L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm
2012 Annual Report
2012 Annual Report
Inside this report:
Cover Story
1
Research and
other projects in
2012
2
Summer
operations &
maintenance in
2012
3
Summer
operations &
maintenance
planned for 2013
3
Research
projects planned
for 2013
4
Other projects
planned for 2013
5
L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm Receives Donation of
LIDAR data from Green Diamond Resources Company
In the fall of 2012 Green Diamond
Resources Company donated a lidar
data set covering the L.W. Schatz
Demonstration Tree Farm. Lidar or
“Light Detection and Ranging”, is an
active remote sensing technology.
Similar to radar technology, lidar
works by transmitting pulses of laser
light towards the surface and measuring the amount of time it takes for a
given pulse to return. Lidar can produce high resolution digital elevation
maps which provide detailed imagery
and measurements of topographic features. Lidar also has many important
applications for forestry and resource
management; including providing
measurements of canopy heights, leaf
area and biomass estimations.
While lidar technology has been
around for over forty years, there has
been significant increase in the use of
lidar in the last 10 years. This is due
to the decrease in costs associated with
lidar collection and an increase in
computing power and resolution.
Most lidar acquisitions are done using
an aircraft equipped with a lidar sensor, GPS unit, inertial measurement
unit (IMU) and an onboard computer
with data storage. The lidar sensor is a
laser emitting and receiving scanning
unit. The laser scanner sends between
10,000 to 200,000 (depending on resolution) pulses of light per second to the
surface below. The sensor records how
long it takes each light pulse to return
back to the unit. These times are used
to calculate the distance based on the
constant speed of light and the time it
takes a given light pulse to return. The
sensors are able to records multiple
returns for a given pulse, which allows
lidar systems to differentiate from the
forest canopy (first return) and the bare
The above diagram is a graphical representation of how lidar is collected
Page 2
L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm
Research projects in 2012
Carbon storage
Dr. Pascal Berrill and graduate student Brandon Namm compelted their study
on “Below-ground carbon storage in tanoak” at the Tree Farm. The primary
goals of this research are to 1) quantify how belowground carbon levels in
tanoak are connected to aboveground variables, such as diameter at breast
height and basal area, which are easily measured; 2) explore how the allometric relationship between aboveground and belowground biomass and carbon
content in tanoak is influenced by canopy position and competition for light
and other resources; and 3) use variables that impact this above- and belowground relationship to generate predictive models.
Bio-energy pilot study
Dr. Pascal Berrill continued work on the “Tree Farm bio-energy pilot study:
Planting five tree species in a replicated test plot.”, Students from the Forest
Restoration class and The Forest Environment class maintained and monitored the plots planted in 2009. Maintenance primarily consisted of weed
control as there was considerable competition from weeds on the dry site.
Other projects in 2012
Tree Farm as Educational Tool
In addition to the faculty and graduate research the Tree Farm is a hands-on
learning environment for many forestry courses. Introduction to Forest and
The Environment (FOR 116), Forest Health & Protection (FOR 222), Forest
Mensuration & Growth (FOR 311), Forest Management (FOR 315), Forest
Restoration (FOR 431) and Silviculture (FOR 432) all made field trips to the
L.W. Schatz Tree Farm as part of the course.
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In the spring 2012, Dr. Pascal Berrill’s Forest Restoration (FOR431)
class made trips to the L.W. Schatz Tree Farm for their applied restoration project at the L.W.Schatz Tree Farm. The student in FOR 431 made
multiple visits to the Schatz Tree Farm over the course of the spring semester. FOR 116 and FOR 431 students have performed maintenance
(primarily weed control) and monitoring during field trips to the Tree
Farm.
2012 Annual Report
Page 3
Summer operations and maintenance in 2012
As in past summers, significant
maintenance and improvement
projects were done over the Summer in 2012. Derek Weatherbee
and Mike Vogele comprised the
2013 summer maintenance crew,
along with Gordon Schatz, Tree
Farm Manage. Projects completed include:
Tree Farm building
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Mowed lawns and outer areas
to reduce fire hazard.
Cleaned shop, bathrooms and
interior of the building.
Cleaned walkway and gutters
around the building.
Saws and other power equipment brought into town for annual maintenance.
Cleaned equipment shed and
contents.
Resupplied gas and oil for machines.
All Terrain Vehicles were serviced and received new tires.
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General landscaping, including
weeding, cleanup and mulching.
Tree Farm acreage
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Cleared storm debris and
downed trees from roads, trails
and culverts.
Mowed roads, and turnouts as
well as brush cut trails.
Mowed and brush cut trails (ongoing).
Worked on pond trail improvements.
Removed brush and pruned
trees along roadsides to improve visibility.
Potholes filled on roads with
gravel.
Located and cleared culvert inlets and areas around them.
Cleaned up duck blind at the
pond.
Shaded fuel break enhancement
and pruning along roads and
trails.
