Technology Transfer for the Small Landowner

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Technology Transfer for the Small Landowner
Washington Hardwoods Commission June 29, 2005
Larry Mason, Rural Technology Initiative Rick
Dunning, Washington Farm Forestry

• Growth and Yield Modeling
• Treatment Simulation
• Economics
• Habitats
• Risk Analysis
• Markets
• Engineering

• GIS/GPS
• Biometrics
• Remote Sensing
• Smoke and Carbon
• Visual Impacts
• Regulatory Burden
• Education

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RTI is the Bridge
Small Landowners Consultants Coop Extension
Agencies Industry Tribes Educators
Policy-Makers Publics
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The Landscape Management System
Powerful Forestry Software
Growth and Yield, Treatment Simulations, Tables,
Graphs, Visualizations, More
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Inventory information originates with field
sample or cruise data.
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Geographical Information Systems - GIS
Powerful Mapping Software
Land use analysis, Transportation, Operations
planning, Habitats, Site Classes, Hydro-modeling,
Visualizations, More
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Road Design Extensions for use in ArcGIS
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Forest Management in Riparian Zones ?
Washington has the strictest rules in the nation
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• Data used to derive the Desired Future Condition
  Target for Washington forest practice regulations
  in riparian zones.
• The mean not the mode was inappropriately
  selected as the measure of central tendency.
• The mean was inappropriately selected as the
  minimum acceptable threshold.

Data from riparian forests older than 80 years
with no evidence of previous harvest
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The mean is on the outer edge of the self
thinning curve!
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Modeling Riparian Zone Functions
Shade
LWD
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• Dappled sunlight does not effect stream
  temperature.
• 25 ft buffer provides 100 of shade from direct
  sunlight.
• On east/west stream the northern bank provides
  no shade.

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Most Large Woody Debris benefit is close to the
stream and from a few trees.
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Economic Impacts vs Environmental Benefits for
Western Washington Templates
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Key elements of a hardwood conversion template

• Maintain a narrow no-cut buffer immediately
  adjacent to the stream for interim shade, bank
  stability, and down log recruitment
• Harvest remaining hardwoods to create adequate
  growing space for conifers
• Regenerate appropriate conifer species
• Provide a simple and affordable process with
  economic benefit to the landowner

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Innovation for Survival of the Northwest Forest
Sector An Integrated Approach WSU-Puyallup
Research and Extension Center November 18th,
2003 Puyallup, WA
Managing Red Alder Workshop August 28, 2004
Mt. Vernon WA
International Symposium on Red AlderA State of
Knowledge University of Washington Center for
Urban Horticulture March 23-25, 2005 Seattle,
WA
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• 2004 Highlights
• 78 Events
• 42 Presentations
• 14 Training Sessions
• 120 Streaming Videos
• 16 Publications
• 10 Fact Sheets

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• Empowering Small Landowners with Tools for the
  21st Century
• Access to University science and technology
• Plans for family business
• Improvements in public education
• Accountability for science driven resource
  policy
• Protection from over-regulation through
  integrated problem-solving

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RTI is the Bridge
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• The Rural Technology Initiative

• Better technology in rural areas for managing
  forests for increased product and environmental
  values in support of local communities

www.ruraltech.org