South Fork Lost Man Creek Second Growth Forest Restoration Environmental Assessment
REDW. 2009. South Fork Lost Man Creek Second Growth Forest Restoration Environmental Assessment
Purpose of and Need for Action The NPS proposes to thin second growth forests on 1700 acres in the South Fork of Lost Man Creek watershed to reduce stand density and alter species composition to promote growth of remaining trees and understory vegetation, development of multistoried canopy, and increase the ratio of redwood to Douglas-fir. This action is needed to accelerate restoration of forest characteristics more typical of late seral and old growth redwood forests in the park. The goal of thinning in the project area is to accelerate the transition of these young forests to mature forest in less time than would occur under natural disturbance regimes. The second growth forests in the project area are highly impaired, as measured by excessive tree density, lack of understory vegetation, and the overabundance of Douglas-fir in relation to redwood. To rely solely on natural disturbances to reduce the impairment would further delay the development of desired structural characteristics and habitat complexity found in unlogged mature forests and thinned second growth forests. Without silvicultural treatments to manage existing conditions, these second growth stands, dominated by Douglas-fir, are expected to persist in an impaired condition for many decades or even centuries before they fully recover ecological and structural characteristics resembling those found in the pre-harvest forest of the project area or in current adjacent redwood dominated old growth forests. The primary focus of forest restoration work within the park’s second growth forests is to reduce stand density to promote growth and maintain vigor of the remaining trees and to adjust species composition by reducing stand density of Douglas-fir. This plan describes two alternatives to initiate restoration of second growth forests using silvicultural treatments over the life of the plan. A no action alternative is presented as required by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and to compare the existing impaired conditions with the results of potential treatments.
- Type
- Administrative
- Authors
- REDW
- Date of Issue
- 2009
- Units
- REDW
- Keywords
- Plan