DOCSLIB.ORG

The Ecological Roots of New Approaches to Forestry by Fred Swanson and Dean Berg

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Ecological Roots of New Approaches to Forestry by Fred Swanson and Dean Berg The Ecological Roots of New Approaches to Forestry by Fred Swanson and Dean Berg uring the 1940s through the cepts of natural disturbance and suc- played a pivotal role in this transfor- 1980s, forest management cessional processes. Itwas commonly mation. In the broadest sense, we are and research in the Pacific argued, for example, that clearcutting moving from treating forest manage- Northwest focused largely mimics natural disturbance by wild- ment as a series of discreet operations on harvesting natural stands fire-but is not as wasteful because to viewing forests as ecological sys- and establishing Douglas fir the wood is harvested and used. tems. One of the central components plantations. This was accomplished But, forestry is in the midst of a ofthis emerging emphasis on integra- with relative efficiency by clearcutting, major transformation. A5HalSalwasser tive management is leaving residual burning woody residues, establishing of the u.s. Forest Service New Per- forest structures (e.g., trees, snags, dense stands of a single tree species, spectives Program has pointed out, down logs,) as biological legacies to hastening crown closure, suppressing we are involved in an evolution across be carried over from one stand to the competing vegetation, and other prac- three stages of natural resource man- next. tices. From an economic perspective, agement: from regulation of uses, to Although some of the techniques such intensive silvicultural practices sustained yield management, to sus- involved in managing biologicallega- provided a relatively high short-term tainable ecosystem management. Re- cies may be relatively new, the under- return on investment. Biologically, search within and at the interfaces lyingconcepts have evolved over more these practices seemed at least super- between wildlife biology, fisheries, than a decade. Concern for maintain- ficiallyconsistent with prevailing con- ecosystem ecology, and forestry has ing habitat and species in federal for- 6 FORESTPERSPECTIVES .. .-. - ---- estland managed for timber produc- ... ment of many woody plants. These tion is reflected in federal laws, public surviving elements of the comments and litigation over forest In the broadest predisturbance system can strongly plans, and the continuing efforts of affect the rate and course ofecosystem many land managers to be good stew- recovery. Consequently, the design of ards of the land. Specifically, the con- sense, we are various ecosystem manipulations and cept of retaining structural and com- predictions of system response must positional diversity in managed stands moving from deal with nutrients, organisms, and to meet the objectives of multiple use structures both retained on and re- management is grounded in: 1) im- treating forest moved from a site as a result of distur- proved understanding of disturbance bance or management. processes in natural and managed for- ests, 2) a growing understanding of management as Ecological Functions ecosystem functions, and 3) experi- Parallel with disturbance ecology ence with managed forests, including a series of discreet research, there has been a great deal of the successes and failures of efforts to study focused on natural forest and implement intensive forestry practices. operations to stream systems during periods with- A major theme in leaving behind bio- out catastrophic disturbance. In the logical and physical legacies is main- viewing forests Pacific Northwest, much of this work taining future options-it is easier to began with the International Biologi- leave standing dead trees and large, cal Program in the 1970s and contin- rotting logs on land and in streams as ecological ued with the National Science Foun- than to generate them from an initially dation sponsored Long-Term Ecologi- clean clearcut. Although operational systems. cal Research Program in the 1980s, as testing of many of these alternative well as in a variety of other research prescriptions is in the early stages, it is programs. Findings from these and other studies include: imperative to work from results of is more complex than previously rec- ecosystem research and past forestry ognized. Recent studies in the central experience in designing new prescrip- Cascades Range of Oregon, based on ·Standing and down dead wood tions. detailed dendrochronologic analysis material is a significant element of of fire scar and total tree age records sustaining biological diversity (as habi- Disturbance Processes exposed in stumps, revealed that wild- tat for many species) and possibly Important changes in our under- fire was more frequent and involved a forest productivity. Traditional, inten- standing of natural systems have greater extent of low- and moderate- sive forest practices have the net effect emerged from analysis of the structure severity burning than expected. Large, of greatly reducing concentrations of and function of natural forest and wood debris in forests after the re- catastrophic fires were very heteroge- stream ecosystems and their responses neous, composed of patches of di- sidual woody debris from the previ- to disturbances. Studies in the Pacific verse sizes and bum severity. This ous natural stand decomposes. Northwest and elsewhere have re- complex wildfire regime left abun- vealed the dramatic importance of or- dant standing and down dead woody ·Coarse woody debris in streams ganisms surviving even extremely se- debris as well as highly variable densi- increases channel complexity, thereby vere disturbance. This was particu- ties of live trees. improving fish habitat