A Disturbance Ecology Perspective on Silvicultural Site Preparation

Cardoso, Jéssica Chaves; Burton, Philip J.; Elkin, Ché

doi:10.3390/f11121278

Cited by 20 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The conventional disc trencher created a larger area of disturbance than any other site preparation treatment in Paper II (Figure 9). This was in line with previous findings and synthesis where the continuous rows disturb around 50 % of the regeneration area (Stromgren et al, 2017;Cardoso et al, 2020;Sikström et al, 2020). Surprisingly, there was no difference in disturbed area between the two patch-wise treatments, mostly due to similar amount of disturbed humus (Figure 9).…”

Section: Site Preparation Disturbancesupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Silvicultural measures are not consequence-free, and MSP is no exception as it disturbs the forest floor. The extent of this disturbance depends on the method used (Strömgren et al, 2017;Cardoso et al, 2020;Sikström et al, 2020). Of the methods mentioned above, disc trenching disturbs the largest area.…”

Section: Site Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Of the methods mentioned above, disc trenching disturbs the largest area. More intense methods, such as ploughing, would lead to even greater amount of disturbance, both in terms of coverage and depth of disturbance (Cardoso et al, 2020;Sikström et al, 2020). In comparison, intermittent methods minimize the disturbed area, creating spot-wise disruption, but can still disturb at great depth.…”

Section: Site Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, the stoniness of Tagel most likely explains the larger area of soil disturbance compared to Fänneslunda. The area of soil disturbance caused by site preparation is one reason for why site preparation is considered ecologically and aesthetically problematic (Cardoso et al, 2020;Sikström et al, 2020). Intermittent methods, like those used in Paper II, could be used to limit the level of soil disturbance.…”

Section: Site Preparation Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recovery in Paper II was merely defined as the field vegetation cover, not species richness or vegetation type. This is important to have in mind, since site preparation can alter the vegetation type which recolonizes an area following such a large disturbance (Archibold et al, 2000;Pykälä, 2004;Haeussler et al, 2017;Cardoso et al, 2020).…”

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regeneration measures in time and space: Site preparation, planting and digital tools

Nordin¹

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Regeneration success depends on decisions made based on factors on aregional, site, and microenvironmental level. Therefore, understanding andmapping of such factors between and within sites can guide decisions forbetter seedling establishment. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to findcombinations of regeneration measures that result in low seedling mortalityand high growth. Additionally, to explore the potential of digital tools inregeneration planning. Aims were handled using field experiments and asurvey, by integrating digital tools in the analysis and experimental set-up. Increased precipitation and decreased air temperatures between April andOctober during the planting year lowered seedling mortality. Planting inmineral soil also lowered the mortality rate, which emphasized theimportance of planting and site preparation quality (Paper I). Selection ofsite preparation method was found to be of minor importance. The sitepreparation’s ability to create suitable planting spots was most important forseedling survival and growth. Selection of site preparation affected soildisturbance, and natural regeneration was promoted with all methods usedin the experiments (Paper II). Adapting planting position choice, followingsite preparation, to within-site variation was valuable to decrease mortalityrates and promote growth (Paper II-III). In wet conditions, elevatedplanting positions were advantageous compared to lower ones, but moreflexibility could be applied in drier conditions. Norway spruce, Scots pine,and silver birch reacted differently to planting position choice (Paper III).Paper I-III indicated that digital tools could be used in regenerationplanning. A depth-to-water-raster successfully explained seedling mortalityand growth in the extreme ends of the soil moisture spectrum. Using remotesensing derived variables can be valuable for further mapping andunderstanding of between and within-site variation in future regenerationplanning. There were no long-term negative effects on stand productivityafter 30 years following site preparation. The standing volume was largestafter ploughing but disc trenching and mounding also had higher standingvolume than the unscarified control (Paper IV). I conclude that regenerationdecisions made today, regarding species selection and regeneration method,should strive for increased precision for the benefit of the forests oftomorrow.

