Wildlife Tree Retention

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• Wildlife Tree Retention

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Wildlife tree retention

• One of most valuable components of stand-level
  biodiversity
• Over 80 species of wildlife are critically
  dependent on wildlife trees
• WTR is an important part of forest stewardship
  and ecosystem integrity

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Wildlife tree retention

• Legal Definitions
• Wildlife tree - a tree or a group of trees that
  are identified in an operational plan to provide
  present or future wildlife habitat (OPR sec. 1)
• Dangerous tree - any tree that is hazardous to
  workers because of location lean, physical
  damage, overhead hazards etc. (WCBR sec 26)

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Ecological Guiding Principles

• Choose wildlife trees considering
• areas with valuable wildlife tree attributes
• uncommon species (with wildlife value)
• leaving a range of patch sizes and individual
  retention
• interpatch distance (500 m)

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Ecological Considerations

• Retention is for a minimum of one rotation
• Design patches to minimise windthrow
• If no valuable trees then choose for long term
  retention
• leave downed trees for CWD

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Salvage

• THPR Sec. 28 - no salvage in WTP unless approved
  in SP or in writing from DM
• Salvaged WTPs should be replaced

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Rocks, swamps marginal areas

• Max of .25 ha of non-treed area within a patch
• marginally treed areas count as a of full
  stocking

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Seed and Shelterwood trees

• Can count to retention target if left for full
  rotation

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Stubbing

• Encouraged as compliment for wildlife tree
  retention
• Not recommended as contributing towards retention
  target

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Wildlife tree retention

• Forest Practices Code Timber Supply Analysis
  document (Feb 96) estimated that wildlife tree
  retention would have a
• 1.8 Provincial impact on timber supply, or
• 2.8 Provincial impact in the absence of LU
  objectives for OGMAs

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Wildlife tree retention

• Why is WTR being addressed through landscape unit
  planning
• LU objectives will ensure a sound legal basis
  for WTR management
• FDP is guided by and must be consistent with the
  HLP objectives

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Wildlife tree retention

• What needs to be done?
• Calculation of WTR
• Determine total WTR
• Set THLB cap (default is 50 or 25)
• Setting WTR objectives

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Wildlife Tree Retention - Calculation
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Table A3.1
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WTR- Variation in THLB cap

• main reason for allowing variation is to ensure
  subzones with little non-contributing have
  adequate WTR
• calculated PRIOR to setting LU objectives
• result is
• varies THLB cap
• overall impact stays constant

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Wildlife tree retention - calculation

• Determine the THLB WTR target
• interior example - maximum 50 of total WTR
  target will be retained from the THLB.
• Calculate the THLB WTR target hectares by
  multiplying the total WTR percentage by 50 and
  by the crown forested area.
• 8 x 50 x 58,957 2,358 hectares

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WTR Spread Sheet
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Stand level variation

• LU objective may allow variation at the stand
  level for biological reasons
• Controlled within each FDP
• Total WTR objective and THLB cap met over the
  cutblocks within the FDP without exceeding the
  THLB cap

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Wildlife tree objective

• Retain 8 of each cutblock within the SBSdk as
  wildlife trees subject to the following
• All NC with suitable wildlife trees must first be
  used to achieve the overall cutblock target
• A maximum of 4.8 of each cutblock can be
  retained for wildlife trees located in the THLB
• It is acceptable to vary from the 8 and/or 4.8
  for biological reasons, provided the average of
  the cutblocks within the SBSdk equal the 8 and
  up to 4.8 when averaged over all cutblocks in
  the SBSdk subzone within the FDP area.

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Wildlife tree strategy

• Example Strategy
• Every block should have some area reserved for
  WTR
• Where practical, retain wildlife trees in both
  patches and individually

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Wildlife Tree Retention

• Tracking
• SP mapping to .25 ha
• Forest Cover mapping 2 ha and greater
• Auditing/Monitoring
• to be based on aggregate of many SPs
• developed over next several years

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Wildlife Habitat Value