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17-105489-Forest Management and Maintenance Plan-04-02-2020-V13FORESTRY AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT SPECIALISTS WFCI 3601943-1 723 FAX 3601943-4 1 28 1919 Yelm Hwy SE, Suite C Olympia, WA 98501 URBANIRURAL FORESTRY TREE APPRAISAL HAZARD TREE ANALYSIS RIGHT-OF-WAYS VEGETATION MANAGEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES CONTRACT FORESTERS Member of International Society of Arboriculture and Society of American Foresters Woodbridge Business Park – Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Site Address: 32901 Weyerhaeuser Way S. Federal Way WA 98001 Property Information: 135.6 acres Legal Description: The areas of forest management are located in parcels legally described as Parcel #’s 1621049056 & 1621049030. The managed stands are located in the SE1/4 of the NE1/4 of Section 16, Township 21N, Range 04E, King County, Washington. The Parcel is accessible by Weyerhaeuser Way South. Prepared for: Federal Way Campus LLC Landowner Prepared by: Galen M. Wright, Certified Forester No. 44 Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. 1919 Yelm Hwy. SE Olympia, WA 98501 360/943-1723 galenwfci@aol.com Date of Plan: March 23, 2020 Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 2 I. Landowner Objectives The stated long-term ownership objectives are to maintain and manage two forested buffer areas for long-term forestry and the associated multiple use values including buffering, protection of water, diversity for wildlife, and landowner recreation. II. Introductory Overview of the Property Site Description The overall project area consists of portions of 5 parcels totaling 135.6 acres, only a small area of the site will be managed forestland (Figure 1). Topography is mostly flat to gently rolling, sloping slightly to the northeast into North Lake. The site is bordered to the north by commercial properties, to the west by Interstate 5, to the south by undeveloped forest and pasture, and to the east by undeveloped forest and North Lake. Many small wetlands occur sporadically on the west side of the project area near Interstate 5 and more contiguously on the east side near North Lake. These resources are not near the management area. There is a large commercial office building and associated parking lot in the central portion of the project area. An additional small office building exists on the eastern side of the property. Access to the site is by Weyerhaeuser Way S. Numerous trails and small roads traverse the ownership. III. Resource Descriptions and Management Practices Resource Category I – Forest Health There are 4 forest cover types (Figure 1) in the buffer for the purposes of developing management/maintenance prescriptions. The following is a description of the cover types: Forest Cover Type II. -- Type II is a mature stand of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) with some bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum), red alder (Alnus rubra), and planted ornamental trees. Tree size ranges from 12 to 46 in. DBH. There are 80 trees per acre across the cover type. Tree condition ranges from ‘Dead’ to ‘Good,’ with most trees described as being in ‘Fair’ condition or better. Table 1. Summary of Trees in Cover Type II Species DBH Range (in.) Condition Range Total Trees Per Acre Douglas-fir 15 - 46 ‘Fair’ - ‘Good’ 55 Red Alder 12 - 15 ‘Poor’ 13 Bigleaf Maple 12 - 17 ‘Fair’ 4 Other Conifer 12 - 24 ‘Poor’ 8 Total 12 - 46 ‘Poor’ - ‘Good’ 80 Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 3 Photo 1. View of trees in Cover Type II Understory vegetation consists of mostly native plants and some non-native, invasive species. Native species include vine maple (Acer circinatum), western hazel (Corylus cornuta), Indian- plum (Oemleria cerasiformis), salal (Gaultheria shallon), thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus), snowberry (Symphoricarpos alba), prostrate Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa), sword fern (Polystichum munitum), and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum). Invasive plants include English ivy (Hedera helix), blackberry (Rubus armeniacus), grasses, and broadleaved weeds. This community of understory vegetation is common throughout the project area. Forest Cover Type III. -- Type III is a low-density, mixed stand of mostly deciduous trees including mostly red alder and black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa). Some large Douglas-fir and western redcedar (Thuja plicata) trees also occur in this cover type, but are widely scattered. Tree size ranges from 15 to 48 inches DBH. There are 30 trees per acre over the cover type. Tree condition ranges from ‘Dead’ to ‘Good,’ with most trees described as being in ‘Fair’ condition or better. Table 2. Summary of Trees in Cover Type III Species DBH Range (in.) Condition Range Total Trees Per Acre Douglas-fir 28 - 46 ‘Fair’ - ‘Good’ 5 Red Alder 15 - 23 ‘Poor’ 23 Black Cottonwood 20 - 48 ‘Fair’ <1 Western Redcedar 24 - 40 ‘Poor’ 1 Total 15 - 48 ‘Poor’ - ‘Good’ 30 Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 4 Photo 2. View of trees in Cover Type III Understory vegetation is very dense and consists of mostly native plants and some non-native, invasive species. Native species include vine maple, western hazel, Indian-plum, salal, trailing blackberry, snowberry, prostrate Oregon-grape, sword