Apparent Defect in Second-Growth Tolerant Hardwood Stands in Quebec

1969 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 180-183
Author(s):  
Carl H. Winget

Studies of external evidence of defect in second-growth hardwood stands in Quebec indicated that almost 50% of residual sugar maple, yellow birch and beech trees were seriously defective. Mechanical injury, particularly crown damage, and poor stem-form appeared to be the major sources of defect. Advance-growth saplings displayed much less evidence of defect. Clear-cutting systems leaving few poor-quality stems and depending for regenerations either on advance growth or on scarification and seeding seemed preferable to partial cutting. Tree quality classifications and cull studies in hardwood advance growth are required.

1977 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 223-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Roberge

The stand improvement and regeneration treatments carried out by the Department of Fisheries and the Environment of Canada at Dudswell Experimental Forest in cooperation with Domtar Ltd. are producing results after 15 years of observations. These are directly applicable to management for timber, recreation, wildlife, and water in Quebec hardwood stands dominated by sugar maple, beech, yellow birch, or red maple. Research results indicate marked advantages, in stands of good quality hardwoods, of thinnings taking 30 to 40% of the total volume and of group or strip selection cutting, and, in stands of poor quality hardwoods, of strip clear cutting. Site preparation and artificial regeneration are not required to obtain a stand of a quality at least equal to that of the original stand.


2013 ◽  
Vol 89 (04) ◽  
pp. 512-524 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Béland ◽  
Bruno Chicoine

We examined applicability of various partial cutting systems in order to regenerate tolerant hardwood stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccarhum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) on northern New Brunswick J.D. Irving Ltd. freehold land. Sampling of 1065 one-m2 plots in 31 stands managed by selection cutting, shelterwood method and strip or patch cutting and in six control stands allowed a 15-year retrospective study of natural regeneration in stands of low residual densities and with minimal soil disturbance and no control of competing vegetation. Beech regeneration was most abundant in the patch cuts, yellow birch in shelterwood stands and sugar maple in the selection system areas. Results suggest that initial stand conditions influence the composition of the regeneration more than the prescribed treatment. At the stand scale (a few hectares), sugar maple recruitment was positively influenced by its proportion in the initial stand, and negatively by the cover of herbs and shrubs. Yellow birch regeneration was mainly affected by shrub competition. At the plot (1 m2) scale, mineral soil and decayed wood substrates and ground-level transmitted light were determinant factors for yellow birch regeneration. Beech-dominated stands were likely to regenerate to beech. A dense beech sucker understory was promoted in harvested patches. Areas with dense understory of American beech, shrubs, or herbs require site preparation to reduce interference either before or at the time of partial cutting. Shelterwood seed cutting and selection cutting should leave a residual of 12 m2/ha and 17 m2/ha respectively in seed trees uniformly distributed.


1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 514-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bellefleur ◽  
G. LaRocque

We demonstrate that sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.), yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britton), and beech (Fagusgrandifolia Ehrh.) compete for solar radiation against other woody species (noncommercial) and herbaceous species, following clear-cutting. The experiment was carried out at the Duchesnay Forest Station (Quebec, Canada) in a sugar maple – yellow birch – beech community and consisted of one control and two treatments: (1) elimination of noncommercial woody species and (2) elimination of noncommercial woody species and herbaceous species. The graph of solar radiation interception versus cover indicates that crown overlapping does not contribute significantly to any increase in solar radiation interception. Surface soil temperature is strongly linked to the decrease in solar radiation due to its interception by plants.


1979 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Ondro ◽  
David V. Love

To test the effect of three methods of partial cutting on diameter growth and tree quality, three treatments (a light improvement cut based on individual tree selection, an improvement cut based on group tree selection, and a commercial cut) were applied removing approximately 20% of the stand volume, and a control area chosen. The stands, made up of american beech (Fagus grandiflora Ehrh.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum March.), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), were located near Dorset, Haliburton County, Ontario, in the former University of Toronto Forest.Remeasurement data 10 years after cutting were used for treatment comparison. The commercial cut resulted in the greatest dbh increment. Although growth response was lower in the improvement cuts, most dbh increment occurred on trees of better quality. Dbh increment response was greater after group selection than individual tree selection.


1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 1860-1868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally W. Thurston ◽  
Marianne E. Krasny ◽  
C. Wayne Martin ◽  
Timothy J. Fahey

Factors influencing the initial colonization and subsequent (18-year) survivorship of trees were studied in two clear-cut watersheds in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. Variation in microsite conditions associated with the harvest operations (e.g., soil scarification, slash) and physical gradients within the watershed were particularly important in determining 1st- and 2nd-year densities of pin cherry (Prunuspensylvanica L.) and yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britt.), whereas factors relating to seed availability and the presence of advance seedlings and sprouts were important in determining 1st- and 2nd-year white ash (Fraxinusamericana L.) density. The 1st- and 2nd-year densities of sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) and beech (Fagusgrandifolia Ehrh.) were relatively independent of factors measured in this study and were probably related to both seed availability and the presence of advance seedlings and sprouts. Physical site factors immediately following clear-cutting continued to be important in determining the density of pin cherry and yellow birch at stand age 18 years, whereas 2nd-year sugar maple and beech seedling and sprout densities were the most important factors in determining the densities of these species 18 years following clear-cutting.


