Updates on forestry management set

By Frank Hanson

The next Evening Talk will be Thursday, Aug. 17, from 7-8 p.m. at the Olympic Natural Resources Center in our Hemlock Forest Room. ONRC is at 1455 S. Forks Ave.

This summer we have had four interns spending time at ONRC and the LTEP site at Sappho investigating course woody debris data and processing soil samples for further analysis. The story of the LTEP is ongoing and is a unique in-depth longterm study to help us understand what has happened in the forest over time and the effects on soil at the site.

This year our intern program was overseen by master’s degree student Roxana Rautu. She will be supporting our three undergrad interns for an “Evening Talk” on their summer field experience here at ONRC.

Their summer experience is part of the 200-year Long Term Ecosystem Productivity Study comparing the effects of forest management techniques on ecosystem productivity, soil systems and biodiversity.

The study originally was set up over 20 years ago by Dr. Bernard Bormann, our new director of ONRC, and Dr. Richard Bigley of the DNR.

The purpose of the LTEP was in response to questions of the 1990s on conventional methods of forestry. There was a reality that lower quality and output were happening at each successive planting of Douglas-fir in the plantation-style plantings.

Questions began to develop: Can there be a balance between timber production and ecosystem health? What are the best management styles to manage our forest to maximize ecosystem services?

This ongoing LTEP study is designed to help determine a better way of providing financial, recreational and cultural values to the people on the Olympic Peninsula.

Please join us! Evening Talks at ONRC is funded through the Rosmond Forestry Education Fund, an endowment that honors the contributions of Fred Rosmond and his family to forestry and collegiate education for the Forks community.

Refreshments will be served and a potluck of your favorite dessert is encouraged.

For more information, contact Frank Hanson at 374-4556 or fsh2@uw.edu.