Mill Creek Property Forest Restoration - Year 2

Mill Creek Property Forest Restoration - Year 2

This project is the second year of experimental thinning of formerly managed timber stands at the Mill Creek property. Purpose of thinning is to prevent stand stagnation and reduced vigor due to competition, accelerate development of old growth forest structure and function, and shift tree dominance to redwoods in stands that had been clear-cut and densely replanted with commercially marketable species. Objectives are to treat a larger area of approximately 400 acres, and develop protocols that are cost effective while reasonably accurate. Crews using chain saws will cut trees, using a variable spacing, in order to reduce density to between 100 and 170 trees per acre. No trees larger than 12 inches in diameter will be cut. Along roads, slash will be removed parallel to the road and to a depth of 50 feet into the thinned stand to create a fuel break. Where large trees and well-developed riparian vegetation are present along riparian corridors, a 50-foot (slope-distance) no-cut zone will be established on either side of the watercourse centerline. A minimum of 60% canopy cover will be maintained round all other watercourses possessing aquatic habitat. In the event that previously undocumented cultural resources are encountered during the project, work within the immediate vicinity of the find will be temporarily halted or diverted until a DPR-qualified cultural resource specialist has evaluated the find and implemented an appropriate treatment plan.

Del Norte