2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 672-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Archambault ◽  
Jean Bégin ◽  
Claude Delisle ◽  
Mathieu Fortin

Forest dynamics following a partial cut conducted in the early 1950s in the Lac Édouard Experimental Forest in the Mauricie National Park, Quebec, Canada, were studied. Changes in vegetation were analyzed for the period between 1946 and 2001 in 109 mesic stands of the sugar maple – yellow birch bioclimatic domain. Three cutting intensities were considered: 1) low intensity, 15–30% of the basal area; 2) moderate intensity, 30–45% of the basal area; and 3) uncut. More than fifty years following cutting, the original relative proportion of the deciduous and softwood species was maintained. The relative proportion of basal area occupied by softwood species relative to the total basal area varied only from 2.0% to 7.4%. Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) basal area increased in forest types Cornus (Co) and Oxalis-Cornus (O-Co) whereas balsam fir basal area decreased. In the Viburnum-Oxalis (Vi-O) forest type, sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) basal area increased and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) decreased. Cutting areas were not invaded by competition species such as mountain maple (Acer spicatum Lamb.). In the Co and O-Co forest types, the regeneration density is probably sufficient to maintain the current cover type. In the Vi-O forest type, where moderate partial cutting was conducted, the deciduous component could substantially increase. Stands reacted positively to partial cutting. The increased growth of residual stems and the arrival of new stems resulted in 2001 total basal areas that were equal to or larger than those observed before cutting (1946). Key words: forest dynamics, partial cutting, yellow birch, red spruce, balsam fir


2020 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 630-640
Author(s):  
Guillaume Moreau ◽  
Alexis Achim ◽  
David Pothier

Abstract The visual assessment of tree vigour before partial cutting is a key element of the long-term sustainability of managed hardwood forests. Several classification systems have been developed and applied to perform this task during the tree marking process. They segregate trees in different vigour classes based on the presence and severity of stem and crown defects. Yet, the relevance of using these defects to assess tree vigour has rarely been empirically validated. In this study, we analysed the relationships between quantitative vigour indicators and a full range of individual defects using 336 sugar maple and 84 yellow birch trees. Among the tested defects, the tree crown density showed the best ability to identify slow growing, non-vigorous sugar maple trees, regardless of their size. However, none of the stem-related defects, such as bark aspect, the presence of cambial necrosis or conks and stromata were strongly related to our quantitative vigour indicators. For yellow birch, none of the stem defects and crown conditions were found to be related to our vigour indicators. We conclude that, pending longitudinal studies that will provide a full empirical validation of classification systems, crown density should be used to assess recent growth and vigour of sugar maple trees and guide tree marking.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 632-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim Bannon ◽  
Sylvain Delagrange ◽  
Nicolas Bélanger ◽  
Christian Messier

Studies have reported divergent results on the effect of soil fertility and canopy opening on understory density and growth of sugar maple (AS; Acer saccharum Marsh.) and American beech (FG; Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.). The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a gradient of canopy opening and soil fertility on the density and growth of AS and FG saplings in southwestern Quebec, Canada. We investigated 56 stands containing both AS and FG that were subjected to different disturbance history types (DHTs) (UF, unmanaged forest; PC, partial cut; and CC, clearcut) on various soil types. AS and FG absolute and relative sapling density varied greatly among the 56 stands; however, no significant effects of DHT, soil nutrient availability, or their interaction were found. Both species responded positively in terms of radial growth to canopy openings, with FG growth being slightly better than AS growth in PC stands compared with other canopy treatments. Contrary to our hypothesis, AS did not show significantly higher growth than FG following clear-cutting. These results do not support the idea that AS abundance and growth could be promoted by increasing the intensity of the canopy opening during harvest, at least on the generally acidic and base-poor soils that were investigated.


1985 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Louis Boivin

Clearcutting of 20, 40 and 60 m wide strips was done in 1970 in Malakoff township, in the lower part of the Dumoine river watershed. A regeneration study took place in 1984.Analysis of results shows that the strips are well regenerated. The proportion of yellow birch grows with the width of the strips, that is, from 20 to60 m. To this effect strips of 60 m seem to be better for regenerating yellow birch but the future of this species seems to be better ensured in 40-m-wide strips.Yellow birch and sugar maple constitute the main part of the actual stands. If treatment is done and if observed trends persist, yellow birch should account for 21, 26 and 44% of the stems in mature stands of the 20-, 40- and 60-m strips respectively. With treatment, the presence of yellow birch could be increased to nearly 48%.


Author(s):  
Alex Noel ◽  
Jules Comeau ◽  
Salah-Eddine El Adlouni ◽  
Gaetan Pelletier ◽  
Marie-Andrée Giroux

The recruitment of saplings in forest stands into merchantable stems is a very complex process, thus making it challenging to understand and predict. The recruitment dynamics in the Acadian Forest Region of New Brunswick are not well known or documented. Our objective was to draw an inference from existing large scale routine forest inventories as to the different dynamics behind the recruitment from the sapling layer into the commercial tree size layer in terms of density and occurrence of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) following harvesting, by looking at many factors on a wide range of spatial and temporal scales using models. Results suggest that the variation in density and probability of occurrence is best explained by the intensity of silvicultural treatment, by the merchantable stem density in each plot, and by the proportion of merchantable basal area of each group of species. The number of recruits of sugar maple and yellow birch stems tend be higher when time since last treatment increases, when mid to low levels of silvicultural treatment intensity were implemented, and within plots having intermediate levels of merchantable stem density. Lastly, our modeling efforts suggest that the probability of occurrence and density of recruitment of both species tend to increase while its share of merchantable basal area increases.


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