CALIFORNIA RPF UPDATED EXAMS SCRIPT QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔According to the California FPRs, how would you define hard frozen conditions
when hauling can occur during the winter period? - ✔✔When loaded or unloaded
vehicles can travel without sinking into the road surfaces to a depth of more than six
inches over a distance of more than 25 feet
✔✔According to the FPR, harvests conducted to modify or guide the development of an
existing stand of trees, but not to replace (regenerate) the stand with a new one are
called - ✔✔Intermediate treatments Or
Conversion (Article 7 1100(g)(1)(B)
✔✔A rectangular piece of land measures 40.2 chains by 78.5 chains. How many acres
are in this piece of property? - ✔✔40.2*78.5 = 3155.7 square chains
10 square chains per acre
= 315 acres
✔✔In performing a stocking survey for a plantation area, you lay out a uniform grid as
prescribed and sample 80 plots. What would be the minimum number of stocked plots
needed to find the area in a stocked status, according to the FPR? - ✔✔Must stock
55%, so 44 plots must be stocked
(from 1073(c))
✔✔Hydric (or hygric) is a term pertaining to a wet or moist climate. The term pertaining
to an environment that is dry or has little moisture is __ and the term pertaining to an
environment with a moderate supply of moisture is ___. - ✔✔1) Xeric, 2) mesic
✔✔The Board of Forestry membership is appointed from three categories of
representation. Briefly describe the basis upon which board members are selected. -
✔✔5 members from the general public
3 from the forest products industry
1 from the range-livestock industry
All appointments are made by the Governor and are meant to achieve a balanced
approach to forest land policy
✔✔A plant specified by law as being especially undesirable, troublesome, and difficult
to control is called a ___. - ✔✔invasive/noxious. An example would be star thistle,
hounds tongue.
✔✔The 1976 Forest Taxation Reform Act made what basic change in forest taxation? -
✔✔It changed property taxes from ad valorem (based on (standing) timber value) to
taxes based on yield of timber harvest.
,✔✔Identify one certified specialty under the California Professional Foresters Law -
✔✔Certified Rangeland Manager
✔✔In the CCR, trees with well-developed crowns extending above the general level of
the forest canopy and receiving full light from above and partly from the sides are
termed____. - ✔✔Dominant
✔✔In a THP, you read a description of the areas as "a Class 6, multilayered trees with
size class 5 trees over a distinct layer of size class 4 or 3 trees, with total tree canopy
exceeding 60% closure." What type of classification system is this description taken
from? - ✔✔California Wildlife Habitat Relations system
✔✔The Scribner Decimal C log scale differs from Scribner log scale in what way? -
✔✔The Scribner Log Rule is a diagram rule (draw cross-sections of 1-inch boars within
circles, ¼ inch kerf, no allowance for log taper = typically underestimates logs); Scribner
Decimal C is a form of the rule which rounds volumes to the nearest 10 board feet.
Example: 392 board feet on Scribner = 390 board feet on Scribner Decimal C.
✔✔On a cable logging system, explain the purpose of the mainline. - ✔✔The mainline is
the line that actually "carries" the logs = it could be what carries the carriage (in a
skyline operation) or what the chokers are attached to.
✔✔If a Public land Survey section has all normal measurements, how many acres are
in the NE ¼ SW ¼ SE ¼ - ✔✔Start with ¼ of a section (=160), then take ¼ (=40), then
take ¼ (=10)
Answer: 10
✔✔What is the difference between DBH, DOB, and DIB? - ✔✔DBH = diameter at breast
height
DOB = diameter outside bark
DIB = diameter inside bark
✔✔Define direct and indirect control of insects - ✔✔Direct control = use of insecticides
(for example)
Indirect control = integrated pest management; keeping the forest healthy
✔✔The process where a tree or other vegetation loses vigor and may die when growing
space is not sufficient to provide photosynthetic energy or moisture to support adequate
growth is called____. - ✔✔Suppression
✔✔Fire behavior is greatly affected by relative humidity. Define relative humidity. -
✔✔Ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity
(which depends on the current air temperature). Absolute humidity = water vapor
, divided by mass of dry air in a volume of air given a certain temperature. (hotter air =
can contain more water)
✔✔Explain how stream "ordering" works in a large watershed (it is a system that
compares streams within and among watersheds, e.g. Strahler System) - ✔✔Each
tributary gets a number according to how "high" it is (how many tributaries it has
entering the watercourse); in the Strahler system, the beginning of the waterway is
Order 1, and when two of these join, it creates a second order stream, which then flows
into a 3rd order stream, etc. If a 2nd order and 3rd order stream join, it remains a 3rd
order stream.
