Ponderosa pine stands are almost entirely (91 percent) in the sawtimber
<br />class. (Acreages are truncated at the decimal point in all tables).
<br />The data presented in table 2, describing current forest stand condition in the
<br />North Platte River Basin are consistent with the stand configuration data
<br />summary for Colorado and Wyoming presented in the USDA Forest Service
<br />1997 RPA Assessment of the Nations Forests. (Draft tables dated 10/15/99).
<br />The draft RPA Assessment does not allow partitioning of the data with the
<br />specificity of table 2, but the spatial relationship between species and stand
<br />class appears consistent with the data in table 2.
<br />Table 2: Area of Forest Cover by Specie and Size Class on National
<br />Forest Land in the North Platte River Basin -- Year 2000.
<br />Species
<br />Acres
<br />Non- Seedlings/
<br />Stocked Saplings
<br />Poles
<br />Sawtimber
<br />Total
<br />Spruce -Fir
<br />3,478
<br />32,622
<br />39,958
<br />230,051
<br />306,108
<br />Lodgepole Pine
<br />6,533
<br />91,504
<br />257,940
<br />271,986
<br />627,963
<br />Ponderosa Pine
<br />3,816
<br />1,086
<br />2,994
<br />79,953
<br />87,849
<br />Douglas Fir
<br />102
<br />132
<br />2,819
<br />9,203
<br />12,257
<br />Limber Pine
<br />24
<br />303
<br />6,594
<br />4,625
<br />11,546
<br />Aspen
<br />1,614
<br />7,946
<br />29,126
<br />23,182
<br />61,869
<br />Total
<br />15,567
<br />133,593
<br />339,430
<br />1 619,002
<br />1,107,593
<br />Note: Spruce -Fir, Lodgepole, and Aspen have a high degree of younger stands (non - stocked and seedlings
<br />and saplings). Ponderosa pine, Douglas Fir, and Limber pine are more heavily weighted to pole and
<br />sawtimber classes.
<br />Characterization of historical stand condition on National Forest land started
<br />with the current condition and worked backwards, in 20 -year increments, to
<br />1860.
<br />Numerous assumptions were made in the assessment process. First, we
<br />assumed that the average age of the forest, by stand size class, was a
<br />reasonable estimate of mean age for that size class. Individual plot data
<br />provided by the U.S. Forest Service, indicated that individual trees within
<br />the stands could be much older, for example than the 150 -year mean age for
<br />lodgepole pine sawtimber, as indicated in figure 12a. Personal
<br />communication with Dr. Wayne Shepperd (Research Silviculturalist, Rocky
<br />Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO) supported our assumption.
<br />Stands in the North Platte River Basin have been impacted by natural
<br />disaster and human intervention more than many other places in Region 2,
<br />28
<br />11
<br />�j
<br />1
<br />G
<br />I
<br />1
<br />f
<br />1
<br />
|