fern, and bracken fern. Invasive plants include English ivy, blackberry, grasses, and broadleaved weeds. Forest Cover Type IV. -- Type IV is a dense plantation of predominantly Douglas-fir trees with a lesser number of deciduous trees and exotic conifers such as Norway spruce (Picea abies). Tree size ranges from 12 to 69 in. DBH, but are most commonly in the 14 to 16-inch DBH range. There are 162 trees per acre over the cover type. Tree condition ranges from ‘Dead’ to ‘Good,’ with most trees (90%) described as being in ‘Fair’ condition or better. Table 3. Summary of Trees in Cover Type IV Species DBH Range (in.) Condition Range Total Trees Per Acre Douglas-fir 12 - 36 ‘Fair’ - ‘Good’ 149 Other Conifer 12 - 13 ‘Poor’ 7 Black Cottonwood 69 ‘Fair’ <1 Other Hardwood 24 - 40 ‘Poor’ 5 Total 12 - 69 ‘Poor’ - ‘Good’ 162 Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 5 Photo 3. View of trees in Cover Type IV Understory vegetation is less dense than other cover types and consists of mostly native plants. Species include vine maple, woods rose (Rosa woodsia), Indian-plum, salal, trailing blackberry, snowberry, prostrate Oregon-grape, sword fern, and bracken fern. Forest Cover Type XII. – This non-forest cover type is predominantly meadow, including grasses, broadleaf weeds and invading Scotchbroom. There is a small group of trees in the southerly end of the meadow. Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 6 Figure 1. Aerial Photo of Woodbridge Business Park with Forest Cover Types (2017 King County iMap) Property Boundary Forest Cover Type Line Buffer Areas for of Forest Management/Maintenance XII N IV III II IX VI VII VII XI X VIII I V Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 7 Resource Category II – Soils There is one soil type associated with this parcel (Figure 2) according to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service web soil survey. Figure 2: Soils Map of Woodbridge Business Park Site. Project Area Boundary Ag - Alderwood gravelly sandy loam - 98.4% The Alderwood gravelly sandy is a moderately deep, moderately well drained soil found on glacial till plains. It is formed in ablation till overlying basal till. A weakly cemented hardpan is at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. Permeability is moderately rapid above the hardpan and very slow in the pan. Available water capacity is low. Effective rooting depth is 20-40 inches. A perched seasonal high-water table is at a depth of 18-36 inches from November to March. The potential for windthrow of trees is ‘moderate’ under normal conditions. New trees require irrigation for establishment. N Ag Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 8 Resource Category III – Water Quality/Riparian and Fish Habitat/Wetlands There were no typed streams or wetland areas in the buffer area. There are no unstable slopes on site. Resource Category IV- Forest Management/Maintenance Type II. – This stand appears to be about 60+ years old. Species include mostly Douglas-fir with scattered bigleaf maple, red alder and other conifer. The stand is stocked with 80 trees per acre. The trees in the type are in Poor – Good condition. No work is necessary in this stand other than tree risk assessment every 2 years. Type III. – Tree species include mostly red alder, black cottonwood with Douglas-fir and western redcedar scattered throughout the type. The stand is poorly stocked with 30 trees per acre. The trees are healthy and growing quickly, but large gaps exist between trees where shade- tolerant conifers such as western redcedar could be planted. Interplanting this stand with a shade tolerant tree species would improve the buffer over time. Type IV. – The stand is fully stocked with Douglas-fir and other introduced conifer and deciduous trees. The stand has 162 trees per acre. Selective tree removal to release higher quality trees would be beneficial to survival and long-term growth of this buffer. Portions of this stand are stagnated today. Type XII. – The small group of trees will need to have a tree risk assessment performed on the same schedule as the other trees in the other 3 forest cover types. The meadow will require mowing with a flail or rotary mower on a tractor at least once per year. The timing should be in September, unless a mid-growing season (June) mowing is desired by the owner. This meadow is what is classified as an old field. Natural succession is to trees, broadleaf weeds, brush, vines, and other noxious weeds such as Tansy ragwort and Scotchbroom. Mowing may be adequate to keep these noxious and invasive woody plants and weeds under control. If not, then spot or broadcast treatment of the meadow may be necessary to retard natural succession. If treatment with an herbicide is necessary, then a broadleaf weed control product will need to be prescribed, depending on the plants that need to be controlled. May will be the recommended season of application. Resource Category V - Wildfire. – The risk of wildfire on the parcel is moderate. The parcel is in a wildland-urban interface which can create a complicated setting for fire management. Decreasing the available fuel and creating fire breaks would be an effective way to decrease the risk of fire spread. This can be done by selective thinning, pruning of lower branches, and reduction of the fuel created by the thinning and pruning. Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 9 Resource Category VI – Wildlife There are abundant signs of wildlife on the property. No raptor nests were found on the site. No other information was found indicating the presence of a threatened or endangered species on this parcel. Table 4. List of Mammals Likely to Occur at the Woodbridge Business Park Property Common Name Scientific Name Deer Mouse (Peromyscus keeni) Eastern Cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus) Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) Beaver (Castor canadensis) River Otter (Lontra canadensis) Blacktail Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) Coyote (Canis latrans) Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) Townsend’s Vole (Microtus townsenii) Resource Category VII – Protection of Special Resources No threatened or endangered plant, animal, or bird species were identified and the landowners are not aware of any. No raptor nest sites were found. No other information was found indicating the presence of a threatened or endangered species on this parcel. There are no known cultural resources or historical sites for which protection may be required or desirable. There are no other unique, important, or special sites within the ownership that are special to the landowner on the forested portion of the ownership, and thus no special protection measures are required. There are no known threated or endangered species, cultural, or historical resource protection issues on this property. A formal review, to identify these resources, if any, and their potential protection requirements, will be conducted by the State Department of Natural Resources if and when the landowner proposes to conduct significant forestry activity which requires a DNR – approved Forest Practices Applications. Resource Category VIII – Aesthetics and Recreation The recreational use of the wooded forest types is limited by the ownership. There are multiple trails through the area. There are also abundant game trails that traverse the property. The aesthetics of the parcel will improve when the invasive brush is controlled. Recreational use of the meadow has, in the past been heavy for public dog walking and general hiking. Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 10 Resource Category IX – Carbon Sequestration & Resilience to Climate/Weather-Related Influence The current stocking level of long-term tree species is adequate. Increasing the abundance of coniferous species in areas where stocking is low would allow the site to sequester more carbon in the long-term. Delaying the harvest of the trees currently on the site by 30 or more years could allow the vegetation on the site to sequester and retain more carbon than would otherwise be possible on a shorter rotation. Selective thinning could take place at an earlier date with little consequence, however. IV. Management/Maintenance Plan Implementation Timetable Annual maintenance activity should include patrol of the property boundaries to look for encroachments, maintaining roads, controlling noxious weeds, and monitoring the stands for disease and insect problems. The long-term management plan of the parcel is to keep it in a forest buffer for the project. The following is the recommended schedule of forest management/maintenance activities. Table 5. Schedule of work. YEAR* MONTH TYPE ACTIVITY PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE Annually in perpetuity Any All Maintenance Inspect roads, property lines, clean ditches, and monitor disease and insect problems. Re-flag property lines as necessary. Annually in perpetuity May II, III, IV Conduct herbicide treatment to control invasive species – primary species include blackberry, English holly, English ivy, and Scotchbroom. Crossbow low-volume foliar (LVF) at labeled rates. Keep product off of desirable trees. Annually in perpetuity May XII Weed control in meadow A prescription should be developed annually for the meadow – the weed pressure will evolve over time. Annually in perpetuity September XII Mowing and weed control Rotary or flail mower with tractor. If 2 mowing’s per year are desired, then an early June mowing should be added. Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 11 YEAR* MONTH TYPE ACTIVITY PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE Every 2 Years – Even Years Suggested May All Tree risk assessment – mark hazard trees Utilize Certified Consulting Forester. 2020 May All Inspection and mark necessary hazard tree removals, selective thinning, and noxious vegetation; Utilize Certified Consulting Forester. 2020 June/July All Remove marked hazard trees and selective thinning. Treat fuel load. Logging contractor 2021 February- March III, IV Interplant shade- tolerant species in gaps larger than ½ acre, or wait until final harvest. Western redcedar plug +1; Seed Zone 232-500-1,000 ft. elevation; Weyerhaeuser is suggested source for seedlings; Seedlings for reforestation should be sourced from the seed zone 5 – Kitsap, and be 0 to 1,000 ft. elevation stock. Western red cedar (plug +1). would also be suitable in more shaded areas. Tree seedlings should be planted on 10 ft. centers utilizing existing desirable trees in the spacing. Follow-up weed control will likely be needed – the frequency to be determined by the weed pressure. Once tree seedlings are established, and terminal leaders are above the weed canopy, no additional weed control (other than invasive weed control) should be necessary. V. Summary The landowner plans to maintain these buffers in long-term forestry for use as a buffer for Woodbridge Business Park Project. The forest management/maintenance plan will need to be revised if a significant change in the forest stand or the land ownership objectives occurs. Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 12 VI. Plan Prepared By: Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Galen M. Wright, ACF, ASCA Joshua Sharpes, Professional Forester Certified Forester No. 44 Date Signed: March 23, 2020 Date Signed: March 23, 2020 Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 13 VII. Landowner Signatures LANDOWNER APPROVAL SIGNATURE (REQUIRED) I/we approve of the contents of this plan and intend to implement the described management activities to best of my/our ability. Signed: ______________________/___________________________ Printed: ______________________/___________________________ Date: __________________________________________________ Mailing Address: __________________________________________ __________________________________________ Phone: ___________________________________________________ Email: ____________________________________________________ IX. PLAN APPROVAL SIGNATURES CITY OF FEDERAL WAY This plan meets the requirements for a Forest Management/Maintenance Plan. Signature of Authorized County Government Representative: Signed: ________________________________ Date: __________________________________ Print Name: _____________________________ Title: ___________________________________ Affiliation: ______________________________ Address: ________________________________ Phone: _________________________________ E-mail: _______________________________ Woodbridge Business Park - Forest Management/Maintenance Plan Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. Page 14 Attachment #1 Assumptions and Limiting Conditions 1) Any legal description provided to the Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. is assumed to be correct. Any titles and ownership's to any property are assumed to be good and marketable. No responsibility is assumed for matters legal in character. Any and all property is appraised or evaluated as though free and clear, under responsible ownership and competent management. 2) It is assumed that any property is not in violation of any applicable codes, ordinances, statutes, or other governmental regulations, unless otherwise stated. 3) Care has been taken to obtain all information from reliable sources. All data has been verified insofar as possible; however, Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. can neither guarantee nor be responsible for the accuracy of information. 4) Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. shall not be required to give testimony or to attend court by reason of this report unless subsequent contractual arrangements are made, including payment of an additional fee for such services as described in the fee schedule and contract of engagement. 5) Loss or alteration of any part of this report invalidated the entire report. 6) Possession of this report or a copy thereof does not imply right of publication or use for any purpose by any other than the person to whom it is addressed, without the prior expressed written or verbal consent of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. 7) Neither all or any part of the contents of this report, nor copy thereof, shall be conveyed by anyone, including the client, to the public through advertising, public relations, news, sales or other media, without the prior expressed written or verbal consent of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. -- particularly as to value conclusions, identity of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc., or any reference to any professional society or to any initialed designation conferred upon Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc. as stated in its qualifications. 8) This report and any values expressed herein represent the opinion of Washington Forestry Consultants, Inc., and the fee is in no way contingent upon the reporting of a specified value, a stipulated result, the occurrence neither of a subsequent event, nor upon any finding in to reported. 9) Sketches, diagrams, graphs, and photographs in this report, being intended as visual aids, are not necessarily to scale and should not be construed as engineering or architectural reports or surveys. 10) Unless expressed otherwise: 1) information contained in this report covers only those items that were examined and reflects the condition of those items at the time of inspection; and 2) the inspection is limited to visual examination of accessible items without dissection, excavation, probing, or coring. There is no warranty or guarantee, expressed or implied, that problems or deficiencies of the tree or other plant or property in question may not arise in the future. Note: Even healthy trees can fail under normal or storm conditions. The only way to eliminate all risk is to remove all trees within reach of all targets. Annual monitoring by an ISA Certified Arborist or Certified Forester will reduce the potential of tree failures. It is impossible to predict with certainty that a tree will stand or fail, or the timing of the failure. It is considered an ‘Act of God’ when a tree fails, unless it is directly felled or pushed over by man’s actions.