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6, hi is week:

tt s different
up there |

If we’re going to manage our
forests wisely we must first under-
stand nature. This is a rather ob-

vious, straight-forward -statenent.

Even the mildly interested week-
end gardener takes the time to read
a book or ask a few questions of a
professional before sowing his first
seeds. At least if they’re serious

about raising a successful crop

they do. Yet, even though the price
of failure is much higher, the

forest industry doesn’t always

seem to comply with this simple
rule.
As we have seen with the man-

“agement of river valleys, there is a

lot we can do wrong if we decide
to write our own rules for Nature’s

game. We can cut the wrong trees,

or too many of the right trees. We
can replant too late for any mea-
Surable guarantee of success or
replace them with the wrong spec-
ies. If we're not careful we can
destroy the soil so nothing of value
is going to grow anyway.

Or we might admit that Nature is
smarter than we are and decide

after planting. that no brushing,

thinning, pruning or herbicides are

required. Depending on n the speci-
fic site, some or all of these
silvicultural methods may or may
not be. the right thing to-do. The
key to good management, then, is:

‘to admit that Nature is a lot

smarter but to realize that we can
improve on Nature’s opportunities
if we become a little smarter our-
selves.

Last week we discussed the
complexities of mid-slope ecology;
this week we’ve decided to log it.
How do we begin? First let’s con-
sider a few of the facts we’ve
learned. We know that the soil
layer is thinner and more fragile
than in the valley below. This is
because the mid-slopes are “flow
through” sites for soil and nutrient-
laden rain water. To a great
degree, this is governed by the
steepness of the slope.

Also, we can be fairly certain
that our hillside contains a number
of smaller sites that are more
valuable as habitat reserves or
sources of natural regeneration, not
just as sources of logs. The loca-
tion of these sites depends on a
variety of factors; the direction the

Terrace Review — Wednesday, May 16, 1990 AT

by Tod Strachan

slope faces, moisture retention, soil |

type, steepness and type of growth
are among them.

First, then, we explore our hill-
side and based on these and other
details we decide exactly where,
when and how we're going to log.
The "how" for the majority of
mid-slope sites will probably be
clear-cutting; not the huge clear--
cuts we often see, but clear-cutt-
ing.

The size and shape of these
"smaller" -clear cuts will be site
specific and in most cases deter-
mined by the local topography.
The basic consideration being the
steepness of the slope we want to
log. In other words, is our site flat,
a series of benches, a continuous
slope, or a combination of these?

If the site consists of a series of
benches, we might clear-cut from
bench to bench; leaving the slopes

in between. If it’s closer to a con-
tinuous slope we could use a
simple rule-of-thumb: Clear-cuts
will be no larger than 20 to 50
hectares (50 to 125 acres), and the
shape will be determined by the
steepness of the slope.

That is, the top to bottom differ-
ence in elevation will be no more
than 200 to 250 metres. If the
slope is shallow, then, the distance
across the clear-cut slope will be
less than the distance from the
lower to the higher level of the
clear-cut. If it’s steep, the shape of
the clear-cut might be closer to a
square or perhaps even a greater
distance across the slope than it is
from the lower to higher level.

But in either case, our clear-cuts
would stick to the 20 to 50 hectare
rule; with an unlogged area
between each clear-cut site of
about the same size. The reasons

for this should be obvious. Imagine

‘ clear-cut, blowing down healthy

perimeter trees trying to maintain
a foothold in the rain-saturated
soil, One or two uprooted trees,
each taking with it a sizeable
chunk of the mountain side, can
cause an entire slope to fail. And
with one good avalanche you
might be down to bare rock; the”
entire process of primary suc-
cession has to start over again.

If these reasons aren’t good
enough, try replanting your 100
hectare clear-cut. Natural regener-
ation won’t work. It’s too large an
area. Even if Nature does try to
reseed the slope, you end up with
areas containing too many trees
and wind-sheltered pockets with no
trees at all. Some spots need thin-
ning while others need planting.

And if you replant, you have to
be very selective in the seedlings
you use. If the cones that produced
the seedlings came from a different

Te i ee ee LE ET

a large hillside of equal slope. It
would be clear-cut in a grid of
alternating clear-cut and forested
blocks.

ee inate le me

elevation or different type of eco-
system they will likely fail or at
best not grow well. And in a large

ee

Riverboat |

en PT

Days

Contributed by
Mary Ann Burdett
This week the Riverboat Days
Society salutes the British Col-
umbia Old Age Pensioners’

Organization Branch #73.

This group, under the able
leadership of president Fred

- Berghauser, 1st vice president

Lou Gair, 2nd vice president
Pearl Normandy and secretary
Aileen Frank, works to maintain
a gathering place (The Happy
Gang Centre) for seniors and
not-so-seniors to meet socially.
Branch #73, Terrace, was in-
stituted in the fall of 1958 with
13 members under the leadership
of charter president W.D. Grif-
fiths. He held the office until his
passing in 1971. Prior to obtain-
ing their facilities, this group
met in the United Church, the
Legion, the original Community

‘Centre and the Arena. After

salutes...

much work on the part of the

building committee and the co-
6peration of the citizens of Ter-
race, the Happy ‘‘Happy Gang
Centre’’ opened on Sept. 13,
1980.

