This contract is for marking and tallying of red pine stands on the Hiawatha National Forest. The USFS has completed all line work that is required for this contract. Line work is done in orange and red paint. The stands must be marked according to the following prescriptions and tallied according to the instructions in the cruise design section of this contract. 1 - Thin from below to an average of 90-100 basal area using the cut tree priority below. Focus on leaving the best quality red pine crop trees available. Where tree quality is uniform, focus on leaving residual trees at an even spacing for optimal growth. For proper spacing a stand with 10” DBH residual crop trees at 90-100 basal area should have trees spaced approximately every 15 feet. Do not remove more than ½ the basal area in any given area. Generally, the rows are wide enough for equipment access. Create skid trails as needed. They should be wide enough to accommodate the logging equipment, without damaging residual trees. Pay special attention to where they will be turning. Keep the width of the skid trails as narrow as possible and the width between the skid trails as wide as possible. Cut Tree Priority 1. Low quality suppressed Red Pine 2. Jack Pine 3. Other red pine as needed to reduce the BA to desired levels...
