By Jeanne Wetzel Chinn & Deb Sally
Sonoma Group
In February, seven members of the Redwood Chapter’s Northern California Forest Committee, led by committee member and registered professional forester (RFP), John Henshaw, was hosted by Fred and Will Seavey on a tour of their family vineyard and ranch (Seavey Winery).
The purpose of the tour was to assess the needs of the landowners and to participate in the creation of a Forest Management Plan (FMP) by Henshaw.
The group also included another RFP, a fire/grants consultant, members of the Napa County Resource Conservation District (RCD), employees of the Land Trust of Napa, forest/land managers, and local landowners. The creation of an FMP includes planning, design, and implementation of treatments to improve fire resistance and the long-term healthy ecology of their lands. The Seavey Vineyard/Ranch covers approximately 200 acres in Conn Valley.
This area was home to the Wappo people before European settlement, some 110 years ago. With 35 acres of vineyards, a 5-acre olive tree orchard, cattle grazing areas for a herd of 13 Angus, and around 50 acres of unused oak woodland, this property has a wide variety of vegetation. It also supports sheep, goats, and chickens that forage in designated areas. A lot of fuel for fires has built up in some areas of the property since traditional indigenous cultural burns were forbidden. There were several stops along the trek, each with different management issues. John and the knowledgeable participants engaged in lively discussions. The information is provided below.
The first stops were on a hillside area of mainly blue oak with some conifers. John explained that the first job of a person helping a landowner with an FMP is to ask the owner what their goals are. Having stated goals is necessary to make decisions about which treatments are best suited to achieve those goals. Fire protection, biodiversity and appropriate tree thinning for optimal forest heath were the owners main concerns here. This is an area where cows are grazed in summer months. There was a patch of invasive French broom that is ladder fuel for fire. The owners are pulling the plants by hand and burning them. Because blue oak are rare and grow very slowly, caution with removal was advised. Assessing site quality (soil, moisture, sun) will aid in decision making. Grazing animals tend to kill new tree recruits, adding to the challenge of longterm forest health. So, appropriate fencing would be required.. Participants commented that having clumps of trees with gaps in between (i.e.“clumpy-gappy”) is a natural pattern that should be encouraged so that if /when a fire comes, it will drop to the ground and more easily be put out.
Although oak trees don’t generally promote crown fires, the higher the flames, the more damage to the trees. There are contiguous areas with more conifers and bay laurel trees which do experience crown fires that are more difficult to control. Vegetation manipulation is a management strategy to simulate natural processes toward reducing high intensity fire risk. Pruned vegetation can be managed in many ways. Chipping, burning, and scattering are all options. Keep the depth of wood mulch under 3 or 4 inches to reduce fire potential. Don’t put it too close around the bases of trees. Piling pruned pieces strategically for wildlife habitat and for planting of oak saplings underneath, is useful to promote biodiversity.
The Land Trust folks recommended having the piles away from structures and roads, with 100 foot spacing, in 4x6 foot piles. They have employed this tactic on one of their properties and wildlife began inhabiting the piles shortly after being formed. Leaving some snags for wildlife use was recommended. The Seavey family uses all of these tools. Production of biochar is also used on the property. The biochar is then mixed with compost and used as fertilizer and to increase water holding capacity in the vineyard soils. This is a great example of a permaculture practice. There ranch has streams which have to be considered in the plan. The ones coming off of this property have been running clean. Managing current and new grazing areas with specific plans to minimize sediment runoff will help ensure this ongoing priority is addressed. Beaver translocation was brought up as a method for keeping water on the land.
Mapping an area using aerial and topographic photos to identify basic forest typing, roads, trails, waterways, structures, and etc. is a key step toward devising an FMP. After fires, brush species like manzanita and coyote brush come up first, along with invasive species like French and Scotch broom and Himalayan blackberry. Then conifers and oaks attempt to come up through the brush. Since the owners want to keep the forest from a detrimental burn, mapping to identify what, where, and how much of which types of fuels ( surface, ladder, and crown) are on the property will help guide treatment selection. Stops up higher were in areas very different from the more managed lower areas. A large amount of dead, mature manzanita was found in one area called a “bone yard”. Ongoing removal with biochar production is being utilized, along with limited grazing in a fenced area. Above, an area that has gone untreated for years is a big concern for the Seaveys. It has an excess of snags of Douglas fir, grey pine, ponderosa pine and other overstory trees as well as ladder fuels and grasses. One danger is that fire can get into roots and smolder for long periods and then flair up again. Good tools in this situation are backpack pumps with Class A foam to wet areas that are still smoking. A road crossing into neighboring properties is overgrown with vegetation.
The Seaveys plan to clear the road and hope the neighbors will continue it onto their properties to make an extended fire break, allow for access by fire fighters and equipment, and provide possible escape routes. The Seavey’s are working with neighbors to create a Fire Safe Council and work with the Community Wildfire Protection Plan(CWPP). Having a plan for managing a fire if it occurs, is essential. There is a lot of work, in a variety of terrain, to be done on most properties. Plan where to start on the landscape. Start at the house, other structures, and road. Clear these first for firefighter access. Then, move to other areas chosen using the FMP. Other forestry work must be done before prescribed fire can safely be put on the land. Animal grazing and hand pruning prior to any burns were recommended here. Broadcast burning could be used in selected areas. Mechanized vegetation removal may be used in some locations.
The Seaveys would like to fence the remainder of the property to allow for grazing in the untreated area. Managing small livestock to avoid predation using moveable electric fencing and secure night enclosures is part of the plan that honors the biodiversity of the area. Wildlife numbers can be determined by monitoring before and after treatments using cameras with infra-red for nocturnal creatures, placed near a water source, and downloaded onto a computer every 2-3 months. Participants agreed that climate change is creating more snags and dying trees requiring more work. Landowners need to prepare for a hotter, dryer future. The land doesn’t have enough moisture to support dense forests anymore.
Grants are available for landowners who have a Forest Management Plan. If you own between 5 and 500 acres of woodlands, you can devise an FMP and apply for grant funding. Contact your local RCD for information and assistance.