WA DNR News

Thirteen years ago today, a Magnitude 9.2 earthquake struck off the west coast of Sumatra, producing the single-most devastating tsunami in recorded history. The tsunami that swept across the Indian Ocean killed more than 230,000 people and left more than 1.7 million homeless.

The megathrust earthquake initiated from the Sunda trench subduction zone off the west coast of Sumatra.

This devastation is a strong reminder that Washington state is also vulnerable to this type of event. Closer to home, other reminders are tsunami deposits, drowned shorelines, and buried trees from the 1700 A.D. Magnitude 8.8–9.2 megathrust earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. These clues have been located in numerous places along the Washington, Oregon, California, and Vancouver Island coasts.

Planning for tsunamis here

The Washington Geological Survey, is helping Washington communities identify how they are vulnerable to similar tsunami events and how they can craft innovative strategies for dealing with those threats.

DNR has produced tsunami inundation map to show how tsunamis would likely impact communities like Everett and the pacific coast.

More work needed

Though we have mapped tsunami inundation for some communities, many along the coast have either outdated tsunami inundation maps – or no maps at all.

In addition, Washington faces the second highest risk from earthquakes in the U.S., and one of the highest for tsunamis, yet remains the only west coast state that does not have an inventory of the seismic hazard for critical infrastructure.

That’s why this year, we’re is asking the legislature for funding to hire geologists to identify and map tsunami hazards in more of our coastal communities.

The Washington Emergency Management Division says the best way to survive any type of disaster is to have a plan, keep informed, and have a mobile survival kit. Find out if you are in a tsunami inundation zone. Download a tsunami evacuation brochure for your community.

 

Christmas tree on the curb. Photo: Steven Depolo/Creative Commons

Now that the holidays are over, did you dispose of your real Christmas tree properly?

We hope you didn’t throw it in the trash. Real trees are biodegradable and can easily be recycled in many ways.

See which recycling options and tips might be viable for you and your family.

Google image – “They told me they’d make nice indoor Christmas trees.”

Now that the holidays are over, did you dispose of your real Christmas tree properly?

We hope you didn’t throw it in the trash. Real trees are biodegradable and can easily be recycled in many ways.

See which recycling options and tips might be viable for you and your family.

If you care for the environment, love to spend time outdoors and like to see thriving local communities, you may just be surprised by how much you might appreciate an upcoming timber sale.

When Public Lands Commissioner Hilary S. Franz speaks to an audience, she shares her vision for how Washington’s public lands can become incredible assets able to simultaneously support economies, the environment and our quality of life. That vision is reality in the Reiter Foothills outside of Gold Bar, Wash.

Timber harvests on state trust lands, or any forestlands for that matter, meet modern requirements to protect streams and fish habitat. Rather than allowing equipment, vehicles or logging trucks to drive through a creek, for example, logging companies install bridges to minimize any risk of damage.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources, which Commissioner Franz manages, does the same for new recreation trails on state trust lands. Where you might have formerly ridden an off-road vehicle (ORV) or mountain bike through a creek, trail planners know this can send sediment downstream, damage streamside habitat or disturb creek beds.

Bridges, constructed to today’s standards, are better for fish and water quality. That’s important given that 80 percent of our drinking water comes from Washington forests.

Reiter Foothills and Timber Harvests

The forest products derived from Reiter Foothills Forest are an important contributor to local public services, the economies of small surrounding communities, statewide public services and Washington’s statewide economy.

The revenue created by timber harvests helps fund classroom construction for public school K-12 students across Washington. It also helps funds local schools, counties, and other local services, such as libraries, hospitals, road maintenance, emergency medical services and fire districts.

Washington’s forest products industry employs some 105,000 workers and annually generates nearly $5 billion in wages, many in rural communities such as those lining Hwy 2 near Reiter Foothills.

In addition to forest products, Commissioner Franz recognizes that state forests are capable of creating economic opportunities beyond sustainable timber sales alone. The state forests she oversees, including Reiter Foothills State Forest, can drive rural economic growth through a variety of way, including recreation.

The southern half of Reiter Foothills Forest offers some of the state’s most valued ORV trail networks. The foresters who work here understand the importance of recreation. As they moved a 112-acre timber harvest forward in the portion of the forest designated for future ORV recreation, they recognized that the sale offered opportunities that go past the $2 million that it would generate for public services. Fittingly, foresters are calling the harvest “Turning Wheel.”

Reiter Foothills and Recreation

The 2010 Reiter Foothills Forest Recreation Plan calls for continued development of thoughtfully designed trails, guided ongoing user input and careful environmental review. To minimize the potential for conflict, motorized trails lie within in one-half of the 10,000-acre forest, with non-motorized recreation trails within the other.

