Administrative Rules of Montana › Department 36 - NATURAL RESOURCES AND CONSERVATION › Chapter 36.11 - FOREST MANAGEMENT › Subchapter 36.11.4 - State Forest Land Management › Rule 36.11.418 - BIODIVERSITY - OLD GROWTH MANAGEMENT

Current through Register Vol. 13, July 5, 2024
(1) The
				department shall manage old growth to meet biodiversity and fiduciary
				objectives. The department shall consider the role of all stand age classes in
				the maintenance of biodiversity when designing harvests and other activities.
				Stand age distributions, including old growth, shall be evaluated and managed
				as described in ARM
				36.11.407 through
				36.11.416 based on the patterns
				historically present on the landscape as a result of natural disturbances.
				Amounts and distributions of all age classes will shift and change over time.
				No stands would be permanently deferred from management, although some stands
				may not be entered for relatively long time periods.
(a) The department shall identify old growth
				that occurs in a project area. Old growth stands shall be managed to achieve
				biodiversity objectives, including possible harvest. The department shall
				consider site-specific concerns and other legal criteria regarding the harvest
				of old growth. Interdisciplinary teams shall work to meet overall objectives to
				generate revenue for the trust, while also meeting biodiversity goals across
				the landscape, which shall entail project-level harvesting decisions.
(b) Designation of old growth set-asides, or
				networks, may be made as long as the trust secures full market value.
(c) When managing old growth the department
				shall apply restoration, maintenance, or removal treatments consistent with the
				range of natural disturbances.
(i) When
				utilizing old growth restoration treatments, the department shall retain
				sufficient large live trees to meet the old growth definition as defined in ARM
				36.11.403. Such treatments shall
				be applicable on sites that historically had non-lethal frequent fire regimes.
				The department shall target shade tolerant species for removal and overall
				stand density shall be reduced. The department shall treat stands with periodic
				re-entry, and prescribed under-burning when practicable, to maintain relatively
				low densities, open understories and dominance by shade-intolerant species. The
				department shall determine specific prescriptions at the project
				level.
(ii) When utilizing old
				growth maintenance treatments, the department shall retain sufficient large
				live trees to meet the old growth definition as defined in ARM 36.11.403. The
				department shall apply such treatments on sites that historically had mixed
				severity fire regimes, either relatively frequent or infrequent. In some cases,
				the department may apply these treatments to stand replacement regimes when
				determined reasonable at the project level. The department shall target shade
				tolerant species for removal and reduce stand density. For residual stands, the
				department shall incorporate canopy gaps of sufficient size to encourage
				regeneration of shade-intolerant tree species. The department shall treat
				stands with periodic re-entry at less frequent intervals than for restoration.
				Densities and representation of shade-tolerant species will be higher than in
				restoration treatments. Fire shall be less frequently applied than in
				restoration treatments. The department shall determine specific prescriptions
				at the project level.
(iii) The
				department shall consider old growth removal treatments on sites that
				historically had stand replacement fire regimes. The department shall make
				selection of this treatment at the project level after considerations for
				biodiversity and forest health. Post treatment stands shall no longer qualify
				as old growth. The department shall determine specific prescriptions at the
				project level.
(d) The
				department shall maintain the option to apply or to not apply old growth
				removal treatments, regardless of disturbance regime, when determined
				reasonable at the project level.