T

E U Y N O E P H O R

V X L I W U G M N Q

O W A H O E A F B E

H A N S O T E S U H

S T W N O Y V D G S

O E C U T T E L S R

K R J S O I L W O O

S P A D E B E A N S

P M A R I G O L D E

(Donated by Steven and Chad Blanchard)

There are fifteen words from the garden buried in the box below.To find them look up, down, forward, backward, and diagonally.

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Tree-of-Heaven is vedifficult to remove onhas become establishCutting it stimulates throots to produce manysprouts. The TrinityWeed ManagementGroup is looking at

control methods and ways to test theThe Virginia Department of Conservation recommends that

seedlings be removed by hand asquickly as possible after germinationand before the taproot has becomeestablished, preferably when the soil moist. They suggest cutting largertrees before they seed, and point outthat two cuttings may be necessary,once early in the growing season, thesecond, late in the growing season.This will not stop root sprouting, butwill stress the trees over a period of

time, and reduce their stature.Replanting an area with native speciafter removing Ailanthus may helpreduce its re-spending and it isrecommended that you begincontrolling the seedlings from the outedge of the infested area and work inward.

If you have Ailanthus on your properwe would like to know about it so thawe can get a better picture of the sizand distribution of the populations inTrinity County. Call us or email us [email protected]

Trinity County Resource Conservation District Summer Issue 2004

Noxious Weeds to Watch--Ailanthus

Tree of Heavensounds wonderfuldoesnt it? Well,names can bedeceiving. Thats thecase with Ailanthusaltissima, Tree-of-Heaven, which also isknown as Chinese Sumac. Manyresidents of Trinity County may not beacquainted with this tree, or be aware

of the problems it presents in someareas of the county. Tree of Heavenoften is confused with Black Walnut,sumacs, and other trees. Thatsbecause they all have similar leaves,which are compound leaves made upof leaflets arranged on a central stemcalled a rachis. Ailanthus can get 30to 60 feet tall and has smooth graybark. Flowers occur at the ends of branches and produce a distinctive,

offensive odor described as burntpeanut butter.

This fast-growing tree was introducedto California during the Gold Rush,possibly by Chinese miners, and wasused in urban areas, because of itstolerance to a wide range of conditions.In its native land, China, the wood isused in construction and furniture

making. Its leaves are used as fodderfor goats and sheep; and its bark juiceand gum resins are used medicinally.Its flowers are used in creatingfragrances and dyes. In California;however, Tree-of-Heaven is a noxiousand highly invasive, non-nativespecies. The Trinity County WeedManagement Cooperative Group has

included this tree in its list of speciesto be targeted for control, because of the many problems that it poses. It

can overwhelm native plants,forming dense thickets by producingprolific numbers of sprouts from itsroots and through its ability toreproduce from seeds one tree cangenerate up to 350,000 seeds peryear. On top of that, Tree-of-Heavenreleases chemicals into the soil thatinhibit the growth and survival of other plants. The toxin is so effectivethat it is being tested for use as an

herbicide. It has a very welldeveloped taproot that getsestablished within three months. Itsroots may undermine foundationsand roadways.

This species, like many of thenoxious and invasive species that wedeal with in Trinity County, is a toughplant that can colonize locations thathave been disturbed such as recentconstruction sites and the edges of roadways. Most concentrations of Tree of Heaven in Trinity County arefound along roads, like Highway 299in the Junction City to Big Flat area,and around old mining sites andChinese settlement areas.

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District Managers CornerPat Frost

Pictures from William S. Justice @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

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Its time for the County Fair again. It doesnt seem like a

whole year has gone by since the District set up its booth. Fairtime is a unique opportunity for us to get out and meet you the folks we serve. The theme of our informational boothchanges every year. One interesting observation is that thetime and energy that the District has spent designing andstaffing our booth to include our partners in conservationhas created enough interest by these other natural resourcesand conservation organizations that they now have their ownbooths. If you stop by our section of the Commercial Exhibitsyou should be able to chat with members of the Trinity RiverRestoration Program and learn about their plans and

schedules for the upcoming year. The Trinity WeedManagement Cooperative has signed on for this years fair.Stop by their booth and join in on their raffle of somewonderful landscaping plants that have been donated bylocal nurseries. Fair time is our chance to share informationabout our ongoing projects forest health and firemanagement issues like defensible space around your houseor our restoration work in the South Fork Trinity River. It is atime to let you know the new projects that we are just starting,like the Upper Trinity River Watershed Planning project forthe entire area above the dams and the Rush Creek

watershed assessment that we are helping to coordinate withthe Trinity River Restoration Program, Trinity County andothers.

This year we are going to focus on children in conservation.Bring your children or grandchildren by the booth and letthem win prizes by taking part in our conservation quiz. Learnabout some of our exciting education programs and how wemight bring them to your school. Find out what the SixthGraders at Weaverville Elementary School have beenlearning at environmental education camp held everySeptember at Bar 717 Ranch near Hyampom, about the RiverDay Celebration sponsored by Coffee Creek School everyOctober, and this years Salmon Festival scheduled forOctober 16th.

Just as important as what we have to offer at our booth is thatthe fair is our chance to learn from you learn what yourneeds are so that we can be serve you better. So stop by andsay hello.

Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus

Altissima ) seed.

Ailanthus in flower


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TrinityCountyResourceConservationDistrict

P.O.Box 1450

Weaverville,CA 96093

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summer 2004 conservation almanac newsletter, trinity county resource conservation district

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