Improving crop tree production is enhancing wildlife and fish habitat making a win-win for all.

Grays Harbor County


Variable density precommercial thinning to enhance the riparian forest buffer, release understory conifer, enhance understory vegetation for wildlife cover and forage, encourage wind-firmness of trees in the riparian buffer and improving growth of the crop trees.


Quinault Indian Nation Department of Natural Resources: Division of Forestry, Division of Fisheries and the Division of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).


These forest plantations were originally planted to conifers but the red alders and other natural volunteer hardwood species quickly overtopped the planted conifers. Competition with the red alders and other natural volunteers slows conifers growth and reduced the native understory vegetation. Native understory vegetation is important deer and elk forage and cover. These plantations were established prior to the current Quinault Nation’s Forest Management Plan protection standards for water quality and fish habitat. The present riparian buffers, along these plantations, are very narrow and are mostly red alder and other hardwoods. It is important to have conifers in and near these riparian buffers for eagle nesting and roosting, snag recruitment for cavity nesters, and recruitment of large woody debris for stream and fish habitat. Also, the riparian buffer trees are at risk for being blown-down by the wind, especially after the main stand receives final harvest.


Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provided an incentive to implement a variable density thinning treatment in these overstocked plantations. The riparian buffer was thinned at wider spacing intervals to release and protect the understory conifers. Plus, this spacing encourages wind-firmness in the red alder overstory of the riparian buffer. The overstocked main plantations were thinned to a closer spacing than the riparian areas. This precommercial thinning was designed to encourage growth of the overstory, release the understory conifers and to enhance the native understory vegetation for elk and deer forage and cover.


A simple tool like Forest Stand Improvement/precommercial thinning (FSI) can provide an important win-win situation for the landowners economic interests as well as fish and wildlife habitat when you accomplish Variable Density Thinning.


The riparian forest buffers were enlarged to meet the current Quinault Nation’s Forest Management Plan protection standards for water quality and fish habitat. Understory conifers were protected and released for enhanced growth so they can reclaim their place in the flood plain ecosystem. The stocking of the plantation was reduced to encourage growth of the overstory crop trees, understory conifers and native understory vegetation. The combination of thinning treatment within the riparian forest buffer and associated main plantation achieved the desired Variable Density Thinning objective.


Carri Gaines, Quinault Tribal Office, (360) 276-8215 ext. 275


NRCS, Spring 2007

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