Zimber Timber LLC

Forest Stewardship and

Management Plan
Colleen Hill, Kelsie Grover,
Michael Zsoldos, and Sarah Lipuma

Mr. Chad Gifford Sawtooth

Retired executive who worked for

Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company for 40
years.
Lived in Washington State before moving
back to New Jersey.
Lives with his wife in New Brunswick,NJ
Has one son, Stihl, who works in Alabama
as a forest geneticist for Georgia Pacific.

Objectives

Ensure Sawtooth Forest produces the maximum

amount of wood and profit it can
Meet Farmland Tax assessment criteria
Protect against wildfires
Produce a maximum sustainable yield of wood
fiber while meeting all T&E and Pinelands/
State regulations.
Protect against pests and pathogens
Follow the guidelines for NJ forest stewardship
plan

Forest Stands

Background History
History of Farming

1933, working cranberry bog in

Lake Fred, use of dams
Upper edge of the
deciduous/coniferous stand
was cleared for farmland
Significant harvest of trees in
the wooded coniferous
wetlands and
coniferous/deciduous standmost likely for timber or
charcoal

History of Fires
1928- 798 acres to the
east of the property
1936- acres to the
northeast
1940- 2199 acres all
along the eastern
border of the forest
property
1950- 193 acres
southwest

Soils
There were five soil types in
the forest:
Atsion sand
Berryland sand
Downer loam sand
Klej loamy sand
Muck

Atsion, Berryland, and Muck - acidic, poorly drained, wetlands soils.

Downer loam sand - upland soil and is well drained
Klej loamy sand - between well drained and poorly drained

Threatened & Endangered Species

Coopers hawk nest discovered in the AWC

wetlands along the Cedick Run corridor.

Subject to removal from the list of T&E

wildlife in NJ.

No other T&E species were found within

Sawtooth Forest during the survey periods

http://birdsinphotos.com/Raptors/Hawks,%20Falcons,%20
and%20Kites/Cooper's%20Hawk/slides/_0SB2159%20co
opers%20hawk.jpg

(2007-2009)

Silvics
Atlantic white-cedar

Grows best in Histosols and Spodosols.

Best growth is achieved in swamps with a relatively dry surface

about 4 to 5 inches above the water table.

Dense slash and a thick litter layer are unfavorable for seedling
growth.

Requires relatively open conditions, and little competition with

hardwoods, to become established.

Silvics
Shortleaf pine

Grows best on deep, well-drained soils that have fine sandy or

silty loam textures - Ultisol and suborder Udult soils.

Natural regeneration best achieved through drum-chopping and

scarification

Understory hardwood control and elimination of overstory

competition may be needed
o increases establishment & seedling survival

Landscape Plan Overall

Cedar stand Silviculture

Overstocked 8.05 acres

Year 1 and 8, thin and removal of low
quality trees in 4.025 acres
Clearcut one acre at ten year intervals in
a staggered pattern
Following clearcuts, we will monitor for
adverse impacts due to deer predation.
Natural regeneration - No deer fence
http://www.fws.gov/nces/port/LargeAWC(ScotlandCo)(12Nov04)%
20copy.jpg

Removal of Cedars

Sensitive wetland area

Temporary log bridges,
removed
after harvesting and thinnings
are completed
Felling of trees away from
stream
Ecologically sensitive
harvesting equipment
Follow Best Management
Practices

http://www.webpenguin.net/wpcontent/uploads/2011/10/DSC02712.jpg

http://www.doggettgroup.com/uploads/doggett/categ
ory/643k143785largem554x352.jpg.ashx?w=554&h=352

Coniferous-Deciduous stand Silviculture

Moderately stocked 36.01 acres.
Plow existing fire lines / create
buffer along Coniferous Wooded
Wetland
Year two, backfires performed to
control fuel buildup and
understory trees/shrubs
Seedtree method and release cuts
will be used to manage this stand.

http://media-cacheak0.pinimg.com/736x/57/54/10/57541030f8a344a5d3d24f43fc315621.jp
g

Coniferous-Deciduous stand R/x

Year 3 & 14, seed tree thin and drum chop in 18.005 acres.
Drum chopping will break up root mats, encourage
regeneration.
Year 6, seed trees will be removed and a release cut will be
done.
Continued semi-annual monitoring of stand stocking.
Thinning if stand becomes overstocked to maximize
wood production.
Rotation lengths of 60-70 years

