Download the Workshop Proceedings document Summary A wide variety of innovative, efficient restoration practices being utilized on individual National Forests of central and eastern Oregon. The purpose of the Forest Restoration Implementation Efficiencies Workshop was to address the need for peer-to-peer learning opportunities between forest industry, contractors, collaborative groups, and Forest Service staff to utilize these new, innovative, efficient approaches,...

Ground-based operations are a key part of dry forest restoration projects given their relatively reasonable costs and efficiencies. However, such operations can cause undesirable soil compaction and, on steeper slopes, increased risks of soil disturbance and erosion as well as concerns about safety and efficiency. Federal and state agency policies and guidelines include specific restrictions or resource protection standards to...

Safe and acceptable operation of heavy equipment on steep slopes requires consideration of equipment operative configuration and soil conditions. Operative factors that affect safety are machine orientation and soil disturbance are cable, or “tether” assistance, site soil and moisture conditions, and slope. This presentation took two basic, technical perspectives to evaluate the operation of tethered equipment on steep slopes: a...

Conserving soil characteristics such as integrity, function, and productivity are always important in logging operations, but soil management is particularly challenging during harvest activities on steeper slopes (>35%). Soil conservation is important for future forest productivity, conservation of hydrologic function, and prevention of erosion, especially on steep slopes and above fish-bearing streams. Specific examples of equipment operations damaging soil include...

Historically soil scientists mapped soil resources and prepared interpretations for resource managers. They were viewed as “the resource specialists” who could describe landscape capability and response to management. As the focus changed to assessments of soil disturbances resulting from forest management, the role of soil scientist became one of assessing past and predicting future impacts to soil quality at specific...