Specifications include, but are not limited to: 1. Thinning Specifications: a. Trees less than 8 inches Diameter Breast Height (DBH) will be spaced leaving 5- 10 feet between crowns, or 15 feet between stems in stands of trees less than 10 feet tall. b. All trees less than 8 inches DBH will be removed within 5 feet of the road edge and chipped or masticated as described below. c. Species selection criteria: Priority will be placed on retaining 1. Quaking Aspen, 2. Western White pine, 3. Western Larch, 4. Ponderosa pine, 5. Alaska Yellow Cedar, 6. Douglas fir, 7. Lodgepole pine, 8. Engelmann spruce, 9. Subalpine fir, and 10. Mountain Hemlock. Remove Grand fir when other species are present. d. Remove all trees less than 8 inches DBH growing within the drip-lines of over story conifers, or where tree crowns overlap. e. Trees with poor growth form, and less than 30% live crown ratio should be targeted for removal. f. Trees with a Hawksworth dwarf mistletoe rating of 4 or greater will be targeted for removal. 2. Pruning Specifications: a. No pruning is required on trees less than 6 feet tall. b. All live limbs will be pruned by hand up to a height of 10 feet, or 30% of the tree height, whichever is shorter. c. The cut limbs will be chipped or masticated on site. d. Proper pruning techniques will be used in order to minimize damage to tree boles. Limbs will be pruned at the branch collar. 3. Brush Control Specifications: a. Non-coniferous brush will be cut and chipped or masticated on site unless islands are pre-designated or agreed to in writing by the DNR project manager or designee. 4. Slash Disposal Specifications: a. Chips will be dispersed evenly over the site, not to exceed a depth greater than 4 inches, unless the project manager or their designee specifically states in writing otherwise. b. Dead and down material up to 8 inches in diameter will be chipped or masticated and the material scattered over the work site. c. The limbs of dead and down trees will be removed and chipped or masticated and the remaining trunk will be left in place unless several trees have created a piled concentration. In this case, the remaining tree trunks will be separated by at least 10 feet from any other logs and left on site. d. Chipping and mastication means grinding, shredding, chopping, cutting, or breaking of trees, logs, slash, and vegetative material to no greater than 4” x 4” x 12”. Ninety percent (90%) of this material must be no larger than the stated dimensions, and 100% must be below 6” x 6” x 24” in size. 5. Standing dead trees that pose a hazard to workers and/or are within 1.5 tree lengths of roads or structures shall be felled and treated using the slash disposal specifications.
