Timber Development
- Pre-work Conferences
- Landscape Resource Identification and Assessments
- Timber Reconnaissance
- Road and Block Development
- Steep Slope and Cable Harvesting Development
- Riparian Assessments and Management
- Site Assessments
- Connectivity Assessments
- Windthrow Hazard Assessments
- Gulley Assessments
- Wildlife and Danger Tree Assessments
- Coarse Woody Debris Assessments
- Culturally Modified Tree Assessments
- Level 1 to 3 Road Surveys with Q100 Calculations
- As-built Road Surveys
- GPS Traversing and Data Management
- Engineered Cost Estimate Road Surveys
- Road Designs and Site Plans
- Silviculture Site Plans and Prescriptions
- Harvesting Plans
- Cutting Permit Applications
- Road Permit Applications.
Pre-work Conferences
Together with the client, all pre-field work plans and Standard Operating Procedures are reviewed to ensure the licence requirements and objectives are clear. Live Crown conducts pre-work conferences with the field staff to communicate the project requirements.
Landscape Resource Identification and Assessments
Resource mapping is assessed for other non-timber values and management within the development area. These resources include but are not limited to Fish Habitat Inventory mapping, archaeological and heritage sites, recreation, visual quality, and wildlife values.
Timber Reconnaissance
Live Crown has extensive experience in successfully locating and developing the various timber profiles (specific to species mix, volume, piece size and quality) required by clients including pine salvage licences, spruce and balsam/spruce non-replaceable forest licences (NRFLs). Live Crown supervisors communicate regularly with the client resulting in the best outcome for block boundary and road establishment.
Timber reconnaissance projects range in sampling intensity from modified cruise plots within the various timber types to a walkthrough recce using ocular estimates. Our trained Forest Professionals, Forest Technologists and field staff are very proficient utilizing ortho imagery and LIDAR and identifying the target stands while considering the management of other resource values on the landscape. To assist with their fieldwork staff utilize ipads with Avenza Maps.
Road and Block Development
Development includes on-the-ground location and establishment of proposed harvest boundaries, internal reserves, special management zones, skid trails, access roads and on-block roads with associated data collection for the purpose of map production and timber appraisal. Live Crown’s Senior Engineers have experience completing road and block development in a variety of locations from the coast to the interior of British Columbia utilizing cable, steep slope and conventional harvest methods. Live Crown’s engineers ensure the harvest boundary and roads are located in the field to ensure the maximum efficiency of wood hauling by truck and logging chance in balance with other natural resource values. This results in wood flow efficiency which translates to lower harvesting costs. Live Crown has also been involved with the development of alternate silviculture systems including small patch cuts and single tree selection.
Internal no-harvest reserve areas are established to include representative stand structure within the proposed block. Special management zones are established around areas with sensitive soils to protect or where retention of a portion of the merchantable stand is prescribed.
Steep Slope and Cable Harvesting Development
On slopes which have high-value timber but are too steep for conventional ground-based harvesting systems or have difficult access, alternate harvest methods such as cable and winch-assist systems are a solution. For cable harvesting systems, deflection lines are established and analysed in the field and with RoadEng software for the purpose of optimizing yarding distances and determining location of intermediate supports and road locations. Over the last 24 years Live Crown has specialized in road and block layout in steep terrain with its challenges in locations across BC.
Riparian Assessments and Management
Within and adjacent to the development area, all riparian features including streams, wetlands and lakes are classified by trained forestry field staff and professionals based on current legislation. Live Crown classifies streams based on the default fish-bearing method of reach width and gradient. Management practices adjacent to the features are prescribed based on higher-level plans and legislative requirements. Some features are GPS traversed to map them accurately.
Site Assessments
Live Crown’s qualified professionals and staff are proficient at the following assessments.
Connectivity Assessments – assessing natural features on the landscape to plan an interconnected network of mature timber reserves on the block and cutting permit design level.
Windthrow Hazard Assessments – assessing the potential for windthrow along planned block boundaries and reserves based on stand, soil and topographic features. Based on this assessment recommendations for boundary location are made.
Gulley Assessments – identifying potential hazards within a gulley system whose likelihood of occurrence may increase with forestry operations. This assessment assists the careful planning of road crossings, road deactivation and block layout to prevent risks to forestry workers, the environment and infrastructure.
Wildlife and Danger Tree Assessments – identify wildlife tree characteristics, assess risk of tree failure and prescribe treatment of single or groups of trees left standing on the cutblock to contribute to biodiversity.
Coarse Woody Debris Assessments – assessing the piece size, volume and distribution of coarse woody debris material on a cutblock following harvesting activities.
Culturally Modified Tree (CMT) Assessments – identifying, assessing, field marking and managing CMTs of cultural heritage importance.
Level 1 to 3 Road Surveys with Q100 Calculations
Once a road location is established in the field a road survey is conducted in conjunction with the GPS traverse of the road. The level of survey varies with the equipment required to obtain a different degree of accuracy in the data collected. The survey level required depends on the steepness of the terrain and the type of data required for producing the deliverables. A road section which traverses steeper sideslopes and/or stream crossings may require a survey with more data at a higher degree of accuracy (Level 3) to produce engineered site plans with general arrangement drawings or plans and profiles as well as the timber appraisal data. A road located on level terrain may require a Level 1 survey to capture the appraisal data only.
Q100 calculations are completed for the design of forest road stream crossings where a culvert or bridge is required. The area of the average stream peak flow is calculated for the 100 year flood.
Global Positioning System (GPS) Traversing and Data Management.
Using a GPS system, data is collected along a road, riparian feature, special management boundary or block boundary for the purpose of creating a map in ArcGIS.
Engineered Cost Estimate (ECE) Road Surveys
ECEs are required on existing roads which require upgrade or reconstruction in order to be utilized during proposed harvesting and hauling activities. Depending on the client’s needs a detailed survey is done to collect information regarding the sections of road that require upgraded ditchlines, brushing, crossings or road surface works. This data is utilized in the stumpage appraisal.
Road Designs and Site Plans
In steeper terrain geometric road design software is used to efficiently design the plans and profiles of the optimal road location demonstrating earth works necessary to achieve the design location. The objective of the road design is to reduce construction costs and environmental disturbance while increasing safety.
Silviculture Site Plans and Prescriptions
Live Crown’s team of Registered Professional Foresters and Forest Technologists collect ecological data and classify sites based on the Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification System of British Columbia. Live Crown has excellent skills in soils identification and prescription development for proposed harvest areas that result in a comprehensive prescription for sound forest management that meets the client’s needs.
Harvesting Plans
Harvesting plans are completed for all blocks which provide for economic and efficient solutions to timber harvesting.
Cutting Permit and Road Permit Applications
On behalf of the client Live Crown completes the documents and Engineered Cost Estimates which are required for cutting permit application submissions to the government for approval. Live Crown has an in-house Quality Assurance program that includes professional peer reviews of the documents and deliverables prior to submission to the client. The work completed in the field is accurately represented on the final maps. This is important to ensure there are no trespasses during logging operations or stoppages of work due to incorrect mapping of features in the field.
