Code of Massachusetts Regulations
302 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION
Title 302 CMR 16.00 - Forest Cutting Practices
Section 16.05 - Standards

1. For each stand to be harvested, the landowner shall:

2. Clearcutting, coppice cuts, or any regeneration cut leaving less mature trees than those required for a seed tree cut (excepting the removal cut of shelterwood, seed tree or similar systems where, in the judgment of the Director's Agent, the advance regeneration is of suitable size and stocking for release) shall meet the following standards:

3. For seed-tree regeneration cuts, at least four seed trees of 20 inches DBH or greater, or 12 seed trees of 14 to 20 inches D.B.H. must be left per acre. Seed trees must be full-crowned healthy trees of light seeded species of seed bearing age, well-suited to the site and left well distributed over the area.

4. For any regeneration cut, one of the following standards must be met:

5. For any intermediate cut, the residual stand must contain sufficient numbers of healthy, undamaged trees greater than five inches DBH to constitute a stocking level at or above "C-Level" on the appropriate stocking chart.

6. Standard silvicultural systems

7. Forest Types. All forest cutting plans shall identify forest types according to the following classification:

WP White Pine - Eastern white pine is pure or predominant. Grows well on moist sandy loam soils.

WK Eastern White Pine and Eastern Hemlock - A large assortment of hardwood is found with these conifers. Pine usually predominates. Although found in all counties, more usually found in Plymouth, Worcester and counties west.

WH White Pine - Hardwoods - Eastern white pine, northern red oak and other hardwoods predominate with red maple as the chief associates. Rarely a permanent type, but tends to develop into

WK. WO White Pine - Oak - Eastern white pine and northern red oak or black oak predominate. Type has some chestnut oak but usually black, red or scarlet. An assortment of hardwoods are associated.

RP Red Pine - Red pine, although able to reproduce naturally, is mostly found in plantations.

PP Pitch Pine - Pitch pine is pure or predominant. Chief associates are chestnut, scarlet and red oak. Found on dry soils predominantly near the coast, Cape Cod and Plymouth County, and scattered dry sites in Worcester, Franklin and Hampden Counties.

PO Pitch Pine - Oak - Pitch pine predominates with scarlet or red oak. In Massachusetts, found where the pure pitch pine type is found and usually the result of fire or cutting.

HK Hemlock - Eastern hemlock is pure or predominant over many associates. Found throughout Massachusetts but more prevalent in Plymouth and west of Connecticut River. Often is the result of cutting of pine in a WK stand. Uncommon as a natural pure stand.

HH Hemlock - Hardwoods - Hemlock and yellow birch dominates the mixture with sugar maple, beech and red oak as associates. Found on moist sites.

TK Tamarack (Larch) - Tamarack is pure or predominant in the stand. Always associated with moist or wet sites. Uncommon and found mostly in northwestern Massachusetts in very scattered stands.

CD Cedar - Either Atlantic white cedar or eastern red cedar are predominant over any other associates.

SN Spruce, Norway - Norway spruce is either pure or predominant and is the result of artificial reforestation.

SR Spruce, Red - Stand dominated by red spruce and associated hardwoods such as yellow birch, sugar maple, red maple and beech. Natural stands found only in Berkshire and northern Franklin Counties predominantly on upland sites.

SF Spruce - Fir - Stand consists predominantly of red or black spruce and balsam fir. Common associates are red maple and paper birch. Found only as a natural stand in Berkshire and northern Franklin Counties predominantly on wetter sites.

OR Northern Red Oak - Northern red oak is predominant with other oaks being the chief associates.

OH Oak - Hardwoods - Stands contain mixtures of red, white, black and scarlet oak, hickories and associated other hardwoods. Oaks and hickories predominate.

OM Mixed Oak - Stands predominantly black, white and red oak with associates of maple and birch. If treated, these stands usually become red oak only.

BW White Birch - White birch is pure or predominant. Pioneer type that is succeeded by spruce-fir, white pine or northern hardwoods.

BM Gray Birch - Red Maple - Gray birch and red maple predominate. Generally a pioneer type found on abandoned fields, tend towards dry sites but found in some moist areas.

BB Beech - Birch Maple - The true northern hardwood type - sugar maple, yellow birch and beech are the component species; many associated species. Climax type throughout Massachusetts, but predominantly in western Massachusetts.

BE Beech - Stands predominantly beech and sugar maple. Due to past cuttings, stands may be predominantly beech.