The Turning Wheel Timber Harvest

Not long into the Turning Wheel timber harvest planning process foresters recognized that a bridge would benefit the loggers by providing a shorter haul route, while protecting a fish-bearing stream and providing an opportunity for better recreation access.

Amy Halgren, DNR District Road Engineer, and associate Elyse Fleenor inspect Turning Wheel bridge during project construction.

The pictured bridge was installed last summer. Like most bridges built today it will allow fish to swim upstream and downstream freely. More notable, is that the bridge is permanent.

Normally, a harvest like this would have constructed a temporary bridge and removed it once the harvest was over. Instead, DNR’s recreation program provided the incremental funding needed to upgrade the bridge into a permanent structure. Otherwise, the recreation program would have had to construct the ORV trail access bridge on its own. By piggybacking on the timber harvest, the recreation program will save about $200,000, staff time and permitting fees.

As this timber harvest wraps up, likely next summer, loggers will leave behind two more things the recreation program covets. The first is a large, flat area of cleared land that will, once improved, host a trailhead and parking for up to 100 visitor vehicles. The site is being reused after a previous timber sale.

The second, are roads that will function as future trails. These future trails will help offset the removal of existing, unsanctioned trails and culverts. A short section of user-built trails and culverts in the area are remnants of a bygone era — they don’t meet the environmental standards required by the agency today. Loggers will remove the culverts and restore more natural water flows to this part of the forest. The future roadbeds will transition into more miles of sustainable ORV trails. One of those trails will serve as an access trail for the ORV community so they can avoid having to use the main road, which should also improve overall safety.

The trail and parking improvements that are expected to result from the Turning Wheel timber harvest are dependent upon capital improvement funds. As the legislature makes funding available for recreation in the future, staff will be able to propose projects that build off the timber harvest infrastructure, which has the benefit of already aligning with modern environmental considerations. The incremental investment is sure to provide big bang for the buck.

Managing forests for revenue-generating activities also allows the department to pay for the wildfire suppression, law enforcement and road maintenance services necessary for continued public access.

In exchange for all that recreationists get from such harvest-driven opportunities, visitors to Reiter Foothills should also prepare for a few inconveniences.

• As the Turning Wheel timber harvest begins, likely over a 4-to-6-month period this spring or summer, visitors should expect large trucks and equipment on the Deer Flats Mainline Road.
• Area timber harvests may require trail and bridge closures from time-to-time as other harvests move forward and another harvest can be expected in the Turning Wheel area in 40-60 years.
• DNR will replant the timber harvest area, yet the new new trails will traverse through younger, rather stubby, forests during the first few years it takes for the trees to grow.

Follow the agency on Facebook, Twitter, or sign up for recreation e-newsletters to stay informed on timber harvest activities and adjust your recreation plans accordingly. To participate in recreation stakeholder meetings for state forest lands near you, contact your local region office for dates, times and locations.

State Forests and Providing for Multiple Public Benefits

Under the direction of Public Lands Commissioner Hilary S. Franz, state trust lands staff are creating metaphorical and literal bridges between timber harvest, environmental, and recreation interests. (Read about the Pathfinder and Carrol Flats timber sales.)

With thoughtful management of timber harvests, a focus on environmental considerations and pursuit of recreation opportunities, the Department of Natural Resources is ensuring that Reiter Foothills trails grow and visitors from across the region and state continue to seek out and visit this destination and surrounding communities.

Real Christmas trees are a renewable resource. Is your artificial tree? Photo DNR

Every holiday season there are debates about which is the better choice – a real or artificial Christmas tree. Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary S. Franz has the definitive answer.

“Hands down – you have to go with a real tree,” says Hilary. “Supporting small business tree farms across the state directly contributes to your local economy. Not only that, but these farms are also providing your community with significant environmental benefits. Their trees help to absorb stormwater, clean the air, provide habitat for wildlife and capture carbon.”

Of course, as head of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Hilary has every reason to be biased. Not only does the agency lead statewide urban forestry efforts, but it also has two tree nurseries dedicated to growing hundreds of thousands of native trees each year. The agency also leases its own state lands to tree farmers in order to provide funding for public services. Yet, to Hilary, these are supporting elements. The deciding factor for her, is how a Christmas tree connects people to nature.

According to Hilary, “It’s the smell, the beauty and the experience of getting outside and choosing your tree together. There’s always a point in the outing where everyone stands around and admires this beautiful bit of nature that you’ll be bringing into your home. There’s a wonder to it.”

