Flathead National Forest/Coram Experimental Forest - Resilience
Treatment: allow some change in current conditions, but encourage eventual return to reference conditions
Management Goals
- Increase proportion and development of long-lived, fire-adapted species
- Maintain genetic diversity via large diameter, long-lived trees and planting tree improvement seed
- Enhance spatial and structural heterogeneity
- Maintain high productivity and supply of wood products at regular intervals
- Promote development of large-diameter, long-lived trees to promote old-growth characteristics
- Reduce hazard of crown fire
- Maintain low surface fuels
- Maintain low levels of insects and diseases
- Maintain and improve forage production
Strategies & approaches
- Use group selection to create 2-4 acre openings with feathered edges, retaining 6-8 seed tree clumps per acre in openings, favoring retention of western larch and western white pine
- Uniform thinning to 75-85 ft2/acre in the matrix
- Plant western larch and western white pine in group openings (2-4 acre)
- Slash and/or remove damaged trees to facilitate site preparation
- Reduce ladder fuels and burn slash piles
Check out Other Treatments
Site Leads & Partners
Justin Crotteau (USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station) is the site lead for the Northern Rockies ASCC site, whose team currently includes David Wright (USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station) and Elliott Meyer (USDA Flathead National Forest). Past team members include Elaine Kennedy Sutherland, Terrie Jain, Chris Keyes, Melissa Jenkins, and Amanda Rollwage.
Justin Crotteau
Site Lead
Research Forester
Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service
Missoula Forestry Sciences Lab
800 East Beckwith Ave
Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: 406-542-4169
Justin.crotteau@usda.gov
David Wright
Manager
Ecologist, Manager Coram Experimental Forest
Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service
Missoula Forestry Sciences Lab
800 East Beckwith Ave
Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: 406-542-4181
david.wright2@usda.gov