Appendix F Calumet Project Area Silviculture Findings and CMAI 

APPENDIX F 

SILVICULTURE FINDINGS 

AND 

CMAI

Appendix F Calumet Project Area Silvicultural Findings and CMAI F-3 

Appendix F – CALUMET PROJECT SILVICULTURAL FINDINGS AND CMAI 

 Relative to Silvicultural Compliance with Laws, Regulations, and Policy. 

Calumet Project 

The following findings are made based on the environmental analysis and the silvicultural prescription: 

Best Science Findings: 

While conducting my analysis for the Calumet Project, I reviewed information from the following 

sources: 

1. Black Hills National Forest Monitoring Report, FY2009 

2. Phase II Final EIS (FEIS), applicable supporting documents, and applicable literature 

references, as follows: See Calumet Silviculture Report Bibliography 

3. Applicable research which I believe represents a reasonable cross-section of the total range 

available, including responsible opposing views, sufficient to professionally evaluate the 

effects of this proposal, as follows: See Calumet Silviculture Report Bibliography 

4. Literature sources offered in comments provided on this project analysis, as follows: See 

Calumet Silviculture Report Bibliography 

5. Other sources, as follows: See Calumet Silviculture Report Bibliography 

In considering these sources, I believe I have considered the best science available to me. 

Consistency [16 U.S.C. 1604 (i)]: 

1. Timber harvest would occur on lands suited for timber production or would occur in 

areas where timber harvest is permitted and is necessary to help achieve other resource 

management objectives: 

Table 1. Alternative B Treatment/Suitability Summary 

Treatment/Suitability MA 5.1 MA 5.4 MA 8.2 MA 3.7 Total 

Commercial Thinning/Suitable 1,835 5,788 435 0 8,058

Commercial Thinning/Permitted 0 371 528 18 917

Shelterwood Seed Cut/Suitable 0 221 0 0 221

Removal Cuts/Suitable 84 602 0 0 686

Hardwood Treatments/ Suitable 278 403 37 0 718

Hardwood Treatments/ Permitted 525 1,065 0 0 1,590

Meadow Treatments/ Permitted 202 975 116 0 1,293

Cable/Permitted 405 215 115 0 735

2. Silvicultural treatments are consistent with the Forest Plan. 

Prescriptions used in development of alternatives in the Calumet Project Area are 

generally even-aged and include thinning, shelterwood overstory removal, weeding, and 

pine encroachment removal in meadows and hardwoods. Even-aged regeneration 

harvests are appropriate to meeting the objectives and requirements of the Forest Plan. 
Appendix F Calumet Project Area Silvicultural Findings and CMAI F-4 

There are also some stands which will be managed using uneven-aged systems. Forest 

Plan Standard 2408 a. states that “both even-aged and uneven-aged management systems 

can be used and applied at scales ranging from a few acres to many hundreds of acres.” 

Prescriptions were developed to achieve Forest Plan (Phase II Amendment) Goal 10: 

Establish and maintain a mosaic of vegetation conditions to reduce occurrences of high 

intensity fire, insect, and disease events, and facilitate insect and disease management and 

firefighting capability. In addition, they were designed to comply with the Healthy 

Forest Restoration Act (HFRA) of 2003 (HR 1904) and other National level initiatives 

and policy that emphasize reducing the probability and occurrence of severe wildfire in 

fire adapted ecosystems, especially near at risk communities (ARC) and in the wildlandurban interface (WUI). 

Timber Harvest [16 U.S.C. 1604 (g) (3) (E)]: 

1. Soil, slope, or other watershed conditions will not be irreversibly damaged. Refer to 

Soils report and hydrology report. Also, refer to mitigation/monitoring section of the 

Calumet EIS. 

2. There is assurance that the lands can be adequately restocked within five years after final 

regeneration harvest. All stands within the project area to receive shelterwood removals 

can be adequately restocked within five years of harvest. The minimum tree stocking 

standards for the Black Hills National Forest will be met. Minimum stocking standards 

are described in the Black Hills FEIS, Phase II Amendment Chapter II, pg. 27. 

3. Streams, stream banks, shorelines, lakes, wetlands, and other bodies of water are 

protected from detrimental changes in water temperatures, blockages of water courses, 

and deposits of sediment where harvests are likely to seriously and adversely affect water 

conditions or fish habitat. Refer to hydrology report. 

4. The harvesting system to be used was not selected primarily because it will give the 

greatest dollar return or the greatest unit output of timber. 

Even-aged Regeneration Harvests [16 U.S.C. 1604 (g) (3) (F)]: 

1. Shelterwood regeneration harvests are appropriate to meeting the objectives and 

requirements of the Forest Plan. Shelterwood Overstory Removals will be used as 

specified in the Black Hills FEIS, Phase II Amendment Chapter II, pg. 26. 

2. An interdisciplinary review was completed and the potential environmental, biological, 

aesthetic, engineering, and economic impacts were assessed and the cutting methods are 

consistent with the multiple use of the project area as specified in the Calumet Project 

EIS and Record of Decision. 

3. Cut blocks, patches, or strips are shaped and blended to the extent practicable with the

natural terrain. 

