SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERA

A grove of Douglas Fir being engulfed by Dwarf Mistletoe

Forest Management

Living in a forest comes with responsibilities; trees are dynamic organisms – often competing with other trees for water, nutrients, light & space. In a dense forest these resources become limited so trees become stressed then vulnerable to a variety of maladies such as beetles, root rot infection, or become engulfed with Dwarf Mistletoe.

The Threat

Without a doubt the greatest potential threat to a forest is fire during a long, hot, dry, summer. The weather we cannot control but one should be pro-active and manage a forest to modify fire behavior in order to protect home and property.

Forest-Management

 Dense forest loaded with potential “fuels”.

Promote your forest’s health and safety by:

Step #1 remove any dead, dying or infected (by disease or insect) trees.

Stand thinning, creating space between healthy trees is critical in the prevention of potential beetle infestation as well as reducing the amount of “fuel” available if a fire were to occur.

Mistletoe removal; if left unchecked Mistletoe can ruin an entire stand of Douglas Fir. If caught early enough the Mistletoe can be pruned out of the tree however if more than 50% of a tree’s canopy is mistletoe the tree may need to be removed.

Fuel Reduction; after thinning, the removal of dead branches and thinning understory is critical in keeping potential fuels for fire down to a manageable level.