2025 McDonald Dunn Forest Management

Fenceline

43.2-acre first entry commercial thinning

This project is designed to promote long term forest health and windfirmness through removal of suppressed and dying trees.

Young, relatively dense stands  frequently benefit from reduction  in the number of trees per acre, and a well-designed thinning operation will reallocate growth to vigorous, dominant, and co-dominant trees. In addition, thinning can promote the development of understory vegetation.

Note: this harvest will occur concurrently with the Ketchup harvest.

Approximate start date: June

Last management action/date: Regeneration Harvest 1991

Stand age: 31 years old

Ketchup

10.2-acre first entry commercial thinning

This project is designed to promote long term forest health and windfirmness through removal of suppressed and dying trees.

Young, relatively dense stands frequently benefit from reduction in the number of trees per acre, and a well-designed thinning operation will reallocate growth to vigorous, dominant, and co-dominant trees.

In addition, thinning can promote the development of understory vegetation.

Note: this harvest will occur concurrently with Fenceline Harvest

Approximate start date: June

Last management action/date: Pre-commercial thinning - 2009

Stand Age: 37 years old

Mori

21.2-acre Clear Cut with structural retention

This timber harvest contributes to the overall  sustainable harvest goal.  Revenue generated from this harvest will be used to support Research Forest operations and teaching and research within the College of Forestry.

Additionally, this harvest is part of a long term research project studying retention tree patterns over time.

104 wildlife trees are marked for retention in this unit.

Approximate start date: August

Stand age: 81 years old

Fat Cat

43.7 Acre Clear Cut with structural retention

This timber harvest contributes to the overall  sustainable harvest goal.  Revenue generated from this harvest will be used to support Research Forests operations and teaching and research within the College of Forestry.

Additionally, this harvest is part of a long term research project studying patterns of retention trees over time.

145 wildlife trees are marked for retention in this unit.

Approximate start date: June

Last management action/date: 2023 - Salvage following wind storm (<10% of pre-storm volume)

Stand age: 80-82 years old

Bear Claw

42.4-acre Clear Cut with structural retention

This timber harvest contributes to the overall sustainable harvest goal. Revenue generated from this harvest will be used to support Research Forests operations and teaching and research within the College of Forestry.

A portion of the unit will contain 1-1.5 acre test plots to evaluate overstory/down woody debris biophysical interactions. This research will assess interactions between residual overstory trees at varying densities and microsite shading effects.

136 wildlife trees are marked for retention in this unit.

Approximate start date: May

Last management action/date: Precommercial thinning - 2011

Stand age: 44 years old

Emmingham Uneven Age Research

25-acre thinning (Individual Tree Selection)

The Emmingham Uneven-aged Research project aims to remove small, medium, and some large trees using both single tree and  group selection method s.  The goal is to remove trees across the entire diameter range and to reduce overall stocking (i.e. the number and density of trees in a forest stand). By doing so, understory, mid-story, and overstory Douglas-fir trees and other tree species can release, continue to grow well, and replace the trees that were harvested. 

Stocking will be reduced such that natural or planted Douglas-fir seedlings can establish and eventually grow in the mid-story and overstory canopy positions.   Uneven-aged structure  is maintained by periodic harvest entries every 15-25 years to maintain growth and allow for tree regeneration.  

Approximate start date: July

Last management action/date: Uneven age thinning utilizing individual tree selection - 1991

Stand Age: 34 - 153 years old

Rock Bottom

1.3 acres rock pit conversion

The forest is expanding the footprint of the current rock pit and will use this area as part of the new rock pit. Besides resulting in cost savings from reduced trucking, local sourcing of rock - as opposed to transporting rock from distant quarry sources - will result in reduced fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions.

Approximate start date: May

Last management action/date: Regeneration harvest - 1998

Stand Age: 37 years old

Dunn CFIRP 7 Thin

43.2 acre thinning

This harvest is part of the long-term CFIRP Research Project studying ecological and socioeconomic response to silvicultural alternatives in Douglas-fir and mixed Douglas-fir/broadleaf types. This entry is designed to remove suppressed and damaged trees to provide the remaining trees increased resources for continued height and diameter development. Snags and down woody debris may be retained as part of the approaches studied.

This harvest contains a staged closure (see the two closure maps above).

Approximate start date: TBD.

Last management action/date: Two Story - 1989

Stand Age: 35 years old

CFIRP Saddle 1 & 2

45.3-acres thinning

This harvest is part of the  long-term CFIRP Research Project  studying Ecological & Socioeconomic Response to Alternative Silviculture Treatments. This entry is designed to remove suppressed and damaged trees while also creating small openings to stimulate establishment of additional young trees. This stand has multiple age classes of Douglas-fir, and this entry will further increase age diversity.

Approximate start date: July

Stand Age: 35 years old (note: this stand contains several older age classes of Douglas-fir, which will not be affected by the thinning operation)

Last management action: 2014/ Commercial thinning operation (cut to length).

ERSO

13.6-acres variable retention thinning

4.3-acres of group selection/patch cuts

This project is designed to create a third age class within the project area as well as release Oregon white oak in a portion of the project area. The third age class will move this area from an even-aged Douglas-fir dominated stand to one with multiple age classes over time.

Approximate start date: August

Last management action/date: Commercial thinning & group selection 2007

Stand age: 56 years old

Rogue One

29.7-acres variable retention thinning

7.4-acres of group selection/patch cuts

6.7-acres of Oregon White Oak release

This project is designed to create a second age class within the project area as well as release Oregon white oak in the southern portion of the project area. The second age class will diversify the age structure of this stand, transitioning from an even-aged Douglas-fir stand to one with multiple age classes. Future entries will continue to diversify the age structure of the stand, helping managers understand  uneven-aged management  of Douglas-fir.

This harvest contains a staged closure (see the two closure maps above).

Approximate start date: August

Last management action/date: Pre-commercial thinning - 2015

Stand age: 41 years (thinning & group selection); 80 years for Oak Release