| Wildlife Tree Patches (WTPs) and Deferred Areas
Wildlife tree patches (WTPs) are reserves of aggregated trees designated for retention for not less than one rotation. Designated WTPs encompass the range of site series in the area, as well as virtually all the riparian management areas associated with major streams and wetlands. About 24% of the project area (44 ha) has been designated as WTPs.
Individual trees were also left as reserves and include high-value wildlife trees (bear dens, raptor nests, etc.) and old-growth veterans. Also, individual second-growth western redcedar have been reserved in several areas, primarily for their future wildlife habitat and/or high timber value.
Riparian reserves are areas next to the banks of streams, lakes, and wetlands where forest practices are constrained to ensure the provision of a green zone of vegetation that stabilizes streambanks, regulates stream temperatures, and provides a continual source of woody debris to the stream channel. The width of these zones is determined by the attributes of streams, wetlands, or lakes, and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems.
Temporarily deferred areas (TDAs) are areas to be retained until desired forest conditions develop in the regenerating stand. About 1.5% of the project area (3.2 ha) has been designated as TDAs, and all of these are in Block 1 (aggregated retention treatment).
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