COUNTY FOREST COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 800 INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Section Subject Page 800 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES…………..……………………………………... 4 805 INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT APPROACH………….. 4 810 SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY……………………………………………… 5 810.1 TOOLS IN MANAGING FOR SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY……... 5 810.1.1 Forest Inventory…...……………………………………… 5 810.1.2 Forest Habitat Classification System…………………….. 6 810.1.3 Soil Surveys……………………………………………… 6 810.1.4 National Hierarchical Framework of Ecological Units….. 6 810.1.5 Integrated Pest Management……………………………... 7 810.1.6 Best Management Practices for Water Quality…………... 7 810.1.7 Forest Fire Management…………………………………. 8 810.1.7.1 Fire Prevention, Detection, and Suppression…..8 810.1.7.2 Fire Presuppression……………………….....…8 810.1.7.3 Fuel Breaks…………………………………….8 810.1.7.4 Prescribed Fire…………………………………9 810.1.8 Outside Expertise, Studies and Survey…………………… 9 810.1.8.1 Water Resources……………………………….9 810.1.8.2 Wildlife Resources……………………………..9 810.1.8.3 Soil Resources…………………………….……9 810.1.8.4 Mineral Resources…………………………..…10 810.1.8.5 Wetland Resources………………………….....10 810.1.8.6 Navigable Streams…………………………..…10 810.1.8.7 Floodplains…………………………………….10 810.1.8.8 Cultural Resources…………………………….10 810.1.8.9 Entomology/Pathology……………………..…10 810.1.8.10 Endangered Resources………………………...10 810.1.9 Local Silvicultural Field Trials…………………………... 11 810.1.10 Local Citizen Involvement…………………….…………. 11 820 BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY TYPES…………………………………... 11 820.1 FORESTED COMMUNITIES……………………………………… 11 820.2 NON-FORESTED COMMUNITIES……….......................................13 820.2.1 Upland Non-Forest………………………………………. 13 820.2.2 Wetlands………………………………………………… 13 820.2.3 Open Water Habitats………………………………………14 830 PLANT COMMUNITIES MANAGEMENT………………………… ….. 14 830.1 SILVICULTURE ……………………………………………… …….14 830.1.1 Aspen……………………………………………….… …..14 830.1.2 Northern Hardwoods………………………………………18 830.1.3 Red Oak……………………………………………………30 830.1.4 Scrub Oak………………….………………………………34 800-1 830.1.5 Paper Birch………………………………………………..37 830.1.6 Red Pine…………………………………………………...43 830.1.7 Jack Pine…………………………………………………..46 830.1.8 White Pine…………………………...……………………49 830.1.9 Other Conifers…………………………………………….52 830.2 LOCALLY UNCOMMON TREES……………………………..……54 830.2.1 American elm……………………………………………. 55 830.2.2 Eastern Hemlock…………………………………….…… 55 830.2.3 White Cedar……………………………………………….55 830.2.4 Black Cherry………………………………………………55 830.2.5 White Ash…………………………………………………55 830.3 EXOTIC PLANT SPECIES OF CONCERN………………………... 56 830.5 LEGALLY PROTECTED PLANT SPECIES………………………..56 830.6 OTHER PLANT SPECIES and NATURAL COMMUNITES of CONCERN – NHI…………………………………………………… 56 830.6.1 Special Concern Plants…………………………………... 56 830.6.2 Natural Communities……………………………………. 56 840 WILDLIFE SPECIES MANAGEMENT…………………………………..57 840.1 BACKGROUND…………………………………………………….. 57 840.1.1 Technical Planning………………………………………. 57 840.1.2 Guidelines………………………………………………... 57 840.1.3 Inventory…………………………………………………. 57 840.1.4 General Management Policies…………………………….58 840.2 WILDLIFE HABITAT DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROJECTS…… 59 840.3 HABITATS OF IMPORTANCE……………………………………. 59 840.3.1 Aspen…………………………………………………….. 60 840.3.2 Jack pine…………………………………………………. 60 840.3.3 Forest openings………………………………………….. 60 840.3.4 Lowland conifer…………………………………………. 60 840.3.5 Oak………………………………………………………. 60 840.3.6 Pine Barrens……………………………………………… 60 840.3.7 Forest Game Species………………………………… …61 840.3.8 Non-Game Species………………………………… ….…62 840.3.8.1 Neotropical Migrant Birds……………………… ………62 840.4 LEGALLY PROTECTED ANIMAL SPECIES…………………….. 62 840.5 OTHER ANIMALS OF SPECIAL CONCERN…………………….. 63 840.6 FISH AND WATERS MANAGEMENT…………………………… 63 840.6.1 Technical Planning………………………………………. 63 840.6.2 Water Surveys……………………………………………. 63 840.6.3 Population Surveys………………………………………. 64 840.6.4 Lake Management………………………………………... 64 840.6.5 Stream Management……………………………………... 64 840.6.6 Best Management Practices for Water Quality………….. 64 840.6.7 Water Access and Development……………………….… 64 850 LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT…………………………………….…….. 64 850.1 BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY………………………………………… 64 850.2 HABITAT FRAGMENTATION……………………………………. 65 850.3 OLD GROWTH ………..……………………………………………. 65 800-2 850.3.1 Old Growth/Benchmark Stands………………………….. 65 850.3.2 Extended Rotation Forest………………………………… 65 850.3.3 Presumed Climax Forest Cover………………………….. 