Bob Rummer

A strategic assessment of forest biomass and fuel reduction treatments in Western States

In the 15 western states there are at least 28 million acres of forest that could benefit from some type of mechanical treatment to reduce hazardous fuel loading. It is estimated that about 60 percent of this area could be operationally accessible for treatment with a total biomass treatment volume of 345 million bone dry tons (bdt). Two-thirds of this forest area is on public lands. Most of the volume is in trees 6 inches diameter and greater that have conventional utilization opportunities. Transportation cost and distance to markets, however, may preclude actual recovery. Treatment costs are increased by the need to treat large numbers of low-volume stems less than 4 inches in diameter. Gross costs can range from

Changes in Production and Nutrient Cycling across a Wetness Gradient within a Floodplain Forest

35 to over

Evaluation of erosion control techniques on forest roads

1000 per acre depending on type of operation, terrain, and number of trees to be treated. Some areas will likely be prohibitively expensive to treat, although cost estimates presented here may be high because they are based on the use of conventional timber harvesting systems applied to small diameter treatments. Implementation of any significant fuel reduction effort will generate large volumes of biomass and require the development of additional workforce and operations capacity in western forests.

Sedimentation associated with forest road surfacing in a bottomland hardwood ecosystem

Floodplain forest ecosystems are highly valuable to society because of their potential for water quality improvement and vegetation productivity, among many other functions. Previous studies have indicated that hydrology influences productivity but that the relationship between hydroperiod and productivity is a complex one. Consequently, we compared multiple indexes of productivity, nutrient circulation, and hydroperiod among three communities on the Flint River floodplain, Georgia, that differed in terms of inundation frequency. We hypothesized that (a) the wettest community would have the lowest total net primary production (NPP) values because of saturated soil conditions; (b) as wetness increases, nutrient circulation in litterfall would decrease because of the hypothesized lower productivity in the wetter community; and (c) as wetness increases, internal translocation would become more efficient. The study site was partitioned into three wetness types—somewhat poorly drained (SPD), intermediate (I) and poorly drained (PD). We found that belowground biomass was greatest on the SPD, litterfall was similar for all three sites, and that woody biomass current annual increment (CAI) was greatest in the PD community. However, when the three variables were totaled for each site, the PD had the greatest NPP, thus disproving hypothesis (a). For hypothesis (b), we observed that P content in litterfall, although not significant, followed the predicted trend; nitrogen (N) content displayed the opposite pattern (PD > I > SPD). As wetness increased, internal translocation became more efficient for phosphorus (support for hypothesis [c]), but the SPD community was more efficient at retranslocating N (contradiction of hypothesis [c]).

MANAGING WATER QUALITY IN WETLANDS WITH FORESTRY BMP'S

The cutslope and fillslope on a newly constructed forest road on the Talladega National Forest near Heflin, Alabama were treated with three erosion control techniques: wood excelsior erosion mat, native grass species, and exotic grass species. Bare soil plots were used as the experimental controls. Total sediment yield was measured during the period 21 September 1995 to 18 March 1996. A randomized complete block design was used to evaluate treatment methods on the basis of sediment yield and runoff volume. No significant difference in sediment yield was found from the fillslope among the treatments. However, on the cutslope significant differences were detected among all treatments. The erosion mat treatment was most effective in mitigating erosion losses with a 98% reduction in cutslope sediment yield and 88% reduction in fillslope sediment yield.

Models for Analyzing Logging Safety

Abstract Access systems are a necessary element of resource production in bottomland hardwood sites. However, road building may have a detrimental effect on hydrologic function of the site. This report describes initial results of a study designed to examine the effect of different road surfacing treatments on water quality. Four surfacing treatments installed on two test roads included native soil, native soil with vegetative stabilization, 6 cm of gravel, and 15 cm of gravel over geotextile. During the first flooding season periodic sampling measured floodwater suspended sediments and location of erosion and sediment deposition within the road prism. Initial results suggest that sediment movement was confined to the road right-of-way, with no statistically significant sedimentation effects detected beyond the clearing limits of the road. The study is continuing for another field season.

Assessing the cost of fuel reduction treatments: A critical review

Forested wetlands are uniquely critical areas in forest operations that present special challenges to protect water quality. These locations are a direct interface between the impacts of forest operations and water. BMPs are designed to minimize nonpoint source pollution, but much of the science behind current guidelines is based on an understanding of erosion processes in upland situations. In wetlands and around temporary stream crossings, redirection of flow, sedimentation processes, and alterations of flow velocity become important. Existing forested wetland BMPs appear to adequately address water quality protection. If existing BMPs became prescriptive regulations, however, there is potential for mis-application and unintended ecological impacts.

A strategic assessment of forest biomass and fuel reduction treatments in western states

Logging safety is a continuing problem. Developing solutions to safety problems requires an effective model of how accidents are produced by the design of logging systems. Such a model for engineering improvements must integrate human, equipment, environmental, and social factors over sufficient time to include antecedent events and management decisions which precede accidents. Various industrial safety models are reviewed and their limitations and applications to logging safety discussed.