Coniferous Wooded Wetland stand

silviculture
Year 3, multiple tree selection of 26.7 acres.
Retain all AWC and some large Red Maples as Legacy Trees
Intention is to convert 8.8 acres to AWC Bog for higher

profit
Year 3, establishment cut in 8.8 acres
Year 4, plant AWC seedlings
in 8.8 acres 1000/acre
Year 7, monitor for deer predation
& release cut of non AWC
Year 30, thin / as needed due to
overstocking

http://www.liveanimalslist.com/mammals/images/what-do-deereat-grass.jpg

Deciduous-Coniferous stand
Silviculture

Understocked 16.66 acres

Year 4, thin out blackgum
and remove low value timber
Plow fire lines and create
buffers prior to prescribed
burns
Fire rotation on a 20 year
basis
Retain snags after fire to
improve ecological quality of
site.
http://wfiles.brothersoft.com/f/forest-fires_176336-1600x1200.jpg

Coniferous stand Silviculture

Conversion from predominantly Pitch pine to predominantly
Shortleaf pine. 9.52 acres.
Seed tree method
50 year rotation
Year 1, removal of all trees except large high quality Shortleaf
pines for seed trees.
Year 2, plant pre-treated seedlings (Feb-Mar) 650/acre
Year 5, Remove seed trees, administer release
cut to remove hardwood resprouts and Pitch
pine regeneration.
Year 9, plow fire lines
Year 10, prescribed backburns to reduce
understory, as well as, year 24.
http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2004/06/10/htop/1a29
6a.jpg

Coniferous stand continued

Year 16 and 30, Commercial thin to reduce basal area and
promote Shortleaf growth.
Year 50, clearcut and retain
seed trees to restart rotation.
Successive rotation will not
require seeding
Scarification during logging
and burning provide effective
site preparation for natural
regeneration of Shortleaf
Pine (USFS)
http://www.forestryimages.org/images/768x512/4800030.jpg

Timetable 10 years later

YEAR

Coniferous Wooded
Wetland

2015

Atlantic whitecedar
Thin 4.025 acres

2016
2017

Establishment cut for

AWC regeneration

2018

Plant AWC seedlings

in 8.8 acres

Coniferous
Removal of PIP and
hardwood, Seedtree
cut

Plow fire
lines/buffers

plant seedlings in
9.52 acres

Prescribed burn

Removal of low
value timber
Remove Seedtrees,
cleaning

2020

2022

Remove
Seedtrees
Check for deer
predation, cleaning in
8.8 acres
Thin 4.025 acres

2023
2024

ConiferousDeciduous

Thin and drumchop 18.005 acres

2019

2021

DeciduousConiferous

plow fire
lines/buffers
Clearcut- 1 acre

Prescribed burn

YEAR

Coniferous Wooded Atlantic white-cedar

Wetland

2025

Coniferous

DeciduousConiferous

Commercial
Thin

Commercial
Thin

Check for deer

predation

2026
2027
2028
2029

2030
2031
2032

2033

Plow fire
lines/buffers

2034

Clearcut- 1 acre

2035

Check for deer

predation

Fire

2036
2037

2038

Fire

2039
2040

2041
2042
2043
2044

2045

Commercial Thin

Clearcut- 1 acre

Commercial
Thin

ConiferousDeciduous

Farmland Tax Assessment

Available to landowners with at least 5 acres
Easily met with over 100 acres
Requires a woodland management plan, a map
of the land, and soil group classes
To qualify, the gross income must be at least
$552.50
Sawtooth Forest Gross annual income over 10
years: $1,272.11
Reduces taxes from $21661.85 per year to
$458.47 per year

Economics
Maximum sustainable yield- maximum level at
which forest products can be harvested without
depletion in the long-term.

Coniferous Wooded Wetland= $924.96

Atlantic White Cedar Stand= $9,050.51
Coniferous Stand= -$4,621.58
Coniferous/Deciduous Stand= -$5,184.72
Deciduous/ Coniferous Stand= $1382.41
Total Gross Profit= $1,551.58

Pests
Southern Pine Beetle
No evidence of Southern Pine Beetle in Sawtooth forest.
Infected trees in the forest by Stocktons intramural field.
Prevention: Thinning, should reduce the infestation risks
Treatment: Salvage cuts of dead/infested trees, Directional Felling to
prevent further outbreaks

Gypsy Moth
No evidence of Gypsy Moth defoliation in Sawtooth forest
Prevention: Monitoring for infestations, possible aerial pesticide sprays
to prevent an outbreak
Minimal prevention and control

Pathogen/Disease
Oak Wilt, Oak Decline, & Bacterial Leaf
Scorch

Possible Oak Wilt infection in Black oaks in the

Coniferous-Deciduous stand
No evidence of Oak Decline or Bacterial Leaf
Scorch in Sawtooth Forest
Prevention: early detection and thinning
Treatment for Oak Wilt: whole tree removal of
infected trees, removal of root grafts between
healthy and infected trees
Treatment for Bacterial Leaf Scorch: watering
of affected trees, removal of affected branches
below scorched sections

http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/prokaryotes/Pag
es/BacterialLeafScorch.aspx

Wildfire
Do
This...