Still, there are more material reasons to go with a real tree too. Here’s our attempt to dispel some myths around the topic.

Myth 1: You save forests by using a fake tree. Most Christmas and other types of holiday trees you purchase are grown on farms just like any other agricultural crop. Because real Christmas trees are usually grown as a crop – they even call them ‘Christmas tree farms’ – you are buying a harvested product grown for this purpose. The trees are replanted with new trees that continue to provide all the environmental benefits associated with real trees year after year.

Myth 2: Real trees aggravate allergies. A pine tree allergy is relatively uncommon, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and real trees clean pollutants from the air as they grow.

Myth 3: Fake trees are fireproof.  Artificial trees advertised as “flame retardant” can resist flames for a period time, but when they do burn, they will emit significant heat and toxic smoke containing hydrogen chloride gas and dioxin. Take care no matter which tree you choose.

Myth 4: Real trees are a fire safety hazard. To minimize your risk, keep your tree freshly watered every day, use new lower-heat LED lights if you can, keep open flames away and dispose of the tree before the needles become brittle.

Myth 5: Fake trees are better because you can reuse them. Each year, municipalities reuse millions of real Christmas trees as mulch or wood chips. Natural trees are also 100 percent biodegradable. At some point, a fake tree wears out and ends up in a landfill (they aren’t recyclable or biodegradable).

Myth 6: Real trees cost too much. In Washington, most locally grown trees cost between $25 and $55 while a plastic tree costs from $100 to $300 depending on height and quality. You’ll have to use an artificial tree many years to break even. In any case, buying your tree locally helps support the fiscal health of your community.

Myth 7: Real trees have pesticides and chemicals on them. Tree farmers use chemicals only when needed and follow instructions made by the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Food and Drug Administration. Plastic trees crafted outside of the United States may not have similar oversight. Know that lead dust from artificial trees can be harmful, especially to children.

Myth 8: Real trees are a hassle and a mess. Yes, they do need to be watered each day, but what is a half of a minute between friends? Yes, when you move the tree in and out of the house, you will need to vacuum. Hey, you probably needed to do it anyway. Plus, what says “clean” better than the scent of a fresh tree?

Myth 9: I can cut a tree on state lands. No, it’s illegal to cut trees from state trust lands. These trees need to grow to build future public schools in our state, as well as provide wildlife habitat and clean water and air. However, the U.S. Forest Service issues a small number of permits to cut wild trees in areas that are overgrown and in need of thinning.

Myth 10: No one cares if my tree is real or fake. Which sounds like more fun – picking out a fragrant, live tree with friends and family or waiting in a checkout line to buy a plastic replica of a tree? And, since most real holiday trees are grown on family-owned tree farms, purchasing a real tree makes an important economic contribution that matters to many rural Washington communities.

A view of the relocated Maloy Canyon Road.

Generating $400,000 for vital public services. Improving forest health and wildfire resiliency. Providing habitat for native species. A DNR timber harvest near Naches is doing it all — while also enhancing recreational access to green dot roads.

With a name coined by the round, green stickers that mark each of their road signs, green dot roads offer opportunities for off-road-vehicle riding, hunting and sightseeing in Eastern Washington. Stretching 1,005 miles total across multiple land owners, the road system connects drivers to beautiful mountain vistas of ponderosa pine, canyons and turn-offs with opportunities to camp, picnic or hike. Established in the 1980s, the Green Dot Road System provides connections across numerous landowners, crossing DNR’s Ahtanum and Naneum Ridge state forests as well as many wildlife areas managed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Although much of the Green Dot Road system can accommodate pickups and SUVs, sections of the roads can be difficult to navigate due to steep grade and deferred maintenance. For many years, this was true for the R-1500 Road, commonly called Maloy Canyon Road, which was difficult for drivers to cross and for DNR to upkeep. Thanks to DNR’s Carrol Flats timber harvest, DNR was able to move 3,900 feet of this road through a relocation that involved 5,200 feet of new road construction. The new road is rocked with gentle grades, strengthening it against erosion and reducing long-term maintenance needs. Without timber production from the Carrol Flats timber harvest, this road relocation would be too costly for DNR to take on. While a timber harvester will use the new roads as part of the Carrol Flats timber harvest scheduled to wrap up in summer of 2018, recreationists will enjoy the roads as part of the Green Dot Road system for years to come.

This is just one of the ways the recreation community benefits from timber sales in DNR’s working forests. Timber harvests help promote healthy forests for a more enjoyable recreation experience. Reducing forest density can open up habitat for wildlife and opportunities for hunting. It can also make forests more resilient to high-severity fires and quicker to recover and reopen to visitors following a low-severity wildfire. DNR also maintains these roads with funds that we generate from timber sales, which in turn provide access into DNR’s working forests for outdoor recreation.

