Multiaged redwood responds well to partial harvest and herbicide treatments

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (11) ◽  
pp. 1425-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
John-Pascal Berrill ◽  
Robert Howe
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Chemical Control ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Efficient Tool ◽  
Coast Redwood ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Partial Harvesting ◽  
Herbicide Treatments ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Notholithocarpus Densiflorus

Chemical control of unwanted trees can be a cost-efficient tool for forest management and restoration. In California, United States, the response of merchantable conifers to hardwood control is poorly understood. We studied the tree growth of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (Lamb. ex D. Don) Endl.) following herbicide frill treatment of competing tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Manos, C.H. Cannon, & S. Oh), coinciding with a partial harvest of conifers. The radial growth of 420 redwoods in 45 plots was measured using increment cores. With or without partial harvesting, herbicide treatment of tanoak enhanced growth of most redwoods: 23% of redwoods in herbicide-only plots and 34% of redwoods in herbicide + harvest plots had ≥100% higher posttreatment basal area increment (BAI). In untreated plots, 67% of redwoods displayed declining BAI. The response of redwoods (the ratio of 8-year postharvest BAI to 8-year preharvest BAI) was 59% higher in herbicide-only plots and 108% higher in herbicide + harvest plots compared with untreated control plots over the same period. Redwoods with long crowns maintained rapid growth with or without treatment. Trees growing slowly before treatment exhibited the greatest response, provided that they had relatively long crowns and were not left in suppressed crown positions. Forest managers implementing partial harvesting and (or) chemical control of hardwoods can expect to maintain or promote rapid growth of most residual redwoods.

Operational and economic feasibility of logging within forested riparian zones

2010 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 601-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Holmes ◽  
David P. Kreutzweiser ◽  
Peter S. Hamilton
Keyword(s):  
Stand Structure ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Partial Solution ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Riparian Zones ◽  
Environmental Consequences ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Partial Harvesting ◽  
Machine Productivity ◽  
Average Size

The placement of riparian setbacks around water bodies has been shown to reduce logging impacts on aquatic and riparian communities and processes. However, the systematic application of no-harvest riparian setbacks can result in unnatural, linear patterns of older-growth forest across the landscape, a pattern that is inconsistent with the goal of emulating natural disturbances. Partial harvesting within riparian zones could provide a partial solution to this problem. As part of a larger project to evaluate the environmental consequences of partial harvesting within stream riparian zones of boreal mixedwood forests, we measured wood volumes removed from riparian zones and compared feller buncher productivity between partially harvested riparian zones and adjacent clearcut uplands. On average, from 20% to 33% of the total basal area (27% to 39% of the spruce/pine/fir basal area) was removed from the riparian zones. The riparian harvest resulted in considerable heterogeneity in residual stand structure, however, with basal areas within 50-m segments along the streams ranging from just over 50% to >95% remaining. Our results suggest that, even though the absolute effort required to harvest trees was greater in riparian zones, the larger average size of the trees more than compensated, so that the wood volume removed per unit effort was higher in riparian zones than in clearcuts. Key words: machine productivity, partial harvest, residual stand structure, riparian zone

Estimating site productivity in irregular stand structures by indexing the basal area or volume increment of the dominant species

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
John-Pascal Berrill ◽  
Kevin L. O’Hara
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Stand Density ◽  
Site Productivity ◽  
Mixed Stands ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Coast Redwood ◽  
Stand Growth ◽  
Permanent Sample Plots ◽  
Partial Harvesting ◽  
Volume Increment

Estimating site productivity in irregular structures is complicated by variations in stand density, structure, composition in mixed stands, and suppression experienced by subordinate trees. Our objective was to develop an alternate to site index (SI) and demonstrate its application in models of individual-tree and stand growth. We analyzed coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (Lamb. ex D. Don) Endl.) tree and stand growth in a grid of 234 permanent sample plots covering a 110 ha study area in north coastal California. Partial harvesting created a mosaic of densities and openings throughout the 60-year-old redwood-dominated forest. Redwood SI was a poor predictor of volume increment (VI) per hectare among redwood in each plot over two decades after harvest. A new index of redwood basal area increment (BAI) productivity, calculated using inventory data for all stems in even-aged stands and the oldest cohort of multiaged stands, was a stronger predictor of VI. Diameter increment of individual redwood trees correlated strongly with stand density and the new BAI index. Forest managers should expect widely divergent responses following partial harvesting in crowded even-aged stands, with the greatest response coming from dominant redwoods with long crowns retained in areas with low residual stand density and high BAI index.

