Integrated Vegetation Management or IVM is a systematic approach to accomplish a variety of stand and vegetation treatments (commercial, non-commercial, and prescribed fire) using a variety of tools (timber sales, stewardship and service contracts) to meet integrated resource objectives developed by multiple disciplines (timber, fuels, silviculture, wildlife , etc). Click here to download the Complete Reader’s Guide.
Project Objectives
Apply ecological forest principles to maintain and/or restore ecological systems of forests in southwest Oregon, reduce wildfire danger ,and contribute to continuous timber production.
- Create diversified stand structure (height, age, and diameter classes) to enhance structural complexity and composition from variability in treatments.
- Produce a sustainable supply of timber and other forest commodities to provide jobs and contribute to community stability.
- Reduce both natural and activity based fuel hazards.
Treatments
Hazardous Fuel reduction, 4,198 acres
Objective: Reduce ladder fuels that pose a risk of wildfire entering stand canopy. Create discontinuous fuel concentrations, and to reduce the presence of surface and ladder fuels. Trees to be cut <8 inches in diameter. Portions of understory to remain for wildlife habitat.
Pine and Oak Restoration, 244 acres
Objective: Preserve ecological diversity. Maintain and restore oak and pine communities. Understory reduction and lower levels of conifer extraction
Density Management, 827 acres
Objectives: Primary understory reduction. Incorporates integrated vegetation management approach to meet multiple objectives: reduce fuels, improve vigor, maintain spotted owl habitat, restore prominence of pine, oaks and large hardwoods. Incorporates ecological forestry principles that produce a lower level commercial byproduct.
Commercial Thin: 194 acres
Objectives: Maintain at least 60% crown closure. Incorporate ecological forestry principles. Improve long term spotted owl habitat while providing some level of wood production.
Variable Density Thinning, 333 acres
Objective: Maintain at least 40% crown closure for spotted owl. Accelerate development of structural and compositional features of late- successional forests.
Riparian thinning
Objective: To meet Aquatic Conservation Strategy objectives: restore and maintain ecological health of watersheds and aquatic systems.
- Select units within Variable Density Thinning, Pine-Oak Restoration, Commercial thinning and Density Management treatments.
- Riparian zones in competitive exclusion and some lacking species diversity
- No thinning within primary shade zone (60-125 ft) of streams. Outside this distance, riparian reserves to retain at least 50 to 60% crown closure.
- No removals of fuels or burning within 25 ft of streams.