This contract is for marking and tallying of hardwood 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. 3 & 17 - Priority One – Thinning 1. Remove all black cherry with black knot, additionally remove high-risk trees showing signs of decline. These trees would show signs of crown thinning, top die back, or short growth nodes. These trees would be unlikely to survive the next decade or two. 2. Intermediate and suppressed trees of any species. 3. Remove poor quality trees with poor structure, poor branch unions or of stump sprout origin. 4. If all trees are good quality move on to Crop Tree Release Priority Two – Crop Tree Release 1) Perform a 3 to 4 sided crop tree release using the criteria below (choose up to 30 trees per acre): a. Vigorous crowns – green leaves, no branch die back and no bare spots in any quadrant b. Live crown ratio is at least 40% c. First log is straight and free of defects d. U-shaped branch connections NOT V-shaped branch connections 2) After releasing crop trees, the residual BA should be thinned to 70 BA. This should be done by marking the poorest quality trees. Other Considerations: • Leave as many trees over 18” DBH as possible with a target of 20 BA over 18” DBH • Retain most trees along roads. • Avoid cutting white pine, eastern hemlock, yellow birch, and oak. 4 - Priority One – Thinning 1. Remove all black cherry with black knot, additionally remove high-risk trees showing signs of decline. These trees would show signs of crown thinning, top die back, or short growth nodes. These trees would be unlikely to survive the next decade or two. 2. Intermediate and suppressed trees of any species. 3. Remove poor quality trees with poor structure, poor branch unions or of stump sprout origin. 4. If all trees are good quality move on to Crop Tree Release Priority Two – Crop Tree Release 1) Perform a 3 to 4 sided crop tree release using the criteria below (choose up to 30 trees per acre): a. Vigorous crowns – green leaves, no branch die back and no bare spots in any quadrant b. Live crown ratio is at least 40% c. First log is straight and free of defects d. U-shaped branch connections NOT V-shaped branch connections 2) After releasing crop trees, the residual BA should be thinned to 70 BA. This should be done by marking the poorest quality trees. Other Considerations: • Leave as many trees over 18” DBH as possible with a target of 20 BA over 18” DBH. • Retain most trees along roads. • Avoid cutting white pine, eastern hemlock, yellow birch, and oak. 5 - Priority One – Thinning 1. Remove all black cherry with black knot, additionally remove high-risk trees showing signs of decline. These trees would show signs of crown thinning, top die back, or short growth nodes. These trees would be unlikely to survive the next decade or two. 2. Intermediate and suppressed trees of any species. 3. Remove poor quality trees with poor structure, poor branch unions or of stump sprout origin. 4. If all trees are good quality move on to Crop Tree Release Priority Two – Crop Tree Release 1) Perform a 3 to 4 sided crop tree release using the criteria below (choose up to 30 trees per acre): a. Vigorous crowns – green leaves, no branch die back and no bare spots in any quadrant b. Live crown ratio is at least 40% c. First log is straight and free of defects d. U-shaped branch connections NOT V-shaped branch connections 2) After releasing crop trees, the residual BA should be thinned to 70 BA. This should be done by marking the poorest quality trees. Other Considerations: • Leave as many trees over 18” DBH as possible with a target of 20 BA over 18” DBH. • Retain most trees along roads. • Avoid cutting white pine, eastern hemlock, yellow birch, and oak
