2011 Broadaxe Plant

Project:  Broadaxe Plant

Agency/Forest or Park/District: USFS, Idaho Panhandle National Forest, St. Joe Ranger District (Avery, Idaho)

Project coordinator: Sidnee Dittman

Contact:  Sidnee Dittman, Culturist, St. Joe Ranger District, 34 Hoyt Drive, Avery, ID 83802

Phone: #208-245-6248    sdittman@fs.fed.us

Cooperators

St. Joe Ranger District and private tree planting contractor

Source of funding /amount

FHP: $5,300

Supplemental funding: $3,170 from FS

Dates of restoration efforts

September 19th 2011

Objectives

Plant 4,000 WBP seedlings in a recent timber sale area which currently has an adjacent declining WBP population.

Acres/ha treated

16 acres

Methods

We have 2 or 3 harvest units in the Gold Pass area that have planting sites for WBP (> 5800’ elevation). These sites are too high for White Pine and currently have a few scattered natural WBP. We currently have 4,000 WBP seedlings growing at the CDA Nursery. We will plant from 200 to 250 trees per acre next to stable microsites (logs 6” or larger in diameter and next to stumps) to protect the seedlings from weather and animal damage. NEPA is complete for this project.

Planting

Planted 16 acres at Gold Pass in Broadaxe #2 with 4,200 WBP seedlings.  The seeds were collected from Quarles and Craddock Peak.  The trees were field evaluated before collecting and showed no signs of White Pine Blister Rust.

Outcome

Project complete. Planted 16 acres with 4,200 WBP seedlings. Installed a Stake Row to monitor survival.

Monitoring since completion of the project

Surveyed stand in the Fall of 2012and will follow up with a survey in 2014 and again in 2016.  We will continue to monitor these WBP stands for survival and competing vegetative competition.

Will outcome meet goals

Our goal is to get WBP to reach maturity and produce cones.

Pictures from 2011 Planting

Mature WBP and vasc (shorter red clumps) shrub layer in planting site
Mature WBP and vasc (shorter red clumps) shrub layer in planting site
Foreman-and-crew-planting-WBP-in-Broadaxe
Foreman-and-crew-planting-WBP-in-Broadaxe