The Carrol Flats Timber Sale is just one example of how DNR has been able to steward public lands for recreation in ways that both provide enhanced access and meet the agency’s fiduciary responsibilities to beneficiaries. Click here to learn more about some of the benefits of DNR’s working forests. For more information about the Green Dot Road system, visit our website. Find Maloy Canyon Road on our map.

The Jolly Mountain fire burned for more than three months and consumed almost 57-square miles of forested lands near Cle Elum, Washington. Near the end of September, the fire was dying down. Yet, nearly a week after the fire was considered “contained,” another one was just beginning.

This time nearby residents were expecting it.

This new fire near Roslyn, Washington, was a “prescribed burn” designed to promote forest health. You can read about this burn at The Daily Record, KOMO News and The Nature Conservancy.

What many people do not realize is that fire is an integral part of many forest ecosystems.

Today’s Situation

Historically, low-intensity fires burned across eastern Washington landscapes regularly. These fires consumed fallen branches and small trees while clearing the ground. This created native ecosystems which thrived, while creating the open spaces that big game needed to forage. Because these fires happened on a regular basis, there was little opportunity for large amounts of fuel (branches, underbrush, and young trees) to build up. These small fuels can lead to a fire growing too quickly, while burning intensely hot. What was once a smaller event turns into a disaster.

Decades of fire suppression, past management practices, and wild-urban interface development mean that our forests no longer have these natural, “cleansing” fires. Instead, we see more catastrophic fires which can be unmanageable, dangerous and harmful to our ecosystems.

One of the solutions to this problem, is to mimic the small, natural fires that used to occur by executing smaller burns at regular intervals, so we can keep fuels to a minimum. This way when wildfires take place, they’re more manageable

Prescribed Burning

It is truly remarkable that the Roslyn community having just weathered a large fire, would be willing to support another fire near (and in some cases, on) their land. But not only was this fire good for the forest, it was also used as a training opportunity for fourteen in-state agencies and groups.

Washington’s new 20-Year Forest Heath Strategic Plan for eastern Washington calls for many more forest health treatments across the state like this. To accomplish this goal, our state is going to need a lot more people trained on how to properly execute prescribed fires.

To conduct a prescribed fire, entities need a permit from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. This permit limits the time of year, weather conditions and air quality levels during which a prescribed burn can happen. In addition, trained and qualified staff must supervise the operation. These permit requirements, as well as nearby community considerations, can often limit the use of prescribed fires. It’s fortunate that this isn’t the only tool Washington landowners can use.

Mechanical Treatments

The idea behind these treatments is the same as prescribed burns: removing that under-layer of fuel, so the older and established trees won’t catch fire as easily. But with mechanical thinning, we can also “select” the trees we leave behind – such as habitat trees, varieties likely to do well in a changing climate, or more fire-tolerant tree species.

Before Treatment

 

After Treatment

Mechanical Treatment Projects:
Washington Conservation Corps
The Nature Conservancy
Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

This type of forest management can look like a lot of different things. In some cases, larger trees need to be removed and can be taken to mills, similar to commercial logging. Revenue from these logs can be used to pay for more expensive treatments (and it would be a shame for that material to go to waste). In other cases, forest health treatments can be as simple as sweeping through and picking up fallen branches.  Typically, there’s a combination of removing small-to-medium-diameter trees and cutting down brush. There’s a wide variety in the scale of treatments because the goal is to mimic what would have occurred naturally in that area over the past millennia.

Respecting Landowner Priorities

Historically, the forest would have varied across a spectrum of naturally occurring spacing and species compositions. This range provides opportunity for landowners to shape their forest to meet their own priorities – whether growing timber, providing specific habitat for threatened species, or having nice open areas for horseback riding.

Yet, with 2.7 million acres currently in need of forest health treatments, how do you begin?

Science-driven Treatment

The 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Eastern Washington outlines a framework for prioritizing and developing treatments.

