An Introduction To Florida s Silviculture Best Management Practices (BMPs) Presented by: Robin Holland, FL Division of Forestry

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1 An Introduction To Florida s Silviculture est anagement ractices (s) resented by: Robin Holland, FL Division of Forestry

5 What Are Silviculture s? Land anagement Guidelines Designed to Help Forest Landowners Conduct Forestry Activities Near Waterbodies and Wetlands in a anner that Is Environmentally Sound. - FL DOF Website

6 Why Are Silviculture s Important? They Represent a alance etween Overall Natural Resource rotection and Forest Resource Use They are the inimum Standards Necessary for rotecting and aintaining:

7 WATER QUALITY

8 WETLAND ECOSYSTES

9 WILDLIFE HAITAT

10 When Do Silviculture s Apply? Silviculture s are Applicable on ALL onafide ONGOING Silviculture Activities with a FORESTRY OJECTIVE!

11 Silviculture s Are Not Intended for Use on Timber Harvests receding a Land Use Change

12 What Government Agencies are Responsible for Silviculture s? 1972 Federal Clean Water Act Florida Department of Environmental rotection 5 Water anagement Districts (Regulatory).O.A. Division of Forestry (Non-Regulatory)

13 DOF s Silviculture rogram Development Continuous, rovides for Change Over Time Implementation Conduct Training rovide rofessional Guidance onitoring Conduct Surveys to Determine Compliance and Verify Effectiveness through Scientifically Reliable Research Not Responsible for Enforcement!

14 Silviculture Development First Developed by DOF in mid 1970 s In 1991 a Technical Advisory Committee was Established to Review & Revise s Silviculture s Revised in 1993, 2000, 2003, & 2008

15 Florida s Silviculture anual Table of Contents Special anagement Zones p. 3 ublic Lands p. 16 Wetlands p. 17 Canals p. 22 Sinkholes p. 24 Forest Roads p. 25 Stream Crossings p. 28 Timber Harvesting p. 31 Site reparation and lanting p. 32 Fireline Construction p. 33 esticide & Fertilizer Appl. p. 34 Waste Disposal p. 36 Wet Weather Operations p. 37 Emergency Operations p. 38

16 Visit the Florida Division of Forestry Website to get a copy of the Silviculture anual

17 Silviculture Implementation DOF rovides: rofessional Guidance on what s are Applicable on lanned Forestry Operations On-Site Courtesy Checks for Ongoing and Recently Completed Operations Training through a Variety of Educational Workshops (25-30/yr.)

18 Springs and Silviculture s The Silviculture anual Classifies Springs as erennial Sinkholes. All Springs Require a 35 ft. Wide Limited Harvesting * uffer Called a Special anagement Zone rimary Zone. Springs Designated as Outstanding Florida Waters (OFWs) Require a 200 ft. Wide rimary Zone. * additional restrictions apply

19 erennial Sinkhole with a 35 ft. rimary Zone

20 Springs and Silviculture s Springs located in areas of steep slopes and/or highly erodible soils will have a Secondary Zone added on to the rimary Zone. Clearcutting is allowed within the Secondary Zone, however certain other forestry operations are prohibited. The maximum width of the total SZ is 300 ft. (apples to slopes 13%).

21 erennial OFW Sinkhole with a 200 ft. rimary Zone and a 100 ft. Secondary Zone (SSC = C4)

22 Silviculture Compliance onitoring Surveys are Conducted Every Two Years on a Random Sample of Sites Identified from Fixed-Wing Aircraft Evaluated Silviculture Treatment ust Have Occurred Within the ast 2 Years Some art of the Treatment Area ust Have Occurred Within 300 ft. of a Sinkhole, Wetland, or Waterbody (as Defined in the anual)

23 Silviculture Compliance onitoring Each Survey Consists of about 200 Sites with ultiple ractices Landowner articipation in the Survey is Voluntary 15 iennial Surveys Conducted Over ast 28 Years ( ) Overall Average Compliance = 94% Range From 84% (1985) to 99.1% (2005)

24 Compliance % Silviculture Compliance onitoring Compliance for 2009 = 98.1% Survey Year

25 Number of Survey Sites 2009 Compliance Survey Results Distribution of Implementation Scores < 70% 70-79% 80-89% 90-99% 100% No Sites Scored elow 79%

26 Silviculture s are Scientifically roven ulti-year Study Conducted February 1996 thru November 1998 Study s urpose was to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Florida s Silviculture s for rotecting Aquatic Ecosystems Results ublished in 2001 and 2004 Study Concluded that s Were Effective at rotecting Aquatic Habitat and Water Quality at all 5 Study Sites

27 FL Silviculture Effectiveness Study ublished Results

28 New Silviculture Effectiveness Studies Two federally funded effectiveness studies are currently ongoing: 1. Forest Fertilization and ine-straw Harvesting roject evaluating forest fertilization s on sites where pine straw is being raked. 2. at Logging roject evaluating the new mat logging s.

29 Silviculture Notice of Intent

30 Rule 5I-6 F.A.C. Adoption of the Silviculture anual into Florida Administrative Code Occurred on February 11, 2004 Submission of the N.O.I. is Voluntary for Forest Landowners Currently Over 5.3 illion Acres of rivate Non-Industrial, Industrial, and ublic Lands are Signed Up Under the Silviculture N.O.I. rogram

31 Available Online at Follow the Forest anagement Link to the Hydrology Webpage

32 Questions?

Comparison of Streamside Management Zone Requirements in the Southeast

Comparison of Streamside Management Zone Requirements in the Southeast Christine Hodges and Rien Visser Master s Student and Assistant Professor, Department of Forestry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA 24061