This file was created by scanning the printed publication. Errors identified by the software have been corrected; however, some errors may remain. MAKING PRECOMMERCIAL OPERATIONS COMMERCIAL David K. Leach ABSTRACT forest products, not only to layout and administer sales, but also to be a proponent for new opportunities and prod­ The Detroit District of the Willamette National Forest, ucts. The position description was rewritten and upgraded and other districts in the Pacific Northwest Region, have to the GS-9 level. We were also fortunate in having the developed vigorous programs in the area of special forest right person for the job, even to the point of having the products. Sales of some of these products may also be used right name, Vic Baumann. to accomplish silvicultural treatments traditionally done through service contracts. Accomplishment of precommer­ cial thinning, pruning, and western white pine blister rust SPECIAL FOREST PRODUCTS AND control are some current benefits discussed. Potential exists SILVICULTURE for expanding commercial sales into the areas of planting, On the Detroit Ranger District, the special forest prod­ release, and site preparation. Currently, there is no formal ucts position works in the timber operations department, recognition for accomplishing treatments through commer­ not in silviculture. On other districts on the Forest the po­ cial sales beyond the forest level and financing for these sition may be in silviculture. A brief rationale for Detroit's programs is not secure despite their strong profitability. position location is that these are commercial timber sales Additional benefits of these sales are also seen in the areas of which only a portion accomplish silvicultural objectives. of local employment and in implementing New Perspectives. More important than location, however, is close coopera­ tion so that the products resource is identified, opportuni­ INTRODUCTION ties are not missed, and sales are properly prepared and administered. In the Pacific Northwest Region (R-6), the Willamette The focus of this paper is intended to discuss those spe­ National Forest and the Detroit Ranger District have tradi­ cial forest product sales which also benefit silvicultural ac­ tionally fit the role of producing large volumes of sawtimber. complishment. In some cases these benefits may be minor Until recently, the Detroit District had an annual harvest and accomplish work that we might not have normally pro­ of about 120 MMbfper year. The District's small sale pro­ posed; in many other areas, however, the District is getting gram was also fairly typical for the Region, mostly concen­ vital treatments done where contractors pay us instead of trating on salvage and firewood. Other than these two us paying them. products there had been an occasional bough or Christmas tree sale, but by the early 80's none of these were offered. To some degree, these "other" products were a nuisance to Thinning deal with because they took up a disproportionate amount The first of these types of sales were those involving of time in relation to the revenue they generated; they were boughs and Christmas trees. Normally, bough cutting poorly funded in terms of sale preparation allocations; and in itself is of neutral effect silviculturally since it only in­ they presented law enforcement problems. volves removing the ends of lower branches. Combined If there was any single eyent that changed the approach with Christmas tree cutting, however, we are able to re­ to "other products," "miscellaneous products," "special for­ duce stocking levels and accomplish pre commercial thin­ est products," or whatever you wish to call them, it was ning. What makes these sales work is that they are multi­ the simple act of a buyer for noble fir boughs coming in and year contracts where the buyer has an incentiv~ to i~vest mentioning a price we couldn't refuse. That first, recent work into the site. In the past, there has been httle mter­ contract sold for about $20,000 with layout and administra­ est in excess trees from precommercial thinning because of tion costs ofless than $500. This was lucrative enough to their low value. Combined with the high value for boughs get our attention and the next year we anticipated the de­ and the ability to culture noncrop trees for Christmas trees, mand and prepared more bough sales. From this small however, the equation has changed. Buyers of these con­ start, things began to take off and have expanded into other tracts also have plans for fertilization and do some vegeta­ areas such as Christmas trees, beargrass for floral arrange­ tion control if needed. ments and baskets, and live plant sales. The District also The basic outline of these sales is that the contractor recognized the need to have a full-time position in special marks a specified number of trees per acre to be left at the end of the contract that are the dominant, most damage or disease free, and representative of all the species present on the site. The first year, 1989, these types of sales were Paper presented at the National Silviculture Workshop, Cedar City, UT, May 6-9, 1991. offered, we sold 387 acres for $70,221. We also turned back David K. Leach is District Silviculturist, Detroit Ranger Dlstnct, $35,000 to the Forest for redistribution for those acres that Willamette National Forest, USDA Forest Service, Mill City, OR 97360. 84 we did not have to pay to thin. So overall, we not only saved further cuttings to remove higher whorls. Eventually, we'll our $90 per acre in thinning cost, we made another $180 end up with trees that not only have a reduced susceptibil­ per acre. ity to blister rust but also that have a clear butt log. Recently we have also sold a plantation that is nearly pure Douglas-fir for cultivation as Christmas trees. The stand is a result of a shelterwood harvest with natural Site Preparation regeneration. The overstory has been removed and high In 1990, 200,000 board feet of slash that was left behind stocking levels occur on the site. This is the first planta­ after logging was resold for products such as shake bolts, tion sold strictly for Christmas trees and indicates that posts, chip logs, and firewood. This was material that oth­ we may be able to expand our "they pay us" thinning to erwise would have been burned. other areas. The District has also been successful in marketing posts and poles in stands that have been commercially thinned. PROPOSED SALES Frequently, smaller, suppressed trees are left that are be­ low the merchantable log diameter. These trees can be us­ PlantinglThinning able for posts or poles with a minimum piece size of 3 inches The Detroit District has submitted a proposal to the in diameter and 8 feet long. Although these trees are usu­ Chiefs Office, through the Region, to obtain permission to ally not serious competitors with the crop trees, they are offer Christmas tree and bough sales for a period exceeding often damaged in logging or eventually succumb to suppres­ 10 years. This would help in getting better utilization of sion. In addition, other suitable material from tops of cut the products involved in these sales and provide the pur­ trees in slash piles is eventually burned. Consideration is chasers more incentive to invest in cultural work. We are made to leave some of this material for diversity. Also, due also prepared to offer sales in which the buyer either plants to terrain and access, the scope of this type of operation is a bare ground regeneration unit or interplants among exist­ limited. ing crop trees. In either case, the ultimate outcome would be a thinned plantation at the end of the contract. Pruning for Wood Quality The types of sites most suitable for growing the desired species tend to be on the lower end of the scale. Conse­ Pruning for wood quality has not been practiced on the quently, contract lengths will need to be in the range of District since the early 1960's. Recent research and sup­ 16-20 years in order to fully realize the value of the prod­ port from the Region and the Forest have gotten us back ucts. Local growers of these products have requested these into pruning (Cahill and others 1988). Detroit was one of types of sales so we know there is definite interest. Based the first Districts in the Region to begin pruning and did on our analysis of the situation, we should be able to get so using a service contract. Costs have ranged from about our thinning and planting done and receive a small income $250 to $325 per acre to prune about 100 trees per acre to at the same time. 17 feet. In 1990 we also sold 82 acres for bough harvest for $25,000. This was an older noble fir plantation that was Brush Release beyond the size range normally sold for boughs. Instead Vine maple is a common brush competitor in western of just cutting branch ends, limbs were entirely removed Oregon. The District has been contacted by an individual to the specified pruning height. Instead of paying $300 interested in cutting vine maple for use in floral design. per acre we received $305 per acre. We have more of these We will tailor this cutting to plantations that will benefit type stands ready for sale this year. from brush release. An additional benefit will be that stump sprouts from vine maple are desirable deer and elk forage. Pruning for Disease Control This type of sale will probably not result in a large number of acres being treated, but is indicative of the types of mar­ The District has annually planted from 150,000 to kets that are out there to be developed.