Tannery Road Timber Sale

Implement silvicultural systems that improve forest resilience through resistance and resilience adaptation practices.

Savoy, Massachusetts

The project area is located on both sides of Tannery Road on Savoy Mountain State Forest.

42.621944

-73.023611

The project area is located 0.3 miles east of the intersection of Tannery Road and New State Road.

Improved gravel road, seasonal

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

+1 413-770-6087

122 acres

Northern Hardwoods

Young mature forest northern hardwood forest and mature Norway spruce and white pine plantations. The Norway spruce plantations are in significant decline.

Peru-Marlow 74%, Tunbridge-Lyman – 15%. Coarse sandy loams that are very stony derived from quartzite, phyllite, and schistose parent materials.

Northern Hardwoods: early 1900’s, Norway Spruce and White Pine Plantations: 1930’s (CCC)

Northern hardwoods origin is associated with agricultural abandonment. Norway spruce plantations are a result of CCC reforestation activities

75 feet

The project area is abandoned agriculture with stone walls and a cellar hole as evidence of previous occupancy. There are cemeteries near the eastern and western boundaries of the project area. Tannery Road is named after the Tannery that once operated in the area and served as the main access route. Savoy Mountain State Forest had numerous CCC projects throughout the 1930s, with some of those reforestation efforts located within the project area. There is no record of management since the establishment of the plantations by the CCC.

Primarily northern hardwoods with small inclusions of red spruce and white pine. There are 4 Norway spruce plantations totaling approximately 19 acres and a 1-acre eastern white pine plantation. Species compositions listed below are based on trees 6" and greater dbh. The remaining preharvest species not listed below are eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, red spruce, white ash, white birch, yellow birch, American beech, northern red oak, and Norway spruce.

Acer rubrum (red maple)

35%

Acer saccharum (sugar maple)

12%

Prunus serotina (black cherry)

6%

This project implemented resistance and resilience strategies to improve forest resilience. This was a revenue-positive project that included road and drainage repairs to Tannery Road, as well as mechanical control of beech 2” and up.

- Residual relative basal areas at 66% within the hardwood stand with between 83 ft2 and 55 ft2 BA/ac. - Residual relative densities within the Norway spruce at 43% with between 155 ft2 and 105 ft2 BA/ac. - Residual basal area within selected groups in the hardwood stand between 20 ft2 and 0 ft2 per acre. - Residual basal area of Norway spruce within thinned rows of 0 ft2 BA/ac. - No cutting or harvesting within filter strips. - Residual CWD of no less than 256 cuft. per acre. - Reduced beech regeneration competition with native tree regeneration and ground cover. - Favor sugar maple retention. - Favor red spruce retention - Implement areas of beech control in group selection openings down to 2” dbh - Bias American beech infested with Beech Bark Disease Complex for removal.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation has identified numerous ecosystem services that are required of designated Woodlands. These include: - Diverse Habitats - Carbon Sequestration and Storage - Clean Water - Forest Products - Recreational Opportunities

Northern Hardwoods All white ash trees over 10” dbh will be removed from the Tannery Road corridor, as well as any other dead or dying tree within 1 tree length of the road. In the remainder of the stand, an expanding-gap irregular shelterwood system (Raymond et al., 2009) was used. To facilitate future entries and perpetuate the system, gaps were installed systematically throughout the sale area. Installed gaps were no less than 1/10 of an acre and did not exceed 1/3 of an acre; however, the final size of each gap was determined according to the conditions present on the ground. The stand was thinned in between the installed gaps using variable density thinning within the range identified. The purpose of this system was to maintain diversity, i.e.: biological, density, age, size, and successional; manage for superior crop trees; presalvage white ash; create horizontal and vertical structural complexity; and control understory beech. This is accomplished by: - The introduction of a new cohort of regeneration by expanding initial gaps with each successive entry. - Retaining legacy trees in the overstory - Varying thinning densities, which created a range of tree densities and light conditions in the understory - Removing trees that are not expected to survive until the next silvicultural entry, freeing up resources and growing space - Promoting crop trees that are financially and ecologically desirable. The target residual basal areas for those areas that were selected as groups was between 20 sqft. and 0 sqft. per acre, with everything but the advanced regeneration of healthy sugar maple and red spruce being removed. Those areas that have thinning and single tree selection cutting regimens had a target between 83 sqft. of BA/ac and 55 sqft. of BA/ac. Norway Spruce Plantations Perform 3rd-row thinning and expand gaps already occurring within the plantation. Retain the hardwood regeneration colonizing the gaps created by mortality and decline within the plantation. White Pine Plantation Implement a traditional shelterwood with a residual BA of 50 sqft./ac

500+ stems per acre of healthy native hardwood or softwood regeneration within gaps and harvested rows, with the exception of those species which can dominate a site; i.e.: striped maple, pin cherry, etc.; within 5 years of the harvest.

irregular shelterwood

• climate change
• wildlife habitat
• carbon
• Policy requirements, legal requirements

There were many opportunities to increase the resiliency of this site, considering the potential challenges associated with climate change. Objectives include diversification of age class since this site is single age class, diversification of structure because there is little differentiation in height and diameter, and increase biodiversity for both tree and ground cover species. Also, drainage problems associated with the road were addressed.

