Economic Evaluation of Thinning Alternatives in a Western Hemlock-Sitka Spruce Forest

1988 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Loren D. Kellogg ◽  
Eldon D. Olsen
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Base Case ◽  
Projection Model ◽  
Net Worth ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Rotation Age

Abstract As part of a multidisciplinary study on managing young western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)-Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) stands in the Pacific Northwest, a present net worth analysis of thinning impacts on financial returns at final harvest was completed. Two 32-year-old precommercially thinned stands were selectively and strip thinned with a skyline logging system, and stand growth was projected to rotation age 70 years with a stand-table projection model. A harvest simulation model was then used to estimate harvest costs and revenues from clearcutting at rotation age. Regardless of model assumptions, present net worth was highest for the control (no thinning). A sensitivity analysis of variations from base-case assumptions did not alter the outcome. Study results suggest that if density of managed western hemlock-Sitka spruce stands has been sufficiently controlled with precommercial thinning, they will develop adequately to a rotation-age harvest without intermediate thinning. West. J. Appl. For. 3(1):14-17, January 1988.

scholarly journals Porcupine Feeding Damage in Precommercially Thinned Conifer Stands of Central Southeast Alaska

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 115-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andris Eglitis ◽  
Paul E. Hennon
Keyword(s):  
Host Selection ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Feeding Damage ◽  
Southeast Alaska ◽  
Erethizon Dorsatum ◽  
Young Growth

Abstract This study describes feeding damage by porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) in precommercially thinned young growth stands of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) on Mitkof Island in central southeast Alaska. We examined 641 trees from 54 sampling plots along transect lines in three 12 to 20 yr old stands. Porcupine feeding was monitored each spring and fall from 1985 to 1987. Four categories of feeding damage are described: complete girdling of the bole, partial girdling (bole scars), branch clipping, and "tasting wounds" (small basal bole scars). Sitka spruce, the primary crop tree in these thinned stands, sustained significantly higher damage (52% of trees affected) than western hemlock (26% of trees affected). Porcupine feeding was greater on taller than shorter Sitka spruce. Although only 8 of 59 trees initially girdled in 1985 were killed, many later sustained additional feeding damage. Following the 1987 season 3 yr after thinning, nearly 30% of the spruce and 14% of the western hemlock crop trees had been partially or completely girdled. Issues deserving future attention include the role of thinning in predisposing stands to porcupine damage, methods of population assessment, and mechanisms of host selection by porcupines. West. J. Appl. For. 12(4):115-121.

Impact of feeding damage by the porcupine on western hemlock – Sitka spruce forests of north-coastal British Columbia: 15-year results

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1983-1989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex J Woods ◽  
Stefan Zeglen
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Feeding Damage ◽  
Decay Fungi ◽  
Dead Trees

American porcupine (Erithizon dorsatum L.) feed on the cambial tissues of several tree species. This study assessed feeding by porcupine over a 15-year period on midrotation age western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) dominated stands on the north coast of British Columbia, Canada. Although four coniferous hosts were available, hemlock was, by far, the most preferred and most seriously impacted. Of 398 hemlock studied, 260 were wounded by porcupine feeding and 86 died by 2000. Porcupine attacked two-thirds of the dead trees, over 82% of which were dominant or codominant, while almost all unattacked dead trees were intermediate or suppressed. This loss resulted in a 14.6% reduction in the proportion of volume per hectare represented by hemlock and an increase in the representation by other species, all of which suffered little or no feeding damage. Results indicate that the final merchantable volume of hemlock expected at rotation age will be lower than projected and will consist mainly of damaged trees of poor form and quality due to decay fungi, such as Stereum sanguinolentum (A. & S. ex Fr.), entering through feeding wounds. Porcupine activity has led to a shift in species composition and volume from a condition where a single species, western hemlock, dominates to a mixed forest consisting of amabilis fir (Abies amabilis (Dougl. ex Loud.) Dougl. ex J. Forbes), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière), and western hemlock.

scholarly journals Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock Stand and Tree Growth 10 Years after Precommercial Thinning in Southeast Alaska

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Newton ◽  
Liz Cole
Keyword(s):  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Diameter Growth ◽  
Southeast Alaska ◽  
Steady Rate ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Naturally Regenerated Stands ◽  
Understory Plant

