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Managing Organic Debris for Forest Health Reconciling Fire Hazard, Bark Beetles, Wildlife, and Forest Nutrition Needs

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Managing Organic Debris for Forest Health Reconciling Fire Hazard, Bark Beetles, Wildlife, and Forest Nutrition Needs Managing Organic Debris for Forest Health Reconciling fire hazard, bark beetles, wildlife, and forest nutrition needs Chris Schnepf, Russell T. Graham, Sandy Kegley, and Theresa B. Jain PNW 609 A Pacific Northwest Extension Publication University of Idaho Oregon State University Washington State University Managing Organic Debris for Forest Health Reconciling fire hazard, bark beetles, wildlife, and forest nutrition needs Chris Schnepf, Russell T. Graham, Sandy Kegley, and Theresa B. Jain A Pacific Northwest Extension Publication University of Idaho Oregon State University Washington State University THE AUTHORS COVER PHOTO CHRIS SCHNEPF is an Extension Forester Forest organic debris is important for soil for the University of Idaho based in health. The main photo shows a log in the Coeur d’Alene. He provides educational process of decomposing and adding programs for forest owners, loggers, and structure to the soil. Thumbnail photos others interested in applied forest show organisms that will thrive in an area ecology and silviculture. with healthy forest soil and coarse woody debris: chanterelle mushroom, pileated DR. RUSSELL T. GRAHAM is a research woodpecker, and fisher. forester and silviculturist with the USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research FUNDING Station in Moscow, Idaho. His research Partial funding for this publication was focuses on landscape processes and long- provided by the USDA Forest Service, term forest productivity concentrated on Northern Region State and Private Forestry. management of forest organic materials. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SANDY KEGLEY is a forest entomologist Thanks to the following people who with the USDA Forest Service, Northern reviewed this publication and provided Region, Coeur d'Alene Field Office. Sandy many constructive comments: is involved in survey, detection, evaluation, Matt Abram, Logger, Hayden, Idaho prevention, and suppression of bark beetles and other major forest insects in northern Janean Creighton, Washington State Idaho and western Montana. University, Spokane DR. THERESA B. JAIN is a research forester Renee d’Aoust, forest owner, and silviculturist with the USDA Forest Clark Fork, Idaho Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Debbie Page-Dumroese, USFS Rocky in Moscow, Idaho. Mountain Research Station, Moscow, Idaho PUBLICATION ORDERING Steve Fitzgerald, Oregon State University Copies of this publication may be obtained from: Steve Funk, Forest Owner, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Educational Communications, P.O. Box 442240, Moscow, Don Hull, Logging Safety Advisor, Idaho ID 83844-2240; tel: (208)885-7982; Logging Safety Bureau, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho e-mail: [email protected] Bill Lukens, Forest Owner, Sandpoint, Idaho OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY – Publication Ron Mahoney, University of Idaho, Moscow Orders, Extension and Station Communica- Ron Reuter, Oregon State University, Bend tions, 422 Kerr Administration, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119; tel: 541-737-2513 or Terry Shaw, Intermountain Forest Tree toll free: (800) 561-6719; Nutrition Cooperative, Moscow, Idaho e-mail: [email protected] WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – Extension Publications, Cooper Publications Building, P.O. Box 645912, Pullman, WA 99164-5912; tel: (509) 335-2857 or toll free: (800) 723-1763; © 2009 by University of Idaho. e-mail: [email protected] All rights reserved. Published 2009 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . .1 INLAND NORTHWEST FOREST SOILS . .3 Influence of fire on organic debris . .5 Organic debris & nutrients . .5 Organic debris & soil moisture . .9 Organic debris & soil structure . .9 Organic debris, roots, & mycorrhizal fungi . .9 MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES FOR ORGANIC DEBRIS . .15 Fine organic debris (FOD) . .15 Coarse woody debris (CWD) . .15 STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING FIRE AND ORGANIC DEBRIS . .19 Fire hazard . .19 Methods to reduce fire hazard . .21 STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING BARK BEETLES AND ORGANIC DEBRIS . .35 Pine engraver beetle . .35 Douglas-fir beetle . .37 Spruce beetle . .37 Fir engraver beetle . .39 Generalizations about bark beetles and organic debris . .39 STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING WILDLIFE AND ORGANIC DEBRIS . .43 Snags . .43 Coarse woody debris size and characteristics . .45 Coarse woody debris arrangement . .47 How much coarse woody debris for wildlife? . .47 CONCLUSION . .48 APPENDIX: ORGANIC DEBRIS ESTIMATES . .50 Photo series . .50 Measuring Organic Debris . .50 REFERENCES . .58 PHOTO AND ILLUSTRATION CREDITS . .60 Figure 1. Removing organic debris is critical within 100 feet of homes and structures. Figure 2. Poor soil means poor trees. 