Understory biomass and nutrients 2 years after timber harvest in northern Minnesota

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth W. Outcalt ◽  
Edwin H. White
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Available Nutrients ◽  
Tree Length ◽  
Understory Biomass ◽  
Whole Tree

Adjacent areas within a 60-year-old Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill. – Betulapapyrifera Marsh, stand in northern Minnesota, U.S.A., were clear-cut by whole-tree logging or tree-length logging followed by prescribed burning. Two years after harvest, understory biomass and nutrients were sampled on these sites and on an adjoining uncut control. All logged sites had significantly more total aboveground understory biomass than the control. However, biomass of woody species on the tree-length logged burn area did not differ from the control site. Because of the greater biomass on harvested sites, nutrient accumulations (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) by the understory were greater, with about 75% of these extra nutrients in herbs and shrubs. Although the quantity of nutrients in the understory is less than that removed with the overstory, it is important in maintaining the nutritional integrity of the system because it serves as a sink for available nutrients.

Phytosociological changes in understory vegetation following timber harvest in northern Minnesota

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Wayne Outcalt ◽  
Edwin H. White
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Burned Area ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Core Species ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
Paper Birch ◽  
Tree Length ◽  
Major Factors

Impacts on the understory of a balsam fir (Abiesbalsamea (L.) Mill.) – paper birch (Betuiapapyrifera Marsh.) stand, caused by winter and spring full-tree logging and by winter tree-length logging which was followed by summer burning, were monitored for two growing seasons after overstory harvest. New species invaded full-tree logging sites, while compositional changes on the burned area were due primarily to the disappearance of species. Prescribed burning on the tree-length logging area prevented the quick increase in density of woody species that occurred on full-tree harvested sites. However, understory production increased on all sites, and by the end of the second season aboveground biomass was 3847, 4516, and 2604 kg/ha on the winter full-tree, spring full-tree, and winter tree-length plus burning sites, respectively, compared with 942 kg/ha on the uncut control.The major factors causing differences were prescribed burning and snow cover during harvest operations. Since our results concur with previous findings and appear predictable, resource managers can choose the technique best suited to specific objectives. However, no matter which system is used, the same core species will persist afterward, and if succession is allowed to continue, an understory will develop similar to that existing before harvest.

scholarly journals Natural Regeneration of the Tree Stand in the Bilberry Spruce Forest—Clear-Cutting Ecotone Complex in the First Post-Logging Decade

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1542
Author(s):  
Nadezhda V. Genikova ◽  
Viktor N. Mamontov ◽  
Alexander M. Kryshen ◽  
Vladimir A. Kharitonov ◽  
Sergey A. Moshnikov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Regeneration ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Forest Edge ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting

Bilberry spruce forests are the most widespread forest type in the European boreal zone. Limiting the clear-cuttings size leads to fragmentation of forest cover and the appearance of large areas of ecotone complexes, composed of forest (F), a transition from forest to the cut-over site under tree canopy (FE), a transition from forest to the cut-over site beyond tree canopy (CE), and the actual clear-cut site (C). Natural regeneration of woody species (spruce, birch, rowan) in the bilberry spruce stand—clear-cut ecotone complex was studied during the first decade after logging. The effects produced by the time since cutting, forest edge aspect, and the ground cover on the emergence and growth of trees and shrubs under forest canopy and openly in the clear-cut were investigated. Estimating the amount and size of different species in the regeneration showed FE and CE width to be 8 m—roughly half the height of first-story trees. Typical forest conditions (F) feature a relatively small amount of regenerating spruce and birch. The most favorable conditions for natural regeneration of spruce in the clear-cut—mature bilberry spruce stand ecotone are at the forest edge in areas of transition both towards the forest and towards the clear-cut (FE and CE). Clear-cut areas farther from the forest edge (C) offer an advantage to regenerating birch, which grows densely and actively in this area.

scholarly journals Post-fire management and recovery of a pine forest in Greece

Web Ecology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Spanos ◽  
Y. Raftoyannis ◽  
P. Platis ◽  
E. Xanthopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Woody Plant ◽  
Pinus Halepensis ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Control Site ◽  
Plant Composition ◽  
Northern Greece ◽  
Pine Regeneration ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Treatment Application

Abstract. The effects of management after fire in Pinus halepensis forests were assessed in northern Greece. Seeding, logging and building of log barriers were applied in burned sites and compared to a control site. Two years after treatment application, 70–80% of the ground in all sites was covered with vegetation. Seeding with herbaceous plants did not increase plant cover. Logging and building of log barriers negatively affected herbaceous species but increased woody species. During the first spring after fire, the highest numbers of P. halepensis seedlings were observed in the control site and the lowest number in the logged site. Logging and log barrier building had a negative effect on pine regeneration compared to control and seeding treatments. Woody plant composition was similar in control and seeding sites, with dominance of P. halepensis and Cistus species. A different pattern was observed in the logging and log-barrier sites with a low number of seeders and a high number of resprouter species.

