Weyerhaeuser Company: Soil Monitoring Methods for Western Timberlands

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Weyerhaeuser CompanySoil Monitoring Methods for
Western Timberlands

• By Ron Heninger and Alex Dobkowski
• Weyerhaeuser Company, Western Timberlands
  Research

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Objective of Today's Presentation

• Describe methods Weyerhaeuser Company is using to
  monitor soil disturbance to minimize erosion and
  harmful soil disturbance
• Discuss consequences of Douglas-fir growth
  responses on non-tilled and tilled skid trails
  and logged only controls.

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Process Components Required to Achieve
Sustainable Site Productivity
STRATEGIC DATABASE
RESEARCH
GUIDELINES
MONITORING
TRAINING
IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
(BMPs)
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Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance Classification
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Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExamp
le of Class 1 Soil Disturbance
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Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExamp
le of Class 2 Soil Disturbance
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Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExamp
le of Class 3 Soil Disturbance
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Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExamp
le of Class 4 Soil Disturbance
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Weyerhaeuser Soil Disturbance ClassificationExamp
le of Class 5 Soil Disturbance
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Soil Management Process Monitoring and Tracking

• Quality Control Monitoring
• Self-monitoring by the equipment operator, a
  visual inspection
• Spot-checks by the Harvest Manager or auditor,
  using a point-intercept method
• Compliance Audit after the setting is completed,
  using a point-line intercept method

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Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking

• Quality Control Monitoring
• Compliance Audit
• A sub-sample of ground logged settings will be
  audited.
• Levels of soil disturbance will be determined by
  a point-line intercept method of sampling
• Sampling will be done by certified contract
  auditors

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Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking /
Compliance Audit

• Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
• 1. Delineate the portion of the setting operated
  on by ground equipment onto the setting
  map
• 2. Plot the sample grid onto the map
• Random Start
• Equal distance between sample points
• Randomly oriented grid

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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresSetting
map showing area to be sampled and the sampling
grid
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Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking /
Compliance Audit

• Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
• 3. Become familiar with the undisturbed soil
  profile
• Weyerhaeuser Soil Survey or NRCS County Survey
• Dig a small soil pit or view a road cut bank
• Be able to distinguish the differences between
  topsoil and subsoil
• Develop an association between depth of
  disturbance and the different soil disturbance
  classes

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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresViewing a
small soil pit in undisturbed soil and using the
soil survey to confirm soil series
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Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
Determining the differences between topsoil and
subsoil
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Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking /
Compliance Audit

• Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
• 4. Locate one of the predetermined sample points
  using direction and distance from a known point
  (e.g. road junction)
• 5. Follow the Line-Intercept Transect procedures
• Audit transect starts at grid intersection point
• Randomly select transect direction from the
  sample point
• Record the beginning and ending distance for each
  change in soil disturbance class intersected by
  the transect line (measuring tape or electronic
  distance)

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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresLine-Trans
ect along a randomly select azimuth
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Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
Identifying a change in soil disturbance class
and measuring length of the disturbance
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Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures Verifying
the classification
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Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking /
Compliance Audit

• Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
• 5. Follow the Line-Intercept Transect
  procedures (continued)
• Estimate for each soil disturbance class line
  segment
• Average depth of soil disturbance relative to the
  undisturbed soil
• Suitability of the soil condition for planting
  (severity of compaction and the extent to which
  logging slash is churned with the soil)

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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresUsing
shovel to estimate the level of the undisturbed
soil surface
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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresAssessing
planting media - topsoil is compacted through a
10 inch planting depth - loss of macroporosity
(air-space between soil aggregates).
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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresExample of
non-compacted topsoil - soil loose and friable
(soil macroporosity intact)
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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresRecording
data on an electric hand-held data recorder
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Soil Disturbance Assessment ProceduresAuditor
continues on the azimuth and verifies the next
length of either non-disturbed soil or soil
disturbance
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Soil Management Process Monitoring and Tracking
/ Compliance Audit

• Soil Disturbance Assessment Procedures
• 6. Use the sample grid direction and interval to
  travel to the next sample point
• 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all sample
  transects are assessed
• 8. Summarize the data and generate reports with
  the Soil Assessment Summary Software

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Soil Management ProcessMonitoring and Tracking

• Quality Control Monitoring
• Compliance Audit
• Reports
• Setting Compliance - shows performance against
  standards
• Setting Detail - shows more detailed information
  useful for determining the need for soil
  rehabilitation
• Reports are distributed immediately to Harvest
  Manager and Forester
• Information is summarized on a Monthly,
  Quarterly, Year-end basis to track performance
  trends over time

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Soil Management ProcessReport Copy - Cover Page
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Soil Disturbance from Ground-Logging Declined
After Soil Management Process Implementation
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Soil Management ProcessDouglas-fir Growth
Response on non-tilled and tilled skid trails,
and logged only controls

• Soil Bulk Density, Total Height and Height Growth
  Response
• Coastal Washington
• Soil bulk density increased on skid trails 40
• Early height growth differences were not
  detectable
• Height at 18 years did not differ among
  treatments
• Oregon Cascades
• Soil bulk density increased on skid trails 14
• Early height growth differences were detected
  through year 6-7
• Height growth from years 8 through 10 were not
  different
• Total height at age 10 was 61 cm (2 ft.) less on
  non-tilled trails, or less than 1 years current
  height growth
• Tillage improved growth to that of the
  logged-only control

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Trends of total height for Douglas-fir through 18
years after planting in Coastal Washington on
disturbance classes 0 and 2 3 skid trails with
and without tillage (mean /- standard error).
Average change in net bulk density 40
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Annual height growth of Douglas-fir through 10
years after planting in the Oregon Cascades on
disturbance classes 0 and 2 3 skid trails with
and without tillage (mean /- standard error)
Average change in net bulk density 14
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Soils Management Process Summary

• We have been auditing soil disturbance for the
  last 11 years
• Sharing audit data results and training of
  machine operators has resulted in decreased
  levels of Class 2, 3 and 4 disturbance
• Consequences of soil disturbance on tree growth
  varies by climate and soil types
• Tree height growth on non-tilled skid trail
  eventually becomes equal following early height
  growth reductions, in Oregon after age 7
• Tillage recovered the soils growth potential