Forest Description and History

Forest Description and History

Lodgepole pines dominate the 230 forested acres on the ranch. Large ponderosas punctuate the eastern portion of the ranch and smaller ponderosas are growing near the riparian area, on the eastern portion of the ranch, and in landscaping of individual lots. There are very few ponderosas in the common areas west of the river. Dominant understory plants are bitterbrush and wild currant.

The table below summarizes the forest acres by stand in 1998 and changes since that time are not reflected. See the Forest Stands Map and Survey Information in the appendices.

Forest Summary by Stand

Stand	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	Riparian
Location	East of So. Century	Between So. Century & Schoolhouse	Between So. Century & So. Access Road	Between Barn and River	Ranch Southwest Corner	North of Large Pasture by Barn	West of Hashknife Road	River Corridor
Acreage	7.5	11	32	39	18	36	32.5	110
Forest Type	Even-aged, single story	Even-aged, single story	Mixed age, two story	Multi-aged, two story	Multi-aged, two story	Multi-aged, two-story	Uneven age, two story	Shrub, brush
Species	Lodgepole, scattered ponderosa	Lodgepole, scattered ponderosa	Lodgepole, ponderosa, few juniper	Lodgepole, scattered ponderosa	Lodgepole, scattered ponderosa	Lodgepole, scattered ponderosa	Lodgepole, scattered ponderosa	Willows, scattered lodgepole
Tree Density*	700 – 900	200-300	90-130	300-500	500-700	500-700	400-500	Willow clumps
Age	50-60 years	50-60 years	60-80	Overstory 50-60, Under 5-10	Overstory 60-80, Under 5-20	Overstory 60-80, Under 5-20	Overstory 60-80, Under 5-20	Lodgepoles 30-40
Exposure	Southwest	West – Southwest	South - Southwest	Southeast - South	South - Southwest	South - Southwest	Southeast - South	South - Southwest
History	Natural	Thinned 1998	Thinned 1998, 2003	Grown from old meadow	Partial Thin 2007	Partial Thin 2007	Pre-commercial	Recent planting
Future Manage-ment	Pre-commercial thinning. Brush removal	Remove bitterbrush & selected trees	Light commercial thinning	Convert areas to ponderosa. Pre-commercial thinning.	Intensive pre-commercial thinning & fuels reduction	Intensive pre-commercial thinning & fuels reduction	More pre-commercial thinning, fuels reduction	Nurture recent planting. Focus on wildlife.

*Tree density is per acre and, except for Stand I, includes only trees that were 6" or more DBH (diameter breast height or 54" above grade). Stand I density includes virtually all trees.

Data is from cruise by Ranch Foreman in 1998. The seven stands add to 176 acres rather than the 230 total forested acres because the other 54 forested acres are sparsely forested or are on private lots. Lot owners are required to reduce fuels in their forested lands.

Lodgepole pines are shallow-rooted and relatively vulnerable to fire. They sprout prolifically from seed and grow rapidly, often in dense groves when young. Ponderosas are more deep-rooted and thick barked. They resist fire better than lodgepoles but do not replace their populations as quickly when destroyed by fire or timber operations.

Forest History

Prior to settlement by the Vandeverts in 1892 the ranch, outside the riparian area, was a mixed lodgepole and ponderosa forest periodically thinned by fire from lightening strikes. The Vandeverts cleared the meadows east of the river and planted rye to store in their barn and feed the cattle over the winter. Limited cattle and sheep grazing kept the forests relatively free of flammable brush. In the 1920's the Vandeverts sold many of the ponderosas on the ranch to a lumber company which harvested them. The family did minimal harvesting for their own needs - fence poles, house logs, and bridge timbers.

The western 80 acres of the ranch (Stands V and VI around the barn and pasture) were not part of the family ranch and were U.S. Forest Service land until the modern developer swapped acreage located elsewhere for these 80 acres and combined them with the ranch. Skid marks in aerial photographs indicated that this area was logged, probably some time after 1950. In 1990 a debris fire in Oregon Water Wonderland escaped and burned what is now the pasture. Scattered ponderosas on this land are thriving.

The ranch has done thinning and fuels reduction in selected areas since 1998. Beginning in 2007, students in the Lapine High School Forestry Program have been learning forestry skills while doing this work in the southwest corner and along the western border of the ranch (stands V and VI).

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