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GWP 2008 FOREST STEWARDSHIP
By Frank B. Shockley, Certified Forester, BSF, MBA
The past year, 2008, was supposed to be a quiet one for forestry at GWP. According to the Forest Stewardship Plan one small harvest was to be conducted and seedlings were to be released to grow more freely in a previously harvested area.
The harvest planned for 2008 at GWP was a first-thinning of the young loblolly pine stand known as the South Plantation near the southwest corner of the property. That operation was moved up to December 2007 to take advantage of a rising market for pine pulpwood, the primary product from the thinning. Good workmanship by the harvesting contractor resulted in a successful operation.
The planned seedling release on the December 2007 harvest area was postponed until a more definitive determination of the natural regeneration's success could be obtained.
In February 2008 Devon Energy Company announced plans to drill a natural gas well on GWP property near the COPE course. Timely negotiations between the East Texas Area Council and Devon gave the council time to conduct a harvest operation of the trees from the well site and from the pipeline that will transport the gas to a gathering line near the camp's back gate. In addition to the revenue from the sale of the salvaged pulpwood and sawtimber trees, Devon Energy paid the council for the surface rights that they are using as well as for the appraised value of the trees that were on the site. The East Texas Area Council does not own the mineral rights to Camp Pirtle and good negotiating by council officers resulted in a positive outcome of that transaction.
A young pine plantation near COPE was also thinned for the first time while the oil-well harvest contractor was on-site. That thinning will benefit the health of the remaining trees and the aesthetics of the camp's forest.
And then Hurricane Ike came along. That was definitely not in the plan! Hurricane Rita did little damage to Camp Pirtle in 2005 but 3 years later Ike caused several more problems. There was damage to some buildings and the camp lost 37 trees that were blown down. The camp's Ranger and its Forestry consultant, CJT & Associates moved quickly to assess the damage, locate a harvesting contractor, and salvage those trees. At the same time the camp was able to conduct a much needed harvest on 16 acres west of the Venture Base. That area will be prepared for reforestation and planted in the fall and winter of 2009.
An interesting thing about prolonged windstorms like Hurricane Ike; they blow down trees but they also open up the forest canopy by breaking innumerable small limbs and leaves off of trees. The increase in the sun's energy reaching the forest floor causes plants to flourish. That,
in turn, may result in an increase in microorganisms, small animals that feed on them, and larger
birds and animals that feed on small animals or that browse the new, lusher vegetation.
Sometimes it's hard to be positive when something as severe as a hurricane strikes. But it's a natural phenomenon and the forest and its inhabitants adapt to the changes in their environment.
That's one thing about managing forest resources. There's never a dull moment! Just when you think that things are about to settle down, the dynamic nature of the forest and resource ownership springs some things on you that really open your eyes. The East Texas Area Council is fortunate to have such a great forest at George W. Pirtle Scout Reservation and to have council leadership with the insight to actively steward those resources.
My mother used to laugh at me for all of the detailed plans that I made and my expectations that things would actually go according to plan. Well, 2008 gave her the last laugh.
In my last newsletter article I defined some forest stewardship terms that are common to the practice of forestry. Here are a few more that are addressed in this article:
Thinning - a forest harvest that is made to reduce the density of trees and improve tree growth and forest health. The remaining trees will thrive and grow more vigorously because they do not have to compete as aggressively for sunlight, nutrients, and water. Opening up the forest canopy may also improve forest aesthetics and wildlife habitat. A first thinning of a planted stand is generally conducted when the trees are 11-15 years old to take advantage of the remaining trees' vigorous growth characteristics.
Salvage harvest - the harvest of trees that are dead, dying,or damaged due to injurious agents rather than from normal plant competition, to recover economic value that might otherwise be lost.
Pulpwood tree - a pine or hardwood tree that is small but marketable for making oriented-strand
board (OSB) panels, or paper and paperboard products. Generally, a pulpwood tree must have a minimum stump diameter, measured 6 inches above the ground-line, of 7-12 inches and must have a minimum height of 17 feet at a point where the tree is approximately 3 inches in diameter.
Sawtimber tree - a pine or hardwood tree that is marketable for making lumber and boards, plywood, beams, or other high-value wood products. Generally, a sawtimber tree has a minimum stump diameter, measured 6 inches above the ground-line, of 12 or more inches and must have a minimum height of 17 feet at a point where the tree is approximately 6 inches or more in
diameter. Sawtimber trees may have a market value that is 2-4 times greater than pulpwood trees.
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