RFA Compare and Contrast Control Versus Treatment at Auggie Fuels

Junior Journal

Series: Junior Journal | Story 2

In 2014 the Auggie Forest, situated near the Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Trails in Seeley Lake, Mont., was logged in multiple areas. The areas, acres long, had trees felled and the beautiful forests were reduced to vacant fields resembling more meadows than a wooded location. The forest was logged in order to reduce the possibility of fire spreading to, or starting near, the Seeley Lake surrounding woods, making the area safer for human habitation. However, the resulted logging of the forest provides stark contrast when compared to an untouched site only a few thousand meters away.

The plots created as a result of the logging project at Auggie Forest have been divided into two categories: "control sites" and "treatment sites", which represent untouched plots and logged plots, respectively. Trees with a diameter of 12.5 - 37.9 cm were recorded and on the two plots I compared, T1 (Treatment Plot 1) and C11 (Control Plot 11), both sites held 11 trees each, though the control plot encompassed slightly more diverse trees, as it contained more species.

T1 is comprised of ground cover that is 50 percent woody debris, things such as twigs and bark, which is a very high percentage of cover when compared to C11's percentage of woody debris, 25 percent. However, when comparing the amount of fuels on the ground that can easily burn, the control site offered much higher amounts of burnable substances such as pine needles, twigs and sticks.

These data prove that the overall goal for the Auggie Forest Logging Project succeeded, and that treating the area has made it less likely to burn and therefore safer for residents of Seeley Lake. The treated areas, contradictorily, appear more unpleasant and house many more noxious weeds than control plots. These weeds tend to spread as a result of logging, and may infest previously weedless areas.

There are many disadvantages to a supervised site used to regulate forestry. These include, among other things: an unappealing aesthetic, a lack of diversity and new weed infestation. Weeds discourage native plant growth and use water that would otherwise be available to native plants. The treatment site's appearance may slow recreation slightly, but animals such as deer prefer to live on less forested terrain, making treatment plots more appropriate for them.

An often overlooked advantage is the additional funds logging projects such as this create for the community. However, the most significant and deciding factor is the fact that the logging of the Auggie Forest has substantially decreased the likelihood of a fire spreading or starting in the surrounding forest. The safety of those living within miles of the forest much outweighs the consequences of the logging of a small area. Auggie Forest is still a thriving forest, and has not been entirely depleted of vegetation.

 

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