quality and in- larly clear after the 1980 eruption of These studies ofdisturbance high- creasing retention ofnutrients in stream MountSt. Helens. Ourfirstimpression light the great importance of living systems. Stream cleanup practices em- was that previous ecosystems had been organisms and physical structures ployed in the 1970s, and splash dam- completely eradicated. However, which survive from one regime to the ming in earlier periods greatly reduced within days and weeks, surviving or- next. Examples of these "legacies" levels of coarse woody debris in ganisms of a great variety of life forms include: standing and down logs, soil streams, thereby reducing habitat qual- began the process of restoring terres- structure, high soil calcium contents ity. trial and aquatic systems. Survivors associated with cedar trees, reproduc- persisted below ground, in rotten logs, tive organs such as seeds and sprouts, ·Natural forest stands are very com- under snowpacks, and in lakes, and various vertebrate species (e.g., plex in early and late stages of succes- streams, and springs-some protected birds and mammals) as well as the sion-in contrast with the simpler under ice and snow cover. numerous invertebrates in the soil. structure and composition of stands Similarly, studies of wildfire his- Especially important are the hyphae managed intensively for wood fiber tory in Oregon revealed that this domi- and species of the mycorrhizal fungi production. Traditional practices nant disturbance process in the region which are essential to the re-establish- eliminate or reduce the duration of FORESTPERSPECTIVES 7 - -- " complex early and late seral forest ... acre), experience with shelterwood stages, possibly eliminating ecologi- cuts may provide a strong basis for cal processes and species that are de- anticipating effects on regeneration. pendent upon them. Input of nitrogen Tbe concept of Growth and yield potential of sites to Pacific Northwest conifer forests, where green trees are retained may be for example, occurs by nitrogen-fIX- retaining maintained by paying close attention ing organisms particuTarlyevident in to stand density, and thinning to con- early and late successional stages of biological legacies trol crown competition for light. In forest development. The presence of some cases, traditional and these nitrogen-fIXingspecies isgreatly through nontraditional practices may overlap. reduced in stands managed on short Forexample, regeneration on low den- cutting cycles, and in which compet- sity retention units may be achieved ing vegetation is suppressed. The net timber cutting is by using stocking levels and geneti- t i effect may be a reduction in long-term cally improved stock similar to that nitrogen input to these forest systems neither a return to used for intensive plantation forestry. where nitrogen availabilitycommonly Finally, when considering where limits productivity. Furthermore, sup- any early period of we are in terms ofunderstanding com- pression of biological legacies and plex forest ecosystems, it is useful to early seral vegetation, combined with consider the historical context of in- unsuccessful efforts to reestablish tree poor practices nor tensive plantation and multiple use plantations on clearcut harsh sites, may an abandonment forestry. Plantation forestry has been disrupt the belowground ecosystem developed over the past three decades to the point that the site isconverted to through the concerted efforts of in- nonforest vegetation. of the important dustry, universities, and Forest Service research and development programs. ·Insectivorous birds and canopy lessonsfrom The total research and development invertebrates, such asspiders and ants, investment in plantation forestry prob- can be important predators of forest ably exceeds several hundred million insect pests. Retention ofhabitat struc- decades of dollars directed at the rather singular ture, such as large, live trees and mul- objective
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Sustainable Forestry
    FNR-182 Purdue University - Forestry and Natural Resources & Natural Re ry sou st rc re e o s F A Landowner’s Guide to Sustainable Forestry in Indiana PURDUE UNIVERSITY Part 3. Keeping the Forest Healthy and Productive Ron Rathfon, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University Lenny Farlee, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry Sustainable forest Environmental Factors Affecting management requires an Forest Growth and Development understanding of site productivity and heredi- • Climate tary factors that affect • Soil forest growth and devel- • Topography or lay of the land opment, as well as factors • Fungi, plant & animal interactions like climate, soil, topogra- phy or lay of the land, and • Disturbances how fungi, plants, and animals interact and help A remarkable variety of forests grow in Indiana. Over or harm each other. 100 different native species of trees intermingle in Ron Rathfon Sustainable forest various combinations. They flourish in swamps, anchor Deep soils and ample soil management also requires sand dunes, cling precariously to limestone precipices, moisture on this northeast- knowledge of each bind riverbanks against ravaging spring floods, and sink facing, upland site promote species’ unique needs and tap roots deep into rich, fertile loam. the growth of a lush adaptations, how a forest understory shrub layer and Trees, like all other green plants, require sunlight, heat, changes over time, and fast-growing, well-formed how it responds when water, nutrients, and space to thrive. Environment trees. determines the availability of essential requirements. disturbed by fire, insect Foresters refer to this availability as site productivity. outbreak, tornado, or timber harvesting.
