Landscape Level Planning

Principles of Ecosystem Management are being applied to WADF. The goal is to maintain a diversity of forest structures at both stand- and landscape-level, to meet most habitat needs of native plant and animal species.

Total resource design (TRD) is the system of landscape planning currently used in WADF. TRD is an ecosystem-based planning process that combines both ecological and visual landscape considerations. It assumes that all native species and ecological processes are more likely to be maintained if managed forests are made to resemble those forests created by natural disturbance agents such as fire, wind, insects, and disease.

• Landscape ecological analysis - to divide the landscape into ecologically similar units, in terms of structure, function, and processes.
• Visual landscape design - to retain a high standard of visual integrity, and to create a diverse visual landscape, through the use of varying silvicultural systems, that suits the topography and character of the area.

1. Delineation of a forest ecosystem network (FEN) to protect essential riparian habitats and linkages in the landscape.
2. Delineation of landscape design units and patterns objectives for remaining areas.

• Explore and demonstrate a broad range of silvicultural systems, harvest methods, regeneration, and site preparation techniques across the landscape.
• Assess the economics, and ecological and social feasibility of a variety of silvicultural systems.

Variable retention shelterwood, seed tree, patch cuts, group selection and single tree selection silvicultural systems have been successfully tried in WADF. Besides conventional ground-based harvesting systems, horse, cable systems and helicopters have been used for many of the partial cuts.

Road Building

The recently completed Balfour Face road demonstrates new low-impact techniques of designing and constructing harvesting roads. Approximately 1.7 km of road was built in a domestic watershed showing various construction and design techniques including end-hauling of all debris to reduce right-of-way width to minimize visual impact. The roadwork united the interests and ideals of committee members and concerned water users, and met or exceeded industrial and FPC requirements.

Forest Health

WADF intends to take an ecosystem-centered view of forest health, which focuses on restoring
or maintaining natural ecological processes and stand structures.

Douglas-fir Beetle Hazard Assessment

Douglas-fir beetle populations have dictated, in part, when and where harvesting has occurred in WADF. In some years, expensive single tree selection using helicopters has been used to control outbreaks. A two-year project evaluated more than 90% of Douglas-fir leading stands for susceptibility and risk to these beetles. The final product is a planning tool in the form of a mapped rating system such that 'reactive' harvesting can be avoided, and high hazard stands can be targeted for careful planned harvesting.