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_MEDIA/fsm9_028407
.jpg

To
Prevent
This...

http://www.airphotona.com/stockimg/images/17831.
jpg

100+ acre fires 1928, 1936, 1940, 1950 in the area

2006, 36 acre prescribed burn
High risk due to fuel build up
Prescribed burn on the land to minimize the risk of devastating
wildfire
No burning in AWC stand, Wooded Wetlands or, Bog wetlands
Backfire technique to lower fuel loads
Mid December - Late January no students on campus

Invasive Species
Japanese Honeysuckle & Multiflora Rose
No evidence in Sawtooth forest, but both

are present close to the property.

Prevention/Treatment: early detection and
follow up of dice-chopping and herbicidal
stem injections

http://www.biosurvey.ou.edu/okwild/japhon.html

Japanese Wisteria
Heavy infestation in Zingraff farm, but no

evidence in Sawtooth Forest

Prevention/Treatment: same methods used
for the Multiflora rose & Japanese
Honeysuckle

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/graphics/taxonomy/plants/s
permatophyta/angiosperms/dicotyledonae/rosaceae/
multiflora%20rose/

Adaptive Management

Adaptive management involves planning and acting

using a forest management plan, monitoring the
effects of treatments, and then evaluating the
treatments.
Goals can be revised because of new knowledge and
new technology, which can result in a new plan.
Sawtooth Forest will be monitored for deer
browsing, insect infestation, and to analyze the
effects past treatments are having on the flora,
fauna, and productivity of the forest.

Final Conclusions
Sawtooth Forest will take time to produce sustainable yield of
timber and maximum amount of income due to its initial poor
quality and overstocked stands.
First 10 years - paying full taxes in the first two years puts us
deep in the negative.
Qualifying for Farmland Assessment Program removes
burdensome land tax.
Wildfires, pests, pathogens, and invasives will be monitored
closely and managed accordingly.
BMPs for wetlands and pinelands areas will be followed

Works Cited

Andrea M. Teti, Inc. (2008). Threatened and endangered snake species surveys for the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
Barnett, James P., John C. Brissette, and William C. Carlson. (1986). Artificial regeneration of shortleaf pine. In Proceedings, Symposium on the
Shortleaf Pine Ecosystem, March 31 - April 2, 1986, Little Rock, AR. p. 64-88. Paul A. Murphy, ed. Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Monticello.
Bower, David R., and Edwin R. Ferguson. (1968). Understory removal improves shortleaf pine growth. Journal of Forestry 66(5):421-422.
Cain, Michael D. (1988). Hardwood control before harvest improves natural pine regeneration.
USDA Forest Service, Research Paper SO-249. Southern Forest Experiment Station, New Orleans, I-A. 6 p.
Eyre, F. H., ed. (1980). Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 p.
Fowells, H. A., comp. (1965). Silvics of forest trees of the United States. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook 271. Washington, DC. 762
p.
Lawson, Edwin R. (1986). Natural regeneration of shortleaf pine. In Proceedings, Symposium on the Shortleaf Pine Ecosystem, March 31 - April 2, 1986,
Little Rock, AR. p. 53-63. Paul
A. Murphy, ed. Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, Monticello.
Lawson, Edwin R. [Date unknown]. Shortleaf pine, Pinus echinata. B.S. P. Volume 1: Conifers.
<http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1>. P. 630-652.
Little, S., Garrett P. W. [Date unknown]. Atlantic White Cedar, Chamaecyparis thyoides (L.) B.S. P. Volume 1: Conifers.
<http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1>. P.182-193.
Survey Report: Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), and Barred Owl
(Strix varia). New Jersey Pinelands Commission Application No. 1981-1833.046
Mylecraine, K. A., & Zimmermann, G. L. (2000). Atlantic white-cedar: Ecology and best Management Practices Manual.
New Jersey Forest Fire Service. (2008). Fire Safety Initiative: Stafford and Barnegat Township.
<www.state.nj.us/pinelands/images/pdf%20files/FSI%20Report%20%20091908.pdf>.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Good Forest Management is Good Carbon Management. NJ Forest Stewardship Program.
<http://www.state.nj.us/dep/ parksandforests/forest/good_forest_mgt_is_good_carbon_mgt.pdf>.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. (2009). Guidelines for Addressing Wetlands and Flood Hazard Areas in NJ Forest Stewardship
Plans. NJ Forest Stewardship Program. <http://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/ wetlands_and_flood_hazard_areas.pdf>.
Russell, T. E. (1979). Planting and seeding shortleaf pine. In Proceedings, Symposium for the
Management of Pines of the Interior South, November 7-8, 1978. p. 7-13. USDA Forest Service, Technical Publication SA-TP2. Southeastern Area State
and Private Forestry, Atlanta, GA. 221 p.
Stankey, G. H., R. N. Clark, and B. T. Bormann. (2005). Adaptive Management of Natural Resources: Theory, Concepts, and Management Institutions.
Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 73 p.