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Section: Site Preparation Disturbancesupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Site Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Site Levelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Site Preparation Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regeneration measures in time and space: Site preparation, planting and digital tools

Nordin¹

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Ungulate occurrence in forest harvest blocks is influenced by forage availability, surrounding habitat and silviculture practices

McKay¹,

Finnegan²

2023

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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Forest harvesting causes habitat loss and alteration and can change predator–prey dynamics. In Canada, forest harvesting has shifted the distribution and abundance of ungulates (deer, elk and moose) that prefer early seral forest, resulting in unsustainable caribou predation by shared predators (bears, cougars and wolves). Long‐term solutions for caribou recovery require management to reduce ungulate prey species within caribou ranges. Silviculture practices applied after forest harvesting directly affect the amount of forage available in harvested areas, and therefore influence ungulate distribution, but few studies have completed detailed assessments on how specific treatments of site preparation, planting and stand tending influence ungulate use of harvest blocks. We used camera traps, silviculture data, GIS‐derived habitat and disturbance data, and detailed vegetation data collected at field sites to investigate ungulate occurrence in harvest blocks in west‐central Alberta, Canada. We compared seasonal ungulate occurrence and investigated how site‐specific characteristics, the surrounding habitat and disturbance density, and fine‐scale silviculture treatments influenced ungulate occurrence in blocks. Deer, elk and moose occurrence was higher in summer compared to winter. Elk, moose and white‐tailed deer occurrence was higher in blocks with greater availability of specific forage species. Moose occurrence was higher in blocks with a lower road density in the surrounding area, and white‐tailed deer occurrence was higher in blocks further from seismic lines and with a lower proportion of harvest blocks in the surrounding area. Deer, elk and moose occurrence was higher in younger harvest blocks. Mule deer and white‐tailed deer occurrence was lower in blocks with higher planting densities of lodgepole pine, and mule deer occurrence was also lower in blocks that had been stand tended. Our study provides detailed information on ungulate response to fine‐scale silviculture methods used in Alberta, directly linking wildlife occurrence to forestry practices, and providing practical scientific information to inform sustainable forestry. Translating this research into practical landscape management decisions could benefit boreal biodiversity, including threatened species like caribou, and culturally and economically important species like deer, elk and moose.

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Environmental effects of a management method used after fire on development of temperate Scots pine ecosystem: a 15-year study from Poland

Sewerniak¹,

Markiewicz²,

Tarnawska³

et al. 2023

Environmental Management

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Due to the ongoing climate changes, temperate forests are increasingly exposed to fires. However, until now the functioning of post-fire temperate forest ecosystems with regard to used forest management method has been weakly recognized. Here, we examined three variants of forest restoration after fire (two variants of natural regeneration with no soil preparation—NR, and artificial restoration by planting following soil preparation—AR) regarding their environmental consequences in development of post-fire Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) ecosystem. The study was conducted using a 15-year timespan in a long-term research site located in the Cierpiszewo area (N Poland) being one of the biggest post-fire grounds in European temperate forests in last decades. We focused on soil and microclimatic variables as well as on growth dynamics of post-fire pines generation. We found that the restoration rates of soil organic matter, carbon and most studied nutritional elements stocks were higher in NR plots than in AR. This could be primarily linked to the higher (p < 0.05) density of pines in naturally regenerated plots, and the subsequent faster organic horizon reconstruction after fire. The difference in tree density also involved regular differences in air and soil temperature among plots: consistently higher in AR than in both NR plots. In turn, lower water uptake by trees in AR implied that soil moisture was constantly the highest in this plot. Our study delivers strong arguments to pay more attention to restore post-fire forest areas with the use of natural regeneration with no soil preparation.

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A Disturbance Ecology Perspective on Silvicultural Site Preparation

Cited by 20 publications

References 45 publications

Regeneration measures in time and space: Site preparation, planting and digital tools

Regeneration measures in time and space: Site preparation, planting and digital tools

Ungulate occurrence in forest harvest blocks is influenced by forage availability, surrounding habitat and silviculture practices

Environmental effects of a management method used after fire on development of temperate Scots pine ecosystem: a 15-year study from Poland

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