Our Issue: Watercourse Treatments
November 2, 2009
Board of Forestry
As reported in our Fall 2009 newsletter, the Board of Forestry has adopted a new rules package for watercourse treatments intended to protect Coho salmon and steelhead trout. The bulk of the changes affect Class I (fish bearing) and Class II (non-fish aquatic life) streams.
In addition to the rules below, the Board recognizes that wildfires are bad for fish habitat and fuels management is necessary to mitigate fire risk. Rule 916.9(c)(5) permits “thinning for increased confer growth” and “Fuel hazard reduction activities that will reduce fire hazards and stand replacing wildfires which would result in significant adverse effects to salmonid species or riparian habitat.”
Class I or fish-bearing streams:
The class I streams have varying rules depending on the characteristics of the stream as follows:
Confined channel in the coastal anadromy zone
(stream is located in an area that can support salmon/steelhead and always stays in the same channel)
Channel Zone (within watercourse): no timber operations
Core Zone (0-30 feet from watercourse transition line): no timber operations
Inner Zone (31 to 100 feet from watercourse transition line): 80% canopy required
thinning from below required to increase average diameter of trees
retain 13 largest conifer trees/acre
Outer Zone (101 - 150 feet from watercourse transition line): no rules required for Southern Sub-district since single tree selection is only method permitted
Migrating channel or flood plain in the coastal anadromy zone
(stream is located in an area that can support salmon/steelhead and may change the course of its channel from season to season)
Channel Migration Zone (within “watercourse”): no timber operations
Core Zone (0-30 feet from watercourse transition line): no timber operations
Inner Zone A (31 to 100 feet from watercourse transition line, but can be up to 150 feet from line on wider flood plains): 80% canopy required
thinning from below required to increase average diameter of trees: retain 13 largest conifer trees/acre
Inner Zone B (applicable to very wide flood plains, goes to edge of flood plain): 50% canopy required, retain 13 largest conifer trees/acre
Outer Zone (50 feet from edge of flood plain): no rules required for Southern Sub-district since single tree selection is only method permitted
Confined channel outside the coastal anadromy zone
(stream is located in an area that does support not salmon/steelhead)
Channel Zone (within watercourse): no timber operations
Core Zone (0-30 feet from watercourse transition line): no timber operations
Inner Zone (31 to 70 feet from watercourse transition line): 70% canopy required
thinning from below required to increase average diameter of trees: retain 7 largest conifer trees/acre
Outer Zone (71 - 100 feet from watercourse transition line): 50% canopy required
Class II or streams bearing non-fish aquatic life:
The Southern Sub-district has less restrictive rules than the remainder of the district due to letters and testimony from local foresters and CCFA members who pointed out the Southern Sub-district is operating under restrictive harvest practices already and asked that this, and the accompanying scientific track record, be taken into consideration when rules were formulated.
That said: the Southern Sub-district rules for Class II streams will become:
• No harvesting in the channel zone, including trees whose stems overlap the edge of the channel zone or whose roots permeate the bank except that 1/3 of those redwoods with live roots which permeate the bank may be harvested.
• Retained redwoods which are 12” in diameter or larger must be no more than 25 feet apart.
• At least 80% canopy must be maintained over the channel zone
• No more than 1/3 of the conifers 18” or more in diameter may be harvested.
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