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.)

SPI-Redwood House THP-Yager Creek

To review the plan yourself go to the THP Library. Then open file "North Coast Region", then open THPs 2007 and look for plan #.
(will take a while on some computers.)


Plan Name and Number
Redwood House THP #1-07-021


Company/Land Owner
Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI)

Registered Professional Forester (RPF writes the plan)
William E. Blackwell

Watershed/Region
Yager Creek and Owl Creek, both are tributaries to the Van Duzen River. North of Bald Jesse Mtn. in Yager Valley. One logging unit is adjacent to Bootjack Prairie near Owl Creek Grove, part of Headwaters Forest that was purchased by the Ca. State Parks system after the Headwaters deal. Approximatly 6 miles Northeast of Bridgeville.

Size in Acres
425 total acres to be logged

131 acres of clearcutting

70 acres of “rehab”(clearcutting and herbicide use to remove hardwoods)

160 acres seed tree removal

55 acres selection

Forest Description
Upland Douglas Fir forest and Oak woodlands mixed with sweeping prairies. Some Madrone present. Oldgrowth Douglas Fir- amount unclear at this time.

Plan Submission Date
2-13-2007 (Plan Returned, will have to be re-filed after changes)

Issues-Concerns
Use of clearcutting and "Rehab" ( a euphamism for clearcutting).

Herbicide use likely in Clearcut and "Rehab" areas to kill competition for tree-farming species.

Logging of Oldgrowth stands.

Red tree voles nest signs present (resin ducts) in unit 9d at four way road construction and 16a clearcut unit.
Both trees to be removed.

'Tractor Yarding"- Bulldozers dragging fallen trees to the log decks.

Why This Plan Was Returned
Main Reasons
1. Lack of current Archeological assesment of much of the THP (timber harvest plan) area.
2. Inadequate disclosure on the possible use of herbicides following logging.
3. Unclear mapping of property lines.
4. Unclear proposed skid trail mapping. (skid trail=bulldozer path for dragging logs.)
5. Discrepencies in logging unit sizes ranging from 1 to 4 acres. Maps don't match with tables.
6. Unclear silviculture maps. (silviculture=logging method.)
7. THP units are difficult to discern on the Northern Spotted Owl maps.
8. Plan is unclear on how many green culls (large trees), and snags (standing dead trees) will be left or cut. Plan states that snags may be harvested.

Public Comment
Strategic to wait on commenting until the plan is re-filed.

Pre-Harvest Inspection (PHI) Date
N/A- plan returned

2nd Review Date
N/A- plan returned

Date of Decision
N/A- plan returned


Operation Start Up-Activation
N/A, plan will likely be re-filed at some point.