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.