The stakeholders who worked to create this plan elected to divide the state into manageable areas, based on watersheds. The U.S. Geological Survey’s watershed, or “hydrologic unit codes” (HUC), average around 150,000 acres per unit. The framework for moving projects forward looks like this:

• Identify Planning Areas
  • Divide the watersheds into manageable 20,000 acre plots
  • Assess and score these plots according to fire-risk, restoration need, economic potential, etc.
  • Consult with local forest collaborators
  • Develop recommendations for planning sites

• Conduct Landscape Evaluations
  • Produce objective, science-based evaluations for planning areas
  • Determine forest health using hard data
  • Incorporate economic needs and social values into evaluation

• Develop Landscape Prescriptions
  • Take the data from the evaluations, and create an action plan for each area
  • Produce maps showing priority treatment areas
  • Create guidelines and goals for each area
  • Collaborate with local landowners to develop shared goals

• Develop Prioritized list of Treatments for Funding Requests
  • Produce a final list of priority treatment sites, which will be presented to the legislature, along with a request for appropriate resources

Forest Health Advisory Committee Assistance

A newly formed Forest Health Advisory Committee, a diverse board of landowners, fire-fighter personnel and conservation groups, will provide assistance to staff and the Commissioner of Public Lands on these processes. This group will determine which areas are in most need of treatment according to the plan’s objectives and science-driven data. Their findings, decisions and recommendations will be presented twice a year to the legislature.

Moving Forward with Coordinated, Landscape-scale Treatments

At the current rate, it would take fifty-three years to implement desperately needed treatments on Washington’s federal lands (not to mention privately owned, or agency land.) The pace, scale, and effectiveness needs to increase if these important and ambitious goals are to be met. It’s important that resources aren’t wasted, and that the areas in most need of treatment are addressed first. The goal, as outlined in the 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan: Eastern Washington, is to treat 1.25 million acres of eastern Washington forestlands over the next two decades.

Achieving this mission means restoring and managing forested landscapes at a pace and scale that reduces the risk of uncharacteristic wildfires and increases the health and resilience of forest and aquatic ecosystems. Doing so supports both rural communities and the people of Washington state. For the full text of the plan, follow this link.

(Prescribed fire photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Illustrations adapted from original illustrations by Bob Van Pelt.)

 

Maybe it was disease, or insects or wind, but the day finally came for the old-growth tree.

First came the pops and creaks as the wood fibers began to stretch and break on one side of the trunk and collapse on the other. Then the weight of the trunk began to shift in earnest. As momentum built, the sound gathered and rushed into a roar that culminated in a thud that shook the forest floor.

In its downward progress, the tree ripped branches from neighboring trees or toppled them completely, creating a long, jagged gap in the forest’s canopy. As the sounds faded and the leaves came drifting down, the forest floor was illuminated with sunlight (Photo 1) that eventually will bring plants, young trees, and wildlife eager to colonize this new largess of energy and space.

Multiply these gaps across the forest, add the effects of growth, decay, and renewal across the entire forest over many years, and the result is the complex world of the older forest. Snags, downed wood, multiple canopy layers, gaps and places of dense growth provide a range of habitat for plants and wildlife.

By contrast, nature has not yet run this course in the younger, managed forest. Trees often are closely spaced, with a single canopy layer and no gaps.

PHOTO 1. Gap created by a fallen old-growth tree. Note people standing on the far end of the tree. Photo: Allen Estep/DNR

To diversify the structure of these young stands and to increase revenue from thinning operations, forest managers may deliberately create gaps in the canopy by removing trees. Yet how close do these gaps come to mimicking nature? In 2015, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decided to find out.

A New Concept in Thinning

When the Olympic Experimental State Forest (OESF) was established on the western Olympic Peninsula in 1992, DNR was faced with a different kind of gap: between vision and reality. The vision was a forested landscape with openings and young, mature, and old-growth stands arranged in an irregular pattern, capable of supporting northern spotted owls and other native species. The reality was the second growth forest. Because of extensive clearcutting in the previous three decades, over half of the forests DNR managed in the OESF were structurally simple and less than 40 years old.

One way to address this challenge was to use variable density thinning. With this type of thinning, trees are removed in an irregular pattern: some areas are not thinned at all, some areas are gaps, and others are thinned to different densities. The idea is to put a single-canopy stand on the fast track to becoming habitat while also supporting healthy tree growth for revenue production.

Variable density thinning in the OESF was based in part on practical experience in how forests grow, and in part on the recommendations of forest scientists such as Andrew Carey from the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station. Carey recommended variable density thinning of second growth to better support populations of northern flying squirrels, a major prey species of northern spotted owls. He also incorporated this technique into “biodiversity pathways,” a landscape-level management approach for meeting multiple objectives that DNR later adopted as part of its agency-wide silvicultural approach.

The challenge for DNR was writing variable density thinning prescriptions for large areas. DNR instructed loggers to create half-acre gaps for every 10 acres of thinning. Loggers were asked to avoid thinning in sensitive areas (called “skips” because loggers skip those areas) and to retain certain species of trees. They also were given a target relative density that ranged between 35 and 50. The result was a stand that was thinned more heavily in some places than others. Techniques have been refined over the years, but the basic concepts have remained the same.

