Landrus Heights

RGS AND DOMINION COOPERATIVE TIOGA STATE FOREST WILDLIFE HABITAT IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS NARRATIVE

This is a project in the Arnot & Armenia LMU’s  and has  potential for future build out connectivity on a  landscape scale.  It is located in the Tioga SF, Dist. 16. The district is situated in the northern Tier of NC PA.  It is within the Appalachian Plateaus physiographic provinces.  Its predominant forest type is the Northern Hardwoods association.  Dist. 16 consists of 161890 AC. most of which are located in Tioga County, PA.

The immediate purpose of this projects is to improve/increase critical herbaceous ground cover, brood habitat and establish areas with soft and hard mast species near existing saw timber, high stem density ESH and forest roads.  The longer term and overarching purpose is to create these locations as habitat improvement activity centers from which future similar actions can be connected with to grow landscape unit scale habitat improvement.  This will be accomplished by following a number of recommendations of both the National Ruffed Grouse Management Plan and of the ACGRP as follows:

1. Enhancing the   juxtapositioning and proximity of early successional habitat, food sources and brood cover as they relate to each other long term across the landscape.
2. Promote the establishment of an understory of shrubs and herbaceous food plants.
3. Retention of dense needled conifers for thermal protection
4. Enhancement/establishment of soft and hard mast food sources
5. Renovation of a large (>3 AC) forest openings to create several smaller openings (<0.5 AC)

PROJECT 1   Tioga State Forest – Arnot/Armenia Landscape Management Units, Ruffed Grouse/Woodcock Habitat Enhancement Project

This site is located in Tioga county, PA, Duncan and Bloss twps.  It is situated in the Arnot LMU, Babb Creek watershed and the Appalachian High Glaciated Plateau physiographic province.  It is in UTM zone 18 T and bounded W to E by 03 14000m E and 03 16000 m E; S to N by 46 12000m N and 46 14000 m N, NAD 1927.  Virtually all of the area is > 1500 +msl.

Compartment 72 of the Arnot LMU, shown on exhibit A, is comprised of several recent (< 5 years) shelterwood treatments. They include Stand 1, a 68 ac stand that was treated with a shelterwood harvest in the summer of 2018. Stand 2 is an 80 ac block that is currently being treated with a shelterwood harvest. This block was started in the summer of 2018 and will resume being harvested in 2019. Included in the same timber sale is Stand 4 which is 55 ac. This block will be harvested in 2019 with the entirety of the sale being completed by 10/31/2019, the expiration of the timber sale contract. All three blocks are Northern Hardwoods stands composed of red and sugar maple, ash and black cherry in the overstory with American beech and grey birch in the mid-story.  The main purpose of a shelterwood harvest is to remove the mid-story layer and create holes in the overstory to allow more sunlight to reach the forest floor. This increase in light allows for a new cohort of seedlings to begin to develop as well as other early successional grasses and forbs especially Rubus spp., an important food source for ruffed grouse.  After the seedlings are sufficiently developed an overstory removal timber sale will be administered to release the new forest.  Depending on a number of factors the overstory removal of the stand could take place anywhere from 5-8 years in the future.  These timber sales will create a varied mosaic of forest age classes for ruffed grouse and other wildlife species

 Stand 3 is a non-commercial aspen clear cut totaling 12 ac that was cut by district staff during the winter of 2015 and 2017. Scattered black cherry, oak and maple poles were left standing while the aspen and pin cherry were felled. This area regenerated heavily with aspen whips and rubus.

Stand 5   is 26 ac and is a 23 year old black cherry overstory removal.  This sale has satisfactory cherry and maple regeneration along with a component of black birch.

Stand 6 is an 11 ac removal cut that is typed as a grey birch/aspen. Although the typing does not differentiate between the two species, the actual timber on ground is almost entirely grey birch.  This stand is now approximately 33 years old.  Ruffed grouse are often found in birch trees during the winter eating catkins.  

Stand 7 is roughly a 4 ac field.  This is the area of focus for immediate action in creating brood cover.  This current site consists largely of sparse and minimally diverse herbaceous cover.

Stands 8 and 9 are typed as grey birch/aspen stands.  The entirety of the 2 stands is almost 100 ac.  These 30-year-old blocks are heavy to aspen yet will never be commercially harvested due to the high-water table of the area.  This would likely be an area that DCNR staff could hand fell in upcoming winters, creating areas of early successional habitat.

All above referenced stands are shown on Exhibit A Compartment 72

Stand 7 is proximate (0-3 miles) to a number of cutover areas of varying ages.

The goal of this project is to enhance/create brood habitat.

Activities central to accomplishment of this goal include:

I. (Phase 1) Establishment of a > 25 ft. wide band of brood cover around the perimeter of the 3.4 AC field.  Site prep will include (as determined necessary) herbicide application, plowing/disking, pH adjustment, fertilization and seeding. Shrubs and forbs to be planted include Rubus spp, American Hazelnut, Oxeye sunflower, coreopsis lanceolata, staghorn sumac and New England aster. Application rates to be approximately 3 lb. /ac for seed and an 8 x 8 spacing for seedlings. Around the field perimeter it would be advisable to thin the forest to ~ 100 feet in from the opening edge.  Thinning could reduce canopy cover to < 60% with retention of all mast producers and all conifers.

