Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Peterman Unit of the Cowlitz Wildlife Area is a 6,800 acre upland unit that has historically been maintained as a commercial tree farm. The property was purchased by Tacoma Power to meet FERC mitigation requirements of their hydroelectric projects on the Cowlitz River. WDFW manages the property under a Settlement Agreement and the current management plan for the property is to manage the habitat for various upland species. To that end, the property contains several smaller units containing young stands of conifers and hardwoods that are in need of a pre-commercial thin (PCT) to reduce stand densities and promote forest health. This ensures the health and vigor of the remaining trees and encourages diversity at the forest floor. Over stocking is a common practice to ensure that the final stand stocking rates are in compliance with Forest Practice Rules. The objective of this project is to PCT the specified stands identified in this contract to promote forest health and long term wildlife habitat. 1. Thinning specifications. 1.1 Contractor will PCT the specified stands (Exhibit A) at a 15’ x 15’ spacing to provide a residual stocking level of 193 trees per acre (+/- 10%). 1.2 In conifer dominated stands, preferentially remove hardwoods as well as surplus conifer trees. Cut all surplus trees below the lowest live limbs. Cuts should be no more than 12” above the ground and in no case should they be more than 18”. 1.3 In hardwood dominated stands, remove all surplus hardwoods. Cuts should be no more than 12” above the ground and in no case should they be more than 18”. 1.4 In mixed hardwood / conifer stands, remove all surplus trees. Cuts should be no more than 12” above the ground and in no case should they be more than 18”. Where a choice between conifers and hardwoods exist preference will be given to the conifers and the hardwoods will be removed. 1.5 Trees larger than 12” diameter at breast height (DBH) shall not be cut. All cut trees shall be further cut into at least three segments to get trees in contact with the ground to facilitate more rapid decomposition. 1.6 All trees diseased, damaged, deformed or leaning more than 20 degrees shall be considered surplus trees and removed unless removal will create a void in excess of two times the spacing requirement.