✔✔List three parameters used in growth and yield models. - ✔✔These are stand
parameters:
Average height of dominant and co-dom trees at a given age = site index; 2) basal area,
3) age
✔✔List four factors that have led to the increasing use of the Cut-to-Length harvester
over the human system-timber faller and bucker with a chain saw in the U.S. Briefly
explain the importance of each factor. - ✔✔1. Cost of labor = machinery is cheaper, and
labor is more costly (esp. with benefits)
2. Hazards to labor = one machinery operator decreases the likelihood of injury in the
woods
3. Reduction in site impacts = trees can be felled directionally and don't have to be
dragged through the stand; delimbing occurs and those limbs can be dropped and used
to cushion and protect the ground (less compaction + soil disturbance)
4. Reduction in residual stand damage = in uneven aged systems, individual trees can
be removed from clumps or dense stands without damaging residual
✔✔Briefly describe the relationship of the Z'Berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act, the Public
Resources Code, and the California Code of Regulations, chapters 4 and 4.5, to each
other - ✔✔Z'Berg-Nejedly FPA = legislative act (passed by California Assembly), which
is called "statute" and is a law
The Public Resources Code = a compilation of laws relating to natural resources
(including forestry) created in 1939; includes the Z-N FPA and other forestry-related
laws
California Code of Regulations = the executive branch's interpretation of a statute,
known as regulatory law (in this case, the California Board of Forestry takes the Z'Berg-
Nejedly from the legislative branch and implements/operationalizes it, creating the
California Forest Practice Rules)
✔✔Name three stand structure and composition elements recommended for stand
treatments to maintain options for spotted owls on timberlands in the Sierra Nevada -
✔✔1. Maintain large trees with large branches (platforms)
2. Maintain coarse woody debris (large down wood)
3. Maintain multiple canopy layers
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔According to the California FPRs, how would you define hard frozen conditions
when hauling can occur during the winter period? - ✔✔When loaded or unloaded
vehicles can travel without sinking into the road surfaces to a depth of more than six
inches over a distance of more than 25 feet
✔✔According to the FPR, harvests conducted to modify or guide the development of an
existing stand of trees, but not to replace (regenerate) the stand with a new one are
called - ✔✔Intermediate treatments Or
Conversion (Article 7 1100(g)(1)(B)
✔✔A rectangular piece of land measures 40.2 chains by 78.5 chains. How many acres
are in this piece of property? - ✔✔40.2*78.5 = 3155.7 square chains
10 square chains per acre
= 315 acres
✔✔In performing a stocking survey for a plantation area, you lay out a uniform grid as
prescribed and sample 80 plots. What would be the minimum number of stocked plots
needed to find the area in a stocked status, according to the FPR? - ✔✔Must stock
55%, so 44 plots must be stocked
(from 1073(c))
✔✔Hydric (or hygric) is a term pertaining to a wet or moist climate. The term pertaining
to an environment that is dry or has little moisture is __ and the term pertaining to an
environment with a moderate supply of moisture is ___. - ✔✔1) Xeric, 2) mesic
✔✔The Board of Forestry membership is appointed from three categories of
representation. Briefly describe the basis upon which board members are selected. -
✔✔5 members from the general public
3 from the forest products industry
1 from the range-livestock industry
All appointments are made by the Governor and are meant to achieve a balanced
approach to forest land policy
✔✔A plant specified by law as being especially undesirable, troublesome, and difficult
to control is called a ___. - ✔✔invasive/noxious. An example would be star thistle,
hounds tongue.
✔✔The 1976 Forest Taxation Reform Act made what basic change in forest taxation? -
✔✔It changed property taxes from ad valorem (based on (standing) timber value) to
taxes based on yield of timber harvest.
