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Quinault Indian Nations Utilizes EQIP

Submitted by Carri Gaines, Tribal Liaison, Quinault Nation

Back in 2003, the Quinault Indian Nation (QIN) adopted their current Forest Management Plan (FMP).  The new FMP significantly changed how floodplains and riparian buffers were viewed and treated.  Previous land management practices on the Quinault reservation altered the riparian vegetation which often resulted in hardwood dominated riparian and floodplain areas that were originally mixed or conifer dominated.  The new FMP encouraged the reestablishment of the coniferous component in the riparian and floodplain areas along with increasing the riparian forest buffer protection for the rivers and streams.

At the end of the F-15 road (also known as the Jessie James area) are five forest stands that were way over stocked.  In major parts of these stands the understory vegetation was declining due to the density of the tree overstory.  What’s more, these five stands were part of the flood plain and river terrace system of the Quinault River, which is the primary habitat for elk on the Quinault Reservation.  Two of the stands were in the flood plain and three were on the river terrace.  Grover Oakerman, QDNR’s Wildlife Biologist (who has worked for QDNR for 4 years) said that for the first three years that he did elk surveys for the Quinault River area he did not have a data point for the two flood plain stands in this F-15 project area, most likely due to the lack of forage.

In addition, four of the five stands had streams either as boundaries or dissecting through them and the fifth stand had small forested wetlands that needed protection.  In 1994 and 1995 when these stands were originally harvested, the riparian forest buffers were very narrow, from no buffer at all to about 30’ wide.  Plus, these buffers were almost entirely made up of hardwoods.  At the time of the harvest, the buffers widths were considered adequate and the fact that they were mostly hardwoods was not an issue.  However, under the 2003 FMP, buffer widths are much larger for these types of streams; up to 80’ wide on each side.

To achieve the multiple benefits defined in the new FMP, QIN decided to treat the area accordingly and asked NRCS to be partners on the project through the EQIP program.  All five stands were precommercially thinned.  For the two flood plain stands, the Red Alder overstory was thinned and the conifer (mostly Sitka Spruce) understory was preserved, creating a multistoried stand that eventually will provide the much needed coniferous component to the flood plain.  All the riparian forest buffers were enlarged to 80’; thinned to wider spacing; conifers and species diversity was encouraged.  According to Grover, he found elk foraging in one of the flood plain stands for the first time this spring.

This year (2007) the Quinault Indian Nation, asked NRCS to be a partner on a project (through EQIP) that includes most of the Prairie Creek sub-watershed to the Quinault River.  The project includes a Pest Management Plan, restoration of the riparian forest buffer and upland wildlife habitat management.

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