Exceptions to the Primary Management Zone Criteria
 
 
1 - No individual tract or tracts-in-contiguous-ownership may be required to designate more than 10% of the total tract area as Primary Zone.

2 - No Primary Zone may be required beyond 35 feet from a perennial waterbody or 50 feet from any OFW, ONRW, or Class I Water, where the trees have been traditionally managed for the purpose of pine timber production and where there is an existing predominance of pine trees with no significant component of large sized or merchantable hardwood trees.

3 - Where 1 and 2 do not apply, clearcut harvesting in the Primary Zone is permissible provided that no clearcutting takes place within 35 feet of any perennial water body or within 50 feet of any OFW, ONRW, or Class I Water, and where:

    a - the total acreage clearcut does not exceed 25% of the area designated as Primary Zone, and the number of acres clearcut are added-on to the Primary Zone acre for acre.  These additional acres added-on to the Primary Zone must be directly connected to the Primary Zone boundary within the harvest unit, may not extend out beyond that boundary more than 200 feet, and must be managed in accordance with the Primary Zone Management Criteria

    b - the basal area of overstory trees within the SMZ is 30 square feet per acre or less, and other hardwood species present are of such low quality (physiologically or biologically) that total stand removal would provide a greater long-term wildlife and/or forestry benefit.  However, the total area clearcut under this exception may not equal more than 10% of the Primary Zone, and any given clearcut parcel must not be greater than 500 feet in length, as measured along the stream
 

Click on the following link for an explanation of basal area.  Use the "Back" function to return here. 

 
 

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