Paul Adams retired in January 2015 from the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, where he was a Professor and Forest Watershed Extension Specialist in the Forest Engineering, Resources and Management Department.

Adams joined the OSU faculty in 1980 and was active in extension, research, and teaching programs emphasizing forest practices, policies, and watershed resources. He received his B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Vermont, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Natural Resources (forest soils research) from the University of Michigan.

Adams is a member of the Soil and Water Conservation Association and the Soil Science Society of America. He has been a Society of American Foresters member since 1974 and is an SAF Certified Forester (No. 2064). He has been chair of the Oregon SAF Policy and Legislation Committee since 1999, and in 2005-07 he served as a member of the national SAF Committee on Forest Policy (CFP). In 2002, the Oregon SAF recognized Adams as its “Forester of the Year,” and in 2006 he was elected as an SAF Fellow.

Presentation Topic

Planning Ground-based Harvest Operations to Limit Soil Impacts

Presentation Description

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 limit soil compaction and disturbance, including directives that generally discourage ground-based operations in steep terrain.

This presentation will highlight and discuss key planning considerations and operational influences that help reduce or avoid soil impacts with ground-based operations. This includes the use of more sophisticated ground-based machines, combined with careful harvest planning and layout that have shown very encouraging results in some recent operations on sites with slopes well beyond the common 35 percent limit for ground-based systems. The goal is to show that close attention to important planning and operational principles, as well as unique site-specific conditions, can go a long way towards ensuring both efficient and environmentally friendly treatments, even in steep terrain.

Professor Ben Leshchinsky’s research interests include landslides; use of soil reinforcement in earth retention, unpaved road improvement, slope stability and the mechanics of heavy equipment operating on soil. Ben’s research is based in a variety of disciplines, broadly encompassing geotechnical engineering, water resources, and forestry.

Presentation Topic

Interaction of Steep Slope Equipment with Soil Resources

Presentation Description

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 will take two basic, technical perspectives to evaluate the operation of tethered equipment on steep slopes: a safety perspective and a soil disturbance perspective. Beneficial and adverse operative conditions will be addressed for both priorities.

As President of Miller Timber Services, Lee Miller is focused on the preservation, protection and sustainability of our forests for generations to come. With over 30 years experience, Miller Timber Services, Inc. has expanded both capability and expertise in providing comprehensive professional forestry and emergency services for private and industrial landowners, and government agencies. They are committed to the management, health and restoration of the forests by providing the most sustainable solutions for  land management.

Presentation Topic

Steep slope harvesting with ground-based equipment

Presentation Description

The advancement of steep slope harvesting equipment open up new possibility’s in fuel treatments on steeper terrain.

Andy moved to Oregon to join AFRC as its field forester from Washington state where he worked for six years in the woods of Lewis County. A native of Long Island, New York, Andy somehow discovered that a profession existed called forestry. He earned his B.S in forest management from Virginia Tech and since then has worked as a forester in various settings. He was first introduced to how timber management goes hand in hand with forest management while working for the Missouri Department of Conservation and then the Washington Department of Natural Resources. Andy lives in Springfield with his wife and daughter who is being introduced to the Oregon forests while riding on Andy’s back.

Presentation Topic

Authorities to Maximize Restoration

Presentation Description

The management plans for national forests in Oregon typically contain numerous prescriptive limitations that often inhibit the ability of land managers to implement effective dry forest treatments over large landscapes in need. These limitations are embedded in land designations, sensitive species directives, and survey requirements that in many cases were established prior to the development of dry forest restoration principles. These prescriptive limitations can inhibit land managers from both maximizing the treatment acres in need and treating individual stands to the level they require based on dry forest restoration principles. On dry forest landscapes in southwestern Oregon, land managers have faced these obstacles and utilized various authorities to navigate through them in order to implement dry forest restoration treatments to their fullest extent. While the specifics of these obstacles likely differ from those in eastern and central Oregon, the methods in which land managers overcame them are likely transferable.

During his presentation, Andy will outline a few of these current and potential authorities and approaches that would lead to increasing the pace and scale of dry forest restoration.

Dr. Han’s primary research focuses on forest operations which involve the application of various forest management tools and processes to achieve a wide range of objectives in forest management. He has been evaluating various harvesting equipment and systems that are commonly used in timber harvesting and biomass operations. Especially, development of innovative operations logistics for forest biomass harvesting, processing and transportation for energy generation has been a main theme of my research for the last 15 years. His current research interest is to develop efficient biomass supply chain logistics that are specially designed for enhancing economic and technical feasibility of forest residues and small-diameter trees. Collaboration with other disciplines such as wood chemistry (e.g. torrefaction) and forest ecology (nutrient recycling with torrefied wood chips) has been also a key approach to comprehensively address recent challenges related to harvesting and utilization of dead trees and fuel reduction thinning materials. Recently, Dr. Han, along with 13 Co-PIs (Principal Investigators) and research partners, has received a $5.88 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct biomass research on the utilization of forest residues for production of bioenergy and biobased products. The research collaboration effort integrates three major tasks of 1) production of quality feedstock, 2) development of mobile biomass conversion technologies, and 3) economic/environmental analysis, as explained in the research project web site at www.wastetowisdom.com.