The role of forest deadwood in rockfall protection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Ringenbach ◽  
Peter Bebi ◽  
Perry Bartelt ◽  
Andrin Caviezel
Keyword(s):  
Basal Area ◽  
Spruce Forest ◽  
Runout Distance ◽  
In Situ Sensors ◽  
Efficient Protection ◽  
Cost Efficient ◽  
Study Sites ◽  
Rockfall Protection

<p>Forests with a high density and basal area of living trees are known for their function as natural and cost-efficient protection against rockfall. The role of deadwood, however, is less understood. We address this knowledge gap in this contribution as we present the results of repeated real-scale experiments in a) a montane beech-spruce forest with and without deadwood and b) in a subalpine scrub mountain pine-spruce forest with deadwood. We used artificial rocks with either an equant or platy shape, masses between 45 kg and 800 kg (≈ 0.3 m3), and equipped with in-situ sensors to gain insights into rotational velocities and impact-accelerations. Clusters of deadwood and erected root plates reduced the mean runout distance at both study sites. For site a), we found that more rocks were stopped behind lying than living trees and that the stopping effect of deadwood was greater for equant compared to platy rock shapes. Site b) revealed a braking effect of scrub mountain pines for relatively small (45 kg), but also a visible reduction in rotational velocities for the 800 kg rocks sensor stream. We conclude that deadwood must be taken into account in rockfall modeling and the management of rockfall protection forests.</p>

Forest transformation resulting from an exotic pathogen: regeneration and tanoak mortality in coast redwood stands affected by sudden oak death

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 763-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin S. Ramage ◽  
Kevin L. O’Hara ◽  
Alison B. Forrestel
Keyword(s):  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Phytophthora Ramorum ◽  
Sudden Oak Death ◽  
Coast Redwood ◽  
Marin County ◽  
Wildlife Species ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Redwood Forests ◽  
Exotic Pathogen ◽  
Notholithocarpus Densiflorus

Sudden oak death is dramatically altering forests throughout coastal California, but little is known about the communities that are assembling in affected areas. This emerging disease, caused by the exotic pathogen Phytophthora ramorum (S. Werres, A.W.A.M. de Cock), has had especially severe effects on tanoak ( Notholithocarpus densiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Manos, Cannon & S.H. Oh), a broadleaf evergreen that is abundant in forests dominated by coast redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens (D.Don) Endl.). Tanoak, a valuable food source to numerous wildlife species, is unlikely to successfully regenerate in diseased areas, and thus, affected redwood forests are transitioning to a novel state. In this study, to predict which species might replace tanoak, we investigated regeneration patterns in heavily impacted stands in Marin County, California. Our main findings were as follows: (i) despite reductions in canopy cover, there is no evidence that any species other than tanoak has exhibited a regenerative response to tanoak mortality, (ii) the regeneration stratum was dominated by redwood and tanoak (other tree species were patchy and (or) scarce), and (iii) some severely affected areas lacked sufficient regeneration to fully re-occupy available growing space. Our results indicate that redwood is likely to initially re-occupy the majority of the ground relinquished by tanoak, but also provide evidence that longer-term trajectories are unresolved, and may be highly responsive to management interventions.

Growth and mortality response of forest regeneration to partial harvesting varies by species’ shade tolerance

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 1081-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun K. Bose ◽  
Andrew S. Nelson ◽  
Matthew G. Olson
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Permanent Plots ◽  
Partial Harvesting ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Forested Landscapes ◽  
Harvesting Intensity ◽  
Stand Attributes

Does species’ shade tolerance regulate natural regeneration abundance and composition when partial harvestings (≤80% of basal area removal) are operated on a landscape scale? We examined this question using 835 permanent plots located across forested landscapes of Maine, USA. These plots were surveyed for regeneration growth, mortality, and recruitment before and after treatment application (i.e., partially harvested and unharvested). Our results showed that relative to unharvested stands, high-intensity partial harvesting (41%–80% of basal area removal) increased the number of seedlings (diameter at breast height (DBH) < 2.5 cm) recruited to saplings (DBH of 2.5–12.69 cm) and sapling diameter growth irrespective of species’ shade tolerance over a 15-year period after treatment. However, high-intensity partial harvesting increased sapling mortality during the initial 5 years since harvesting, whereas low-intensity partial harvesting (5%–40% of basal area removal) maintained the natural regeneration dynamics (growth, recruitment, and mortality) of unharvested stands. We found that harvesting intensity, basal area, and seedling density by shade-tolerance group before harvesting are more important attributes than species’ shade tolerance for determining the responses of natural regeneration to partial harvesting. The greater importance of preharvest stand attributes on postharvest regeneration may suggest an integrated overstory and understory manipulation approach for attaining the desired regeneration composition.

