Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024
Unevenaged Management is utilized to establish and
maintain an unevenaged stand structure. Unevenaged Management attributes
include the establishment and/or maintenance of a multi-aged, balanced stand
structure, promotion of growth on leave trees throughout a broad range of
Diameter classes, and encouragement of natural Reproduction.
(a) Selection. Under the selection
Regeneration Method, the trees are removed individually or in Small Groups
sized from one-quarter (0.25) acres to two and one-half (2.5) acres.
(1) Trees to be harvested or trees to be
retained shall be Marked by or under the supervision of the RPF prior to
felling operations. When openings greater than one-quarter (0.25) acres will be
created, the boundaries of the Small Group(s) may be designated in lieu of
Marking individual trees within the Small Group areas. A sample area must be
Marked prior to a preharvest inspection for evaluation. The sample area shall
include at least ten (10) of the Harvest Area up to a maximum of twenty (20)
acres per stand type which is representative of the range of conditions present
in the area.
(2) Post harvest stand
Stocking levels shall be stated in the Plan. The level of residual Stocking
shall be consistent with maximum sustained production of high quality timber
products. In no case shall Stocking be reduced below the following standards:
(A) Selection System.
1. On Site I lands at least one hundred (100)
square feet per acre of basal area shall be retained.
2. On Site II and III lands at least
seventy-five (75) square feet per acre of basal area shall be
retained.
3. On Site IV and V lands
at least fifty (50) square feet per acre of basal area shall be
retained.
4. Unless the Plan
submitter demonstrates how the proposed harvest will achieve MSP pursuant to
14 CCR
§
953.11 (a) or (b),
the residual stand shall contain trees that are representative of the best
phenotypic quality of the preharvest stand.
(B) Group Selection.
1. At least two thirds of the stocked plots
must meet the Basal Area Standards of
14 CCR
§
953.2(a)(2)(A).
2. Not more than one third of the stocked
plots may meet stocking standards utilizing the standards of
14 CCR
§
952.7(b)(1). The
minimum required age of the trees utilized under these standards shall be ten
(10) years old, and shall be based on the percentage of the Plan area harvested
by this method in Small Group clearings as described in the table below:
|
Percentage of stand harvested as
small group clearings
|
Minimum age of trees utilizing the
standards of
14 CCR
§
952.7(b)(1)
|
| 20.0% or less |
10 |
| 20.1-22% |
11 |
| 22.1-24% |
12 |
| 24.1-26% |
13 |
| 26.1-28% |
14 |
| 28.1-30% |
15 |
| 30.1-32% |
16 |
| 32.1-33.33% |
17 |
3. An RPF or Supervised Designee may offset a
certain number of plots per forty (40) plots where those plot centers are
initially placed within Small Group clearings created during the current
harvest. The maximum number of offset plots shall be based on the percentage of
the Plan area harvested by this method in Small Group clearings as described in
the table below. Unless substantially damaged by fire, the RPF or Supervised
Designee shall not exclude Small Group clearings created by previous timber
harvesting from the Stocking survey.
|
Percentage of stand harvested as
small group clearings
|
Maximum number of allowable offset
plots
|
| 20.0% or less |
8 |
| 20.1-22.9% |
9 |
| 23.0-24.9% |
10 |
| 25.0-27.9% |
11 |
| 28.0-29.9% |
12 |
| 30.0-33.33% |
13 |
4. Unless the Plan submitter demonstrates how
the proposed harvest will achieve MSP pursuant to
14 CCR
§
953.11 (a) or (b),
the residual stand shall contain trees that are representative of the best
phenotypic quality of the preharvest stand.
(3) Within any Plan, Small Group clearings
under the selection method shall be separated by a logical Logging
Area.
(4) Following completion of
Timber Operations (including Site Preparation) not more than one third of the
Plan area harvested by this method shall be covered by Small Group
clearings.
(5) Exceptions to
Stocking Standards in
14 CCR
§
953.2(a)(2) above may
be granted only when proposed by the RPF and explained and justified in the
Plan, but in no case will the exceptions be less than specified in
14 CCR
§
952.7(b)(2).
Exceptions may only be granted when the RPF clearly demonstrates that the
existing stand will grow substantially less than both the potential site
productive capacity and the proposed post-harvest stand.
(b) Transition. The transition method may be
used to develop an unevenaged stand from a stand that currently has an
unbalanced irregular or evenaged structure. The transition method involves the
removal of trees individually or in Small Groups from irregular or evenaged
stands to create a balanced stand structure and to obtain natural Reproduction.
(1) Area for determination of preharvest Seed
Tree retention levels shall be no greater than twenty (20) acres in
size.
(2) This method is to be used
to increase Stocking and improve the balance of age classes so as to allow the
residual stand to be managed by the selection Regeneration Method. This method
shall not be used more than two (2) times for a stand. The RPF shall delineate
areas previously treated by the transition method on the Plan map.