II. (Phase 1)  II. (Phase 1)  Establishment of clumps of soft/hard mast producing species (Washington hawthorn, American crabapple, American hazelnut ) inside a high tensile wire fence located in the open interior of the 3.4 ac field.   Plantings will occur in plots arranged so as to provide maximum sunlight exposure.  Plots will be 10 ft. W X 30 ft.  L X 6 ft. H. There will be 18 such plots. They will be subjected to herbicide application prior to planting to reduce native vegetation competition.   Each plot will be planted on 3 ft. centers with 33 plants.  These plots will utilize 0.122 ac of the 2.08 ac of open area available inside the fenced enclosure resulting in a 1.96 unplanted open area residual available for native vegetation volunteerism.  The plots are to be plowed/disked, herbicide applied, limed, and fertilized if necessary.    

III. (Phase 1) Establishment of shrubs as  understory beneath four grey birch border irregularities ~ 100 ft. in length x 20 ft. in width.  55 Am. Hazelnut to be planted in each stand.  

IV. (Phase 1) Periodic hand felling aspen in stands 8 & 9 (100ac) by DCNR staff to create areas of early successional habitat.  This would be done as a wintertime project.

V.   (Phase 1) Public access to this area should be limited to walk in only.  This should limit vegetative damage and reduce the probability of disturbance related mortality at critical times of the year. 

VI.   (Phase 2) Establishment of ~ 3-4 AC of forest openings in Stands 1, 2 and 4.  These openings should be 0.25 to < 0.5 AC each and should be prepared as previously noted for the field perimeter treatment. This activity is to be accomplished after final overstory removal in stands 1, 2 and 4.    The expected timeframe for this is 5 – 8 years post initial shelterwood treatment conclusion.  These areas should be seeded with BOF Native Seed Mix, RGS Trail Mix or the Central Appalachian Mix… 

VII. (Phase 2)   Establishment of seeded and managed forest road opening for the roadway between the 3 yr. old aspen regen and the SW terminus of stand 4.  The road should be day lighted for 30 ft. on one or both sides.  Herbicide application, plowing/disking, liming fertilizing and seeding should be done as necessary.  The BOF Native Seed mix or RGS, RGS Trail Mix or the Central Appalachian Mix should be used. This activity is to be accomplished after final overstory removal in stands 1, 2 and 4. The expected timeframe for this is 5 – 8 years post initial shelterwood treatment conclusion.

 ESTIMATE OF COSTS FOR PHASE 1 ACTIVITIES

I. Brood Cover Border for Old Field

            i. Old field dimensions 

  A. 3.4 ac

  B. P= 2300 LF

ii. Brood cover border dimensions

A. 2300 LF x 25 LF = 1.3 ac——-residual open area 2.08 ac

iii. Brood cover border costs

  Rubus 3 oz. @ $ 360/lb. — $ 22.50/oz.

  Oxeye Sunflower 4oz @ $ 42/lb.-$2.63/oz.

  C. Lancealata  4oz@$20/lb.–$1.25/oz.

  Staghorn Sumac4oz @$24/lb.–$1.50/oz.

  N.E. Aster1oz@$320/lb.–$20/oz.

  A. Hazelnut 500@$1.32 ea.

Cost of 1 lb. border seed mix = $109.02

Application rate 3lbs./ac—- (1.33 ac x 3 lbs./ac)  x $109.02 =  $435.00 cost for seed mix

8 x 8 spacing for Am. Hazelnut saplings = 905 plants—-$1.32 /plant x 905 plants = $1195 cost for border seedlings.

Total cost for border seed & seedlings—-$435.00 + $1195.00 = $1630.00

II. Clumps with cribs — Interior of Old Field

i. Residual open area after brood cover establishment = 2.08 ac.

ii. Fenced Cribs total # = 18 cribs— planted with 33 seedlings ea.

Total number and cost of seedlings needed for this:

  240 Am. Sweet Crabapple @ $0.66 ea. =  $159.00

  240 Wash. Hawthorn @ $0.74 ea. = $178.00

  120 Am Hazelnut @ $ 1.32 ea. = $159.00

  Total cost of seedlings =$496.00

Crib construction cost:

  1500 LF standard woven wire fencing 6ft. H. @ 140.00/100 ft. = $2100.00

  Metal fence posts 8ft. H— 26 posts per crib if spaced on 3 ft. centers = 468 posts @ $ 5.00/post = $2340.00

  Zip ties-wire ties  2700 40# 8 in. nylon zip ties $75.00

Total cost for materials

$2100.00 + $2340.00 + $75.00 = $ 4515.00

$4515.00 + $496.00 = $5011.00

Cost of understory plants

  220 Am. Hazelnut @ $1.32 ea. =  $291.00

 Total Costs for seed mix, plants and crib materials:

Total cost for border seed & seedlings- $ 1630.00

Total cost for crib materials and plants- $ 5011.00

Total cost for understory plants- $291.00

$1630.00 + 5011.00 + $291.00 = $6932.00

Herbicide costs for projects 1 & 2 combined is $50.00. This cost should remain the same because of the minimum volume of product marketed.

 TOTAL COST FOR PROJECT 1

$6932.00 + $50.00 = $6982.00 

N.B.   Costs associated with Phase 2 activities are not included as they are future activities.  As such, costs will be available via resubmission of an updated version of this project narrative.

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