Legacy forest structures in irregular shelterwoods differentially affect regeneration in a temperate hardwood forest

Wikle, Jessica; Duguid, Marlyse C.; Ashton, Mark S.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117650

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Yet, spacing of legacy trees also affects the composition and abundance of regenerating trees by selecting for species with different shade tolerances. Another project conducted in the same stands as our study found that higher legacy overstory basal area reduced the competitive advantage of regenerating oak trees in favor of more shade-tolerant species (Wikle et al, 2019). Legacy tree retention to support belowground communities and promote soil C and N recovery must therefore consider trade-offs with conditions that promote desired tree regeneration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Beginning in 1990, when the forest became viably reproductively mature, 10- to 20-ha areas were annually regenerated through irregular shelterwood and seed tree regeneration methods to diversify the structure, composition, and age class distribution within and among stands across the Forest (Yale Forests, 2021; Ashton et al, 2015). These annual regeneration treatments make Yale-Myers Forest well-suited for studying the effects of timber harvesting associated with regeneration treatments over time through a chronosequence approach (Carpenter et al, 2021; Hanle et al, 2020; Wikle et al, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Local controls modify the effects of timber harvesting on surface soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics

Ward,

Ashton,

Wikle

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Managing for structural complexity to enhance forest ecosystem health and resiliency is increasingly incorporated in silvicultural treatments. High spatial variability in stands managed for structural complexity could obscure the effects of forest management on surface soils. Yet few studies have assessed how within-stand variation in forest structure and other local controls influence surface soil organic matter dynamics over time following timber harvests. We used a stratified random sampling design to capture variation in stand age, legacy structure, soil type, and topography in a second-growth, oak-hardwood forest in the northeastern U.S. We compared surface soil carbon and nitrogen content and availability in 15 harvested stands managed to promote tree regeneration (n= 144 plots) and five unharvested controls (n= 48 plots). We also examined changes over time since harvest in just the harvested stands using a 22-year chronosequence. Forest management strongly influenced surface soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics. The timber harvests had lower soil carbon and nitrogen, microbial biomass, and carbon mineralization but higher nitrogen mineralization. These differences were more pronounced in the drier, less fertile soil type than in more moist, fertile soils. Across the 22-year chronosequence, topography, soil type, and downed woody material density dictated the direction of changes in surface soil carbon and nitrogen over time. Soil carbon and nitrogen accrued over time at drier, higher elevation (∼300 m) sites and under higher densities of fine woody material but declined at lower elevations (∼180 m) and under lower fine woody material. Proximity to legacy trees was associated with higher soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations and availability. Our findings underscore the importance of silvicultural practices that retain structural legacies and downed woody material in shaping surface soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics over time. Our results also highlight how accounting for spatial variation in local controls on soil carbon and nitrogen, such as topography, can improve detection of changes from forest management practices that increase spatial heterogeneity within stands, such as irregular shelterwood and seed tree regeneration methods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local controls modify the effects of timber harvesting on surface soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics

Ward,

Ashton,

Wikle

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Academics and forest-managers, in developing nations, such as Nepal, must also invest an unprecedented effort in training silviculturists and studying diverse natural forests in order to gain localized understanding of forest dynamics. Such studies would include longitudinal observations and analysis of vegetation responses to disturbances in chronosequences [179,180], experimental canopy openings [181] and harvests [182], as well as tracing the ontogenetic history of forest trees by conducting stem and crown analyses [183] and learning from ethnoecological traditions [141]. The demonstration of the utility of silvicultural harvests, by successfully producing desired forest conditions and multiple resources via experimentation, would also publicly dispel the stigma around cutting live trees.…”

Section: Challenges Ahead 81 Research On Silviculture and Forest Stan...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons from Managing for the Extremes: A Case for Decentralized, Adaptive, Multipurpose Forest Management within an Ecological Framework

Timsina

Sharma

Ashton

et al. 2022

Forests

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Multipurpose and ecological forest management frameworks are being increasingly applied across the Global North on public lands. However, the discourse and practice of public forest management in much of the developing world are captured by extreme approaches of single-crop (usually timber) production and strict canopy-cover protection, as exemplified by the case of Nepal. We combine insights from field research with published documents and trace the consequences of prevalent management regimes on the ecology and silviculture of Nepal’s public forests. We find that managing for either extreme of timber production or forest protection can degrade forest ecosystems and affect their capacity to address the increasing number of demands placed on them. A history of narrow management outlooks has erased indigenous silvicultural practices and discouraged the development of novel silvicultural solutions to address today’s environmental concerns. Government initiatives advancing singular objectives, such as Nepal’s Scientific Forest Management program, often crumble under political resistance. Forest users in Nepal are widely interested in generating diverse benefits from their forests, including non-commercial products and services, suggesting a mandate for multipurpose management. We present a decentralized adaptive modality of multipurpose management featuring a silviculture that more closely matches the ecology of forests.

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“…In rural forests, documented declines in oak trees in maturing forests and the lack of oak regeneration has stimulated research on the development of additional silvicultural techniques to promote oak regeneration (Abrams, 2003;Dey, 2014). This, together with interest in creating greater structural and age-class diversity in relatively even-aged forests, often originating from a common land-use history, is leading to the testing and development of silvicultural techniques that are designed to create greater heterogeneity in this forest type (e.g., Raymond et al, 2009;Wikle et al, 2019;Hanle et al, 2020). Such techniques, conceptually at least, are further advancing notions of climate resiliency through ecological complexity (D'Amato and Palik, 2021).…”

Section: Silviculture Practice and Research In The Citymentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate Adaptive Silviculture for the City: Practitioners and Researchers Co-create a Framework for Studying Urban Oak-Dominated Mixed Hardwood Forests

et al. 2021

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Urban forested natural areas are an important component of the forest and tree canopy in northeastern United States urban areas. Although similar to native forests in surrounding regions in structure, composition, and function, these natural areas are threatened by multiple, co-occurring biological and climate stressors that are exacerbated by the urban environment. Furthermore, forests in cities often lack application of formal silvicultural approaches reliant upon evidence-based applied ecological sciences. These include both urban- and climate-adapted silvicultural techniques to increase the resilience and sustainability of native forests in cities. With this in mind, we convened a group of urban forest practitioners and researchers from along a latitudinal gradient in the northeastern United States to participate in a workshop focused on co-developing long-term, replicated ecological studies that will underlie the basis for potential silvicultural applications to urban forests. In this article we review the process and outcomes of the workshop, including an assessment of forest vulnerability, and adaptive capacity across the region, as well as shared management goals and objectives. We discuss the social and ecological challenges of managing urban oak-dominated mixed hardwood forests relative to non-urban forests and identify potential examples of urban- and climate-adapted silviculture strategies created by practitioners and researchers. In doing so, we highlight the challenges and need for basic and long-term applied ecological research relevant to silvicultural applications in cities.

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Legacy forest structures in irregular shelterwoods differentially affect regeneration in a temperate hardwood forest

Cited by 8 publications

References 60 publications

Local controls modify the effects of timber harvesting on surface soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics

Local controls modify the effects of timber harvesting on surface soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics

Lessons from Managing for the Extremes: A Case for Decentralized, Adaptive, Multipurpose Forest Management within an Ecological Framework

Climate Adaptive Silviculture for the City: Practitioners and Researchers Co-create a Framework for Studying Urban Oak-Dominated Mixed Hardwood Forests

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