scholarly journals Lessons learned from 12 years of ecological research on partial cuts in black spruce forests of northwestern Québec

2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (03) ◽  
pp. 350-359 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole J. Fenton ◽  
Louis Imbeau ◽  
Timothy Work ◽  
Jenna Jacobs ◽  
Hervé Bescond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Succession ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Forest Harvesting ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spruce Forests ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Species Groups ◽  
The Impact

Multi-cohort management that creates or maintains an uneven structure within forest stands has been widely advocated as a means to attenuate the impact of forest harvesting. An experimental network was put in place in black spruce forests of northwestern Québec to test this assertion. Here we synthesize the biodiversity results in two main lessons: (1) at least 40% to 60% retention of pre-harvest basal area was required to maintain pre-harvest conditions for most species groups; (2) partial harvests showed the potential to be efficient deadwood delivery systems. In addition to these two main general conclusions, we emphasise that future research should examine whether partial harvest may be able to advance forest succession.

scholarly journals Continuous cover forestry is a cost-efficient tool to increase multifunctionality of boreal production forests in Fennoscandia

2018 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 104-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maiju Peura ◽  
Daniel Burgas ◽  
Kyle Eyvindson ◽  
Anna Repo ◽  
Mikko Mönkkönen
Keyword(s):  
Efficient Tool ◽  
Continuous Cover Forestry ◽  
Production Forests ◽  
Cost Efficient

Residual-tree growth responses to partial stand harvest in the black spruce (Picea mariana) boreal forestThis article is one of a selection of papers published in the Special Forum IUFRO 1.05 Uneven-Aged Silvicultural Research Group Conference on Natural Disturbance-Based Silviculture: Managing for Complexity.

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1563-1571 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. C. Thorpe ◽  
S. C. Thomas ◽  
J. P. Caspersen
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Picea Mariana ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Partial Harvesting

Variants of partial harvesting are gaining favour as means to balance ecosystem management and timber production objectives on managed boreal forest landscapes. Understanding how residual trees respond to these alternative silvicultural treatments is a critical step towards evaluating their potential from either a conservation or a wood supply perspective. We used dendroecological techniques combined with a chronosequence approach to quantify the temporal radial growth response pattern of residual black spruce ( Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) trees to partial harvest in northeastern Ontario. At its peak, 8–9 years after harvest, radial growth of residual trees had doubled. The growth pattern was characterized by a 2-year phase of no response, a subsequent period of increase 3–9 years after harvest, and a stage of declining rates 10–12 years after harvest. The magnitude of tree growth response depended strongly on tree age: peak postharvest growth was substantially higher for young trees, while old trees displayed only modest growth increases. Both the large magnitude and the time delay in postharvest growth responses have important implications for the development of more accurate quantitative tools to project future yields and, more generally, for determining whether partial harvesting is a viable management option for the boreal forest.

scholarly journals The influence of riparian vegetation on leaf litter inputs to Boreal Shield streams: implications for partial-harvest logging in riparian reserves

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 917-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa A. Muto ◽  
David P. Kreutzweiser ◽  
Paul K. Sibley
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Deciduous Trees ◽  
Partial Harvest ◽  
Conifer Needles ◽  
Distance Weighted ◽  
Boreal Shield

Litter inputs to headwater streams were measured to characterize and describe input patterns to the streams and to quantify the relationships between leaf litter inputs and surrounding riparian characteristics in Boreal Shield forests. Our goal was to provide information on litter inputs to streams in the Boreal Shield to determine if partial-harvest logging of commercial trees within riparian reserves has the potential to cause significant changes to litter inputs. Total leaf litter comprised 87% deciduous leaves and 13% conifer needles during the June to October periods. Commercial deciduous tree species accounted for approximately 50% of total deciduous leaf litter inputs. Distance-weighted deciduous basal area was the best predictor of overstorey deciduous litter (r2 = 0.597, P = <0.001), indicating that the size, abundance, and proximity of deciduous trees to streams are important to deciduous litter inputs. Leaf litter inputs to Boreal Shield streams are strongly influenced by surrounding riparian vegetation and can be effectively predicted by stem basal area. A linear regression model based on commercial deciduous tree basal area is presented that can be useful to determine the number of trees to retain within a riparian area to maintain leaf litter inputs at or near preharvest levels.

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