(3) Stands suitable for the transition method
contain adequate quantity and quality of seed producing trees to provide
adequate regeneration for new age classes. Stands suitable for this method
shall have no more than fifty (50) sq. ft. of basal area greater than the
selection basal area standards.
(4)
Trees to be harvested or trees to be retained shall be Marked by or under the
supervision of a RPF before felling operations. A sample area must be Marked
before the preharvest inspection for evaluation. The sample area shall include
at least ten (10) percent of the Harvest Area up to a maximum of twenty (20)
acres per stand type which is representative of the range of conditions
present.
(5) Immediately following
the completion of Timber Operations, the minimum basal area standards in
14 CCR
§
952.7(b)(2) shall be
met.
(6) The post harvested
residual stand shall contain at least fifteen (15) square feet of Basal Area
Per Acre of Seed Trees at least twelve (12) inches d.b.h. or greater for timber
sites I, II or III; or twelve (12) square feet of Basal Area Per Acre of Seed
Trees twelve (12) inches d.b.h. or greater for timber sites IV or V. Unless
obviously stocked, these basal area requirements will be determined from
sampling averaged across each harvested area required in
14 CCR
§
953.2(b)(1). Unless
the Plan submitter demonstrates how the proposed harvest will achieve MSP
pursuant to
14 CCR
§
953.11(a) or (b),
where present in the preharvest stand, disease free, undamaged Seed Trees
eighteen (18) inches d.b.h. or greater shall be retained post harvest until the
stand exceeds the minimum Seed Tree requirements of
14 CCR
§
953.1(c)(1)(A). The
Seed Trees shall be full crown, capable of seed production and representative
of the best phenotypes available in the present stand.
(7) Following completion of Timber Operations
(including Site Preparation) not more than twenty (20) of the Plan area
harvested by this method shall be occupied by Small Group clearings.
(8) The Plan Submitter must provide the
Director sufficient information such as growth and stand description to
demonstrate that the standards of the selection Regeneration Method will be met
by the third and subsequent entries of Plan areas harvested by the transition
method.
(c) Within six
(6) months following completion of timber operations conducted pursuant to the
selection and transition methods as described in the Plan, a report of stocking
shall be filed as stated in PRC §
4587.
(d) In the absence of a Sustained Yield Plan,
to maintain and improve tree Species diversity, genetic material, and seed
production, trees of each native commercial species where present at the time
of harvest shall be retained after harvest. These leave trees shall be
representative of the best phenotypes available in the preharvest stand. The
RPF may propose and the Director may agree to a species-specific plan in the
THP which protects existing regeneration or provides for regeneration in-lieu
of retaining trees.
1. New
NOTE filed 2-21-79 as procedural and organizational; effective upon filing
(Register 79, No. 9).
2. Repealer and new section filed 1-11-83;
effective thirtieth day thereafter (Register 83, No. 3).
3. Change
without regulatory effect of subsection (c) filed 5-24-89 (Register 89, No.
23).
4. Editorial correction of subsection (c) (Register 91, No.
28).
5. Amendment of section heading and section filed 1-7-94;
operative 3-1-94 (Register 94, No. 1).
6. Amendment of subsections
(a)(2)(A)4, (a)(2)(B)2 and 4 and (b)(5) filed 5-16-94; operative 5-16-94
(Register 94, No. 20).
7. Amendment of subsections (a)(2)(B)3. and
(b)(3) filed 11-26-97; operative 1-1-98 pursuant to Public Resources Code
section
4554.5
(Register 97, No. 48).
8. Editorial correction of subsection
(a)(2)(B)3. (Register 97, No. 48).
9. Amendment filed 11-14-2002;
operative 1-1-2003 pursuant to Public Resources Code section
4551.5
(Register 2002, No. 46).
10. New subsection (b)(1), subsection
renumbering, amendment of newly designated subsections (b)(2)-(7), repealer of
former subsections (b)(7)-(b)(7)(A), redesignation and amendment of former
subsection (b)(7)(B) as new subsection (b)(8) and amendment of NOTE filed
11-16-2005; operative 1-1-2006 (Register 2005, No. 46).
11. Change
without regulatory effect amending section filed 12-20-2017 pursuant to section
100, title 1, California Code of
Regulations (Register 2017, No. 51).
12. Amendment filed 11-14-2019;
operative 1-1-2020 pursuant to Public Resources Code section
4554.5(a)
(Register 2019, No. 46).
13. Amendment of subsections (a)(2),
(a)(2)(A)4., (a)(2)(B)1.-4. and (a)(3)-(4) filed 11-30-2022; operative 1-1-2023
pursuant to Public Resources Code section
4554.5(a)
(Register 2022, No. 48).
Note: Authority cited: Sections
4551
and
4561,
Public Resources Code. Reference: Sections
4561,
4582(h)
and
4587,
Public Resources Code.
