scholarly journals Variable retention harvesting in Victoria’s Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests (southeastern Australia)

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lindenmayer ◽  
David Blair ◽  
Lachlan McBurney
Keyword(s):  
Eucalyptus Regnans ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Variable Retention ◽  
Mountain Ash ◽  
Variable Retention Harvesting

Long-term patterns in the decay, collapse, and abundance of trees with hollows in the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of Victoria, southeastern Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Lindenmayer ◽  
Jeff T. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Eucalyptus Regnans ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Mountain Ash ◽  
Over Time

Large trees with hollows are an important component of stand structural complexity worldwide. Understanding their population dynamics is needed to manage cavity-dependent biota. We quantified long-term rates of collapse of 302 measured trees with hollows in 1939-aged regrowth mountain ash ( Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) forest in southeastern Australia. We identified time-dependent dynamics in which the collapse rates of trees slowed from ∼4% annually between 1983 and 1993 to ∼2.2% between 1993 and 2007. Transitions of trees between different decay states (forms) also slowed over time. Nevertheless, during the 24-year period of our study, over half of our marked and measured trees had fallen, but there was no recruitment of new trees with hollows. Under current projections, few trees with hollows will occur on our field sites by ∼2050, although more had been forecast in earlier investigations. Such a paucity of trees with hollows in extensive areas of regrowth mountain ash forests will lead to a shortage of nesting and sheltering sites for cavity-dependent biota. We suggest a short–medium (10- to 100-year) focus on the conservation of old growth and multi-aged stands will be needed to maintain populations of those species strongly associated with trees with hollows in mountain ash forests.

Does nitrogen limit the growth of native eucalypt forests:some observations for mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans)

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Attiwill ◽  
P. M. Attiwill ◽  
B. M. May ◽  
B. M. May
Keyword(s):  
N Availability ◽  
Ecological Research ◽  
Biological Fixation ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Eucalyptus Regnans ◽  
Rate Of Growth ◽  
Wild Fire ◽  
N Supply ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Mountain Ash

It is often stated that the availability of N limits the rate of growth of native forests. We discuss this hypothesis with particular reference to the mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forests of south-eastern Australia. The abundance of 15 N in leaves and soil of mountain ash forest is in accord with data for Northern Hemisphere temperate forests and for tropical forests,and indicates that N availability is relatively high.None of the nutrient elements has limited the rate of growth of mountain ash forest regenerating after major disturbance (clear-felling and intense wild-fire). There is some evidence that P may be limiting to some ecological processes (e.g. the rate of litter decomposition). We conclude that phosphorus is more likely to be limiting than nitrogen in mountain ash forest because nitrogen cycling is conservative and continual inputs of N through biological fixation supplement this conservative N supply, and the stands never become N-deficient. The development of methodologies to determine the rate of N2-fixation in forests should be of high priority in ecological research.

Economics of a nest-box program for the conservation of an endangered species: a reappraisal

2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1992-2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A Spring ◽  
Michael Bevers ◽  
John OS Kennedy ◽  
Dan Harley
Keyword(s):  
Net Present Value ◽  
Population Recovery ◽  
Optimal Management ◽  
Present Value ◽  
Eucalyptus Regnans ◽  
Nest Boxes ◽  
Mountain Ash ◽  
Local Abundance ◽  
Leadbeater's Possum

An optimization model is developed to identify timing and placement strategies for the installation of nest boxes and the harvesting of timber to meet joint timber–wildlife objectives. Optimal management regimes are determined on the basis of their impacts on the local abundance of a threatened species and net present value (NPV) and are identified for a range of NPV levels to identify production possibility frontiers for abundance and NPV. We apply the model to a case study focusing on an area of commercially productive mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell.) forest in the Central Highlands region of Victoria, Australia. The species to be conserved is Leadbeater's possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri McCoy), which is locally limited by a scarcity of nesting hollows. The modeling is exploratory but indicates that nest boxes may offer a promising population recovery tool if consideration is taken of their placement and areal extent through time.

Forest fuels and potential fire behaviour 12 years after variable-retention harvest in lodgepole pine

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin S. Crotteau ◽  
Christopher R. Keyes ◽  
Elaine K. Sutherland ◽  
David K. Wright ◽  
Joel M. Egan
Keyword(s):  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Fuel Load ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Forest Fuels ◽  
Fuel Loads ◽  
Variable Retention ◽  
Harvesting Technique ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Variable Retention Harvesting

Variable-retention harvesting in lodgepole pine offers an alternative to conventional, even-aged management. This harvesting technique promotes structural complexity and age-class diversity in residual stands and promotes resilience to disturbance. We examined fuel loads and potential fire behaviour 12 years after two modes of variable-retention harvesting (dispersed and aggregated retention patterns) crossed by post-harvest prescribed fire (burned or unburned) in central Montana. Results characterise 12-year post-treatment fuel loads. We found greater fuel load reduction in treated than untreated stands, namely in the 10- and 100-h classes (P = 0.002 and 0.049 respectively). Reductions in 1-h (P < 0.001), 10-h (P = 0.008) and 1000-h (P = 0.014) classes were greater in magnitude for unburned than burned treatments. Fire behaviour modelling incorporated the regenerating seedling cohort into the surface fuel complex. Our analysis indicates greater surface fireline intensity in treated than untreated stands (P < 0.001), and in unburned over burned stands (P = 0.001) in dry, windy weather. Although potential fire behaviour in treated stands is predicted to be more erratic, within-stand structural variability reduces probability of crown fire spread. Overall, results illustrate trade-offs between potential fire attributes that should be acknowledged with variable-retention harvesting.

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