This is a 182 acre per ton, per product first thinning sale. The stands are part of loblolly or slash pine plantations roughly 18-23 years in age. There are two project areas. Project Area 1 will be a 3rd row thin, 120 acres. Project area 2 will be a 5th row thin, 62 acres. For both project areas, in between the rows will be thinned, leaving a residual 60-70ft2 . All stands will be daylighted 30 feet from road edge and 15 feet from fire break edge. The goal of harvesting this area is to leave the best trees in the stand. It is an operator’s select thinning from below. Meaning…forked, crooked, diseased, cankered trees should be removed first. Pulpwood and chip and saw should be the next products removed, and so on until the BA goal is met. Harvesting boundaries are formed mainly by WMA roads, natural streams and wetlands, and old firebreaks. Boundaries for the sale area are marked with a diagonal double stripe, blue paint. Marked boundary trees are not to be cut. Harvesting equipment should stay within these boundaries. Trees are not to be felled over the harvest boundary lines or into the surrounding SMZ’s and roads. Remove all logging slash that does get into the fire breaks or trails.
