Final Environmental Impact Statement

Vestal Final Environmental Impact Statement Chapter 2
Group Shelterwood (GSH)
10,044 acres
Would reduce susceptibility of stands to MPB infestation by reducing overall basal
area within sites. Would reduce overall MPB risk in these stands to Low and also
reduces fire hazard and maintain stand diversity.
This treatment represents the shelterwood silviculture system and is proposed within
pine sites which are not homogenous, but rather have two or more patches or groups
of trees of various age classes throughout the stand. The shelterwood system is a
common silvicultural treatment system which begins with a commercial thinning of
smaller diameter trees to increase the size and vigor of residual trees, followed by a
seedcut which is done to encourage regeneration; then completed with an overstory
removal which releases the established regeneration.
This prescription is proposed in sites with stand conditions which represent at least
two phases of a shelterwood system such as a commercial thin, seedcut or overstory.
The overall density of these stands would not exceed 60 ft 2 /ac basal area.
Variable Density Thinning (VDT)
1,072 acres
Would reduce overall MPB risk in stands to Low and would also reduce fire hazard,
by reducing overall stand density to a basal area of 60-80 ft²/ac. This thinning
maintains or creates diversity within the stand by varying residual density from 30-90
ft 2 /ac to avoid even residual tree spacing. Sites would be thinned from below, which
means that trees would, in general, be removed from the lower crown classes.
Aspen/Conifer Stand
Hardwood Release (HR)
431 acres
The objective is to maintain
natural fuelbreaks by removing
all conifers from existing
hardwood habitat. Hinging of
non-commercial-sized conifers
would follow commercial
removal.
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