Diversity of woody species 10 years after four harvesting treatments in the oak–pine type

1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. McMinn
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Dormant Season ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Whole Tree

Oak–pine stands in the Upper Piedmont of Georgia were whole-tree harvested to 10- and 2.5-cm DBH limits in both the dormant and early growing season, then allowed to regenerate spontaneously with no further perturbations. After 10 years, stands harvested in the early growing season exhibited higher diversity than those harvested in the dormant season. After the dormant-season harvests, 10-cm-limit stands tended to be more diverse than 2.5-cm-limit stands. The harvest disturbance primarily affected evenness, rather than species richness.

scholarly journals Northern mixedwood composition and productivity 50 years after whole-tree and stem-only harvesting with and without post-harvest prescribed burning

2019 ◽  
Vol 441 ◽  
pp. 155-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany L. Muñoz Delgado ◽  
Laura S. Kenefic ◽  
Aaron R. Weiskittel ◽  
Ivan J. Fernandez ◽  
Jeffrey G. Benjamin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Post Harvest ◽  
Whole Tree

scholarly journals Prescribed Burning Has Limited Long-Term Effectiveness in Controlling Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Encroachment into Fescue Grassland in Prince Albert National Park

2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Digit D. Guedo ◽  
Eric G. Lamb
Keyword(s):  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
National Park ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Woody Species ◽  
System Structure ◽  
Forest Transition ◽  
Trembling Aspen ◽  
Prescribed Burn ◽  
Grassland Community ◽  
Prince Albert National Park

Encroachment into grassland by woody species is a global ecological phenomenon, and it is of particular concern in remnant fescue (Festuca) prairie at the aspen parkland–boreal forest ecotone. Fire suppression is thought to encourage encroachment; however, prescribed burning as a means of controlling encroachment and restoring system structure, function, and composition has had variable success. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different season of burn, number of annual burns, and number of years after burning treatments on Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides) encroachment into the fescue grasslands within Prince Albert National Park, Saskatchewan. Temporal changes in density and cover of Trembling Aspen in grassland and grassland–forest transition plant communities were evaluated using data from a prescribed burn study conducted in Prince Albert National Park from 1975 to 2010. The effect of year (indicating varying amounts of time relative to prescribed burning) and the interaction between spring burning and year reflect a stimulatory effect of burning on Trembling Aspen suckering. Increased Trembling Aspen cover in the forest transition community with more annual burns, burning in the fall, and the interaction between year and number of annual burns and increased Trembling Aspen cover in the grassland community with year indicate that none of the treatments had lasting control of Trembling Aspen encroachment. Ongoing Trembling Aspen encroachment despite prescribed burning may be due to important missing interactions between fire and grazing. A change in the use and expectation of prescribed burning is needed when attempting to suppress Trembling Aspen encroachment into the fescue grasslands.

scholarly journals Effect of conventional and whole-tree clear-cutting on concentrations of some micronutrients in coniferous forest soil and plants

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Grønflaten ◽  
Eiliv Steinnes ◽  
Göran Örlander
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soil ◽  
Coniferous Forest ◽  
Deschampsia Flexuosa ◽  
Southern Sweden ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Opposite Trend ◽  
Humus Layer ◽  
Whole Tree ◽  
Cu And Zn

Effect of conventional and whole-tree clear-cutting on concentrations of some micronutrients in coniferous forest soil and plants Increasingly intensive and mechanized clear-cutting may deplete the forest ecosystem of essential nutrients. A clear-cut area near Växjö, southern Sweden, was investigated for changes in Mn, Cu and Zn in soil (NH4NO3 extractable and HNO3 soluble) and wavy hair grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) after conventional (CC) and whole-tree clear-cutting (WTC). The soil samples were mostly iron podzols. The area consisted of four clear-cut sites, respectively 2, 4, 6 and 8 years old, and an uncut forest reference stand. Each of the clear-cuts was split in two parts representing WTC and CC sites. Manganese showed the most definite trends after clear-cutting, exhibiting higher extractable concentrations in Oe, Oa and E horizons (4-8 years after clear-cutting) and B horizons (6-8 years after clear-cutting). The increase of exchangeable Mn in the E (2-8 years) and B (4-8 years) horizons was particularly strong. Zn concentrations tended to fluctuate with time. There was a tendency to higher Mn and Zn concentrations in the humus layer especially 2 years after CC-treatment compared with WTC, whereas the opposite trend was apparent for Cu. Mn, Cu and Zn concentrations decreased in Deschampsia flexuosa 2 years after clear-cutting, possibly due to increased soil pH.

scholarly journals The Effect of Yarding Technique on Yarding Productivity and Cost

