Project Design
There are two parts to the design of this project. First, a plot(s) of land must be found on Vancouver Island that meets specific parameters. Then another analysis will be done on the potential plots.
Part One
The parameters include (in order of decreasing significance):
- Lands that are not in regionally protected areas
- Any landuses that prohibits logging activity will be eliminated, for example, urban and commercial areas.
- Slope values that render logging activities impossible.
- Vincinity to endangered animals will be considered.
- Proximity to major transportation routes (log transportation and viewshed considerations).
Part Two
Part two of the design will include an analysis of the plot of land(s) that satisfy the above requirements. To log a plot of land, the owner must follow specific instructions and certain conditions outlined by the government so that environmental and safety issues are accounted for. Also, to ensure the profitability of logging the plot, efficiency issues must be considered.
Economic Feasibility
Logging is expensive. Because of the constant dangers involved, insurance rates are high. Logging equipment is expensive and costly to maintain. To make adequate profits, loggers must remove large volumes of timber in short periods.
Road Construction
More often than not, topography will dictate the approximate location and the extent of a road system necessary to bring timber out of the forest. Slopes must be less than 10% grade but there are some instances where this limit may be exceeded for short distances up to a maximum of about 20%. A filter strip (buffer) must be considered. A filter strip provides filtration of sediments from adjacent logging roads. Depending on the adjacent slope value, filter strip width values are different. The U.S. Forest Service has suggested the widths in the following table.
Clearcutting
Clearcutting is the harvesting of all trees of an area in one cut to create a new even-aged stand. Regeneration is obtained through natural seeding, sprouting of trees that were in the stand, or by planting or direct seeding. The ability of a plot that has been clearcut to regenerate is known as forest capability. Or the amount of forest that would grow per year. Clearly, the quicker the forest recovers and grows, the better.