Eleven-year responses of a boreal mixedwood stand to partial harvesting: Light, vegetation, and regeneration dynamics

Man, Rongzhou; Kayahara, Gordon J.; Rice, James A.; MacDonald, G. B.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.09.043

Cited by 61 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 42 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…6). The overall suppression of suckering by a residual canopy of aspen and retained basal area of understory spruce supports the findings that aspen regeneration is best after clearcutting and is suppressed by leaving residuals on the site (Huffman et al 1999, Palik et al 2003, Brais et al 2004, Man et al 2008.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…Aspen regeneration, however, may not grow well in these understory protection sites since aspen is a shade-intolerant species and it is generally understood that optimal regeneration is achieved by clearcutting (Navratil 1991). In addition, there is a growing body of evidence that density of aspen regeneration is suppressed by low densities of residual aspen trees (Schier et al 1985, Huffman et al 1999, Palik et al 2003, Man et al 2008. However, this study of aspen regeneration following understory protection offers some differences to these previous studies on aspen regeneration following partial-cut logging.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Regeneration of aspen following partial and strip understory protection harvest in boreal mixedwood forests

Lennie¹,

Landhäusser

Lieffers³

et al. 2009

The Forestry Chronicle

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trembling aspen regeneration was studied in 2 types of partial harvest systems designed to harvest mature aspen but protect immature spruce and encourage natural aspen regeneration. Two partial harvest systems, where the residual aspen was either left in strips or was dispersed uniformly, were compared to traditional clearcuts. After the first and second year since harvest, aspen sucker density and growth was similar between the 2 partial harvests, but was much lower than in the clearcuts. However, in the partial cuts the regeneration density was very much dependent on the location relative to residual trees. The density of regeneration was inversely related to the basal area of residual aspen; however, sucker height was inversely related to the basal area of the residual spruce. Although there were adequate numbers of suckers after partial harvest, their viability and contribution to the long-term productivity of these mixedwood stands is not clear.Key words: silvicultural systems, forest management, residual canopy, white spruce, Populus tremuloides, Picea glauca, traffic RÉSUMÉLa régénération du peuplier faux-tremble a été étudiée dans le cas de deux modes de coupe partielle conçus pour récolter les trembles à maturité mais pour protéger les épinettes en croissance et favoriser la régénération naturelle du tremble. Deux modes de coupe partielle, où les trembles résiduels ont été retenus dans des bandes ou dispersés uniformément, ont été comparés à des coupes à blanc traditionnelles. Cependant, dans les coupes partielles, la densité de la régénération a été très dépendante de localisation relative aux arbres résiduels. Même si le nombre de drageons est adéquat après une coupe partielle, leur viabilité et leur contribution à long terme à la productivité de ces peuplements mélangés n' est pas évidente.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 80%

Regeneration of aspen following partial and strip understory protection harvest in boreal mixedwood forests

Lennie¹,

Landhäusser

Lieffers³

et al. 2009

The Forestry Chronicle

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…First, mixedwood stands are diverse by nature and often structurally complex, and light conditions may vary greatly among stands due to differences in stand structure and species composition (Barkman, 1992;Messier et al, 1998). Second, our simulations are believed to be representative of the light conditions immediately after harvest, but they do not account for the dynamic vegetation response that is generally observed over time after harvesting Man et al, 2008). Finally, the specific light values that were used as thresholds to identify the intervals of light conditions to be promoted or avoided through silvicultural interventions were selected based on specific publications.…”

Section: Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Field-based comparisons of silvicultural treatments can provide useful information to determine which silvicultural system will produce the optimal distribution of light levels for a given set of management objectives (Prévost and Pothier, 2003;Brais et al, 2004;Man et al, 2008). However, field experiments are necessarily limited in the number of treatments that can be implemented, and they can be affected by many factors that cannot be controlled (e.g., occurrence of a forest tent caterpillar outbreak following experimental partial cutting treatments in Man et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing understory light conditions in boreal mixedwoods through variation in the intensity and spatial pattern of harvest: A modelling approach