Presentation Topic

Biomass Utilization, Harvesting, and Markets

Presentation Description

Emerging biomass conversion technologies, such as mobile biochar or pyrolysis/torrefaction machines, aim to use forest residues left after extracting merchantable timber or fuel reduction thinning operations. The residues generated from these operations typically produce low quality feedstock which may not be suitable for new biomass conversion technologies. In an effort to increase feedstock quality, we separated sub-merchantable trees and tops and processed them to create stem wood piles during the timber harvest. Sorting and processing the forest residues can facilitate the production of quality feedstocks by chipping processed stem woods, instead of grinding a mix of tops, limbs and branches. The quality of the feedstock produced from the sorted materials was characterized by moisture content, particle-size distribution, bulk density, and ash content.

Our study results showed that a high quality feedstock can be produced by separating stem wood from other residues during a timber harvest. The cost of sorting biomass trees and tree-tops slightly increased the overall cost of the timber harvest operation, compared to the typical practice of piling the forest residues altogether. However, this additional sorting and processing practice of tree tops effectively facilitates increased utilization of forest residues to high value markets such as post & poles and dowels and thereby enhancing the financial potentials as well as avoiding open burning and facilitating tree replanting tasks.

This presentation also explains the testing results on four different methods (teepees, criss-cross, processor piled, and scattered) used to reduce moisture content in forest residue materials left on a timber harvest site. The information to be presented at this workshop is based upon the Waste to Wisdom (http://wastetowisdom.com/) research work supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy under the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) program.

Derek Churchill is both a forester and scientist who focuses on applying ecological knowledge to on-the-ground forest management challenges across the Pacific Northwest. He has run a forestry consulting company for 10 years that specializes in ecological forestry on public and private land. He has done a wide variety of projects on National Forests throughout Washington, Oregon, and California, and has worked extensively with forest collaboratives. He also has longstanding relationships and ongoing projects with the Nature Conservancy, Conservation NW, the Klamath Tribe, King County, and the PEW Charitable Trusts. He currently has a part time post-doc at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences – University of Washington, where he is focusing on using LiDAR to guide multiscale resilience management in the Sierra Nevada and Colville NF. He also teaches forest management classes at UW. He lives on Vashon Island where he works with the Vashon Forest Stewards; a community forestry group that manages forest operations for small private, non-industrial forest landowners

Presentation Topic

Forest Restoration in the Tablet & Smart Phone era: Marking and Realtime Monitoring using the ICO APP

Presentation Description

Incorporating spatial variability into forest restoration prescriptions has resulted in implementation challenges; primarily quantifying, marking, and monitoring desired levels of variability in treatments. These challenges are magnified with Designation by Prescription contracts. In addition, compliance monitoring of treatments typically occurs after units have been cut and so creates a lag time that slows collaborative learning and adaptive management. We present an Andriod APP that allows marking crews or operators to track and map progress towards prescription targets for both density and pattern in real time. The APP provides implementers, managers, and stakeholders immediate and transparent feedback on treatments, which facilitates more efficient implementation, monitoring, and adaptive adjustments. The APP is designed for ICO (Individuals, clumps, and openings) prescriptions, but can be adapted for basal area or other prescription approaches. It can also be used by stakeholders or others for multiparty monitoring.

• Listen to a radio interview on the ICO APP
• Download the ICO Managers Guide

Susan Jane Brown is a staff attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center (WELC). Her primary focus of litigation is federal public lands forest management, but her practice includes cases involving the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Policy Act, National Forest Management Act, and other land management statutes. She is Co-Chair of the National Advisory Committee for Implementation of the National Forest System Land Management Planning Rule and is also heavily engaged in collaborative forest restoration in the Upper John Day Basin in eastern Oregon.

Presentation Topic

Do Collaboratives Matter in Litigation?

Presentation Description

This presentation will discuss the recent federal court decision in Alliance for the Wild Rockies v. United States Forest Service, where the District of Idaho denied a preliminary injunction to plaintiffs seeking to stop a large landscape restoration project on the Payette National Forest in Idaho, largely on the basis of collaborative group involvement in the planning of the challenged project. The presentation will include an overview of the case and a discussion of its potential implications for collaborative restoration in our region.

Download Resources related to this presentation:

• Twenty Years of Forest Service Land Management Litigation
• Nie Metcalf Bolle Litigation Perspective

In her role as Special Initiatives Program Coordinator at Wallowa Resources, Karen Hardigg coordinates the Rural Voices for Conservation Coalition (RVCC). RVCC represents a diverse group of community based organizations promoting balanced, conservation-based approaches to the ecological and economic problems facing the rural West. Before joining Wallowa Resources, Karen spent eight years working in Southeast Alaska on community forestry, forest stewardship, restoration and public land policy both at The Wilderness Society and The Nature Conservancy. Karen also served on the federal advisory committee for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program in 2010. She holds a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and is passionate about the outdoors and finding solutions to challenging natural resource management problems.

