Management plan for the Truffela forest Mason Marsh The Truffela forest is a unique ecosystem located at 5000ft

above sea level in a transitional area between grassland and foothills. The forest is comprised of approximately 100 square acres with a combination of coniferous Truffela trees as well as some deciduous trees, grasses, woody shrubs, creeks and ponds. At first glance this looks like a very healthy ecosystem, but after studying this forest I have come across a few problems. Near bodies of water Small Truffela saplings grow thick and overcrowded. This creates a fire hazard, in a crowded area a fire has fuel to burn through and can spread rapidly. Also this creates competition between trees, choking out other desirable species and limiting the variety of various food supply for wildlife. The objective of my management plan is to reduce the overgrowth of the Truffela tree which will improve diversity of other vegetation, water resources, food supply for wildlife, and the overall health of the forest.

My management plan for the Truffela forest will include many techniques including, TSI, regeneration plans, resource protection, an overhead map, and resource inventory.

Silvicultural practices TSI timber stand improvement: By thinning out Truffela stands every once to twice a year if needed, a desired tree count would be 5 trees for every 20 square feet. This leaves enough room for sunlight to reach undergrowth and will promote grasses and shrubs. Having vegetative root systems creates structure and aerates the soil, reducing erosion and building a healthy soil bank. Regeneration plans My plans for regeneration would address disturbances from fires and insects. Truffela trees, like most trees are fuel for fires therefor I will need plans for recovering after a fire. I would start by reseeding the pilgrim and primary tree species as well as native shrubs, grasses, and woody plants. Water barriers and flood breaks would be installed to minimize the chances of floods and mud slides to protect watersheds. Biological controls such as a different species of beetle that kills off the Truffela Bark Beetle would be used as well as chemical control of the insects by spraying where needed.

Resource inventory Data Descriptions of water. There are two streams that run through the forest. Black Sheep creek runs from the North West corner and snakes its way South East exiting the Middle East side of the forest. The second stream, Buffalo creek comes in from the South West corner and flows North East for 20 miles then forms a small pond. Leaving the pond it travels South East and leaves the perimeter of the map. The pond created by Buffalo Creek is called Turkey waters. Wildlife included in these water are, beaver fish, deer trout, and water pig. Small Truffela saplings grow thick and crowded around Turkey Waters. Some of the undergrowth consists of Weasel

Brush and Blue Grass. Wildlife includes, Truffela Buffala, Buck Deer, Day Owl, Woolley Bear and many small burrowing species. Climate and Topography. At 5000ft elevation the climate is sub alpine with an annual precipitation of 12 to 14. The majority of the moisture occurs during spring and early summer in the form of rainfall. Temperatures range from the highs of 90 degrees during summer months and lows of 10 degrees during winter months. Average winter temperature is 41 degrees and average summer temperature is 78 degrees. The Topography consists of low mountains, rock outcroppings, grassy meadows, streams and ponds.