4 INTRODUCTION like mulch in a garden. It protects soil from excessive moisture loss, Forest organic debris includes recycles nutrients for trees and tree limbs, boles (trunks), needles, other forest plants, adds structure leaves, snags, and other dead and organic matter to the soil, organic materials. It ranges in reduces soil erosion, and provides amount and composition depending food and habitat for a wide variety on a forest’s history, tree species, of wildlife. condition, and age. In the Inland Many landowners are unclear on Northwest (Idaho, western how to reconcile the potentially Montana, eastern Oregon, and conflicting objectives related to eastern Washington) there is a lot forest organic debris. As a result, of discussion and concern about some landowners tend to remove removing organic debris from all organic debris while others may forests. treat as little as possible, to save Common reasons for removing money and time. organic debris include reducing This publication outlines the role bark beetle hazard, preparing a site of forest organic debris in Inland for tree planting, harvesting forest Northwest forests and provides gen- biomass for energy, and reducing eral management recommendations fire risk. For example, it is critical to maintain forest soil productivity to remove organic debris within 100 and improve wildlife habitat, while feet around homes and structures simultaneously reducing wildfire to reduce fire risk (fig. 1). And some and insect hazards. people simply like the aesthetics Many people refer to all branches of a forest with less organic debris and tops accumulated from logging -- loggers often speak with pride or a storm as “slash.” But different or admiration of “a good clean types of organic debris have differ- logging job.” ent functions and different All these issues are important. management challenges. To that But leaves, needles, and woody end, this publication differentiates debris left in a forest are not neces- between two broad categories of sarily wasted. A growing body of forest organic debris: fine organic research supports leaving some debris (FOD - material smaller than organic debris in forests (fig. 2). 3 inches in diameter) and coarse Organic debris left distributed woody debris (CWD - material 3 across the forest floor acts much inches in diameter and larger). 1 Figure 3. Forest soils are a living growth medium for trees and other organisms. Figure 4. Surface organic layers can Figure 5. In frequently burned commonly be 1-2 inches deep on forests, organic layers can be thin. moist or cold forests. 2 INLAND NORTHWEST pole pine-subalpine forests to dry FOREST SOILS ponderosa pine forests. The most noticeable organic Soils are the foundation of forest component of forest soils are the growth and health. They provide surface organic layers. These “duff” structural support, nutrients, and layers usually consist of freshly water storage for trees and other fallen twigs, leaves, and needles. forest plants and fungi. Soil quality, In the middle of the surface layers, rainfall and temperatures determine there is usually a layer where plant how a forest regenerates, develops, and tree materials are being and functions. Over thousands of decomposed by insects, worms, years, climate and vegetation break fungi, bacteria, and other organisms. down or “weather” parent materials Below this, plant parts have (the bedrock and/or sediments decomposed to where they are not underlying a forest soil) into a unique distinguishable. mineral soil for a given forest site. These surface organic layers are Many Inland Northwest forest highly visible in a soil profile of soils have also been significantly moist forests and cold forests— influenced by wind-blown deposits often one or two inches deep of soil and volcanic ash. In addition (fig. 4). In dry forests and other to mineral contents, a large portion frequently burned forests, these of a soil’s volume is made up of pore layers can be very thin or even space, which helps a soil retain and nonexistent (fig. 5). However, where store moisture and allows for fire has been excluded from dry oxygen and carbon dioxide forests, large amounts of organic exchange around roots. materials can accumulate due to Organic materials from plants, very slow decomposition. This is animals, and fungi are also integral most apparent around the bases parts of a forest soil. These living of mature ponderosa pines that and dead organic components continually slough off bark and influence critical forest soil func- shed heavy amounts of needles. tions such as water holding, nutrient Varying amounts of wood from storage and release, aeration, decaying tree limbs and stems (also nitrogen fixation, bacterial and called boles, trunks, or logs) are fungal habitat, and protection from often mixed in the surface organic compaction and erosion (fig. 3). layers of forest soils (fig. 6). Rotten The contribution of organic debris wood (often brown and cubical) is to forests is as variable as
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