Specifications for Inoculation Project

Target Tree Details

1.      Trees to be inoculated are in partially cut or uncut forests.

2.      This work is seasonal in nature.  The best times to inoculate are when the trees are dormant and the wood is moist- generally in the fall after the beginning of October through early March.  The weather varies from year to year, which may cause a variance in the beginning date.  Final determination on when it is appropriate to inoculate will be made by the COR.

3.      Some work areas may be located behind locked gates, guardrails, earth berms, or other road blocking items.  Some work areas may be accessible at certain times only by snowmobile, ATV, or four-wheel drive vehicles.  A guardrail wrench, if needed, may be obtained from the District Office or from the Contract Officer’s Representative (COR).

Tree Inoculation

A.                 All live trees to be inoculated will be trees with live tops that appear generally healthy.  Do not select residual old growth trees, forked trees, trees with dead tops, diseased or dying trees (trees estimated to be dead within five years), or trees currently showing wildlife use (i.e., trees with woodpecker holes). 

B.                 Spacing between trees shall be about 100’ with the following exception- not more than 30% of the trees may be clumped, not more than three inoculated trees in a clump.

Note: Some Bars and Barstool II timber sale units may not have enough suitable trees for inoculation within the boundaries of the units.  In that case, the COR will specify areas of standing timber in adjacent stands from which the suitable trees can be selected and inoculated.  Generally, select trees within 50’ of the unit boundary.

C.                 Selected trees shall be at least one and one-half tree lengths (average total height of site potential tree) from a Forest Service system road, where possible.  In units along system roads top trees as far as is feasible from roads.  Temporary roads and/or skid roads are not system roads.

D.                 All inoculated trees should have a DBH range*, excluding any residual old growth trees, as shown in the following table.

E.                  There are enough inoculum dowels to insert 4 dowels per tree.  Consider the number of dowels remaining in an open bag so that there are no open bags left at the end of a field day.

F.                  There will be two species of fungus available for this project.  Do not mix the two in an individual tree.  Use only one species per tree.

*Due to safety issues or natural variation in stand sizes, there may be instances where inoculation would need to occur above or below this range.  Trees chosen for inoculation should be representative of the most common DBH’s of the stand.

G.                 Trees selected for inoculation shall be numbered sequentially within each unit.  Roughly half of the trees in each unit shall have all inoculum dowels inserted between a height of 25 and 35 feet.  The other half of the trees shall have all inoculum dowels inserted between a height of 50 and 65 feet.  Drill the holes a minimum of three feet apart vertically.  Record the height of the inoculations (height of the highest hole).  There will be some flexibility in the heights.  In units with smaller diameter trees the upper heights can be lowered to between 40 and 50 feet

H.                 A piece of inoculum consists of a four-inch length of approximately ¾-inch diameter hollow wooden dowel permeated with a specific stem decay fungus.  Each piece of inoculum contains a living fungus that needs protection from heat and harmful chemicals.  Bags of dowels must be kept cool and away from fumes.  A cooler is a good place to store the dowels. 

Note: In the field, keep them in the shade and out of direct sunlight.  Inoculum will keep best at room temperature or cooler, in the dark.  Inoculated dowels are safe to handle without gloves.  Hands should be free from chemicals, i.e., lotion, insect repellent, etc.  Bags contain 20-30 dowels.  Once a bag is opened, the dowels need to be used within one week to prevent contamination and drying out.   

I.                    Drill a level hole into the tree stem at the appropriate height to a depth of five inches, excluding bark.  Insert the inoculum dowel, tapping with a rubber mallet until the dowel is inside the bark a minimum of one inch.  You may trim the inoculum, if needed, to fit into the hole.  Tap a 4-inch piece of PVC pipe into the hole until it is a minimum of one inch inside the bark.  The PVC pipe shall extend two to three inches outside of the bark and should be firmly in place.  The hole should be level so that the PVC pipe is level or pointing slightly downward but not upward.  This is to prevent water from collecting in the hole.  If a tree is leaning slightly, insert inoculum on the underside of the stem to further prevent water from collecting in the hole.

J.                   Each inoculated tree, in all units, shall be marked with yellow waterproof spray paint.  The mark on each inoculated tree shall be a solid yellow band all around the trunk of the tree at approximately breast height, visible from all sides.  In addition, each inoculated tree will be tagged with an aluminum sign on one side at breast height.  These signs will be attached by at least two 3-inch aluminum siding nails nailed into each sign.  Each aluminum tag will have written on it:

1.      Name of sale

2.      Unit number

3.      Number of tree

4.      Date of inoculation

Example-         

Yoda Unit 1

                           Tree #7

                           10/10/05

K.                Each inoculated tree will be numbered within each unit.  Fill out tree registers and map inoculated trees on unit maps.