What is normal silviculture?
Normal silvicultural activities include those activities associated with plowing, seeding, cultivation, minor drainage and harvesting that are generally accepted as state-of-the-art procedures for tending and reproducing timber crops. Thus, activities such as road construction, timber harvesting, mechanical or chemical site preparation, bedding, tree planting, timber stand improvement, and fire protection are exempt from Section 404 permit requirements, as long as the other criteria for exemption are also met. What is an established silvicultural operation? In order for a silvicultural operation to be an exempt activity, it must be part of an established or on-going silvicultural operation. On-going activities are operations and maintenance activities that are part of a conventional silvicultural rotation system and are introduced as part of an established operation on the property. In determining whether an operation is established, the USACE will review the historical use of the prop
