|
||||||
Environmental
office staff have applied principles and guidelines of ecosystem management in a regional
planning context, with particular attention paid to economic, social, and environmental
factors. Following are some feature programs that indicate the comprehensive nature of
this approach:
|
||
|
||||||
| Forest Management | ||
INTRODUCTION
| Training Mission | BACKGROUND
| Integrated Natural Resource Management Plan | Cooperative Agreements | Organization/Staffing | PROGRAM SUMMARY | SIGNIFICANT
ACCOMPLISHMENTS | Overall Conservation Mgmt
| Ecosystem Mgmt | Forest Mgmt | Land Use Mgmt | Wildlife Mgmt | Pest Mgmt | Conservation Education | Community Relations | Mission Enhancement | Environmental Enhancement | |
||
| Forestry activities at Camp Ripley are comprehensive, addressing multi-species, multi-age issues at a range of spatial scales. Timber management plans have been developed to not only promote good silvicultural practices but also ensure compatibility with Camp Ripley’s military mission. Harvests are designed to consider land use, wildlife, visual concerns, aesthetics, best management practices, and prevention of site damage. In all activities, the priority is to maximize tactical concealment through practices that promote a diversity of long-lived tree species. As a result, the forest management program has reduced the amount of timber that is being harvested through clear cutting which otherwise promotes short-lived tree species. Clear cutting also interferes with training exercises and, in some cases, has been found to negatively impact sensitive wildlife species. Further, the progressive forestry approaches utilized in each activity category substantially reduce the financial burden of Camp Ripley’s forest management activities. | ||
| Reforestation | ||
| Open areas along training area boundaries have been replanted with conifers to provide buffers against noise and improve aesthetics. Numerous other plantations totaling about 1,000 acres have been established in areas not used for vehicle maneuvers. | ||
| Timber Stand Improvement | ||
| Within white pine regeneration areas, girdling of over-topping hardwoods and directional felling is conducted annually to release young conifers. Where possible under scattered, mature white pine trees, the ground is mechanically disked to expose mineral soil for natural white pine regeneration. | ||
| Prescribed Burning | ||
| To reduce fire hazards, over 9,000 acres of impact areas and ranges are burned annually. The prescribed burns are necessary to prevent the threat of an unexpected/unplanned fire that would otherwise occur due to weapon firing. Annual prescribed burns have also prepared many sites for planting jack pine. Numerous oak stands are currently candidates for prescribed burning in the next year that would promote understory oak seedlings. | ||
| Protection of Unique Forest Areas | ||
| Through recommendations from wildlife and botanical research projects and identification of Natural Resource Management Areas (Figure 3, Table 4), five levels of forest protection have been implemented in support of training and biodiversity. | ||
| Commercial Forestry | ||
| Timber harvests in bivouac areas (field encampment areas) have removed high risk and low quality hardwoods. This has increased tree productivity and improved quality of the stands for training. Commercial thinning in red pine plantations has improved accessibility and increased growth potential and stand value. | ||
| Cooperative Efforts | ||
| In 1994 a
vegetation survey revealed that butternut trees are a significant component of the forest
vegetation at Camp Ripley. This species is state protected because of a recent outbreak of
butternut canker, which has severely depleted stands. The Environmental office has mapped
the species’ distribution and located viable seed producing trees. MN DNR foresters
now use Camp Ripley as a seed source for replanting butternut in several parts of
Minnesota. In addition, Camp Ripley has been used throughout the state as a seed source
for red oak, bur oak, sugar maple, basswood, and red and white pine. The INRMP called for the creation of a Forest Concealment Management Zone (FCMZ) that is intended to provide forest concealment in support of military training while also maintaining "Best Management Practices" in forest management. Through a cooperative effort with Saint Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN, the FCMZ was completed in May 1996 as a GIS coverage and has been implemented to guide timber harvesting decisions. |
||
|
||
