How will the Resource Management Plan revisions address old growth?
What’s BLM’s definition of old growth? There are many definitions for the term “old growth.” For this planning effort, BLM will define old growth as: Older forests occurring on western hemlock, mixed conifer, or mixed evergreen sites that differ significantly from younger forest in structure, ecological function, and species composition. Old-growth characteristics begin to appear in unmanaged forests at 175-250 years of age. These characteristics include: • A patchy, multi-layered canopy with trees of several age classes. • Presence of large living trees. • Presence of large dead trees (snags) and down woody debris. • Presence of species and functional processes that are representative of the potential natural community. For purposes of inventory, old-growth forest stands on BLM-administered lands are only identified if they are at least 10 percent stocked with trees of 200 years or older and are 10 acres or more in size. For purposes of habitat or biological diversity, the BLM uses th