65 850.4 OTHER SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS……………………… 66 860 INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT UNITS………………… 66 800-3 CHAPTER 800 – INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 800 CHAPTER OBJECTIVES (1) To introduce and communicate to the public, the County Board of Supervisors, and to the Wisconsin DNR, the integrated resource approach that forestry, wildlife and other natural resource staff will use on the Bayfield County Forest during this planning period. (2) To establish "Integrated Resource Management Units" (IRMU) that will identify and summarize the natural resources, social and physical management potential and opportunities for each unit. 805 INTEGRATED RESOURCE MANAGEMENT APPROACH Integrated Resource Management is defined as: "the simultaneous consideration of ecological, physical, economic, and social aspects of lands, waters and resources in developing and implementing multiple-use, sustained yield management" (Helms, 1998) This balance of ecological, economic, and social factors is the framework within which the Bayfield County Forest is managed. This broad definition describes the content of everything within this comprehensive land use plan. For the purpose of this chapter, the scope of Integrated Resource Management includes: Forests, habitats, and biological communities Wetlands and waters Wildlife and endangered resources Soils and minerals Cultural and historical resources Social and economic factors Management of one resource affects the management or use of other resources in an area. Managing each use or resource by itself is less effective than managing all of them in an integrated way. This is a field level approach to integrated resource management. Management decisions are made while considering that each site is part of a larger ecosystem. Similarly, the development and implementation of this plan also considers other planning efforts in order to provide for broader scale management. The working definition of Integrated Resource Management means, in large part, keeping natural communities of plants and animals and their environments healthy and productive so people can enjoy and benefit from them now and in the future. The remainder of this chapter is written to help communicate how the Bayfield County Forest is managed with an integrated resource approach. 800-4 810 SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY The definition of sustainable forestry in the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the Wisconsin Statutes is as follows: "the practice of managing dynamic forest ecosystems to provide ecological, economic, social and cultural benefits for present and future generations" NR 44.03(12) Wis. Adm. Code and s..28.04(1)e, Wis. Stats. For the purpose of this chapter, sustainable forestry will be interpreted as the management of the Forest to meet the needs of the present without knowingly compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (economic, social, and ecological) by practicing a land stewardship ethic which integrates the growing, nurturing, and harvesting of trees for useful products with the conservation of soil, air and water quality, and wildlife and fish habitat. This process is dynamic, and changes as we monitor and evaluate past management practices and implement research findings to optimize current and future benefits from the forest. 810.1 TOOLS USED IN MANAGING FOR SUSTAINABLE FORESTRY Many tools are used by resource professionals to aid in the decision making process associated with the planning and implementation of forest management activities. Listed below are some common tools that, when used independently or in combination with one another, will provide the forest manager a better understanding of current stand conditions, the potential of a given site, ecological and silvicultural alternatives, the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments, and the impact of silvicultural treatments on water quality and wildlife habitat. 810.1.1 Forest Inventory The present forest inventory format was established in the mid-1970’s as a means of assessing the geographical, structural, and compositional attributes of the existing forest resources. In 2000, the inventory data and hand drawn timber type maps were digitized into a Geographic Information System (GIS) spatial database. In 2002 the County Forestry Department implemented a continuous forest inventory system based on: 1) the compartment reconnaissance (recon) procedures as described in the DNR Public Forest Lands Handbook 2460.5) 10 year re-inventory cycle and 3) entire compartments being examined at one time, instead of a stand-by-stand update. County foresters will be responsible for the maintenance of the Bayfield County Forest GIS database. The DNR will maintain a copy of the County’s recon data and, with data provided on a regular basis by the County, will be responsible for the maintenance of the State’s copy of the Bayfield County Forest recon database. The DNR County Forest Liaison will assist in the interpretation of data used in the planning and scheduling of resource management activities. 800-5 810.1.2 Forest Habitat Classification System The Forest Habitat Classification System (A Guide to Forest Communities and Habitat Types of Northern Wisconsin Second Edition;