Cut-to-length system and forwarders. A grapple skidder was used for site stabilization and rehabilitation, and to move timber mats.

Harvesting was conducted during wetter conditions than what was preferred. Damage to the site was mitigated by heavily brushing in forwarder trails, using corduroy, using tracks on the forwarder, and moving around the site to work on the driest areas. This job would have been delayed until the spring, and possibly longer, if the harvester had to use a skidder to move wood.

yes

The treatment achieved the desired results. 25 monitoring plots have been located across the project area to aid in future decisions and track development.

Basal Area of Trees 6” dbh and Greater
Species------------------Pre------------------Post
White Pine-------------- 1 --------------------3
Hemlock ----------------9---------------------2
Red Spruce--------------2---------------------2
Sugar Maple------------18--------------------20*
Red Maple--------------46 -------------------32
White Ash--------------10---------------------7
Black Cherry------------12---------------------5
White Birch--------------5 ---------------------5
Yellow Birch--------------5---------------------9*
American Beech---------8---------------------4
Red Oak-----------------4----------------------4
Norway Spruce---------10 ---------------------6
Total -------------------130--------------------99


Asterisk (*) indicates a possible response to the operations, as yellow birch and sugar maple were heavily favored for retention and release. However, these results are also well within the sampling error.

Regeneration by Species in Trees Per Acre 5” dbh and less
Species-----------------Pre------------- Post
Yellow Birch-----------316 --------------576
White Ash--------------49---------------144
Sugar Maple----------154---------------155
Red Spruce ------------32---------------120
Red Maple------------1314 ------------1343
Norway Spruce --------186-------------- 94
Red Oak ---------------162--------------372
American Beech-------559 -------------1069
Black Cherry-----------41 ----------------120
Quaking Aspen---------0---------------- 60
White Birch------------ 0-----------------36
Mountain Maple--------0 ---------------144
Total-------------------2813-------------5149

Coarse Woody Debris
Pre Project – 258 Cuft/Ac
Post Project – 1,068 Cuft/Ac


Number of Trees 11” dbh and Greater Removed by Species

Species------------------Trees Removed
White Ash -------------------499
American Beech -------------26
White Birch-------------------99
Yellow Birch------------------39
Black Cherry------------------133
Red Maple-------------------299
Sugar Maple------------------76
Red Oak----------------------70
White Pine-------------------100
Quaking Aspen----------------7
Norway Spruce---------------634
Total -------------------------1982


Number of Trees Removed 10” dbh or Less
Product Class------Primary Species------------------#of Trees Removed
Firewood----------American Beech, Red Maple----------1,365
Pulp ---------------Norway Spruce, White Pine-----------400
Total--------------------------------------------------------1765

In-kind services associated with this project were used to resurface portions of the road and replace culverts. Statistics listed below are for trees 11" dbh. The trees per acre across the project area are heavily influenced by the Norway spruce plantations, and the detailed prescription associated with this project separated the northern hardwood stands and Norway spruce plantations.

Adaptive Silviculture, Climate Adaptation

yes

130

99

• feet squared per acre

135

51

15.6 inches

Kevin Podkowka

Management Forester

Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation

Kevin Podkowka is the Management Forester for the North Berkshire District and has been with the Department since 2015. Previously, Kevin has worked for the Florida Forest Service, the US Forest Service, and the Department of Defense. Throughout the years Kevin has been recognized for his stewardship of public lands and commitment to public service with the most notable being the Distinguished Service Award from the Florida Division of Forestry for his service during the 2000 Wildfire Campaign, Certificate of Appreciation from the Florida Forest Service for his efforts during the Hurricane Ivan Salvage in 2005, Kevin was named the 2012 Jim Stevenson Natural Resource Manager of the Year for the Florida Forest Service, and is an award recipient for the 2024 DCR Employee Recognition Program. Kevin received his technical degree in Forest Technology from the New York State Ranger School in Wanakena, New York in 1995 and completed his B.S. in Forest Resources Management at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY in 1997.

• Tannery Sale Cutting Map.jpg
• Tannery Sale Cutting Plan Locus Map.jpg