Abstract Ten years after precommercially thinning 16–18-year-old naturally regenerated stands of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr.) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla [Raf.] Sarg.) in southeast Alaska, neither species responded in height growth to spacing. Spruce diameter growth increased significantly following all thinning treatments, and among thinning treatments, there was a weak but increasing trend toward more rapid diameter growth at the wider spacings. Spruce basal areas increased almost twice as fast after thinning as without thinning, and radial growth continued to increase, whereas unthinned stands grew at a slower but steady rate. Western hemlock also showed a trend for increased diameter, but growth response was less than for spruce. Shrub control to enhance understory plant development for deer forage did not improve growth of either tree species. Branch diameter of Sitka spruce increased with spacing. Pruning led to epicormic sprouting in the 3 years following pruning with numbers inversely related to spacing. Sprouts developed and persisted in stands thinned to 200 or fewer stems per acre. Overall, pruning led to a small reduction in diameter growth at breast height.

Canopy disturbances over the five-century lifetime of an old-growth Douglas-fir stand in the Pacific Northwest

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1057-1070 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda E Winter ◽  
Linda B Brubaker ◽  
Jerry F Franklin ◽  
Eric A Miller ◽  
Donald Q DeWitt
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Variable Density ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
History Of ◽  
Horizontal Heterogeneity ◽  
Restoration Strategies

The history of canopy disturbances over the lifetime of an old-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) stand in the western Cascade Range of southern Washington was reconstructed using tree-ring records of cross-dated samples from a 3.3-ha mapped plot. The reconstruction detected pulses in which many western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) synchronously experienced abrupt and sustained increases in ringwidth, i.e., "growth-increases", and focused on medium-sized or larger ([Formula: see text]0.8 ha) events. The results show that the stand experienced at least three canopy disturbances that each thinned, but did not clear, the canopy over areas [Formula: see text]0.8 ha, occurring approximately in the late 1500s, the 1760s, and the 1930s. None of these promoted regeneration of the shade-intolerant Douglas-fir, all of which established 1500–1521. The disturbances may have promoted regeneration of western hemlock, but their strongest effect on tree dynamics was to elicit western hemlock growth-increases. Canopy disturbances are known to create patchiness, or horizontal heterogeneity, an important characteristic of old-growth forests. This reconstructed history provides one model for restoration strategies to create horizontal heterogeneity in young Douglas-fir stands, for example, by suggesting sizes of areas to thin in variable-density thinnings.

What influences the long-term development of mixtures in British forests?

2020 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
W L Mason ◽  
T Connolly
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Scots Pine ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Silver Birch ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Larix Kaempferi ◽  
Pure Stand

Abstract Six experiments were established between 1955 and 1962 in different parts of northern and western Britain which used replicated randomized block designs to compare the performance of two species 50:50 mixtures with pure stands of the component species. The species involved were variously lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.), Japanese larch (Larix kaempferi Lamb. Carr.), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong. Carr.) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla Raf. Sarg.). The first four species are light demanding, while Sitka spruce is of intermediate shade tolerance and western hemlock is very shade tolerant: only Scots pine and silver birch are native to Great Britain. In three experiments (Bickley, Ceannacroc, Hambleton), the mixtures were of two light-demanding species, while at the other three sites, the mixture tested contained species of different shade tolerance. The experiments were followed for around 50 years, similar to a full rotation of even-aged conifer stands in Britain. Five experiments showed a tendency for one species to dominate in mixture, possibly reflecting differences in the shade tolerance or other functional traits of the component species. In the three experiments, the basal area of the mixtures at the last assessment was significantly higher than predicted based on the performance of the pure stands (i.e. the mixture ‘overyielded’). In two of these cases, the mixture had had a higher basal area than found in the more productive pure stand indicating ‘transgressive overyielding’. Significant basal area differences were generally more evident at the later assessment date. The exception was in a Scots pine: western hemlock mixture where greater overyielding at the earlier date indicated a nursing (‘facilitation’) effect. In the remaining experiments, the performance of the mixture conformed to predictions from the growth of the component species in pure stands. Taken overall, the results suggest that functional traits can be used to interpret the performance of mixtures but prediction of the outcome will require better understanding of the interplay between species and site characteristics plus the influence of silvicultural interventions.