    [Show full text]
  • High Grade Harvesting It Is Important to Note That There Is a Wide Range of Variability to High Grading
    HighGrade Harvesting Understand the impacts, know your options. Paul Catanzaro University of Massachusetts Amherst Anthony D'Amato University of Massachusetts Amherst Introduction “ I thought I did the As a landowner, you may be approached by a logger or forester to have a “high grade” harvest of your RIGHT THING. woods, which they typically call “selective cutting.” Selective cutting refers to a harvest that does not I did a selective cut all of the trees. cut, not a clearcut. However, there are many forms of selective cutting. While high grading does leave trees after the I WAS TOLD harvest, the critical issues to consider are whether the harvest will meet your immediate goals and if the that I could be remaining trees will best meet your future goals. back in there All woodlands do not provide equal benefits. The number, size, type, and quality of the trees left after cutting IN harvesting all affect what your woods will become in the future and, as a direct result, what benefits your woods 10 YEARS.” will provide to you and those that follow. High grading generally takes the best trees and leaves the rest, and may not meet your needs. This pamphlet will help you make informed decisions about the sale of timber from your land by providing information on high grading and forest management using silviculture. It also gives you information on resources and professional foresters who can help you. 3 Definitions High Grading SILVICULTURE High grading liquidates the value of the woods by: Silviculture - The art and science of controlling the ❶ Removing the largest, most valuable trees and, establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet the diverse needs and ❷ Increasing the composition of the poorer quality and values of landowners and society on a sustainable traditionally low-value species (e.g., red maple, beech, basis.
    [Show full text]
  • Patterns of Plant Community Structure Within and Among Primary and Second-Growth Northern Hardwood Forest Stands
    Forest Ecology and Management 258 (2009) 2556–2568 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Forest Ecology and Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco Patterns of plant community structure within and among primary and second-growth northern hardwood forest stands Julia I. Burton a,*, Eric K. Zenner b, Lee E. Frelich c, Meredith W. Cornett d a Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin – Madison, 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, United States b School of Forest Resources, The Pennsylvania State University, 305 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802, United States c Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Avenue North, St. Paul, MN 55108, United States d The Nature Conservancy in Minnesota, 394 Lake Avenue South, Duluth, MN 55802, United States ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article history: Forest scientists advocate the use of natural disturbance-based forest management for restoring the Received 4 May 2009 characteristics of old-growth forests to younger second-growth northern hardwood stands. However, Received in revised form 4 August 2009 prescriptions rely upon studies that have (1) not spanned the full range of conditions and species Accepted 5 September 2009 assemblages, and (2) focused primarily on contrasting old-growth and mature second-growth stands at a single scale. To examine how the legacy of historical logging activities influences forest structure and Keywords: function, we compared and contrasted patterns of plant community structure within and among second- Forest structure growth and primary stands on the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota, USA — near the current Natural disturbance-based forest range limits of the dominant species, sugar maple (Acer saccharum).
