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Snag/Leave Tree Management SNAG AND LEAVE TREE MANAGEMENT APPENDIX I-II DOUGLAS COUNTY FORESTRY DEPARTMENT Snag and Leave Tree Management for Douglas County Timber Sales DEFINITIONS (1) Snag - Standing dead tree. Snags come in two styles, hard condition and soft condition. Both are important to wildlife. Hard snags have rotten centers, a solid exterior and usually a few limbs attached, they make the best den trees for wildlife. As snags decay, the wood softens and becomes punky and the limbs gradually falloff. Soft snags, with their pulpy wood fibers, make good forage sites for insect- eating birds and excellent nest sites for woodpeckers and songbirds such as black-capped chickadees (source - Wildlife and Your Land -Critter Condos). (2) Leave Tree - Live tree retained on a site for resource benefits. (3) Timber Sale Unit - • Small = 0 to 20 acres • Medium = 21 to 50 acres • Large = 51+ acres SUGGESTED MANAGEMENT GOALS (SNAGS) Leave all snags possible standing in harvest areas. Exceptions may be made for reasons of visual quality, operator safety, public safety, surrounding landscape concerns, or forest insects and diseases. If some snags must be removed...larger snags (>18" DBH) which provide for more den site opportunities should be favored, but if your site only has smaller snags then retain those. Numbers of vertebrate species using snags varies among habitats. The number of leave trees should reflect the variation among habitats and among site conditions. SUGGESTED MANAGEMENT SCHEMES (LEAVE TREES) (1) Retaining leave trees in clumps, strips, or islands. (2) Retaining scattered individual leave trees. (3) In most cases, using both options together is preferred. Both options accomplish the management goals of retaining leave trees. Plans for retaining leave trees may utilize one of these options or, when appropriate, they may use the two options in combination. MARKING SCHEMES Both groups of leave trees and individual leave trees should be marked in the same fashion as other non-harvest trees/areas are marked for in the harvest unit including the paint color. Individual trees should be marked on a minimum of two sides as well as a butt mark. Contractors should be notified of the presence of leave trees and the overall goal of leaving trees, snag recruits, and/or snags during the pre-op discussion. Leave trees of especially high value should be specifically identified and communicated to the Contractor as to what to look for when harvesting. SNAG AND LEAVE TREE MANAGEMENT APPENDIX I-II OPTION 1 (Groups of Trees) Retain leave trees in clumps, strips, or islands with the goal of occupying a minimum of 5 percent of each clearcut harvest unit, using the following considerations and guidelines to aid in planning and design: (1) With the exclusion of even-age management within riparian management zones (RMZ’s), trees left to protect cultural resources, visual quality, wetland inclusions, seasonal ponds, mast or other resources may be counted toward the 5 percent minimum recommendation. (2) For even-age management, leave tree clumps, strips or islands should be positioned adjacent to the riparian management zone where practical and possible. Benefits of clumping leave trees include: (1) Potential to meet multiple management objectives simultaneously. (2) Visual quality. (3) Equipment maneuverability. (4) Longevity and durability of leave trees. (5) Potential for greater biodiversity within clumps. (6) Easier application in larger harvest units. (7) Breakup of harvest area and reduction in apparent harvest size. (8) Better regeneration of intolerents on the rest of the site. (9) Potential to provide nesting sites for some interior forest species when clumps exceed 2 acres. (10) Increased animal feeding efficiency and protection from predators. Clumps, islands or strips should: (1) Be distributed throughout a harvest unit. (2) Be adjacent to the RMZ for even-age management. (3) Vary in size, with a minimum goal of 4 acres per clump. (4) Center around or coincide with such features as; • Wetland inclusions and seasonal ponds. • One or more large (>18” DBH) active den trees or cavity trees. • Mast trees. • Preferred tree species (such as large white pine). • Raptor nests or rookeries. • Sensitive communities or sites. Minimal harvesting within clumps is acceptable as long as the integrity of the clump or key leave trees is not disturbed, and as long as the clump is being left upon harvest completion and not scheduled for reentry. -2- SNAG AND LEAVE TREE MANAGEMENT APPENDIX I-II OPTION 2 (Individual Trees) As an alternative or supplement to clumps, employ scattered individual leave trees, especially if they are larger, wind firm specimens of preferred species. Scattered leave trees may be easier to apply to small or narrow harvest units than clumps. Use the following guidelines for scattering individual leave trees: (1) On most clearcut sites where this method is employed, leave 5-10 trees standing per acre, selecting trees preferentially. The larger the harvest, the more trees per acre should be left. (2) On certain clearcut sites, there may be no leave trees or as many as 15 or more leave trees per acre, depending on local conditions, but the majority (75 percent) of the overall harvest acres should retain an average of 5-10 per acre. (3) On non-clearcut sites (including selection or partial cut), be sure that the residual stand includes a minimum of 5 cavity trees, snag recruits, and/or snags per acre. (4) Distribute leave trees throughout the harvested site as much as possible. During harvest entries of selection or partial cut harvests, select leave trees using the following guidelines: (1) Where possible, leave a variety of sizes and species of trees, along with the intended crop trees. (2) Plan for and protect the integrity of reserve tree clumps that will be left upon harvest completion and not scheduled for reentry. (3) Prevent damage to leave trees in harvest entries. (4) In overstory removals, retain leave trees, snag recruits, and/or snags that will be left upon harvest completion. -3-.
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