PTEIR Frequently Asked Questions

Forest Practices and the PTEIR

Will all logging in the Mattole have to follow the PTEIR rules?
No. Landowners who prefer will still be able to file traditional THPs, Non-industrial Timber Management Plans (NTMPs) or any of the exemptions that they can currently use. However, any area that is included by the landowner in a PTHP will be off-limits to other kinds of logging for a certain period after harvest. Currently, we are planning that this waiting period would be ten years.

Will clearcuts be allowed under the PTEIR?
Clearcuts and other forms of even-aged management (such as seed tree or shelterwood) will not be allowed under the PTEIR. The draft project description includes individual tree and group selection as options, both considered varieties of uneven-aged management. Group selection allows openings of up to 2.5 acres, although the project description may be revised to require the retention of trees in any opening larger than one acre.

Besides individual and group selection, what kinds of silviculture would be allowed under the PTEIR?
Commercial thinning and sanitation/salvage are two standard prescriptions from the Forest Practice Rules that would be included in the PTEIR. Both require that a well-stocked stand of trees remain after harvest.
In addition, our foresters have drafted two new prescriptions. One is "all-aged management,"which will allow small groups of trees (no more than 2.5 acres, with trees retained in any patches larger than half an acre) to be cut, and for leave trees and planted seedlings to both be counted toward the restocking of the land. The other is "oak woodland and prairie maintenance," which would allow the removal of conifers that are encroaching onto prairies or true-oak woodlands, in limited areas, and provided the landowner has a plan to manage for oaks or grasslands.

Will old-growth trees and forests be protected under the PTEIR?
Yes. The early drafts of the project description included a number of protections to prevent spotted owl habitat from being degraded from "nesting and roosting" habitat to "foraging" habitat, which will protect late seral habitats, no matter how old they are. There are also policies currently in the document to preserve wildlife trees and snags, and encourage the designation of legacy trees. Now, due to public feedback, an Old-Growth Policy is being crafted that will exclude individual old-growth trees from logging under the PTEIR.

How will streams be protected under the PTEIR?
Stream protection under the PTEIR is stricter than under existing Forest Practices Rules. There are larger "no-harvest" areas around streams (including a complete no-harvest buffer of 75 feet on either side of fish-bearing streams), reduced allowances for road construction, higher standards for stream crossings, and stricter limitations on operating on steep slopes.

Are winter operations allowed?
Under the PTEIR ground-based yarding, road construction or reconstruction, and road rocking would not be allowedfrom November 15 to April 1, regardless of rainfall. Log hauling on permanent, rocked roads would be allowed so long as it did not cause a measurable increase in turbidity downstream. Also, the PTEIR prohibits timber harvest activities during "measurable rain events", which are defined as more than 1/4 inch of rain in a 24 hour period. Land owners can still do some fuel treatments, such as hand piling and burning, hand fire line construction, or other activities which do not involve the use of heavy equipment or timber hauling.