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 National 4-H Forestry Invitational Glossary
    2021 National 4-H Forestry Invitational Glossary http://www.4hforestryinvitational.org/ N4HFI Information The National 4-H Forestry Invitational is the national championship of 4-H forestry. Each year, since 1980, teams of 4-H foresters have come to Jackson's Mill State 4-H Conference Center at Weston, WV, to meet, compete, and have fun. Jackson's Mill State 4-H Conference Center is the first and oldest 4-H camp in the United States and is operated by West Virginia University Extension. NATIONAL 4-H FORESTRY INVITATIONAL GLOSSARY CONTENTS Page Trees ................................................................................................ 1 Forests & Forest Ecology ................................................................... 6 Forest Industry ............................................................................... 10 Forest Measurements & Harvesting ................................................. 11 Tree Health (Insects, Diseases, and Other Stresses) ....................... 16 Topography & Maps ........................................................................ 17 Compass & Pacing ........................................................................... 18 Second Edition, February 2019 Original Editors, Todd Dailey, Chief Appraiser and 4-H Volunteer Leader, Farm Credit of Florida; David Jackson, Forestry Educator, Penn State Extension; Daniel L. Frank, Entomology Extension Specialist & Assistant Professor, West Virginia University; David Apsley, Natural Resources Specialist, Ohio State University Extension;
    [Show full text]
  • The Hidden Disaster of New York's Forest Economy
    Selective Logging The Hidden Disaster of New York’s Forest Economy What Woodland Owners Should Know Definitions Silviculture The art and science of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, and health of forests and woodlands to meet the diverse needs of landowners and society on a sustainable basis. Silviculture is the unique science and technique, or tool that forestry offers in service to people. Sustainable Forest Management The practice of meeting the forest resource needs and values of the present without compromising the similar capability of future generations. High-grading A timber harvest that removes the trees of commercial value, leaving small trees, as well as large ones of poor quality and of low-value species in the forest. Selective Logging Any timber harvest that leaves a substantial number of trees. The term can refer to harvests that meet good silvicultural standards. It is more often used to describe high-grading where all of the most valuable trees are selectively cut – usually leaving a woodlot filled with poor quality trees and trees of non-commercial species. Before High-grading After High-grading Selective logging in the form of high-grading is hard to recognize from a distance, yet it can significantly reduce timber productivity. The poor quality of New York’s timber resource is a direct consequence of past high-grading. Forest owners, loggers, and mills are losing hundreds of millions of dollars in unrealized potential future income. This is why selective logging is the hidden disaster of the forest economy. The Hidden Disaster of Selective Logging Most forest land in New York State is owned by families and individuals.
    [Show full text]
  • Forest Operations Manual
    INTRODUCTION Timber sales have been performed on State forest and park lands for 88 years since 1911 when the first thinning operation was completed on the Monadnock Reservation in Jaffrey. This first project coincided with the hiring of the first New Hampshire State Forester and the establishment of the State Forestry Department in 1910. During early times, timber cutting was irregularly scheduled and was primarily related to forest and park improvements as State land was acquired. Major accomplishments included the extensive thinnings, plantings, and other forest improvements performed by the Federal Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 to 1941, and the salvage between 1939 and 1943 of huge volumes of timber damaged during the 1938 hurricane. Since 1950, however, timber sales have been regularly scheduled and have become fundamental to the management and maintenance of the timber, wildlife, and other forest resources on State-owned forest lands. Today, there are approximately a dozen or more timber sales initiated each year on State-owned lands. A typical timber sale involves an exhaustive 46 steps from start to finish, averages over 215,000 board feet, lasts six weeks (once operational), and requires more than 155 man-hours of staff time to complete. Significantly, the most demanding and time consuming portion of each timber sale is the environmental and site analysis, planning, project approval, and layout activities which generally involve almost 70 percent of the total time required for each timber sale. The key to successful timber sales on State-owned forest lands is the availability of State, Federal, and private resource management specialists to assistance with the extensive planning and review for each project.