For patterning the gaps, DNR had little to go on. How common are they? What shape do they tend to be? Despite decades of forest research, the scientific literature was curiously silent on gap geometry in the old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Without those answers, DNR’s success was hard to gauge. So DNR began a study appropriately named “Mind the Gap.”

The Study

For this study, DNR wanted to understand how the managed forest responds to gaps and how to make the gaps (size, shape, and frequency) resemble those found in older forests. The study was done in three parts: a look at the half-acre gaps created at least 10 years ago in western hemlock and Douglas fir stands, an analysis of gaps in mature and old-growth forests, and a test of a common gap shape and size in a timber sale. The end product would be refined prescriptions for creating gaps.

For the first part of the study, DNR compared aerial photos taken before thinning to those taken recently and took detailed field measurements. Results are still preliminary. But generally speaking, and despite a lack of site preparation and planting, the forest had surged into the gaps. Nearly 90 percent of the gaps measured were occupied by trees. Western hemlock averaged 1,400 to 2,100 stems per acre. One gap had as many as 3,600 stems per acre, which is many more than the surrounding forest (Photo 2 and Graph 1). Gaps also saw recruitment (establishment) of Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, western redcedar, and Pacific silver fir, albeit in lower numbers. Height growth in the gaps ranged from 16 inches per year for silver fir, hemlock and redcedar to a robust 30 inches per year for Douglas fir. Shrubs were seldom dominant, easing fears that gaps would create “brush holes” in the forest.

PHOTO 2. Young western hemlock trees growing in a gap. Photo: John Stanek/DNR

What about gap shape? When gaps were first created, DNR feared that wind would gather speed across the opening and slam into the trees on the windward side, pushing them to the ground. It did happen. But it happened only in a quarter to a third of the gaps, and gaps only expanded a tenth to a quarter of an acre. And some tree crowns along the edge widened into the gap by as much as three feet, seemingly in response to increased sunlight.

To study the naturally-created gaps in older forests, DNR analyzed light detection and range (LiDAR) data and followed up with field verification. With LiDAR, lasers mounted on a small airplane are used to take measurements of the forest and ground. From these measurements, DNR creates a canopy surface model, which is essentially a topographic map of the top of the tree canopy, and a digital elevation model, which provides the contours of the ground. Between the two, one can determine the location, size, and shapes of gaps.

GRAPH 1 . Western hemlock regeneration within the gaps.

But what is a gap? Is it a place where one tree fell or several? Is it bare ground or can it be filled with young trees? If several gaps seem to be connected by thin spaces between trees, is that actually one gap? And how do you quantify the shape of gaps? Nature is messy and seldom obliges with something as straightforward as a square.

To solve the first problem, DNR applied filters to the data. For example, the gap had be a certain size and the difference in height between young trees in the gap and the overstory (Figure 1) had to fall within a defined range.

FIGURE 1. Delineating a canopy gap in an old-growth forest in the OESF. The size, shape, and number of gaps varies depending 
depending on the lower height threshold.

The second problem was tricky. Consider the shape in Figure 2. How long is it? One could measure across the points that seem the farthest apart, but which two points?

To solve this challenge, project researchers wrote a computer program to determine gap length. The program measures the distance between every point that describes the outer edge of the shape. That exercise creates a dense spider web of lines. Then, the program uses those measurements to find the shortest path between the two points farthest from each other (Figure 2).

FIGURE 2: Determining gap length.

Analysis of the older forest continues. In the meantime, the team took advantage of a planned variable density thinning in a 40-year-old western hemlock stand to test the most prevalent gap shape seen so far in the older forest: long and skinny. The team instructed loggers to create 20 rectangular gaps and, for comparison, 20 circular gaps ranging in size between one eighth and one quarter acre and randomly distributed across the stand. Growth in and along the edges of the rectangular gaps will be compared to growth in the round gaps and a thinned area with no gaps. The first post-treatment measurements will be taken later this year.

Mind the Gap

So far, canopy gaps have been an ingenious way to balance revenue production and ecological values in the OESF, also called the learning forest. The trees removed to create the gap generate revenue and the gap itself supports ecological values by enriching the structure of the stand. And although the gap will eventually fill in with trees, chances are other gaps will be created through thinning or natural forces as DNR works toward a more complex forest.

Can the gaps be more effective? This study will continue to probe that question. More complete results will be shared as DNR continues to mind the gap in the OESF.

By  Cathy Chauvin, DNR writer, editor; and Daniel Donato, Ph.D., DNR research scientist.  For questions about this study, contact: daniel.donato@DNR.wa.gov [article originally published in The Learning Forest e-Newsletter.]

