Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest
Introduction
The Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest was formally designated in
1934 as the Station's principal site for management studies in the interior
ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws. var. ponderosa) type.
Studies going back as far as 1910 had resulted in new theories of management,
silviculture, and insect control. A primary objective of the Experimental
Forest was to develop these theories into a system of management and to
test, demonstrate, and improve the system through continuous operation
of a timber tract on a commercial scale.
Before full scale operations began, the approximately 4200-hectare
(10,400 acre) forest was subdivided into 100 compartments of about 40 hectares
(100 acres) each. An intensive road system, the first in the West specifically
designed for truck hauling, was laid out such that every compartment was
bordered by a road. Compartments and roads have been continuously maintained.
Early timber harvests were primarily for insect control. An insect
risk-rating system developed at Blacks Mountain (Salman
and Bongberg 1942). When it was demonstrated that the average cut of
35 cubic meters per hectare could be logged economically, and that the cutting
reduced the annual rate of tree killing, sanitation-salvage was adopted
widely. Duncan Dunning proposed the mosaic of small even-aged groups of trees
(the prevailing stand structure at Blacks Mountain) rather than individual
trees as the subject for management (Hallin 1954). This
concept of "unit area control" was tested operationally during the 1950's.
More recent cuttings have been designed to convert large areas of the forest
to young-growth stands needed for future research. Today, the forest includes
a wide range of stand structures and age classes from young plantations to
old-growth stands in five uncut compartments designated as Research Natural
Areas.
Location
Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest (lat. 40°40' N., long. 121°10'
W.) lies within portions of T. 33 N., R. 7 E. and T. 33 N. R 8 E., MDM.,
64 road kilometers northwest of Susanville, Lassen County (see map). About
half of the Forest lies in a gently rolling basin; the remainder extends
up the moderate slopes of Blacks Mountain to the north and of Patterson
and Cone Mountains to the east. Elevations range from 1700 to 2100 meters
(5600 to 6900 feet). See Map.
Access to within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the Experimental Forest
is available all-year via State Route 44. Access to the boundary and within
the Forest is available during summer and fall via an intensive system
of surfaced and unsurfaced roads. None of these roads is maintained in
the winter, and many may be impassable when wet.
Climate
The climate is characterized by warm, dry summers and cold, wet winters.
Annual precipitation, mostly snow, for the period 1935 to 1953 varied
from 229 to 737 millimeters and averaged 457 millimeters. About 90 percent
of the precipitation falls during October through May. Air temperatures
during the year usually range from -9°C to 29°C. Frost may occur
in any month. Relative humidity is usually low -- 10 to 20 percent on summer
afternoons except during storms.
Plant Communities
Interior Ponderosa Pine (SAF 237), which occupies 3715 hectares (9200
acres), is the only forest cover type on the Experimental Forest (Eyre 1980). Species composition varies within the type,
however. White fir (Abies concolor var. lowiana [Gord.] Lemm.) and incense-cedar
(Libocedrus decurrens Torr.), absent in stands within the lower portion
of the basein, become increasingly abundant at higher elevations. The remaining
437 hectares (1000 acres) are poorly drained flats occupied by sagebrush
and grass.
Related Links
Publications
Interdisciplinary
Research
Contact:
Martin W. Ritchie
Literature Cited
Salman, K.A. and J.W. Bongberg. 1942. Logging high risk trees to control
insects in the pine stands of northeastern California. Journal of Forestry
40(7):533-539.
Hallin, William E. 1954. Unit area control-its development and application.
Misc. Paper 16. Berkeley, CA: Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment
Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; 10 p.
Eyre, F.H. ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington DC: Society of American Foresters; 148 p.
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