Southern California Edison (SCE) was interested in a potential carbon sequestration program on their 20,000 +/- acres of mixed conifer, uneven aged timberland located near Shaver Lake, California. The timberland had been impacted by severe drought, beetles, and the 2020 Creek Fire, which impacted 2,500 acres.
Mason, Bruce & Girard (MB&G) provided an updated and reliable forest inventory to assist with management decisions and the potential carbon project. MB&G designed a robust forest inventory, collected field data, compiled the results, and provided an updated database.
The forest inventory for the Shaver Lake tree farm was designed by MB&G to meet the precision and accuracy requirements of +/- 5% at the 90% confidence interval of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). MB&G followed the sampling and measurement protocols outlined in the Climate Action Reserve’s Standard Inventory Methodology v1.0. All aspects of the project from design, data collection, analysis, and reporting were overseen by MB&G. A report summarizing the findings was provided to SCE, along with the inventory data collected.
MB&G assessed the area to understand the management history, existing data, variability, and project objectives. This included reviewing project goals and objectives with SCE, reviewing statistical precision and accuracy requirements, and reviewing project timelines. All information and data available was gathered, including tabular and GIS data. The stand boundaries were reviewed using aerial imagery and other GIS layers including roads and hydrology. The sampling area was finalized along with the net area calculations.
MB&G cruisers began collecting information. Cruisers navigated to within 50 – 100 feet of the target plot center and used a GPS unit to identify a bearing and distance to plot center. Then a compass and loggers tape were used to navigate the final distance and establish plot center where data was collected. At each plot, detailed tree measurements were captured and recorded on a tablet. A check cruise and field audit was conducted on a portion of the plots. The data was compiled and MB&G generated an updated forest inventory for SCE.
See our full project sheet here.
While conducting stand exams for the Upper Grouse Valley Project in California, MB&G foresters Ande Myers, Ian Cummins, and Rubie Teffeteller came across these impressive giant puffball mushrooms.
READ MOREMB&G is supporting PG&E with a hazard tree patrol to identify dead and dying trees along the Salt Springs/Tiger Creek Canal system in California. The canal system’s primary purpose is to supply water for hydropower generation. As the water continues downstream, it also becomes a source of drinking water for local utility districts. These historic canals have played an important role in Amador County for decades and present a unique environment for forestry work. Projects like this highlight the diverse and specialized work our California forestry team performs across the state.
READ MORECruise data collection has evolved, but many organizations are still relying on outdated software and hardware that weren’t built for modern forestry workflows. MBG T2 Mobile was developed to change that. Watch the video below to see MBG T2 Mobile in action and learn how it’s helping forestry professionals collect better data, more efficiently.
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