Final Report Analysis of Small-Diameter Wood Supply in Northern Arizona FCSFP S. Joy FCSFP S. Allred May 2007– February 2008 FCSFP For more information on the ForestERA Project, please contact: ForestERA Project Center for Environmental Sciences and Education Geospatial Research and Information Laboratory Northern Arizona University NAU Box 4071 Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5694 Email: [email protected] Additional details are available online at: www.forestera.nau.edu Wood Supply Analysis Personnel: Haydee M. Hampton,1 M.S. – Principal Investigator Steven E. Sesnie,1 Ph.D. – Remote Sensing Specialist Brett G. Dickson,1 Ph.D. – Ecologist Jill M. Rundall,1 B.S. – GIS Specialist Thomas D. Sisk,1 Ph.D. – Ecology Professor Gary B. Snider,2 M.S. – Forest Economist John D. Bailey,3 Ph.D. – Professor of Silviculture The Wood Supply Analysis was supported by funding from the USDA Forest Service, Southwestern Region. Front cover photo credits: S. Allred (tassel-eared squirrel), S. Joy (northern goshawk), and the Four Corners Sustainable Forest Partnership (three wood utilization photos). Suggested Citation: Hampton, H.M., S.E. Sesnie, B.G. Dickson, J.M. Rundall, T.D Sisk, G.B. Snider and J.D. Bailey. 2008. Analysis of Small-Diameter Wood Supply in Northern Arizona. Forest Ecosystem Restoration Analysis Project, Center for Environmental Sciences and Education, Northern Arizona University. 1 Center for Environmental Sciences and Education, Northern Arizona University 2 School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University 3 Department of Forest Resources, Oregon State University Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary.............................................................................................................. 1 2 Project Background............................................................................................................... 3 3 Building Agreement on Treatment Location and Type ........................................................ 5 3.1 Wood Supply Steering Committee ................................................................................. 5 3.2 Wood Supply Working Group Meetings ........................................................................ 5 3.3 Keeping Stakeholders and Elected Officials Informed of Project Progress ................... 8 3.4 Working Group Treatment Scenario............................................................................... 9 3.4.1 Landscape Features Considered Not a Source of Wood Supply ........................... 10 3.4.2 Landscape Management Areas .............................................................................. 12 3.4.2.1 Community Protection Management Areas.................................................... 13 3.4.3 Desired Post-Treatment Conditions....................................................................... 14 3.4.3.1 Wildlife Considerations in Developing Desired Post-Treatment Conditions. 15 3.4.4 Review of Recently Planned and Completed Restoration Projects ....................... 16 3.4.5 Range of Agreement .............................................................................................. 17 4 Estimating Wood Volume and Supply ............................................................................... 19 4.1 Methods......................................................................................................................... 19 4.1.1 Developing Forest Structure and Wood Volume Layers....................................... 19 4.1.2 Estimating Amount of Wood Byproducts from Restoration Treatments .............. 22 4.1.2.1 Wood supply volume ...................................................................................... 22 4.1.2.2 Wood supply biomass..................................................................................... 24 4.1.2.3 Wood supply from small-diameter trees......................................................... 25 4.2 Results........................................................................................................................... 26 4.2.1 Forest Structure and Wood Volume Layer Accuracy............................................ 26 4.2.2 Current Levels of Wood Volume in the Analysis Area......................................... 27 4.2.3 Predicted Wood Supply Based on Treatment Scenarios........................................ 28 4.2.3.1 Wood supply volume ...................................................................................... 28 4.2.3.2 Wood supply biomass..................................................................................... 29 4.2.3.3 Wood supply from small-diameter trees......................................................... 31 5 Existing Harvesting Contractors, Mills and Manufactures................................................. 31 6 Additional Considerations .................................................................................................. 33 6.1 Fire as an Initial Treatment Option............................................................................... 34 6.2 Tree Mortality and Climate Change ............................................................................. 36 6.3 Old-growth Trees.......................................................................................................... 36 6.4 Forest Growth Review and Recommendations............................................................. 37 7 Concluding Remarks........................................................................................................... 40 8 Acknowledgements............................................................................................................. 42 9 References........................................................................................................................... 42 Tables...................................................................................................................................... 47 Figures..................................................................................................................................... 65 Appendices.............................................................................................................................. 75 i List of Appendices Appendix A. Letter from Regional Forester on Utility of Wood Supply Analysis Appendix B. Meeting Agendas and Summaries Appendix C. Estimated Pre-Treatment and Desired Post-Treatment Basal Area Distributions for Overall Analysis Area and each Landscape Management Area Appendix D. Summary of Presettlement Tree Densities in Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Appendix E. Wood Supply Working Group Meeting Handout on Nov. 29, 2007 with Grand Canyon Trust Environmental Assessment Analysis Appendix F. Tree biomass estimates in oven dry tons per acre from the a) consensus treatment scenario and b) majority treatment scenario. Appendix G. USDA Forest Service timber cruised data from White Mountain Stewardship contracts on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. Appendix H. Fire Information for Wood Supply Analysis Group Appendix I. Potential Follow-on Studies to Wood Supply Analysis ii 1 Executive Summary Forest management to restore fire-adapted ponderosa pine ecosystems is a central priority of the Southwestern Region of the USDA Forest Service. Appropriately-scaled businesses are apt to play a key role in achieving this goal by harvesting, processing and selling wood products, thereby reducing treatment costs and providing economic opportunities. The manner in which treatments occur across northern Arizona, with its multiple jurisdictions and land management areas, is of vital concern to a diversity of stakeholder groups. To identify a level of forest thinning treatments and potential wood supply from restoration byproducts, a 20-member working group representing environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private forest industries, local government, the Ecological Restoration Institute at Northern Arizona University (NAU), and state and federal land and resource management agencies was assembled. A series of seven workshops supported by Forest Ecosystem Restoration Analysis (ForestERA; NAU) staff were designed to consolidate geographic data and other spatial information and to synthesize potential treatment scenarios for a 2.4 million acre analysis area south of the Grand Canyon and across the Mogollon Plateau. A total of 94% of the analysis area is on National Forest lands. ForestERA developed up-to-date remote sensing-based forest structure data layers to inform the development of treatment scenarios, and to estimate wood volume in three tree diameter classes of <5”, 5-16”, and >16” diameter at breast height (dbh, 4.5’ above base). For the purposes of this report, the group selected a 16” dbh threshold due to its common use within the analysis landscape as a break point differentiating “small” and “large” diameter trees in the ponderosa pine forest type. The focus of this study was on small–diameter trees, although wood supply estimates include some trees > 16” dbh where their removal was required to meet desired post-treatment conditions.4 There was no concurrence within the group that trees over 16” dbh should be cut and removed from areas outside community protection management areas (CPMAs). Participants successfully defined desired post-treatment conditions within five landscape management areas that included: communities, municipal and aquatic species watersheds, Mexican spotted owl (MSO) restricted habitat and wildlands. Consensus was reached across two-thirds