Mixed‐severity wildfire and salvage logging affect the populations of a forest‐dependent carnivoran and a competitor

AbstractStrong wind events frequently result in creating large areas of windthrow, which causes abrupt environmental changes. Bare soil surfaces within pits and root plates potentially expose soil to erosion. Absence of forest may alter the dynamics of water circulation. In this study we attempt to answer the question of whether extensive windthrows influence the magnitude of geomorphic processes in 6 small second- to third-order catchments with area ranging from 0.09 km2 to 0.8 km2. Three of the catchments were significantly affected by a windthrow which occurred in December 2013 in the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains, and the other three catchments were mostly forested and served as control catchments. We mapped the pits created by the windthrow and the linear scars created by salvage logging operations in search of any signs of erosion within them. We also mapped all post-windthrow landslides created in the windthrow-affected catchments. The impact of the windthrow on the fluvial system was investigated by measuring a set of channel characteristics and determining bedload transport intensity using painted tracers in all the windthrow-affected and control catchments. Both pits and linear scars created by harvesting tend to become overgrown by vegetation in the first several years after the windthrow. The only signs of erosion were observed in 10% of the pits located on convergent slopes. During the period from the windthrow event in 2013 until 2019, 5 very small (total area <100 m2) shallow landslides were created. The mean distance of bedload transport was similar (t-test, p=0.05) in most of the windthrow-affected and control catchments. The mapping of channels revealed many cases of root plates fallen into a channel and pits created near a channel. A significant amount of woody debris delivered into the channels influenced the activity of fluvial processes by creating alternating zones of erosion and accumulation.

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Salvage logging management affects species’ roles in connecting plant‐pollinator interaction networks across post‐wildfire landscapes

Journal of Applied Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2664.13928 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Laura A. Burkle ◽

Laura J. Heil ◽

R. Travis Belote

Keyword(s):

Interaction Networks ◽

Salvage Logging ◽

Species Roles ◽

Plant Pollinator

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Evaluation of Salvage Logging Productivity and Costs in the Sensitive Forests of Bulgaria

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12030309 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 309

Author(s):

Stanimir Stoilov ◽

Andrea R. Proto ◽

Georgi Angelov ◽

Salvatore F. Papandrea ◽

Stelian Alexandru Borz

Keyword(s):

Cycle Time ◽

Operational Efficiency ◽

Fixed Costs ◽

Labor Costs ◽

Salvage Logging ◽

Operational Conditions ◽

Work Cycle ◽

Wet Snow ◽

Productivity Rate ◽

Steep Terrain

Steep terrain harvesting can only be implemented by a limited set of operational alternatives; therefore, it is important to be efficient in such conditions, in order to avoid incurring high costs. Harvesting abiotically-disturbed forests (salvage harvests caused by wet snow), which is becoming common these days, can significantly impact the operational efficiency of extraction operations. This study was implemented in order to evaluate the performance of truck-mounted uphill cable yarding operations in salvage logging deployed in coniferous stands. A time study was used to estimate the productivity and yarding costs, and predictive models were developed in order to relate the time consumption and productivity to the relevant operational factors, including the degree of wood damage. The average operational conditions were characterized by an extraction distance of 101 m and a lateral yarding distance of 18 m, resulting in a productivity rate of 20.1 m3 h−1. In response to different kind of delays, the productivity rate decreased to 12.8 m3 h−1. Under the prevailing conditions, lateral yarding accounted for 32% of the gross work cycle time, and for 50% of the delay-free work cycle time of the machine. Decreasing the lateral yarding distance and increasing the payload volume to the maximum capacity of the machine would eventually lead to a yarding productivity of close to 30 m3 per SMH (scheduled machine hour). The calculation of the gross costs of uphill yarding showed that the labor costs (35.7%) were slightly higher than the fixed costs (32.9%), and twice as high compared to the variable costs (17.7%). The remote control of the carriage, mechanical slack-pulling mechanisms, and radio-controlled chokers are just some of the improvements that would have led to increments in operational efficiency.