,✔✔Identify one certified specialty under the California Professional Foresters Law -
✔✔Certified Rangeland Manager
✔✔In the CCR, trees with well-developed crowns extending above the general level of
the forest canopy and receiving full light from above and partly from the sides are
termed____. - ✔✔Dominant
✔✔In a THP, you read a description of the areas as "a Class 6, multilayered trees with
size class 5 trees over a distinct layer of size class 4 or 3 trees, with total tree canopy
exceeding 60% closure." What type of classification system is this description taken
from? - ✔✔California Wildlife Habitat Relations system
✔✔The Scribner Decimal C log scale differs from Scribner log scale in what way? -
✔✔The Scribner Log Rule is a diagram rule (draw cross-sections of 1-inch boars within
circles, ¼ inch kerf, no allowance for log taper = typically underestimates logs); Scribner
Decimal C is a form of the rule which rounds volumes to the nearest 10 board feet.
Example: 392 board feet on Scribner = 390 board feet on Scribner Decimal C.
✔✔On a cable logging system, explain the purpose of the mainline. - ✔✔The mainline is
the line that actually "carries" the logs = it could be what carries the carriage (in a
skyline operation) or what the chokers are attached to.
✔✔If a Public land Survey section has all normal measurements, how many acres are
in the NE ¼ SW ¼ SE ¼ - ✔✔Start with ¼ of a section (=160), then take ¼ (=40), then
take ¼ (=10)
Answer: 10
✔✔What is the difference between DBH, DOB, and DIB? - ✔✔DBH = diameter at breast
height
DOB = diameter outside bark
DIB = diameter inside bark
✔✔Define direct and indirect control of insects - ✔✔Direct control = use of insecticides
(for example)
Indirect control = integrated pest management; keeping the forest healthy
✔✔The process where a tree or other vegetation loses vigor and may die when growing
space is not sufficient to provide photosynthetic energy or moisture to support adequate
growth is called____. - ✔✔Suppression
✔✔Fire behavior is greatly affected by relative humidity. Define relative humidity. -
✔✔Ratio of the current absolute humidity to the highest possible absolute humidity
(which depends on the current air temperature). Absolute humidity = water vapor
, divided by mass of dry air in a volume of air given a certain temperature. (hotter air =
can contain more water)
✔✔Explain how stream "ordering" works in a large watershed (it is a system that
compares streams within and among watersheds, e.g. Strahler System) - ✔✔Each
tributary gets a number according to how "high" it is (how many tributaries it has
entering the watercourse); in the Strahler system, the beginning of the waterway is
Order 1, and when two of these join, it creates a second order stream, which then flows
into a 3rd order stream, etc. If a 2nd order and 3rd order stream join, it remains a 3rd
order stream.
✔✔List three parameters used in growth and yield models. - ✔✔These are stand
parameters:
Average height of dominant and co-dom trees at a given age = site index; 2) basal area,
3) age
✔✔List four factors that have led to the increasing use of the Cut-to-Length harvester
over the human system-timber faller and bucker with a chain saw in the U.S. Briefly
explain the importance of each factor. - ✔✔1. Cost of labor = machinery is cheaper, and
labor is more costly (esp. with benefits)
2. Hazards to labor = one machinery operator decreases the likelihood of injury in the
woods
3. Reduction in site impacts = trees can be felled directionally and don't have to be
dragged through the stand; delimbing occurs and those limbs can be dropped and used
to cushion and protect the ground (less compaction + soil disturbance)
4. Reduction in residual stand damage = in uneven aged systems, individual trees can
be removed from clumps or dense stands without damaging residual
✔✔Briefly describe the relationship of the Z'Berg-Nejedly Forest Practice Act, the Public
Resources Code, and the California Code of Regulations, chapters 4 and 4.5, to each
other - ✔✔Z'Berg-Nejedly FPA = legislative act (passed by California Assembly), which
is called "statute" and is a law
The Public Resources Code = a compilation of laws relating to natural resources
(including forestry) created in 1939; includes the Z-N FPA and other forestry-related
laws
California Code of Regulations = the executive branch's interpretation of a statute,
known as regulatory law (in this case, the California Board of Forestry takes the Z'Berg-
Nejedly from the legislative branch and implements/operationalizes it, creating the
California Forest Practice Rules)
✔✔Name three stand structure and composition elements recommended for stand
treatments to maintain options for spotted owls on timberlands in the Sierra Nevada -
✔✔1. Maintain large trees with large branches (platforms)
2. Maintain coarse woody debris (large down wood)
3. Maintain multiple canopy layers
