A team of natural resource specialists from the Flathead National Forest/Coram Experimental Forest and regional scientists participated in a three-day workshop in June 2016 to develop the ASCC treatments for the site. The team developed a set of management objectives, desired future conditions, and silvicultural tactics for each adaptation option:
RESISTANCE
maintain relatively unchanged conditions over time
Management Goals:
- Maintain pre-treatment species composition and structure of western larch and mixed conifer, but with slightly decreased representation of shade-intolerant species
- Sustain vigor of existing desirable trees
- Maintain fire-resistant trees with thick bark, high crowns, and low canopy bulk density
- Maintain low surface fuels
- Maintain tree health with low incidence of insects and diseases
Strategies & Approaches:
- Uniform thin of retaining shade-intolerant conifer species to 75-85 ft2/acre
- Favor western larch retention
- Reduce ladder fuels and burn slash piles
RESILIENCE
allow some change in current conditions, but encourage eventual return to original conditions
Management Goals:
- Increase proportion and development of long-lived, fire-adapted species
- Maintain genetic diversity via large diameter, long-lived trees and planting tree improvement seed
- Enhance spatial and structural heterogeneity
- Maintain high productivity and supply of wood products at regular intervals
- Promote development of large-diameter, long-lived trees to promote old-growth characteristics
- Reduce hazard of crown fire
- Maintain low surface fuels
- Maintain low levels of insects and diseases
- Maintain and improve forage production
Strategies & Approaches:
- Use group selection to create 2-4 acre openings with feathered edges, retaining 6-8 seed tree clumps per acre in openings, favoring retention of western larch and western white pine
- Uniform thinning to 75-85 ft2/acre in the matrix
- Plant western larch and western white pine in group openings (2-4 acre)
- Slash and/or remove damaged trees to facilitate site preparation
- Reduce ladder fuels and burn slash piles
TRANSITION
actively facilitate change to encourage adaptive responses
Management Goals:
- Increase proportion and development of the most fire-adapted and drought-tolerant species and genotypes (30% western larch, 25% western white pine, 35% ponderosa pine, and 10% other (i.e. Douglas-fir, aspen, paper birch))
- Enhance spatial and structural heterogeneity
- Maintain high productivity and supply of timber products at regular intervals
- Promote development of large-diameter long-lived trees (average 10-16 trees per acre) in clumps with scattered trees
- Maintain low level of insects and diseases
- Reduce hazard of crown fire and spread by reducing ladder fuels
- Maintain low surface fuels
- Maintain and improve forage production
Strategies & Approaches:
- Seed tree cut with reserves, leaving 6-8 scattered seed tree clumps of western larch and western white pine per acre
- Plant tree improvement seed of western larch, western white pine, and ponderosa pine (assisted range expansion, species not on site) from high, mid, and low elevations
- Slash and/or remove damaged trees to facilitate site preparation
- Reduce ladder fuels and burn slash piles