Fort Baker Ranch Company - Black Butte THP - Mad River and Yager Creek

UPDATE: Black Butte THP went to second review today (Thurs. March 29th). The public comment period will end 10 days after the RPF responds to the recommendations from regulatory agencies. That response generally comes within a week after second review.

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Plan Name and Number
Black Butte THP #1-06-203

Company/Land Owner
Fort Baker Ranch Company

Registered Professional Forester (RPF writes the plan)
Chris Carroll

Watershed/Region
Showers Creek, a tributary to Mad River. Near Showers Pass road. Adjacent to Stapp road.
Also in the Yager Creek drainage, a tributary to the Van Duzen River.
THP area partially covers Black Butte, a large outcrop of vocanic rock 4,132 feet above sea level.
8 miles northeast of Bridgeville.

Size in Acres
783 acres total

250 acres shelterwood removal (Unentered Oldgrowth Douglas Fir)

48 acres seed tree seed step (Residual Oldgrowth D. Fir)

376 acres commercial thin (young growth averaging 40 years old)

27 acres clearcut (Residual Oldgrowth D. Fir)

82 acres "non-timbered"


Forest Description
Upland Douglas Fir forest.
325 acres of Oldgrowth forest with a canopy of dominant trees ranging from 75 to 120 years old by the RPF. 250 acres have not been previously logged. 75 acres have been thinned.

Also present are Black Oak, White Oak, Tan Oak, Canyon Live Oak, Madrone, Bigleaf Maple and Willow.

There are scattered wetlands throughout the area.

Plan Submission Date
11-27-2006

Issues-Concerns


Geologic Concerns:
Harvest operations (including clearcutting) and road construction on, and adjacent to, steep slopes underlain by debris slide slopes and near the Eaton Roughs fault have potential to increase erosion and sediment delivery to nearby Class ll watercourses.
-From California Geological Survey (CGS) report on "Black Butte THP"

Loss of Oldgrowth Forest
This area is directly adjacent to an SPI oldgrowth logging plan, "Shower Head THP" #1-06-039.There are oldgrowth stands to be logged on both sides of the property line.



Public Comment
Public Comment period still open. Was set to end on 2-23-07 but was extended.

you can send comment letters on this logging plan to the California Department of Forestry at;

santarosapubliccomment@fire.ca.gov

or

California Department of Forestry
attn. forest practice
135 Ridgeway Ave.
Santa Rosa, Ca. 9540

Pre-Harvest Inspection (PHI) Date
January 23rd and 24th.


2nd Review Date
March 29th 2007

Date of Decision (earliest date the plan could be approved)
12-12-2006 (plan not yet approved)

Operation Start Up-Activation
This plan has not yet been approved.

To review the plan yourself go to the THP Library. Then open file "North Coast Region", then open file "THPs 2006" and look for plan #.
(will take a while on some computers.)