Subscribe to The Learning Forest e-Newsletter
The Learning Forest Newsletter is a free, semi-annual electronic publication that shares scientific knowledge on land management in the Olympic Experimental State Forest and surrounding areas.

Topping a tree causes it to grow thin, weak branches that will soon have to be trimmed again. And it’s ugly too!

Topping a tree is bad for its health, but did you know it also causes you to work much harder at maintaining that tree’s excessive growth? This could be costly!

Topping is defined as severely cutting back or removing large branches in a mature tree. Some people believe that topping a tree will reduce the amount of time and money spent on tree care and maintenance. But look at the facts:

When large branches are cut back indiscriminately, a tree responds by quickly growing many branch shoots in order to replace the lost leaf surface, a tree’s food supply. The dense, bushy re-growth is very weakly attached to the main stem of the tree and grows so quickly that the new branches will often regain the tree’s original height in just two to three years. As the shoots grow larger, they increase in weight and must be pruned frequently in order to avoid potentially hazardous branch failures. The need for maintenance is increased – not decreased – and that means more of your time and money.

Expense of Tree Topping
The actual cost of topping is only the initial bill. Here’s why you’ll face more expenses in the long run after topping a tree:

• The tree needs maintenance more often.
• Poorly attached branches break off (possibly damaging something else).
• The tree will die prematurely and will need to be removed and replaced.
• Property values are reduced.
• Liability is increased.
• Research has shown that proper pruning techniques work with the trees’ biology, not against it

Mature trees may occasionally benefit from removal of dead wood and light branch thinning but, in general, they require correct, strategic pruning only every 5 to 10 years. Before pruning mature trees, consult a certified arborist to determine the best course of action for your tree. Make sure you ask for credentials and references. Also check that the company does not offer tree topping services.

Remember the old saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Think before you plant. Research the maintenance requirements in order to select the perfect tree for your yard.

For more information on tree care, go to DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program website.

Healthy urban forests provide so many benefits. Photo Guy Kramer

The following article appeared in the November 2017 issue of Tree Link Newsletter, a free publication from DNR.

It is no coincidence that the places we go to unwind and relax are places where natural elements are more prominent—a hike in the mountains, boating on a lake, fishing in a quiet stream, watching ocean waves rolling onto the shore, or simply just lazing beneath a shade tree in summer.

We seek these places, consciously or unconsciously, due to the restorative power of nature. We feel renewed in both body and spirit after returning from that hike, that fishing trip or that beach vacation.

Many urbanites crave tranquil experiences in nature as an antidote to the stressful conditions of city life such as noise, congestion, pollution, crime, and chronic mental fatigue.

This is why city parks and urban forests are so important.

Science has demonstrated that access to nature in cities – even views of nature in cities – has significant, positive impacts on our mental and physical health. For example:

• Hospital patients with views of nature heal faster and require less pain medication
• Trees reduce the urban heat island and scrub particulate matter from the air, improving air quality and reducing the incidence and severity of respiratory diseases.
• Parks, street trees, and trails make it more comfortable and desirable to be outside, encouraging physical activity, which can help residents lose weight, reduce cholesterol, and maintain general fitness.
• Community gardens and orchards facilitate the consumption of healthy foods, and particularly among residents that might not otherwise have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
• The presence of greenery is shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression, which has been linked to improved mental health and reduced crime.

The planting and stewardship of trees in cities can dramatically boost pulic health outcomes and is a cost-effective tool for improving quality of life.

The above examples and many more are supported by scientific research, which has been compiled and curated by Dr. Kathleen Wolf and her associates at the University of Washington. For more information, visit their Green Cities: Good Health website.

If you would like to receive Tree Link Newsletter by email each month or view our full line-up of free electronic newsletters visit:  http://eepurl.com/bAn75v

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Properly prune your trees to avoid breaking limbs in the winter. Trees don’t need snow on them to become hazardous.
PHOTO: Dena Scroggie

Yes, your trees need care throughout the winter to maintain their health, but you need to start now before a big freeze.

Even though urban trees are now going into dormancy, they require attention throughout the winter to stay strong.