BL Black Locust - Black locust is pure or predominant. Often, initially the result of artificial reforestation. Many associated species.

PC Pin Cherry - This is a temporary type usually found for a few years after a clearing operation (either clear cutting or after a fire). Common associates are mixtures of many hardwoods.

BC Black Cherry - Northern hardwoods predominate, with black cherry the most common species.

RM Red Maple, Swamp Hardwoods - Stands are pure or contain mixtures of red maple, silver maple, black and green ash, American elm, river birch and sycamore. A large number of associated species are found in these forested wetlands.

SM Sugar Maple - Sugar maple is either pure or predominant. Small proportions of other northern hardwoods are found. Often the results of sugarbush management.

PA Poplar, Aspen or Willow - Stands dominated by quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen or willow. Paper birch, pin cherry and red maple are common associates of this pioneer type.

OT Other - Describe on forest cutting plan,

1. Where slopes within the filter strip are 30% or greater, the filter strip shall extend 100 feet back from the bank, or to the point between 50 and 100 feet from the bank, where a break in the topography reduces the slope to less than 30%.

2. Along Outstanding Resource Waters and their tributaries (excluding Vernal Pools and bordering vegetated wetlands), streams which are 25 feet or more from bank to bank, and ponds of ten acres or greater, where the "Variable filter strip widths for municipal watersheds and critical areas" (Table 1) shall be used.

Table 1. Variable filter strip widths for municipal watersheds and critical areas. Required along Outstanding Resource Waters and their tributaries, streams measuring greater than 25 feet, bank to bank, and ponds greater than ten acres.

1. Adequate drainage ditches, culverts, and water bars shall be provided and runoff shall be led into appropriate filter strips or hay bale impoundments to remove sediments before discharging into wetlands, water bodies, or Certified Vernal Pools.

2. All principal skid trails shall be stabilized whenever they are to be left inactive for a period of over one month, or whenever the Director or the Director's Agent determines such work to be necessary. All necessary and required erosion control and stabilization work shall be performed by the completion of the operation.

3. The forest cutting plan must include a narrative of the erosion control measures to be used. The forest cutting plan map must show the location of all truck roads, principal skid roads, stream and wetland crossings, and general skid road locations, as well as the general location of appropriate erosion control measures.

4. Special care shall be taken on sustained steep slopes (grades of 30% or more for a slope distance of 200 feet or more) to prevent erosion from roads, skid roads and skid trails by closely following the drainage and erosion control practices listed in the BMP Manual, particularly the water bars and other measures needed to stabilize steep skid roads. When such steep slopes are operated, the specific measures to be used to control erosion on these areas must be detailed in the forest cutting plan, and the steep slope areas must be indicated on the forest cutting plan map.

5. Wheeled or tracked harvesting equipment shall not be operated on slopes of 60% or more unless special permission is given by the Director or the Director's Agent in the forest cutting plan. In these cases, the applicant must show that the soils are stable and that measures shall be used to minimize erosion during and following the operation.

1. Wetland resource areas that shall be crossed or logged in or lie adjacent to any harvesting activity shall be accurately shown and labeled on the forest cutting plan map.

2. Every reasonable effort shall be made, including trying to obtain a right-of-way over abutting ownerships, to avoid or minimize access through wetland resource areas. Where a crossing is essential, then existing old accessways shall be rehabilitated and used provided it is shown that this shall cause less disturbance than constructing a new accessway. Rehabilitation and new construction shall be done to the standards contained in the BMP Manual. Temporary forest drainage structures shall be removed at the completion of the operation and the site shall be stabilized. The installation of permanent stream crossings and the construction of permanent roads involving fill in wetland resource areas requires the approval of the town Conservation Commission under M.G.L. c. 131, §40.

3. B ordering vegetated wetlands shall not be operated except when the ground is frozen, dry or otherwise stable enough to support the logging equipment used. When these conditions are not met, the forest cutting plan requires special approval by the Director or the Director's Agent, after showing it shall help avoid significant environmental damage. The locations of such crossings shall be marked on the ground by paint or flagging when the forest cutting plan is filed, and clearly shown on the forest cutting plan map. If for any reason the crossing needs to be changed during the operation the Director or the Director's Agent must be notified for approval, but no amendment of the forest cutting plan would be necessary if the site conditions and method of crossing remain the same.

4. Certified Vernal Pools - No equipment shall be allowed to operate within the Vernal Pool depression at any time of the year. Within the 50 foot filter strip, the filter strip restrictions must be followed.

