Selection management of interior Douglas-fir for mule deer winter range

• Main Author: Day, John Kenneth
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/8059

A working plan for the Knife Creek block of the Alex Fraser Research Forest is presented. The plan recommends single-tree selection management of interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menzesii var. glaucd) to maintain and enhance winter range habitat for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) near Williams Lake in central British Columbia. An extensive review of the literature describes the silvics of Douglas-fir, the ecology and history of the area, and the ecology of mule deer. Mule deer at Knife Creek are dependent upon Douglas-fir forests, because large Douglasfirs provide shelter from winter snow and wind-blown litterfall as forage. It is suggested that current stand structures are different from the condition that existed a century ago, and place winter range values at risk due to fire and insect attack. Single-tree-selection management will reduce those risks over time. Stand level regulation by the "Basal Area - Maximum Diameter - q Factor" method is pursued, and two target stand structures are recommended: -Low to moderate cover is provided by B = 18 m²/ha D = 60 cm dbh, and q = 1.25 -Moderate to high cover is provided by B = 25 m²/ha D = 70 cm dbh, and q = 1.2 Cover for deer will vary within a stand depending upon time since harvest. A cutting cycle of 20 years is recommended, and forest level regulation is provided by area control. The Allowable Annual Cut is thereby established as 170.9 ha/year. A stand table projection model is offered without validation. Once completed, the model will be used to develop a volume check for the allowable cut, thereby developing a harvest queue that will provide relatively even flow of timber volume. Methodologies for sampling and describing stands, developing prescriptions, and implementing cutting plans are provided. A list of research and training required to implement this plan across similar winter ranges in the Cariboo Forest Region is provided. Implementation of this working plan will provide a blueprint for managing mule deer winter range by single-treeselection management of Douglas-fir. Key Words: Cariboo Region, Interior Douglas-fir zone, logging guidelines, mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus hemionus, Pseudotsuga menzesii var. glauca, single-tree selection management, Alex Fraser Research Forest, uneven-aged management === Forestry, Faculty of === Graduate