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Forest Health Treatment Needs (continued) <br />Dry dense forest treatment need <br />Currently, dense, multistory forest structure is over-repre- <br />sented on dry sites, especially sites dominated by Doug- <br />las-fir. The large, contiguous patches of this forest type <br />create high susceptibility to defoliating insects and crown <br />fire. Treating 24,500-35,000 acres of this type (Table 1) is <br />recommended to create large patches (-100-1000 ac) of <br />open forest with a component of large trees (Fig. ), flip- <br />ping the majority of dry sites from closed to open forest <br />(Fig. 6). Shifting composition toward ponderosa pine and <br />reducing grand fir and Douglas-fir is also recommended. <br />Moist and cold dense forest treatment need <br />Dense, multistory forest on moist and cold sites exceeds <br />or is at the upper end of desired ranges across the plan- <br />ning area. ln contrast, open canopy forest with medium to <br />large trees, as well as open forest with small trees and <br />shrubs, are at the low end of desired ranges, except where <br />the Jolly Mountain Fire burned. Treating 3,000-8,000 acres <br />of this forest type Oable 1, Fig. 4) is recommended to cre- <br />ate a mosaic of open and dense forest that will reduce <br />risks of large crown fire and insect outbreaks. A range of <br />treatment types will be needed, including thinning, regen- <br />eration treatments, and managed wildfire. lncreasing the <br />relative composition of ponderosa pine and western larch <br />is also needed to help these sites adapt to a warming cli- <br />mate. Following treatments, over 6O% of the total moist <br />and cold forest area would remain dense (Fig. 5) to meet <br />habitat, wood production, and other objectives. <br />Open forest maintenance treatment need <br />Over the next 1 5 years, an estimated 1 1,000-17,000 acres <br />of currently open forests on dry and moist sites will need <br />prescribed fire, managed wildfire, or mechanical methods <br />to maintain open conditions by reducing surface fuels and <br />small trees. These sites include mechanically treated areas <br />that may or may not have received fuel treatments, as well <br />as pafts of the Jolly Mountain Fire where additional fuel <br />reduction is needed. Specific maintenance strategies de- <br />pend on landowner objectives and time since treatment. <br />Sustainable locations for dense forest with large trees <br />Locations with low to moderate current and future mois- <br />ture deficits (Fig. 3) and low fire risk (Fig. 2) offer the most <br />sustainable locations to maintain sufficient area and patch <br />sizes of this forest habitat type and associated ecosystem <br />functions. Sustainable locations include the western end <br />of the planning area, as well as north-facing slopes in the <br />central portion and valley bottoms in the noftheastern <br />corner (Fig. 7). The large tree, dense forest sustainability <br />map can be used in conjunction with treatment priority <br />(Fig. 9) to select areas to promote open forest vs. where <br />to maintain and build large tree closed canopy patches. <br />Current Post-treatment* <br />Dry <br />Forest <br />(63,584 ac) <br />Moist-Cold <br />Forest <br />(49,905 ac) <br />fl Smalt Open I Med-Large Open fl Smatt Dense ! Med-Large Dense <br />Left Figure 6. Current and post-treatment proportions of forest tyrpes and structure classes. * mid-point of range in Table 1 <br />Right Figure 7. Sustainability of current and potential large tree, dense forest based on fire risk and drought vulnerability. <br />Large dense forest <br />sustainability <br />HighIEN <br />Low <br />24 <br />Teonaway Landscope Evaluation Summary (2020) | Page 4