5. All stream crossings shall be built, maintained, and stabilized according to the principles set forth in the BMP Manual, and by methods shown on the table below. All stream crossings shall be made at right angles to the stream channel. When crossings involve fill or other closed or semi-closed structures which will obstruct flow, they shall be designed to accommodate at least the 25-year storm and built and maintained to the standards set forth in the BMP Manual. All banks and approaches to stream crossings must be adequately stabilized. All stream crossings shall be accurately mapped and labeled on the forest cutting plan map and marked on the ground with paint or flagging at the time the forest cutting plan is filed. If for any reason the crossing must be changed during the operation the Director or the Director's Agent must be notified for approval, but no amendment of the approved forest cutting plan would be necessary if the site conditions and method of crossing remain the same.

Table 2. Acceptable mitigation methods for crossing streams.

6. Where a culvert is to be used, the forest cutting plan must state the diameter of the culvert based upon the culvert sizing table in the BMP Manual.

7. Within 1,000 feet upstream of a public water supply reservoir, measured along the course of the stream from the highwater mark of the reservoir, all stream crossings must use a temporary bridge. Exceptions to this require filing of an environmental notification form in compliance with 302 CMR 16.06(2)(f).

8. All soils exposed during work shall be stabilized as needed according to the standards set forth in the BMP Manual.

1. to reduce environmental damage which is shown to be necessary by a statement in the approved forest cutting plan, or

2. at a stream crossing, or

3. on a pre-existing logging road, or

4. in filter strips greater than 50 feet, beyond 50 feet from the water body.

In these cases, equipment can operate in the area beyond 50 feet of the waterbody in order to harvest trees, provided that no principal skid trail is located within the filter strip, that disturbance of the forest floor is kept to a minimum, and any disturbed soil is promptly stabilized. In all cases, cut trees shall be pulled out of the strip and slash shall be treated as required by law (M.G.L. c. 48, § 16).

1. Board foot volumes shall be computed using the Form Class 78 International 1/4-inch Log Rule. The formula is:

where: Click to view image

DBH = diameter at breast height

HT = merchantable height in feet

F = 0.78

2. Cord volume shall be computed using a conversion factor of one-cord equals 80 cubic feet of solid wood. The formula for computing cubic foot volume is as follows:

where: Click to view image

V1 = .OOlxDBH

V2 = 1.94 + (.01xDBH)

V3 = (.026xHT) - (.000156xHT2) + (.32÷HT)

3. For the purpose of determining threshold volumes on harvests involving both board-feet and cords, two cords shall be considered equal to 1,000 board-feet,

1. Board-feet - minimum diameters for board foot volume are assumed to be ten inches DBH for both softwoods and hardwoods to an eight-inch top-diameter (outside bark).

2. Cordwood - minimum diameters for cubic foot volume are six inches DBH to a four inches top diameter (outside bark).

3. DBH - diameter at breast height (four and one-half feet) to the nearest one-inch class (for example, a ten-inch tree ranges from 9.6 to 10.5 inches). If the trees have been severed, the DBH shall be estimated using the equations and procedures given in "Predicting Diameter at Breast Height for Stump Diameters for Northeastern Tree Species" by Eric H. Wharton, USDA Forest Service, NE-322, 1984. Stump heights are assumed to be one-foot or less.

4. Height - height shall be measured (or estimated) in number of half-logs to a top diameter outside the bark of eight inches for sawlogs and four inches for cordwood. A half-log is eight feet. If the trees are cut, the height shall be measured either using the tops left, if in place, or by making a local height over diameter curve from trees left within the cut. If all trees and tops are removed, the height-over-diameter curve shall be made from the closest like timber stand.

5. Soundness - Trees shall be given full measure for height and diameter. Any defect in the tree shall be accounted for by application of a soundness factor, as shown in Table 3. The volume to be deducted for defect from each half-log shall be obtained by multiplying the soundness factor by the gross volume of the half-log. The half-log volume shall be determined by multiplying total tree volume by the appropriate percentage from Table 4.

Table 3. Determining tree defect (soundness).

Table 4. Guide to the percentage of a tree's total volume contained in each half-log.

Half-logs less than 50% sound shall not be tallied. The soundness factor shall be applied to the volume measure of half-logs of sound volume greater than or equal to 50%.

6. Tops - the tops of sawlog trees shall not be included for the purposes of determining the threshold volumes when they are lopped in accordance with the slash law (M.G.L. c. 48, § 16).