Effects on understory biomass and forage 8–10 years after precommercial thinning of Sitka spruce – western hemlock stands in southeast Alaska

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-225
Author(s):  
Justin S. Crotteau ◽  
Annelise Z. Rue-Johns ◽  
Jeffrey C. Barnard
Keyword(s):  
Forest Type ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Southeast Alaska ◽  
Precommercial Thinning ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Understory Biomass

In southeast Alaska, United States, multiple-use forest management objectives include both timber production and wildlife habitat. Following stand-replacing disturbances such as clear-cutting, Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carrière) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) naturally regenerate and competitively dominate resources, excluding understory biomass and biodiversity. Thinning may mitigate the effects of canopy closure and permit understory development, but evidence of the effect on understories 8–10 years after thinning is lacking. We report results 4–5 and 8–10 years after thinning experiments on the Tongass National Forest to demonstrate the effects of precommercial thinning (thinned versus control), stand age (15–25, 25–35, and 35–50 years), and weather on understory dynamics and Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis Merriam, 1898) forage availability. Stand density negatively affected understory biomass, whereas temperature and precipitation positively interacted to increase biomass. Thinning had an enduring effect on understories, with biomass at least twice as great in thinned versus unthinned stands through year 10. We identified compositional differences from thinning as stand age class increased. Deer forage responded similarly to biomass, but thinning-induced differences faded with increased winter snowfall scenarios, especially in older stands. This study aids the understanding of stand overstory and understory development following silvicultural treatments in the coastal temperate rain forest of Alaska and suggests management implications and applications for balancing objectives throughout the forest type.

Comparing productivity of pure and mixed Douglas-fir and western hemlock plantations in the Pacific Northwest

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 1484-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
M M Amoroso ◽  
E C Turnblom
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Mixed Stand ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Increase In Productivity

We studied pure and 50/50 mixtures of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) plantations to compare attained total yields between mixed-species stands as opposed to monocultures of equal densities. Whether overall stand density influences this outcome has not been adequately investigated, and to address this we included three density levels (494, 1111, and 1729 trees/ha) in the analysis. At age 12, as components of the mixed stands, Douglas-fir exhibited greater height, diameter, and individual-tree volume than western hemlock at all densities. At 494 and 1111 trees/ha the monocultures had a higher volume per hectare than the mixed stand, but at 1729 trees/ha the mixed stand appeared to be just as productive as the pure stands. The increase in productivity by the mixture at high densities seems to have resulted from the partial stratification observed and most likely also from better use of the site resources. Because of this, less interspecific competition was probably experienced in the mixed stand than intraspecific competition in the pure stands. This study shows the important role density plays in the productivity of mixed stands and thus in comparing mixed and pure stands.

Understory conifer seedling response to a gradient of root and ectomycorrhizal fungal contact

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 638-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter
Keyword(s):  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Forest Understory ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Scarce Resources ◽  
Full Contact ◽  
Mycorrhizal Network ◽  
Mycorrhizal Networks ◽  
Common Mycorrhizal Network

The possible benefit of common mycorrhizal network linkages to seedling growth was tested in a low light partial-cut forest understory. Naturally regenerated western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla Raf.) and hybrid spruce (Picea glauca × Picea sitchensis [Moench] Voss) seedlings were transplanted directly into soil or within bags of different pore sizes to restrict the amounts of root and ectomycorrhizal contact. The 5-year study included "full contact" (no bag), "moderate contact" (250-µm openings), and "low contact" (4-µm openings) treatments. Height increment was lowest for full contact seedlings over most of the experiment, and highest for low contact seedlings by years 4 and 5. Full contact seedlings also had slightly lower foliar N content than moderate and low contact seedlings. There were no significant interactions in growth detected between tree species and treatments, despite the higher potential for common mycorrhizal network linkages between a western hemlock understory and canopy. Fifty-eight ectomycorrhizal fungal morphotypes were identified on the seedlings, including many with smooth mantles or with only sparse emanating hyphae, which likely reduced the potential for common mycorrhizal network linkages. These results would support the more traditional concepts of competition for scarce resources by isolated seedlings as the primary interaction for the understory of these mature forests.Key words: common mycorrhizal networks, facilitation, shade tolerance, competition.

Lateral Root Pruning of Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock Seedlings

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Eis ◽  
J. R. Long
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Root ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Root Systems ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Sitka Spruce ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Short Length ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Root Pruning

Roots of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) and western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla) seedlings were side pruned in nursery beds at semimonthly intervals to produce dense and compact root systems. Root pruning early in the growing season stimulated the growth of existing roots and also initiated new roots. The densest root systems were produced by pruning before the end of June. However, because of the short length of lateral roots on seedlings early in their second growing season, pruning equidistant between rows 18 cm apart was ineffective. The best compromise appeared to be to prune spruce at the beginning of July, and hemlock around the middle of July. Earlier pruning equidistant between rows can be effective on larger seedlings during their third growing season. If early pruning is carried out on 2 + 0 seedlings, a pruning distance of about 6 cm from the row is recommended.

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