along the center line of the wetland flow-way if applicable; otherwise leave trees should be randomly distributed throughout the wetland.
3) clearcut areas cannot exceed 160 acres in size.
4) clearcuts should be separated from any other clearcut by a 200' selectively cut buffer or by a 200' wide area which has an average tree height of at least 20 feet. However, multiple clearcuts within any 160 acre harvest unit may be separated by a 100 foot buffer. Limited timber harvesting is allowed within the 100 foot buffer provided that trees left in the buffer are equivalent to the number and size specified in the leave tree requirements described above. Under this scenario, the trees left in the 100 foot buffer will satisfy the “leave tree” requirements for the clearcut area associated with it, and no other leave trees would be required. For wetlands with a well defined stream(s), the Primary Zone left along the stream may be used to contribute toward the 200’ requirement. For flowing wetlands, trees left along the center line of the wetland flow-way should be used to separate clearcut areas where applicable.
C) A harvest unit which contains five or more small isolated wetlands, each less than two acres in size, must retain 20% of the number of isolated wetlands unharvested(1). For example, if the harvest unit contains ten, two acre cypress ponds, eight may be clearcut and two must be left uncut until the regenerated stands on the other eight attain an average tree height of at least 20 feet.
Skidding
• Minimize skidder and other heavy equipment operation in wetlands during wet conditions to avoid widespread excessive soil rutting. Although some minor rutting may occur in a typical wetland harvesting operation, skidders and other heavy equipment operations should be planned for dry seasons and/or dry periods as much as possible. When excessively wet harvesting conditions are unavoidable, low ground pressure equipment such as dual-tire skidders, tracked machines or special techniques such as “mat-logging” or “shovel-logging” should be employed where practical and economically feasible.
• To the greatest extent possible: forestry operations in wetlands which exhibit seasonal inundation or saturation should be limited to dry conditions only, and forestry operations in wetlands which are continually saturated or inundated should be limited to low-water conditions.
• When skidding in wetlands with organic soils, concentrate skid trails to as small an area as possible, and minimize the number of trails on a given site (see Timber Harvesting).
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