CALIFORNIA FOREST STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM WINTER 2010 Forestland Steward WORKING TOGETHER FOR HEALTHY FORESTS Tools of the Trade Photo courtesy Forestry Suppliers, Inc. 580031 Photo courtesy Bailey’s Photo courtesy Bailey’s Photo © Danielle Banchio Inside You need to be a jack-of-all-trades to with the best quality and at the best price. manage a forest: forester, fire fighter, laborer, Where to start? 4 New Machines biologist, bookkeeper, logger, engineer, No, we’re not going to cover all the tools of are Gentler to hydrologist… And each of these trades has its the forestry trade in this issue, but we will show the Forest own set of tools and equipment. you some intriguing ones and discuss others. 6 Portable There are tools for planting, tools for And, of course, give you links to information Sawmills trimming, tools for measuring and quantifying, on as many tools as you can wish for. In 7 Chainsaw fire tools, weed tools, mechanical tools, hand addition to the tools, we also remind you Lessons tools, big tools, little tools…and, of course, that following good safety and maintenance your computer and the internet. practices will keep your tools functioning 8 Safety First! Just as forest management runs the gamut better and help prevent injury. 9 Jill Butler: FAS from simple to complex, so the tools include a Note that nothing in this issue is an Extraordinaire myriad of forms and functions. endorsement of any specific product. You want to use the best tool for the job, 2 Winter 2010 Lots of widgets, gadgets, and machines for forest management Checklists are always fun. Which of these tools do you use? Which are on your wish list? If you don’t recognize some of these, go to the Photo courtesy Bailey’s Washington State University Extension Basic Hand & Power Forestry Tools website at http://ext.nrs.wsu.edu/handtools/objectivies/index. Forestland htm. There you’ll find information on most of the equipment below, as Steward well as approximate price range and vendor information. Forestland Steward is a joint project of the Multi-purpose Tools Location Tools Thinning Tools CA Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), Axe GPS/GIS Flagging tape Placer County Resource Chainsaw Google Earth Marking paint Conservation District, UC Cooperative Extension, Hand lens Log Movers Paint guns and USDA Forest Service Waterproof kraft paper to provide information on Safety Tools ATV arch the stewardship of private Tree Felling Tools forestlands in California. Fire extinguisher Cable California Forest First aid kit Cable tongs Felling lever Stewardship Program Protective clothing Cant hook Felling wedges P.O. Box 944246 Boots Chokers Hang-up strap Sacramento, CA 94244 (916) 653-8286 Ear protection Hand arch Wedge pouch Fax (916) 653-8957 Eye protection Hand tongs ceres.ca.gov/foreststeward Gloves Hookeroon Fire Tools Editorial Committee Back pack fire pump Jeff Calvert, CAL FIRE Hard hat Log jack Rich Gresham, Placer RCD- Saw chaps Mini-skidder Drip torch Jane La Boa, SAF Peavey Fire flap Yana Valachovic, UC Measuring Tools Skid cone McLeod rake Editor Angle gauge Pulaski axe Laurie Litman, InfoWright Snatch block Calipers Governor Timber carrier Weed Management Tools Arnold Schwarzenegger Clinometer Tractor-mounted winch Brush axe Secretary for Resources Compass Tractor-mounted processor Natural Resources Agency Cruiser vest Hypo hatchet Mike Chrisman Cruising prism Planting Tools Machete CAL FIRE Director Sprayers Del Walters Densiometer Broadcast seeder: Hand, ATV, Increment borer Tractor ATV This newsletter was produced under a grant Jacob (Jake) staff Dibble Back pack from USDA Forest Service Hand level Hoedad Tree injector In accordance with Federal Measuring tapes: D-tape, Planting bag Weed wrench law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this Logger’s tape, Reel tape Planting bar Big Machines institution is prohibited Woodland, Biltmore, or Power auger Masticator from discriminating on Cruiser stick Protection tube the basis of race, color, Harvester national origin, sex, age Protective mulch Forwarder or disability. (Not all Shovel prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Wire flag Pruning Tools Hand pruner Hand saw Placer Co. RCD Ladder Lopper Pole saw Telescoping power pruner Photo courtesy Photo courtesy Tom Ness, Weed Wrench Forestry Suppliers, Inc. 580031 Two-hand saw Forestland Steward Winter 2010 3 Old classics and other tools While fancy hi-tech equipment is increasingly your field vest or on the ground, can interfere available, many of the forest measurements you with your compass reading. need to do can be accomplished with simple Diameter Tape—this is a steel or cloth tape inexpensive tools. The following are some of the used to measure tree circumference at 4.5 feet basic tools of the trade, many of which are old (diameter at breast height, or DBH) from