    [Show full text]
  • A Glossary of Common Forestry Terms
    W 428 A Glossary of Common Forestry Terms A Glossary of Common Forestry Terms David Mercker, Extension Forester University of Tennessee acre artificial regeneration A land area of 43,560 square feet. An acre can take any shape. If square in shape, it would measure Revegetating an area by planting seedlings or approximately 209 feet per side. broadcasting seeds rather than allowing for natural regeneration. advance reproduction aspect Young trees that are already established in the understory before a timber harvest. The compass direction that a forest slope faces. afforestation bareroot seedlings Establishing a new forest onto land that was formerly Small seedlings that are nursery grown and then lifted not forested; for instance, converting row crop land without having the soil attached. into a forest plantation. AGE CLASS (Cohort) The intervals into which the range of tree ages are grouped, originating from a natural event or human- induced activity. even-aged A stand in which little difference in age class exists among the majority of the trees, normally no more than 20 percent of the final rotation age. uneven-aged A stand with significant differences in tree age classes, usually three or more, and can be basal area (BA) either uniformly mixed or mixed in small groups. A measurement used to help estimate forest stocking. Basal area is the cross-sectional surface area (in two-aged square feet) of a standing tree’s bole measured at breast height (4.5 feet above ground). The basal area A stand having two distinct age classes, each of a tree 14 inches in diameter at breast height (DBH) having originated from separate events is approximately 1 square foot, while an 8-inch DBH or disturbances.
    [Show full text]
  • Sustainable Management Or High
    Selective Harvesting Part One: Sustainable Management or High-grading? by Jeff Stringer responding to the question, “If you had one word to describe to landowners the type of harvesting you do, what would it Note: This is the first of a two-part series that explores the be?” more than 1,400 loggers in the Kentucky Master Log- sustainability of selective harvesting. The first part outlines ger program overwhelmingly used the term selective. Upon the difference between a sustainable selective harvest and deeper enquiry, it was found that this meant everything from a high-grading, which is a form of selective harvesting a commercial clearcut, where only small or unmerchantable most prevalent in Kentucky. The second part of this series trees are left, to a high-grade where only the best trees are outlines how to determine if your timber marking strategy removed. is sustainable and part of a good long-term management So the question “Is selective harvesting good or bad?” is strategy. an important one, and the answer needs to be thoroughly ost woodland owners are averse to harvesting a understood if woodland owners are to make good decisions large percentage of their overstory trees. Because of about developing a timber harvest that ensures long-term Mthe drastic change in aesthetics and the issues that sustainability. arise from very intensive harvests over entire woodlands, One of the biggest plagues to sustainable hardwood timber many owners prefer the idea of a selective harvest. Unfortu- production is high-grading. This practice is often done under nately, the term selective harvest is almost meaningless.
    [Show full text]
  • Harvesting Systems
    Woodlot Management Home Study Course Module 2 Harvesting Systems Preface Harvesting Systems is the second in a series of Woodlot Management Home Study Courses intended to help landowners manage their woodlots. Originally written by Brian Gilbert of LaHave Forestry Consultants Ltd., it has been rewritten by Richard Brunt and Tim Whynot. Illustrations and layout have been done by Gerald Gloade. Others modules include Introduction to Silviculture, Stand Spacing, Wildlife and Forestry, Stand Establishment, Chain Saw Use and Safety, Woodlot Ecology, Wood Utilization and Technology, and Woodlot Recreation. Each module is periodically assessed and, when necessary, revised to reflect recent developments of the subject. Also, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources may periodically hold field days to present examples of the information in the most popular manuals. Copies of these modules are available from the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, Extension Services Division, P.O. Box 698, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2T9, 424-5444 or Education and Publication Services, P.O. Box 68, Truro, Nova Scotia, B2N 5B8, 893-5642. Harvesting Systems is divided into four lessons: The Clearcut System The Shelterwood System The Selection System Putting It All Together At the end of each lesson there is a quiz or exercise to reinforce what you have learned. As well, all terms bolded the first time they appear in the text are defined in the Forestry Definitions on page 32. Other sources of information are listed on page 34. Table of Contents List of Illustrations ....................................................... List of Tables ............................................................ Introduction ............................................................. LESSON ONE: The Clearcut System ......................................... General ................................................................. Clearcutting with Natural Regeneration ........................................