Presentation Topic

Packaging Federal Resources for All-lands Restoration Work

Presentation Description

Connecting a suite of existing federal programs and tools that can facilitate the implementation of a consistent and predictable program of work that meets conservation objectives and provides economic benefits for rural communities. Will include specific examples where community and agency leaders have demonstrated flexibility and opportunities within existing authorities and offer solutions to common challenges.

Jeff Wimer currently works as a senior instructor at Oregon State University where he manages the Student Logging Program. Prior to OSU he worked for his families logging and trucking company based out of Albany, OR. Wimer Logging Co. ran 4 tower sides and had 48 trucks. Jeff serves as chairman of the Western Regional Council on Forest Engineering, is President of the Oregon Logging Conference and Vice President of the Pacific Logging Congress.

Jeff has been active in logging safety since the beginning of his career and since 1997 he has been involved with rewriting the OR OSHA Forest Activities logging code. Since 2003 he has been performed just over 24 logging fatality investigations. Jeff has written three books on logging safety. Recently he has been involved with the WA Logger Safety Initiative performing third party audits.

Presentation Topic

Tethered Assisted Harvesting

Presentation Description

Tethered Assisted harvesting has been utilized in Europe for close to two decades. It offers several key advantages to non-tethered harvesting. These systems are recently being introduced to the PNW. Some key limitations to non-tethered include: slope limitations, soil disturbance and safety.

Currently harvesters can navigate slopes up to 70% untethered, but are limited to a downhill operation in such steep terrain. With the utilization of tethered systems these machines have been able to operate on slopes up to 100%.

With tethered systems wheel slip is greatly reduced to almost zero in almost all applications. Newer harvesters utilize an 8-wheel drive system that greatly reduces soil pressure by distributing the overall load. In most dry applications the drive chains can also be removed from the drive system further reducing soil impacts.

The timber industry continues to have the highest fatality rate of all major industries. Within the logging sector a man operating a machine is 10 times safer than working on the ground. Utilization of tethering systems will allow these machines to cover a much larger operational area and reduce the need for men on the ground.

Beth Dodson is an Associate Professor of Integrated Natural Resource with the University of Montana College of Forestry & Conservation.

Presentation Topic

Roads, Bridges and Stream Crossings

Presentation Description

Forest roads and water crossings appropriate to Eastern Oregon (or Eastside forests in the PNW in general). There are often significant issues in Eastside forests with access to harvest operations with both seasonal and permanent roads (e.g. aging or restrictive bridges, low volume harvest removals, use of temporary bridges, low water crossings etc.). This presentation will provide the audience with options for low-cost and/or low-impact road and crossing options.

As a Base Manager for Grayback Forestry Inc., one of the largest private prescribed fire and firefighting firms in the nation, Dave oversees 75-100 Wildland firefighters on national and regional contracts as well as their associated service contract workloads from bases in John Day and Seneca Oregon. An active firefighter in many wildland roles in the first half of his career he is still a carded firefighter and an active type one burn boss in prescribed fire. For over 30 years he has worked managing contracts for pre-commercial thinning, hand piling, RX burning, tree planting and a host of other reforestation related work as well as venturing into some small scale logging. Member of Blue Mountains Forest Partners since 2007.

Presentation Topic

Contracting Prescribed Fire

Presentation Description

How much fire are line officers and managers comfortable with and how far can we push that limit? It’s time to change our thinking on a grand scale if we’re to come close to meeting the need. Dave will present an in-depth look at the benefits and challenges of contracting prescribed fire, versus completing the work with in-house teams. He’ll break down the numbers of backlog vs. yearly achievement vs. planned acres, with real-time statistics. Dave will also discuss the types of contracts, day rates, and pros vs cons of full service prescribed burn contracts.

Gina Rone has been a soil scientist for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management over the past 15 years. After graduating with degrees in Environmental Science, Biology, and Geology, she worked in Utah, Idaho, and currently serves as the Forest Soil Scientist on the Fremont-Winema National Forest out of Lakeview, Oregon. She gained much of her timber experience in Northern Idaho, supporting and providing input to management activities for complex landscapes and variable harvest methods.

Presentation Topic

Soil Resource Management for Logging in Steep Slopes

Presentation Description

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 side-tracking and turning, which can lead to displacement, mixing, and berms. Such disturbance of the natural layering and density of soils reduces productivity and moisture retention, among other effects. Ruts created by machinery are especially prone to allowing runoff, sediment movement, and over-land flow of water, especially when combined with soil compaction. There are however, management practices available to mitigate soil-resource impacts, such as aerial logging, but when that is not feasible, placement of slash-mats from cut-to-length and forwarder operations have proven to be beneficial.

The Forest Service has a pilot project underway on the Fremont-Winema National Forest to look at the utilization and effectiveness of slash mats and overall impacts of logging on steep slopes. This presentation will cover some of the basics of soil preservation in forest management with a focus on steep slopes, and report preliminary findings on the latter pilot project studying slash-mats. Since current federal regional and forest standards require that no more than 20 percent of an activity area can be adversely affected, it takes continuous conscious efforts to try new approaches, improve old practices, as well as knowing when to refrain from adverse activities to ensure that soils will retain their long-term productivity.