Summer operations and maintenance planned for 2013
Scenes from the Tree Farm.

Digitize historical documents and maps from the L.W. Schatz
Demonstration Tree Farm
Page 4
L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm
LIDAR Story (continued from page 1)
earth (last return). The ability to distinguish and visualize both the ground
and canopy structure offers many advantages for forestry research. A wide
range of information can be obtained from lidar, including topographic
models, forest structure, density, canopy heights,, and biomass estimates.
The lidar data will offer an excellent, real-world learning tool for forestry
students. The lidar acquisition will also provide valuable data for research
at the Tree Farm.
Research projects anticipated for 2013
Response to Mortality and Anthropogenic Disturbances in Mixed
Evergreen Conifer Forests: Changes in Stand Structure, Growth, and
Branching
Satellite aerial image of the
research station at the L.W.
Schatz Demonstration Tree
Farm (Top) and 3-D Point
cloud representation of the
same area modeled with
Fusion software (Bottom)
In 2013 Dr. Pascal Berrill and his graduate student will begin work on their
study on “Response to Mortality and Anthropogenic Disturbances in Mixed
Evergreen Conifer Forests: Changes in Stand Structure, Growth, and
Branching.” Coastal mixed evergreen conifer forests are changing in
response to disease and harvest disturbances., in particular Sudden oak
death (SOD) caused by the pathogen Phytopthora ramorum is killing
millions of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus) throughout California.
The project aims to address three main topics; I) The response of coast
redwood and Douglas-fir to partial harvesting and associated composition
control in irregular uneven-aged stands; 2) Stand density and branching in
pure and mixed even-aged and multiaged coastal redwood and Douglas-fir;
and 3) Regeneration and growth of residual stand during conversion of
mixed even-aged stands to conifer-dominated uneven-aged stands.
The pilot study of this project will take place at the L.W. Schatz Tree Farm
to test field sampling method. This will include Redwood and Douglas-fir
tree growth and branch sampling at the Tree Farm and dendrochronological
analysis in the laboratory at Humboldt State University.
2012 Annual Report
Page 5
Research and Other projects planned for 2013
Contact Information
L.W. Schatz Demonstration
Tree Farm
Bio-energy pilot study
Dr. Pascal Berrill will continue work on the “Tree Farm bio-energy pilot study:
Planting five tree species in a replicated test plot.” Dr. Berrill along with students
from his Siliviculture (FOR 432) and Forest Restoration (FOR 431) class will continue to monitor and maintain the plots through hand weeding.
Tree Farm as outdoor classroom
As in previous year, the Tree Farm will continue to be used for many forestry classes, there are many field trips already planned for 2013
Forest and The Environment (FOR 116): Students in the Forest and The Environment class will visit the Tree Farm.
Forest Health and Protection (FOR 222): Students in the Forest Health and Protection class will visit the Tree Farm.
Forest Restoration (FOR 431): Dr. Pascal Berrill and his Forest Restoration students will continue to maintain and monitor restoration sites at the Tree Farm.
Nonindustrial Timber Management Plan (NTMP)
Establish an NTMP for the Tree Farm by putting out a statewide call for bids to
write a plan.
Geographic Information System
Continue improvements on the Tree Farm GIS database, including mapping and
obtaining additional data. Digitize historical documents and maps from the L.W.
Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm
L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm
The L.W. Schatz Demonstration Tree Farm’s mission is to provide a demonstration tree farm operation for the benefit of the instructional and research needs of
the students and faculty of Humboldt State University and as an example for owners of small timberland parcels. The Tree Farm enables experimentation and research regarding the growing, harvesting, and replacement of trees on timberland.
The Tree Farm aims to utilize as many square feet as practical for production of
commercial wood crops. The Tree Farm serves as an outdoor classroom for educational purposes and also enables public educational assistance to landowners
through publications, photos, lectures, symposia, and tours.
Department of Forestry &
Wildland Resources
Humboldt State University
1 Harpst St.
Arcata, CA 95521
Phone: 707.826.3935
Fax: 707.826.3534
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site:
www.humboldt.edu/
schatztreefarm
Tree Farm Advisory
Committee
Ken Fulgham, Chair,
Department of
Forestry and Wildland
Resources
Steve Smith, Dean, College of
Natural Resources and
Sciences
Pascal Berrill, Assistant
Professor, Department of
Forestry and Wildland
Resources
Tree Farm staff
Gordon Schatz, Tree Farm
Manager
George Pease, Technician
Sara Hanna, Research
Associate and Coordinator
Derek Weatherbee, Summer
crew
Mike Vogele, Summer crew
Deparment of Forestry &
Wildland Resources
faculty members
Pascal Berrill
Ken Fulgham
Han-Sup Han
Jeff Kane
Erin Kelly
Susan Marshall
Mahesh Rao
Stephen Sillett
John Stuart
Andy Stubblefield