Fall Creek Aspen Project Proposal

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Fall Creek Aspen Project Proposal
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Aspen Acres are Declining

• Due To
• Successful fire suppression
• Loss of fire use by Native Americans
• Increasing conifer succession shading
• Effect of browsing
• The Result
• Aspen acres have declined substantially

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Aspen on Targhee NF (Aspen in Red)
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Aspen Acres on Targhee
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Palisades RD Aspen (Aspen in Red) 75,438 Acres
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Fall Creek Aspen Project Caribou
SubsectionAspen-Conifer-Brush Habitat
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Fall Creek Migration Corridor
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Watersheds and Roadless Areas
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Fall Creek Aspen Proposal

• Cut girdle conifer less than 13 inches diameter
  to create fuels to carry fire to create
  openings in 1-5 acre patches or less
• Scattered old relict Douglas-fir trees are not a
  target for cutting or girdling, but younger
  conifer are
• Treat up to 5400 Acres of Conifer-Aspen type out
  of
• 13,277 Forested Acres within a 24,350 Acre
  Landscape

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Fall Creek Aspen Proposal

• Purpose is to Improve Aspen Ecology Reduce
  Conifer Competition which is Replacing Aspen
  Stands
• No Roads to be Built No Temp Roads
• No Commercial Harvest will be done
• Personal Firewood Near Existing Roads Okay
• Apply Prescribed Fire
• Expand New Aspen Root Sprouting on the Edge of
  Clones with a Single 12 Deep Cutter on a Limited
  Basis on Level Terrain

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Conifer Encroachment Shading- Aspen being
replaced by Conifer- Aspen Most Shade Intolerant
Tree Species in the West
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Aspen / Conifer on NF in Project Area in very
large to small patches identified from Haskin
Creek to South Fork Bear Creek for possible
treatment
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Closeup View Conifer / Aspen Patch
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Treatment Removing Invading Conifer from Aspen
Stands
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Treatment Removing Invading Conifer from Aspen
Stands Cutting and Girdling
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Treatment Removing Invading Conifer from Aspen
Stands Removing shade tolerate conifer which
will shade out aspen
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Hand Girdling- Hand girdler tool- Chainsaw
girdling
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Example Fuels Preparation Soda Springs RD
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Example Fuels Preparation Soda Springs RD
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Prescribed Fire Fox Creek Project - Montpelier
RDJune 2005
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Prescribed Fire Fox Creek Montpelier RD- Post
Burn
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Prescribed Fire Fox Creek - Montpelier RD Post
Burn Results Regeneration of Aspen and Other
Browse/ Plants Desirable to Game and Non-game -
Creates Snags and Down Log Material for Wildlife
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Other Possible Options for Aspen Treatment

• Limited small patch cutting of Aspen (300 ft.
  dia.) to Regenerate Clones on Fall Creek Project.
  Usually just ½ of a clone patch to preserve
  genetic habitat diversity.
• Single Tooth Ripping to Expand sprouting on clone
  edges limited to more level terrain (this is
  low impact with single 12 ripper on patch edge)
• Pushing aspen root balls very limited use with
  single tooth ripping

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Other Options for Aspen
Possible Treatment Patch Cutting Aspen Clone
to Regenerate(Logs left on site only half of
clone was cut) Moody Project 1989
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Treatment Single tooth Ripping - Cutting
lateral aspen roots from parent tree to
cutoff hormones which inhibit sprouting
- Clones expand out with new sprouts
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- Aspen roots only grow 4 inches
under ground - Ripper tooth is 12 inches
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Research by Dr. Wayne Shepperd, USDA, Forest
Service - Expansion out 40 feet - 26,000
sprout per hectare
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Resource Concerns

• Game browsing benefits
• Livestock use, rest rotations
• Drought
• Insects, Disease
• Soil, Water Fisheries
• Timber Use, Air
• Fuels reduction
• Recreation use public safety
• Visuals
• Cultural Resources
• Does anything really need to be done? Is Conifer
  Succession/ Increase Aspen Decline okay and
  acceptable?

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Browsing Issue Example - 4th July Fire in
Aspen - Wildfire in 2000 near Beaver Creek (in
Proposed Project) - On Domestic Sheep
Allotment - Has Sustained Deer and Elk Browsing
Spring Fall - Sprouts Browsed, but Aspen
Regeneration is Good - No Adverse Browsing
Impact on Aspen Clone here
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Browsing Issue Example - Bates Canyon -
Firewood cutters cut out in 1983-84 - Isolated
aspen stand in open sagebrush - In a Cattle
Allotment - In path of major deer elk
migration (Tex Creek WMA) - Recent Photos
Regeneration is Good - Do not see any adverse
impact in 22 yrs
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Brockman Sheep Driveway (Only location with
adverse impact to aspen vegetationare portions
of this designated route)

• Historical Use High - 16 Sheep Bands per year
• First Sheep Use in 1890s
• Current Use (2006) Low
• 4 Bands or less
• No adverse impact from sheep outside the edge of
  driveway
• Parts of driveway have re-sprouting aspen. See
  Brockman Project 1986 below

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Brockman Aspen Timber Sale Brockman Sheep
Driveway
Logged aspen clone about 1986 photos taken
2006 Is Immediately adjacent to Sheep Driveway
and fall sheep staging area Evidence of sheep or
game browsing use appears low
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Brockman 1986 Aspen Timber Sale, Sheep Driveway
Staging area Regeneration Photo - 2006
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Brockman 1986 Aspen Timber Sale, Sheep Driveway
Sheep Staging area Green 20 yr old regeneration
2006 Photo Is area without dead trees
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Drought, Insects, Disease
Left Skirting or Fairy Ringing of young aspen
regeneration after top-kill of adult trees. But
conifer is still alive becoming the dominate
tree
Right Clone of drought-killed old trees are
skirted with young aspen sprouts from the roots
which are still alive. West-wide Concern Dying
aspen roots in S. Colorado. -No dying roots have
been found in E. Idaho. Just top dying as shown
in both photos.