Here are four tips to follow:

• Wrap the trunk. Some recently planted, thin-barked trees like honey locust, ash, maple and linden, are susceptible to bark-damaging sunscald and frost cracks when temperatures fluctuate in fall and winter. Wrap trunks of younger trees up to the first branches using commercial tree wrap to protect the bark. Remember to take the wrap off once weather warms in the spring.
• Use mulch. Two to four inches of wood chips, bark, or other organic mulch spread over the root system of the tree will help reduce soil evaporation, improve water absorption, and insulate against temperature extremes. To prevent rodent damage and the possibility of rot, make sure that mulch does not rest against the trunk of the tree. Consider layering leaves around the base of each tree as natural mulch.
• Prune, but not too early and not too late. Although trees can also be pruned in the summer during active growth, late winter is often a favorite time for pruning. Remove dead branches and improve its form, but make sure you are doing it correctly. Always prune at the branch collar – the point where a branch joins a larger one – and don’t remove any branches without good reason. Follow this link to find out more about pruning trees.
• Give them a drink. Water trees throughout the dripline of the tree; that is the area from just outside the trunk to the outer edge of the longest branches. Trees need about 10 gallons of water per inch of tree diameter. Long, slow watering will assure that water reaches down into the root zone.

If this winter brings long periods of dry weather (2-3 weeks without rain or snow), and the ground is not frozen, it is a good idea to give your trees some water. Your care for them will provide benefits for years to come.

If you have any questions or want more information on urban tree care, contact DNR’s Urban and Community Forestry Program.

Fire Boss, such as this single engine air tanker, can scoop up water quickly. Photo DNR

Aviation assets are an important part of our firefighting response. DNR has air resources available to reach and fight wildfires quickly, before they grow large.

Having different types of air resources available means a greater variety of tactics can be used to deal with the range of terrains and fuels that may be burning.

The fleet

The fixed-wing aircraft, which we call single-engine air tankers, are fast and can drop up to 800 gallons of water, retardant, gel or foam. A single pass can lay down a “wet line” in front of a fire – helping to halt the fire’s progress. These planes are best used in fighting fire in open areas with clear ways in and out. They need a nearby airport, unless they’re one of the five DNR craft which can float on water. Those planes are called “fire bosses.”

Fire bosses can scoop up water from nearby lakes. With the ability to work as a land-based aircraft or a water-landing scooper, a fire boss can drop an initial load of retardant, then remain close to the fire to come at it again quickly with a load of water.

The supervisor in charge of air attack oversees operations while in the air.  His or her job is to keep all aircraft flying in coordination, increase situational awareness for safety and help water drops land on-target. See this video that helps explain an air attack operation.

These planes complement DNR’s eight existing wildfire helicopters. These specially-modified helicopters can drop 240 gallons of water or retardant, gel or foam in remote locations and deploy helitack crews (aka helicopter crews) into otherwise unreachable
terrain.

A helicopter with a bucket can be very accurate even when fire is burning in mountainous, crowded forests. With them, DNR firefighters can use a 100 to 300-foot “long line” hovering between trees to dump water below the tree canopy. The long line lets helicopters keep away from the heat while dropping water into the very heart of the fire.

DNR helicopter hovers with a bucket of 240 gallons of water. Photo DNR

Helicopters can also turn around easily and quickly, which means they’re able to work in canyons, where planes can’t safely fly.

Fighting the fire

The top priority of our aviation team is initial attack. Crews work to get aircraft off the ground and on the way to a fire within five minutes of dispatch. The team plans in the air using real-time satellite images to identify a water source and the safest air-traffic pattern between it and the target. Air attack is coordinated with crews working on the ground to fully contain and control the fire.

There are four types of retardants that our air resources, and our firefighters, use when battling wildfire with aircraft.

• Water – easy to get and cheapest to use
• Foam – a simple water enhancer that helps to make the water wetter.
• Gel – a powder form when mixed with water becomes slimy and evaporates slower than water or foam.
• Retardant – a chemical, often an orange/red color, that blocks fire from spreading farther along the ground – when fire burns into it, the fire simply dies out.

Working in unison, aviation and ground crews can have great success.  We saw an example of this over the Fourth of July when combined crews worked together to quickly contain the Hart Road Fire just east of Cle Elum as it threatened homes and a wildlife sanctuary.

Not without limits

However, aviation teams can’t always fly. Nightfall, wind, lightning or poor visibility may ground them. Another preventable hazard that can ground them are drones, or unmanned aircraft systems. Wildland fire aircraft fly low and fast.  Drones pose a serious threat to firefighters and others.

If you fly (your drone), we can’t.

Crews across Washington

More than 60 people make up the aviation firefighting teams available for rapid response to wildland fires. During the summer, equipment and teams are staged throughout the state at locations such as: Olympia, Omak, Colville, Deer Park, Dallesport, Pomeroy, Yakima and Wenatchee.

These crews and equipment are ready to fight fire on DNR-protected lands, or in collaboration with our wildland firefighting partners, in your community and across Washington.