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Northwest Woodlands4033 S.W. Canyon Rd.Portland, OR 97221
Non Profit OrgU.S. POSTAGE
PAIDPORTLAND, ORPERMITNO. 1386
NNNNoooorrrrtttthhhhwwwweeeesssstttt WWWWooooooooddddllllaaaannnnddddssssSPRING 2013 • VOLUME 29 • NO. 2
A Publication of the Oregon Small Woodlands, Washington Farm Forestry, Idaho Forest Owners & Montana Forest Owners Associations
This magazine is a benefit of membership inyour family forestry association
NEXT ISSUE . . .Eastside Forestry:What’s the Skinny?
MONITORING FORESTLAND ACTIVITIESMONITORING FORESTLAND ACTIVITIESMONITORING FORESTLAND ACTIVITIESThe Benefits of MonitoringThe Benefits of MonitoringThe Benefits of Monitoring
One Landowner’s Approachto MonitoringOne Landowner’s ApproachOne Landowner’s Approachto Monitoringto Monitoring
Quaking Aspen AssessmentQuaking Aspen AssessmentQuaking Aspen Assessment
FIA in the USAFIA in the USAFIA in the USA
Learning from WildfireLearning from WildfireLearning from Wildfire
By DARIN STRINGER ANDNICOLE STRONG
his article con-tains an intro-duction on how
to assess and monitoraspen. All informa-tion, including assess-ment forms and tools,are available in moredetail in “The LandManager’s Guide toAspen Managementin Oregon” at http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/handle/1957/18399. You candownload this manu-al or receive a hard copy and assis-tance from your local OSU Extensionforester, stewardship forester, orNRCS office.
About aspenQuaking aspen (Populus tremu-
loides) is a tree that symbolizes theWestern spirit. Though sparsely dis-tributed throughout Oregon andWashington, there are vast aspenstands in Idaho and Montana, andaspen is an important species, provid-ing benefits to both people andwildlife. “Quakies,” as many callaspen, are in a widespread state of
decline that seems to be accelerating.Several factors, including a lack ofdisturbance (fire), conifer encroach-ment, heavy livestock use (browsing,trampling, soil compaction), andintensive browsing of sprouts by deerand elk, contribute to aspen’s decline.
Why assess and monitor aspen?Many aspen groves in the
Northwest may be lost without ourmanagement. Though aspen repro-duces from seed, it is very uncommonand instead regenerates from sprouts,aka “suckers” arising from the rootsof parent trees. Therefore loss of theclone (clumps of aspen are often one
organism) may mean permanent lossof aspen in that area. Severely degrad-ed aspen clones over time may not beable to recover.
Assessing (evaluating the conditionof) your aspen provides informationthat will help you:
• Better understand the conditionof the grove;
• Determine what types of treat-ments, if any, are needed and guide pri-oritization of enhancement work; and
• Create a baseline that will helpyou see trends over time.
Monitoring is the process of check-ing on your work, which will allowyou to evaluate the effectiveness ofmanagement actions.
16 . NORTHWEST WOODLANDS . SPRING 2013
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Assessment of your aspen will help identify areas needing action to prevent loss of theclone. This stand is severely degraded and at high risk of loss.
Quaking Aspen Assessment and Monitoring
T
–Continued on page 18–
Darin Stringer
Nicole Strong
Susheen (Seattle)TIMBER TRADING INC.
Exporting logs to China since 1992
Fax: 253-661-1930Email: [email protected]
31811 Pacific Hwy. S., Suite B-321Federal Way, WA 98003
18 . NORTHWEST WOODLANDS . SPRING 2013
Finding aspen on your propertyKnowing the extent, location, and
condition of aspen on your land is thefirst step toward enhancing thisresource. Aspen often grows nearsprings, seeps, or streams; in areas ofwet or poorly drained soils; or inmeadow edges, rocky outcrops, andother areas where snow accumulates.Satellite imagery (available free ongoogleearth.com and bing.com) pro-vide an excellent way to search for
patches of aspen. With this high-reso-lution imagery you can often locategroups of aspen and sometimes indi-vidual trees. When you find an aspentree, it’s often not alone. Many aspentrees are actually remnants of a for-merly larger aspen grove, now brokenup into patches and individual trees.Mark the locations of aspen on anownership map, USGS, USFS, orBLM map, aerial photo, or printedGoogle Earth image. Once you have
located aspen on your land, you canproceed with assessment.
Assessing your aspen standCompleting an assessment of your
aspen provides information that willhelp you better understand the condi-tion of the grove, and determine andprioritize what types of treatments, ifany, are needed.