    [Show full text]
  • Wee Tee State Forest
    Wee Tee State Forest South Carolina Forestry Commission SFI Manual May, 2014 Working Document This document is in development stages, and does not officially represent the goals and objectives of the South Carolina Forestry Commission. Table of Contents Table of Contents ............................................................................................................ 2 Scope .............................................................................................................................. 6 Company Description ...................................................................................................... 6 Wee Tee State Forest SFI Commitments ......................................................................... 8 Forest Land Management (SFI Objectives 1-7) ................................................................ 9 1. Forest Management Planning ................................................................................... 9 A. Forest management plan(s) .............................................................................. 9 B. Assessments and forest inventories supporting long term harvest planning ..... 21 C. Forest inventory updates, recent research results and recalculation of planned harvest levels ......................................................................................................... 22 D. Regional conservation planning ..................................................................... 22 Training .......................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Getting the Most Return from Your Timber Sale Finding a Forester
    Getting the Most Return From Your Timber Sale Finding a Forester trees. This type of timber sale is Three groups of professional foresters contact for many woodland owners. greater range and depth of services referred to as selling stumpage. How are available to provide one-on-one Contact the Division of Forestry at than foresters employed by public the trees to be sold are marked, how assistance to private forest landown- 1855 Fountain Square Drive, Co- agencies. Information about consult- potential buyers are notified of your ers with their forest management lumbus, Ohio 43224 at 1-614-265- ing foresters providing timber har- sale, how the buyer and sales price are activities, including timber harvest- 6694, or on the web at: vesting or other forest management determined (single offer, oral bid or ing. http://www.hcs.ohio-state.edu/ services in a particular area of Ohio negotiation, written sealed bids), and ODNR/Forestry.htm can be obtained from the local ODNR how payment is made (lump-sum vs. The Ohio Department of Natural Service Forester or from the Ohio sale-by-scale or pay-as-you-cut) Resources, Division of Forestry, Quite a number of consulting Chapter of the Association of Con- depends on the character of the employs 25 service foresters located foresters practice in Ohio. Consult- sulting Foresters at 1-888-540-TREE. individual sale. A professional throughout the state to provide on- ing foresters are professional forest- forester’s knowledge of your property, site technical assistance to woodland ers who are self-employed or who Also, several of the larger forest-based potential timber buyers, timber owners within a multi-county area.
    [Show full text]
  • Long-Term Success of Stump Sprout Regeneration in Baldcypress
    LONG-TERM SUCCESS OF STUMP SPROUT REGENERATION IN BALDCYPRESS Richard F. Keim, Jim L. Chambers, Melinda S. Hughes, Emile S. Gardiner, William H. Conner, John W. Day, Jr., Stephen P. Faulkner, Kenneth W. McLeod, Craig A. Miller, J. Andrew Nyman, Gary P. Shaffer, and Luben D. Dimov1 Abstract—Baldcypress [Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.] is one of very few conifers that produces stump sprouts capable of becoming full-grown trees. Previous studies have addressed early survival of baldcypress stump sprouts but have not addressed the likelihood of sprouts becoming an important component of mature stands. We surveyed stands throughout south Louisiana, selectively harvested 10 to 41 years ago, to determine whether stump sprouts are an important mecha- nism of regeneration. At each site we inventoried stumps and measured stump height and diameter, presence and number of sprouts, sprout height, and water depth. We determined age and diameter growth rate for the largest sprout from each stump from increment cores. The majority of stumps did not have surviving sprouts. Sprouts that did survive were generally vigorous, but rot from stumps often appeared to be spreading into the bases of sprouts. Within the stands studied, baldcy- press stump sprouts did not appear to be able to consistently produce viable regeneration sufficient for long-term establish- ment of well-stocked stands. INTRODUCTION Both baldcypress and water tupelo readily produce stump Cut stumps of cypress (Taxodium spp.) often produce sprouts sprouts, though sprouting is less prolific from stumps of older from latent or adventitious buds and are some of the very few (> 60 years) trees (Mattoon 1915) or from stumps of trees cut conifers that produce sprouts capable of becoming full-grown in the spring or summer (Williston and others 1980).
    [Show full text]