Browse Availability after Conifer Release in Maine's Spruce-Fir Forests

Plant Community Diversity and Tree Growth Following Single and Repeated Glyphosate Herbicide Applications to a White Spruce Plantation

“…Similar reductions in broadleaf tree cover have been reported for other northern forests [9,[23][24][25][26]. Other studies [9,11,27] have also reported reductions in shrub cover following glyphosate application.…”

“…Two herbicide treatments reduced aspen density by 99% and deciduous tree cover by 94%. Newton et al [23] reported similar results indicating substantial reductions in hardwood tree cover following application of glyphosate 2 years after harvesting. Results shown in Fu et al [16] from two sites in northern Manitoba, Canada, also illustrate similar outcomes.…”

Long-term effects of precommercial thinning on small mammals in northern Maine

“…In contrast to the greater numbers of masked shrews that we observed in thinned versus unthinned stands, combined densities of masked shrews and pygmy shrews (Sorex hoyi) were similar among herbicide-treated stands and stands thinned with brushsaws (but not herbicide-treated) 1-2 years posttreatment in Ontario . Application of herbicide may have great and longlasting effects on composition and abundance of tree species within stands (Newton et al, 1989;Daggett, 2003), therefore inconsistencies reported between this study and results reported from Ontario likely resulted from the application of either herbicide or PCT in study sites in Canada. No other studies have evaluated the combined effects of herbicide treatment followed by PCT on small mammals and vegetation structure.…”

“…Stands previously treated with PCT in Maine have grown at a sufficient rate to allow for the first economically viable commercial entry as soon as 16 years after thinning (ages 30-35 years). Characteristics of forest overstory (Ker, 1987;McCormack and Lemin, 1998;Homyack et al, 2004), understory (Doerr and Sandburg, 1986;Newton et al, 1989;Wilson and Watts, 1999;Lindgren and Sullivan, 2001;Homyack et al, 2004), and microclimate (Reynolds et al, 1997) change dramatically after PCT and with stand succession. By reducing competition from crop trees via thinning, stem diameters (Harrington and Reukema, 1983;Ker, 1987;McCormack and Lemin, 1998;Pothier, 2002) and crowns (McCormack and Lemin, 1998;Lindgren and Sullivan, 2001;Sullivan et al, 2001) of residual crop trees increase rapidly, causing stands to bypass the stem exclusion stage of forest succession characterized by self-thinning (Smith et al, 1997).…”

Long-term responses of ecosystem components to stand thinning in young lodgepole pine forest

“…Our results indicated that thinning to lower levels will significantly enhance foraging habitat for ungulates. Enhanced forage opportunities resulting from decreased canopy closure may last more than 20 years compared to stands that are not thinned (Newton et al, 1989). Thus, heavily thinned stands with abundant forage could help reverse the apparent decline in deer numbers noted by Peek et al (2001Peek et al ( , 2002.…”