Assessment stepsUsing a blank version of the form
Quaking Aspen Assessmentcontinued from page 16
Timberland for Sale37+ acres, zoned RR5
Scappoose, Oregon$195,000
Contact: Karen Erlandson,John L Scott Real EstateOffice: 503-543-3751
Cell: 503-396-1070
SOU
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Figure 1. Aspen condition classes. To use this chart, match the overstory and understoryconditions of your grove with the illustrations provided. For example, a grove with ahealthy over-story and moderate aspen regeneration would be labeled “1-A” on yourmap. Ideally your aspen stand would have a vigorous overstory, aspen sprouts, and ahealthy mix of native grasses, shrubs, and other plants. A declining overstory and lackof understory are signs that management is needed.
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in Figure 2, you can easily assess yourstand using the following steps.
1. Draw a boundary of the grove.If desired, you can use a global posi-tioning system (GPS) to accuratelymap the size and shape of the grove.
2. Take photos and label positionand direction (north, east, south,west) where images were taken on themap.
3. Draw boundaries between differ-ent aspen condition classes and labelwith codes from the Aspen ConditionClassification Chart (see Figure 1).
4. In the box below the map,describe the aspen grove. Try toinclude the following in your descrip-tion:
• Condition of mature aspen andregeneration “suckers.” Do they lookhealthy? Are they mature or younger?
• Level of conifer encroachment,species, and sizes of conifers;
• Grazing level and browse/damageto aspen suckers;
• Noxious weeds; and• Known or suspected wildlife use.5. If management is needed, record
suggested management actions at thebottom of the assessment form.
What do you do with your assessment?Aspen restoration usually involves
three key strategies:1. Releasing (freeing up) existing
aspen from competing conifers;2. Regenerating suckers to add new
age classes; and3. Rejuvenating the cover and vigor
of native understory plants.Actions to enhance aspen include
NORTHWEST WOODLANDS . SPRING 2013 . 19
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fax 503-925-896913910 S.W. Galbreath Dr., Suite 100
Sherwood, OR 97140email: [email protected]
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503-925-8799
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Figure 2. This is a sample RAPID assessment. Note that the landowner delineateddifferent aspen stands, areas of invasive plant concern, and outlined correspondingmanagement activities.
26 . NORTHWEST WOODLANDS . SPRING 2013
thinning, prescribed fire, weed control,and construction of exclosure fences.Detailed descriptions of treatmentoptions are provided in the manual.
MonitoringJust as you assessed your stand prior
to taking management actions, you willwant to check on your aspen once ayear or so to ensure you are meetingyour goals. If you received technicalassistance, monitoring may berequired. Monitoring involves return-ing to the aspen groves you assessed,recording any notable changes sinceyour original assessment, and takingnew images from the original photo-points. Monitoring should be docu-mented on a new RAPID assessmentform and stored with your records.
If you experience undesiredchanges, you may need to adjust yourmanagement practices. For example,if you install a fence and monitoringafter the first year showed deer weregetting under the fence, you wouldrespond by putting an additional raillow on the fence. Or, if five yearsafter a light thinning your aspenclone continued to decline you might
decide to remove more conifers fromthe stand and conduct an underburnto stimulate suckering.
ConclusionAssessment and monitoring are
often the most rewarding part ofmanagement. They allow you to seewhat you have accomplished throughyour hard work and careful planning.Even if you don’t conduct a formalevaluation, simply writing down yourobservations or taking pictures can beenjoyable and will create records forfuture reference. With these effortsaspen will be around for your childrenand grandchildren to enjoy. !
DARIN STRINGER is a conservationforester and restoration ecologist,Pacific Stewardship LLC in Bend, Ore.He can be reached at 541-517-3875 [email protected]. NICOLE
STRONG has worked for Oregon StateUniversity Forestry and NaturalResources Extension for eight years asan educator. She coordinates of theMaster Woodland Manager Program,and teaches forestry and wildlife class-es around the state. She can be reachedat 541-829-1270 or [email protected].
Tips for aSuccessful Assessment
• Having two people makes the processmore efficient and more fun.
• Walk the area before drawing yourmap so you have context.
• Take the time to install referencepoints for your photo points. You willthank yourself when trying to relocatethe points later on.
• To better judge scale in photos, use asix-foot t-bar post painted with alternat-ing one-foot long bars of brightly col-ored paint. Position this “scale bar” 10feet from the photo point so the barshows in the foreground. Using yourassessment partner works pretty well too.
• Review each photo on the camerascreen (most digital cameras have one)to make sure quality is adequate.
• Download and label your digital pic-tures immediately to avoid losing ormisidentifying images. Seedling Nursery Since 1974
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Quaking Aspen Assessmentcontinued from page 19