the classics. Some are simple to use, others require ground. training. This collection stretches the definition of “tools” to include tables, maps, and even Hip chain—an alternative to pacing for pacing—all of which are important to forest measuring long distances, the hip chain consists management activities. of a small box with a spool of fine, strong thread Steele © D. Photo See page 10 for a table showing ease of use wound around a wheel. The thread is tied to a and precision of many of these tools. beginning point and as you walk the wheel turns Global Positioning a distance-recording dial. System (GPS)—this Abney Hand Level—this level measures vertical sophisticated angles. You can use it to find ground slope, road Increment Borer/Increment Hammer—the technology involves grade, and tree height. increment borer is a hand drill with a hollow bit satellite broadcasts used to extract a wood core from the tree stem. Angle Gauge—there are several types of gauges that are picked This core can be used to determine tree growth, used to select trees during variable plot sampling. up by hand-held age, and general health. An increment hammer The most common angle gauge is a wedge prism, receivers like the has a hollow bit that extracts a short core sample. a precisely ground glass wedge calibrated in one shown above to It is used to measure tree age or growth during a basal area factors (BAF). You need different BAF determine location. certain period such as the last 10 years. prisms for different diameter classes of timber. GPS units plot Special training is needed for this device. Log Volume/Tree Volume Table—volume points and help tables provide log or tree volumes for specific log with calculations Biltmore, or Cruiser, Stick—this ingenious tool lengths, tree heights, etc. Tables are available in that can be used was developed on the Biltmore Estate in the late board-foot and cubic-foot measurements. for mapping, and 1800s. It can give simple (but crude) estimates of to locate property tree diameter, total tree height, and merchantable Logger’s Tape—this is a retractable steel tape boundaries, tree height. While there are more accurate tools used to measure linear distance. It is available acreages, roads, to choose from, like clinometers or diameter with a diameter tape on the reverse side. elevations, tape, the Biltmore stick is a good way to get a Pacing—a method commonly substituted for structures, etc. quick estimate of tree size. And you can make tools to get a rough estimate of distance. One Make sure you get it yourself. Other related sticks that serve the pace equals two steps. The best way to determine the right features for same purposes include the tree scale stick and your pace is to count your steps as you walk an your needs. Some woodland stick. accurately measured distance, and you need important points Clinometer—this rugged hand-held instrument to practice to develop a consistent pace. A to consider are is used for measuring vertical angles such as pedometer can help keep count of your paces. discussed at http:// ground slope, road grade, and tree height. There Topographic Map—these maps use contour forestry.about.com/ are various models, the most useful is one with lines to show elevation and terrain features such od/mappinggis/p/ degree and percent scales. When using the as ridges, draws, and flat areas. Widely spaced GPS_essentials. degree scale at a distance of 100 feet from the contour lines indicate flat or gentle ground, htm. tree, heights can be measured directly and slope closely spaced lines indicate steep ground. is an easy calculation. Tarif Access Tables—these tables list the tarif Compass—this instrument measures angles number for individual tree species based on total from north. It is used to find points on a map, tree height and diameter at breast height. identify locations, and give directions to or from a location. It is also used to establish plots for —most of this information is from Tools for timber measurements or cruise estimates, and to Measuring your Forest http://extension. determine boundary or property lines. Place the oregonstate.edu/catalog/pdf/ec/ec1129.pdf and compass on a solid, nonmetal surface for precise Measuring your Forests http://extension.umd. readings. Note that metal items, such as those in edu/publications/PDFs/FS629.pdf Forestland Steward 4 Winter 2010 Cut-to-length logging systems: A case study New methods lessen environmental impact Christy Daugherty, CAL FIRE Forester Management Unit (LTBMU) introduced a The Lake Tahoe Region provides a classic logging system on Federal lands that allowed When compared illustration of wildland urban interface (WUI; them to conduct fuel reduction work within the the area where human development and context of this highly regulated, and still quite to full tree wildlands meet) issues as they relate to fuel skeptical, atmosphere.