This facility on Kalum St.
provides organized and spon-
taneous recreation for our
beloved seniors, some of which
includes morning exercise classes
Tuesdays and Thursdays, card
playing, carpet bowling, sewing
and quilting, and just plain old
fashioned conversation. The
seniors serve light lunches for a
very nominal fee to the public
Monday through Friday each
week and a pancake breakfast
the first Saturday of cach
month. Once a month there is a
dinner or pot-luck supper at the
Happy Gang Centre followed by
dancing or other entertainment.

This group enjoys tours. to

Pifer — continued from page A6

~ Parting Thought: In the
years of Restraine with a
capital R, the financial
eminence gris to then-premier
Bill Bennett was Dr. David
Emerson, who became known
as Dr. Doom for his dire warn-
ings of deficits and destruction.

So guess who will replace
Frank Rhodes as deputy
minister to the Premier? Yes,
you’re way ahead of me... Dr.

_ Doom is baaaaaack!! Say tun-

ed for Restraint Il, or how to
win re-election a

many and varied places and have
entertained seniors from other
clubs from as far away: as Ed--
monton. Our seniors have work-
ed hard throughout their lives
and now, in their retirement, are
working hard at maintaining
and enjoying this center that
they have achieved. Drop in and
see them for lunch some day — I
have more than once and found it

to be inexpensive, simple yet

delicious, and the company
warm and welcoming.

Come Riverboat Days on the
Saturday morning of Aug. 4,
they will be serving a pancake
breakfast open to the public;
again you will find it inexpensive
and delicious.

That will be a busy Saturday
for this group as they are already
making plans for their float that
will appear in the parade

The Riverboat Days Society
thanks our seniors for paving
the way for us in Terrace. We
salute them for their accom-
plishments, and we will see them
for breakfast on Aug. 4 from 8

-to 1 a.m. How about you?

P.S. This year our.seniors are
also sponsoring a ‘‘Riverboat
Days coloring contest for the
younger set. Surely their com-
munity spirit and energies are to
be admired and imitated. |

The advantages? Each small

- Clear-cut is surrounded by natural

growth and this promotes natural
regeneration; the best silviculture
method for mid-slopes. Erosion
and blow-down problems are also
minimized and soil and nutrient
retention are ensured.

From an economic point of view,
though, clear-cutting the whole

slope and replanting with healthy
seedlings can be much more effi-.

cient and profitable. So why not
take charge of the situation and
show Nature how it’s done? Well,
more than a few forest companies
have tried... and failed. And there
are a couple of good reasons:
erosion problems and plantation
failure.

From an erosion point of view
you have to consider a simple fact.
In a forested area only about 20 to
25 percent of a normal rainfall
actually hits the ground. It takes a
good half-inch of rain before you
see much of anything on the
ground. As much as 80 percent of
the rain water is caught by the
trees and simply evaporates.

Take all the trees away, though,
and the entire downpour hits the
slopes. You have up to five times
as much water on the ground. This
drains into creeks and heads for
the river valley, taking with it
valuable soil and nutrients. It’s a
"nutrient avalanche". Just a few
heavy rainfalls and there are less
available nutrients in which to
grow a new Crop of trees.

Also from an erosion point of
view, you have to consider the
effect of local winds. A gust of

wind can gain a lot of momentum:
. in an over-sized, poorly.. oriented

Pe RP aus Se a

B.C. V8G6. 1M7.....

clear-cut you’re dealing with quite
a variety of different ecosystems.

The final consideration in mid--
slope management has to do with
the loggers themselves. Site prep-
aration on or near a slope is more
difficult than in a flat river valley.
Slash fires tend to run up the slope
and often burn an area a little
larger than originally planned.
Slash burning, then, is out. Instead,
you have to be a little more careful
when you log. Leave less waste
and better utilize the trees that are
there. This is just one more argu-
ment in favour of smaller ‘clear--
cuts; they’re far easier to manage.

Next week, we move further up
the hillside to the upper-slopes. An
area of even thinner soils, fewer
nutrients and more extreme
weather. An area important for the
supply of soils and nutrients to
lower elevations but one that’s
very difficult to manage. Because
of this, it’s an area some say we
shouldn’t log at all.

Speak
to us

Forestry Insights is regular
weekly feature of the Terrace
Review, written by staff reporter

Tod Strachan in consultation with

Registered Professional Foresters
Rod Arnold and Doug Davies. We
encourage our readers to become
involved in forestry i issues by sub- -
mitting questions, comments’ and -
contributions of their own. Writeto
Forestry Insights, clo the Terrace

Review, 4535. ores Ave. ‘Terrace,

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