Charles R. Blinn

Policy tools to encourage the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices in the United States and Canada

Abstract States and provinces of the United States and Canada have defined practices to mitigate the negative externalities often associated with timber harvesting activities. This paper describes the various methods states and provinces employ to encourage the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices. Information on specific policy tools used to encourage guideline application was obtained through a written questionnaire to state and provincial forestry agency directors. All but one of the 51 responding states and provinces have some form of formally-defined timber harvesting practices. Practices that address riparian zone management, water quality, or wetlands protection are the most common—all but one responding state and province addresses one of more of these areas. Sixty-one percent of the states and provinces implement their practices through predominantly voluntary means whereas the remaining 39% are applied within a regulatory framework. Of the policy tools examined, technical assistance, educational, and cost-share programs account for 88% of all state and provincial programs directed at encouraging forest landowners to use the practices suggested in their guidebooks. Technical assistance and education programs are the most common policy tools used to assist loggers and foresters in applying sustainable harvesting practices. Technical assistance and cost-share programs consistently rank among the most effective policy tools for encouraging loggers, landowners, and foresters to apply the sustainable timber harvesting practices. Comparing levels of program investment to perceived benefits, assistance programs and education programs rank most efficient for landowners and foresters, respectively. Premium prices for products and preferential access to contracts are the two most efficient programs directed at loggers, yet their existence is modest within states and provinces. The paper concludes with an assessment of emerging trends and additional information needs associated with encouraging the application of sustainable timber harvesting practices.

Harvest caused soil disturbance decreased suckering capacity of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) following growing season harvests in Minnesota, USA

The effect of soil disturbance on quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) sucker density and height growth was measured in mixed aspen and hardwood stands in east central Minnesota, USA. Loggers harvested stands during the growing season resulting in a range of soil disturbance conditions. Soil disturbance and parent stand aspen density accounted for a significant amount of the variation in suckering two full growing seasons after the harvest. Mineral soil exposure did not significantly affect total sucker density, but decreased sucker height growth as measured by the cumulative height of all suckers in a plot (sucker length) and density of suckers more than 1.2 m tall. Both shallow ( 15 cm) soil disturbance caused by machine traffic reduced sucker density and sucker length. Results indicated an effect of machine traffic on suckers in trafficked areas, but not adjacent areas. The long-term effects of reduced height growth in disturbed areas and severely reduced density in trafficked areas are not well understood. Loss in early height growth is likely to have long-term effects on productivity, and it is unlikely that aspen will recolonize rutted areas in time to recover full aspen productivity in trafficked areas in one rotation.

Effects of harvesting on nitrogen and phosphorus availability in riparian management zone soils in Minnesota, USA

Riparian management zones (RMZs) protect streams from excess nutrients, yet few studies have looked at soil nutrients in forested RMZs or the impacts of partial harvesting on nutrient availability. We investigated the impacts of upland clearcutting in conjunction with uncut and partially harvested RMZs (40% basal area reduction) on soil nutrients in forests in Minnesota, USA. Nitrate, ammonium, and phosphorus were measured using exchange resins. Upland clearcutting increased dormant and growing season nitrate, ammonium, and total inorganic nitrogen in the upland 2 to 5 times compared with uncut upland. Upland clearcutting increased dormant and growing season nitrate and total inorganic nitrogen just inside the RMZ boundary 2 to 5 times compared with this location adjacent to uncut upland. Dormant season nitrate and total inorganic nitrogen were 2 times higher in the entire RMZ adjacent to upland clearcut. Phosphorus was not affected by treatment. Partial harvesting of the RMZ did not increase nutrients co...

Characterizing timber salvage operations on public forests in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA

ABSTRACT Despite the common management practice of salvage logging in recently naturally disturbed forests, little is known about the contribution salvage logging operations make to wood markets or their importance in the wood supply chain. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of salvage wood to the total volume of wood sold on state and county lands in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA. Analyzing data collected from 2010 to 2014, salvage wood made up 10% of the 27.2 million m3 of wood sold by these ownerships during this period, a percentage similar to the total amount of forest area that was disturbed by insects, disease, weather damage, or some other natural agent across state and/or county lands over the same time period. Where a widespread forest disturbance was observed (e.g. a catastrophic windstorm that resulted in blowdown), salvage sales offered more volume per sale and were larger in size compared to non-salvage sales. We conclude that when large-scale disturbances occur, there may be a large influx of salvage-harvested wood from a specific region for which timber sale records could be used to better understand the economic contribution of forest disturbances to local wood markets.

Logger perceptions of salvage harvesting in Minnesota, USA

ABSTRACT Harvesting timber in forests recently affected by a disturbance, i.e. in salvage conditions, is generally thought to take longer and come at a greater cost compared to harvesting non-salvage timber. Despite this, the degree that forest disturbances create stand conditions that impact productivity when harvesting salvage timber has not been quantified. Similarly, the concerns and perceptions loggers have when operating in salvage conditions have not been fully assessed. This analysis examined mailed survey responses from 129 logging business owners from the state of Minnesota, USA, which inquired about their experience in harvesting timber from salvage sales, concerns about operating under salvage conditions, and perceptions of productivity in forests impacted by three common disturbances. In total, 41.9% of logging business owners (n = 54) indicated they harvested wood from at least one salvage sale in 2015 or 2016. The majority of loggers cited concerns with reduced productivity and reduced wood quality when operating under salvage conditions. Using multinomial logistic regression, analyses indicate logging business owners would have a greater probability of conducting a salvage sale if they produced more volume, were in business for fewer years, and produced a greater percentage of volume during the summer months. As managing for natural disturbances are increasingly being incorporated into forest management plans, forestry professionals should consider these results in response to relatively discrete disturbance events and how salvage sales are designed.

Forest Management Guideline Development Through Consensus: Important Factors to Consider

Abstract Consensus forums are one method of dealing with controversial natural resource issues. Minnesota regulators learned numerous important lessons when they used a consensus-based approach to develop voluntary site-level forest management guidelines. These include: 1) take active steps to facilitate information sharing among team leaders, 2) select team members who can effectively represent their group’s perspective, who are solution- oriented, and who can help shape a compromise, 3) be prepared for problems that will arise so that they don’t bog down the process, 4) use field tours as a mechanism to educate participants and to test the practicality of proposed guidelines, and 5) build in flexibility to accommodate the range of considerations which affect guideline application.