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Effect of Stem Snapping on Aspen Timber Assortment Recovery in Hemiboreal Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12010028 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 28

Author(s):

Linda Čakša ◽

Silva Šēnhofa ◽

Guntars Šņepsts ◽

Didzis Elferts ◽

Līga Liepa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Type ◽

National Forest Inventory ◽

Relative Volume ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Salvage Logging ◽

Stem Breakage ◽

Price Levels ◽

Value Loss ◽

The Mean ◽

Mineral Soils

Post-disturbance salvage logging mitigates economic loss after windthrow, and the value of salvaged timber is strongly linked to its quality and dimensions. We studied the occurrence of wind-induced damage of aspen in the hemiboreal forests of Latvia based on data from the National Forest Inventory and additional measurements. Individual tree data from three re-measurement periods were linked to follow a tree condition (live, broken, uprooted) and to link tree characteristics to a respective snag. Three linear models were developed to assess factors affecting the snapping height. An assortment outcome was calculated for undamaged and salvaged trees using the bucking algorithm, and timber value was calculated at three price levels. Wind-induced damage occurred for 3.4–3.6% of aspen trees, and among these, 45.8–46.6% were broken. The mean height of the broken trees was 27.3 ± 0.9 m, and it was significantly higher (both p < 0.01) compared to the height of undamaged and uprooted trees. The tested models indicated tree height as the main explanatory variable for relative snapping height, with higher trees having a lower point of the stem breakage. The other significant factor was the forest type group, indicating that trees growing on dry mineral soils had lower relative snapping height than trees growing on drained mineral soils. Stem breakage significantly (p < 0.001) reduced the volume of assortments, as compared to the volume of undamaged trees. Relative volume loss of sawlogs showed a logarithmic trend with a steep increase up to snapping height of 6 m, and it correlated tightly (r = 0.83, p < 0.001) with relative value loss of the total stem. Timber value loss had a strong, positive relation to tree diameter at breast height and fluctuated by 0.4% among different price levels. The mean volume reduction was 37.7% for sawlogs, 11.0% for pallet blocks, and 8.9% for technological wood.

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Impacts of salvage-logging on the status of deadwood after windthrow in Swiss forests

European Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1007/s10342-012-0670-1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 132 (2) ◽

pp. 231-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Kathrin Priewasser ◽

Peter Brang ◽

Hansheinrich Bachofen ◽

Harald Bugmann ◽

Thomas Wohlgemuth

Keyword(s):

Salvage Logging ◽

The Status

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Post-fire survival and flushing in three Sierra Nevada conifers with high initial crown scorch

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf08129 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 857 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Chad T. Hanson ◽

Malcolm P. North

Keyword(s):

Sierra Nevada ◽

Pinus Ponderosa ◽

Fire Severity ◽

Conifer Species ◽

Mature Trees ◽

Salvage Logging ◽

Abies Magnifica ◽

Crown Scorch ◽

Tree Survival ◽

Large Trees

With growing debate over the impacts of post-fire salvage logging in conifer forests of the western USA, managers need accurate assessments of tree survival when significant proportions of the crown have been scorched. The accuracy of fire severity measurements will be affected if trees that initially appear to be fire-killed prove to be viable after longer observation. Our goal was to quantify the extent to which three common Sierra Nevada conifer species may ‘flush’ (produce new foliage in the year following a fire from scorched portions of the crown) and survive after fire, and to identify tree or burn characteristics associated with survival. We found that, among ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws) and Jeffrey pines (Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf) with 100% initial crown scorch (no green foliage following the fire), the majority of mature trees flushed, and survived. Red fir (Abies magnifica A. Murr.) with high crown scorch (mean = 90%) also flushed, and most large trees survived. Our results indicate that, if flushing is not taken into account, fire severity assessments will tend to overestimate mortality and post-fire salvage could remove many large trees that appear dead but are not.

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