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Spinelli ◽  
Natascia Magagnotti ◽  
Giulio Cosola ◽  
Eric R. Labelle ◽  
Rien Visser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Disturbance ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Controlled Conditions ◽  
Cable Yarding ◽  
Tree Length ◽  
Steep Terrain ◽  
Tree Extraction ◽  
Whole Tree ◽  
Lower Tolerance

Cable yarding is a well establish technology for the extraction of timber in steep terrain. However, it is encumbered with relatively low productivity and high costs, and as such this technology needs to adapt and progress to remain viable. The development of biomass as a valuable byproduct, and the availability of processors to support yarder operations, lend themselves to increasing the level of whole-tree extraction. Double-hitch carriages have been developed to allow for full suspension of whole-tree and tree-length material. This study compared a standard single-hitch to a double-hitch carriage under controlled conditions, namely in the same location using the same yarder with downhill extraction. As expected, the double-hitch carriage took longer to load up (+14%), but was able to achieve similar productivity (10–11 m3 per productive machine hour) through increased inhaul speed (+15%). The importance of this study is that it demonstrates both the physical and economic feasibility of moving to whole-tree extraction using the double-hitch type carriage for longer corridors, for settings with limited deflection, or areas with lower tolerance for soil disturbance.

scholarly journals Production economics: comparing hybrid tree-length with whole-tree harvesting methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harikrishnan Soman ◽  
Anil Raj Kizha ◽  
Bethany Muñoz Delgado ◽  
Laura S Kenefic ◽  
Keith Kanoti
Keyword(s):  
Management Practice ◽  
Production Economics ◽  
Motion Data ◽  
Time Motion ◽  
Advance Regeneration ◽  
Processing Cost ◽  
Implementation Costs ◽  
Tree Length ◽  
Whole Tree Harvesting ◽  
Whole Tree

Abstract Felled trees with tops and branches are transported to the landing with a grapple skidder in conventional ground-based whole-tree (WT) harvesting. This method has greater potential to damage advance regeneration than those in which trees are processed at-stump. Hybrid tree-length (Hyb TL) harvesting using an stroke-boom delimber for in-woods processing might be a feasible alternative, but little is known about the production economics of this method. An experimental strip-cutting study was conducted in central Maine, US in the winter of 2018 to: (1) evaluate and compare operational productivity and costs of ground-based Hyb TL and WT methods; (2) identify factors influencing productivity of at-stump and at-landing log processing; and (3) calculate best management practice (BMP) implementation costs in WT harvesting. Time-motion data were recorded for operational phases such as felling, extraction, processing, sorting and loading; machine rates were calculated to determine productivity and costs of operations. Total cost of Hyb TL (US $17.01 m−3) was lower than that of WT ($18.38 m−3). Processing cost was lower at-stump than at-landing ($2.66 and $2.73 m−3 for Hyb TL and WT, respectively). This is likely due to fewer logs handled per cycle at-landing (1.2 logs per turn) compared to the number handled per cycle at-stump (1.4 logs per turn). Sensitivity analysis showed that a 30-m increase in average in-woods distance travelled by the delimber would result in a 41 per cent increase in the processing cost. Cost of BMP implementation in WT was $2.25 m−3 or $59.2 per productive machine hour. Results suggest that it is feasible to apply Hyb TL method in an industrial harvesting operation, though distance of in-woods delimber movement influences processing costs. Insights from this study will help forest managers and loggers efficiently plan and execute harvesting operations.

The effects of timber harvest, forest fire, and herbivores on regeneration of deciduous trees in boreal pine-dominated forests

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 712-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael den Herder ◽  
Jari Kouki ◽  
Vesa Ruusila
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Prescribed Burning ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Deciduous Trees ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Management Regime ◽  
Pioneer Trees ◽  
Tree Retention ◽  
Green Tree Retention

Forest management, fire, and herbivores are the major factors affecting regeneration of deciduous trees in boreal forests. In a large-scale experiment, we manipulated the use of prescribed burning, the level of green-tree retention and the presence of moose ( Alces alces L.) and hare ( Lepus timidus L. and Lepus europaeus Pallas) to study their effects on early regeneration of three native pioneer tree species, i.e., rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia L.), aspen ( Populus tremula L.), and silver birch ( Betula pendula Roth). Green-tree retention enhanced survival of all tested tree species. Prescribed burning enhanced the survival rate of birch and rowan, but aspen survival was only enhanced by burning on clearcuts and areas with 50 m3/ha of retention trees. Excluding moose enhanced rowan growth and birch survival. Aspen growth and survival was enhanced when both moose and hare were excluded. Seedlings were most frequently browsed on clearcuts, and most seedling mortality was caused by voles or hare. At low densities, the effect of moose on pioneer trees may be smaller than that of other herbivores or the fire–management regime. Considering the large number of species depending on pioneer trees, the results support the use of tree retention and fire as useful management alternatives not only to promote biodiversity but also to enhance regeneration of deciduous trees and reduce herbivore damage.

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