4. Even-aged regeneration harvests made in one operation meet the 40-acre maximum size 

limit requirement. Forest Plan Standard 2101, Phase II FEIS (Chapter II pg. 17). 

5. Harvest will be consistent with the protection of soil, watershed, fish, wildlife, recreation, 

esthetic resources, cultural and historic resources, and the regeneration of timber 

resources. See specific resource specialist’s reports. 
Appendix F Calumet Project Area Silvicultural Findings and CMAI F-5 

Culmination of Mean Annual Increment [16 U.S.C. 1604 (m)]: 

Determination of Culmination of Mean Annual Increment (CMAI) 

The stands or portions of stands receiving shelterwood regeneration harvest treatments have 

generally reached the culmination of mean annual increment (CMAI). Per the 1997 Forest Plan, 

stands which have reached an age of 120 years have reached CMAI. It should be noted that 

some of these stand’s total age is less than 120 years but larger trees within that stand have 

reached 120 years; therefore, CMAI is met in these stands. Silvicultural prescriptions were 

developed while considering NFMA requirements about the timing of harvests. 16 USC 1604(i) 

states "stands of trees scheduled to be harvested during the planning period shall generally have 

reached culmination of mean annual increment of growth". The calculation of CMAI is based on 

the total amount of biomass accumulated in a stand to a specific date divided by age. Because 

stand age must be known, MAI can only be calculated for even-aged or multi-aged stands, but 

not uneven-aged stands. CMAI is calculated at the stand level, and not on individual trees. 

Even-aged harvests include clearcuts and shelterwood harvests. It is the accepted practice in the 

forestry profession to apply the CMAI standard to the timing of the regeneration step of evenaged harvests. For a two-step shelterwood, the determination is made at the seed step, and not the 

overstory removal step. 

16 USC 1604(i) allows cultural practices or stand tending, such as commercial or precommercial 

thinning, to occur prior to CMAI. It also allows harvest to occur prior to CMAI "if it is reasonable 

to expect that overall multiple use objectives would be better attained." Therefore, it doesn't apply 

to the clearcuts and seed cuts of conifers in the Black Hills to benefit species, provide diversity, 

recreation, scenic variety or forage. (These exceptions are disclosed and decided upon at the 

project level). It also doesn't apply for non-commercial treatment of hardwoods. 

Although it is possible to approximate CMAI at the planning level (forest-wide) for the purpose of 

establishing a rotation age, this is not be confused with the stand CMAI requirement, which is the only 

requirement established by law, and which is actually measured/calculated on a stand basis. Because 

of the complexities of the calculation, CMAI can be accurately determined only at the project level. 

Although not legally required, for the purposes of establishing general rotation ages in FVS simulations, 

and to assure that the Forest Plan can be implemented, an analysis of approximate ranges of CMAI in 

the Black Hills was made. Although the CMAI determination is not straight forward, timber harvests 

used to implement the Revised Plan will generally be able to meet the legal requirement. 

Growth curves developed for FVS are not appropriate for determining CMAI. The curves include 

the growth of smaller aged cohorts of the strata. They also do not take into account the volume of 

trees that have been harvested in previous entries. 

The age at CMAI will vary depending on site quality, forest type, management intensities and 

utilization standards, but various analyses indicate that it generally will occur for most stands between 

80 and 120 years for conifer sawtimber in the Black Hills. Timing of regeneration harvests for stands 

specified in FVS simulations fall within or exceed this range. An analysis of the truly even-aged Stage 
Appendix F Calumet Project Area Silvicultural Findings and CMAI F-6 

I plots (4 out of 257 sawtimber and 5 out of 56 pole plots) shows that the CMAI varied between 88 

and 136 years with an average of 108 years. 

The silvicultural system most commonly used for ponderosa pine in the Black Hills is the shelterwood 

system, which is an even-aged system and an acceptable system as specified in the Phase II FEIS 

(Chapter II, pg. 25). Most of the overstory removal cuts are in multi-aged stands or stands that have 

advanced regeneration. These treatments can also be considered as liberation cuts or stand improvement 

cuts. The stands listed in Table 2 are proposed for regeneration harvests in Alternative B. 

Table 2. Alternative B 

Stand B_ALT Acres CMAI Stand B_ALT Acres CMAI 

091604 8 OR 73 YES 092001 26 SC 16 YES 

091701 3 SC 38 YES 092104 5 OR 42 YES 

091701 4 SC 14 YES 092301 27 OR 74 YES 

091701 13 OR 37 YES 092301 56 OR 19 YES 

091701 17 SC 46 YES 092303 7 SC 51 YES 

091702 5 SC 23 YES 092303 14 SC 8 YES 

091702 10 OR 156 YES 092401 2 OR 29 YES 

091702 15 OR 30 YES 092401 4 OR 20 YES 

091906 13 SC 25 YES 

Findings prepared by: /s/ Randall R. Rick Date: 8/20/2012___ 

Findings recommended by: /s/Randall R. Rick Date: 8/24/2012 

 Randall R. Rick 

 Certified Silviculturist 

Findings accepted by: /s/ Jon M. Stansfield Date: 8/24/2012 

 Jon M. Stansfield 

 Acting Mystic District Ranger