02-07-17 Field Note

02-07-17 Field Note

February 7, 2017

Jeff Clarke shares observations on winter logging, snow accumulations, and the stories left in tracks.

Snow accumulations, logging, buck and rails, winter tracks

As of January 14th, Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley have received more snow than ever before. So far, more than 40 inches of snow fell on Missoula this winter! The record for an entire year in Missoula is 59.5 inches in 1996-97. Mike Henning, our plow master, said that he’s running out of space to pile the snow. Not only has this been one of the snowier winters, it is the third coldest on record as well!

The wind swept snow has buried exclosures.

In 2011 we started to replace metal exclosures with buck and rail (B&R) fences. Though the B&Rs were more labor intensive and expensive to erect, they provide a permanent, biodegradable, tree protection solution. Over the past six years we’ve built 78 B&R fences that span more than six miles! These exclosures allow smaller mammals and birds to move through them without obstruction, but deter ungulates from entering. As a result, the trees within the exclosures grow taller and wider that adjacent unprotected trees. The map above shows all of the B&R fences we’ve constructed. The different colors indicate what year they were built. (2011-yellow 2012-red 2013-blue 2014-orange 2015-green 2016-purple)

Tracks in the snow show how each critter responded to B&R’s in their path.

Field mice penetrated this B&R to feed on intermediate wheatgrass seeds...

...and coyotes followed the mice right through the fence.

A pair of otters walked along the frozen river bank...

One day of warmer temperatures brought millions of snow fleas to the snow’s surface.

A great blue herron hunted the ever changing open river waters near the Clubhouse.

A small patch of cattails spread their seed in the clubhouse pond. If the small infestation grows too much, we will contain it.

Mike Henning and crew thinned the forest SW of Little Baldy. As a result, the large trees will have room to grow and the decidous understory will flourish and provide added ungulate food. The thinned trees will be used for restoration projects all over the ranch.

The sound of chainsaws and falling trees attracts mule deer and whitetails from all over the high country. They know that downed trees mean fresh meals of lichen and conifer buds.

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