Beaudet

Harvey

Messier

et al. 2011

Forest Ecology and Management

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

a b s t r a c tIn the context of partial harvesting, adequately managing post-harvest light conditions are essential to obtain a desired composition of tree species regeneration. The objective of this study was to determine how varying the intensity and spatial pattern of harvest would affect understory light conditions in boreal mixedwood stands of northwestern Quebec using the spatially explicit SORTIE-ND light model. The model was evaluated based on comparisons of observed and predicted light levels in both mapped and un-mapped plots. In mapped plots, reasonably accurate predictions of the overall variation in light levels were obtained, but predictions tended to lack spatial precision. In un-mapped plots, SORTIE-ND accurately predicted stand-level mean GLI (Gap Light Index) under a range of harvest intensities. The model was then used to simulate nine silvicultural treatments based on combinations of three intensities of overstory removal (30%, 45% and 60% of basal area) and three harvest patterns (uniform, narrow strips, large gaps). Simulations showed that increasing overstory removal had less impact on light conditions with uniform harvests, and a more marked effect with more aggregated harvest patterns. Whatever the harvest intensity, uniform cuts almost never created high light conditions (GLI > 50%). Gap cuts, on the other hand, resulted in up to 40% of microsites receiving GLI > 50%. Our results suggest that either a 30% strip or gap cut or a 45-60% uniform partial harvest could be used to accelerate the transition from an aspen dominated composition to a mixedwood stand because both types of cut generate the greatest proportion of moderately low light levels (e.g., 15-40% GLI). These light levels tend to favour an accelerated growth response among shade-tolerant conifers, while preventing excessive recruitment of shade-intolerant species. A better understanding of how spatial patterns of harvest interact with tree removal intensity to affect understory light conditions can provide opportunities for designing silvicultural prescriptions that are tailored to species' traits and better suited to meet a variety of management objectives.

show abstract

“…Recently, observations of aspen regeneration following partial harvesting have been reported (Prévost and Pothier 2003, Haussler et al 2007, Gradowski et al 2008, Man et al 2008a. Observations of aspen regeneration following the creation of small forest openings are limited, however (Groot et al 1997, Kabzems 2001.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial and temporal patterns of Populus tremuloides regeneration in small forest openings in northern Ontario

Groot¹,

Man²,

Wood³

2009

The Forestry Chronicle

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The density, height and diameter of trembling aspen sucker regeneration was assessed over a 10-year period in openings created by harvesting in a 40-year-old, 19-m-tall aspen stand in northeastern Ontario. The 5 types of opening comprised: circular openings of 9-m-and 18-m-diameter, 150-m-long east-west strips of 9-m and 18-m width, and a 1.5 ha (100 m ϫ 150 m) clearcut. Density of aspen regeneration was significantly affected by opening type, location relative to the opening, time since harvest, and by all interactions of these factors. Aspen densities within the circular openings declined to low levels by year 10, despite considerable initial recruitment. Trembling aspen height and diameter were significantly influenced by opening type, location relative to the opening, time since harvest, and by opening ϫ time and location ϫ time interactions. Trembling aspen heights in the circular openings were substantially less than in the clearcut and strip openings by year 10. The results support the traditional view that aspen is best managed under the clearcut silvicultural system, and that trembling aspen regeneration following forest harvesting can be reduced by controlling the extent or intensity of overstory removal. Finally, the results suggest that disturbances that create gaps greater than 1 tree height in width in aspen or mixedwood forests may allow gap dynamics to function. . La densité de la régénération de tremble était significativement dépendante du type d' ouverture, de la localisation relative de l' ouverture, du temps écoulé depuis la récolte et par l'interaction de ces facteurs. La densité de tremble dans les ouvertures circulaires a diminué année après année, malgré le nombre important de recrues initialement. La hauteur et le diamètre ont été significativement dépendants du type d' ouverture, de la localisation relative de l' ouverture, du temps écoulé depuis la récolte et par l'interaction entre l' ouverture et le temps écoulé ainsi qu' entre la localisation et le temps écoulé. La hauteur des trembles dans les ouvertures circulaires était substantiellement moindres que dans les ouvertures par coupe et par bande 10 ans après la récolte. Les résultats appuient l' opinion traditionnelle que le tremble est mieux aménagé au moyen d'un régime sylvicole de coupe à blanc et que la régénération de tremble à la suite d'une récolte de bois peut être réduite par le contrôle de l' étendue ou de l'intensité de la coupe du couvert dominant. Finalement les résultats laissent entendre que les perturbations qui créent des ouvertures plus importantes en largeur que la hauteur d'un arbre dans les tremblaies ou dans les peuplements mélangés pourraient introduire des ratés dans la dynamique naturelle de ces peuplements.

show abstract

Eleven-year responses of a boreal mixedwood stand to partial harvesting: Light, vegetation, and regeneration dynamics

Cited by 61 publications

References 42 publications

Regeneration of aspen following partial and strip understory protection harvest in boreal mixedwood forests

Regeneration of aspen following partial and strip understory protection harvest in boreal mixedwood forests

Managing understory light conditions in boreal mixedwoods through variation in the intensity and spatial pattern of harvest: A modelling approach

Spatial and temporal patterns of Populus tremuloides regeneration in small forest openings in northern Ontario

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About