CLEARCUTTING METHOD Ralph D. Nyland Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY 13210 October - 2010 All rights reserved Use of all or parts of this permission prohibited without express consent of Ralph D. Nyland Background reading: Chapter 13, in Nyland, R.D. 2002. Silviculture: Concepts and Applications. Waveland Press. Long Grove, IL. 2ed. Sources cited: Berry, A.B. 1964. Effect of strip width on proportion of daily sunlight reaching the ground. For. Chron. 40(1):122-128. Graham, J.N., E.W. Murray, and D. Minore. 1982. Environment, vegetation, and regeneration after timber harvest in the Hungry-Pickett Area of southwest Oregon. US For. Serv. Res. Note PNW-400. Marquis. D.B. 1965. Controlling light in small clear-cuttings. US For. Serv. Res. Rpt. NE-85. Noble, D.L., and F. Ronco. 1978. Seedfall and establishment of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir in clearcut openings in Colorado. US For, Serv. Res. Pap. RM-200. Nyland, R.D., C.C. Larson, and H.L. Shirley. 1983. Forestry and Its Career Opportunities. McGraw-Hill Book Co., NY. 4ed Schlich, W. 1910. Schlich’s Manual of Forestry. Vol. II Silviculture. Bradbury, Agnew, and Co. LD. London Smith, D.M. 1986. The Practice of Silviculture. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. NY. 8ed. Woods, N. 1972. Clearcutting. The Sierra Club Battle Book. 1 An even-aged rotation … Beginning and ending with an even-aged reproduction method And at the end, what to do … 2 Regeneration ... -a PROCESS - an exercise in RISK MANAGEMENT - the aim --- NO SURPRISES ... desired species ... acceptable stocking ... prompt replacement …timely … effective … appropriate species 3 Some common risks in regenerating even-aged stands ... - Seed of poor genetic quality - Too little viable seed - Poor site conditions (wet or dry) - Too many skid trails (poor seedbeds) - Loss of advance regeneration during logging - Interference by herbs and undesirable trees - Browsing by deer, elk, moose, hare, rabbits, etc ... all dealt with by good judgment and appropriate preparatory practices … deliberately successful 4 Given these at appropriate levels ... …the PROCESS seems like an EVENT ... beginning and ending successfully in a relatively short period of time … accomplished when needed and appropriate 5 Separated So think about the even-age Nyland et al. 1983 in time The silvicultural system for even-aged With regeneration done ... and their repr d silvicultural systems ... oduction methods ONCE each rotation … stands … 6 The grim reaper ? … lets focus on clearcutting From N. Woods, 1972. Clearcutting. as a reproduction method The Sierra Club Battle Book Clearcutting in a silvicultural system ... … regenerating a stand - by completely removing the entire stand - over a considerable area 7 So the SYS TEM l ooks lik e this … Aging … based on a clear pattern of development through time … within a single stand Tend when immature … … reducing the crowding 8 … thinning … favors the biggest and best trees to promote their growth … then regenerate when mature Clea rcutting ature … tend when imm … replacing the entire stand in one operation 9 … clearcutting ( 65 acres ) … giving rise to a new even-aged tree communitiy 10 … like these Mature by some standard … 11 … removed in one operation … to establish a new cohort 12 … that will develop into the future But in many forest community types … … complete overstory removal … done for natural regeneration only when abundant and well- developed advance regeneration already in place … particularly for types having a key species of high shade tolerance 13 Advance regeneration … … often established during tending before stand maturity … released by one-step overstory removal … with some new seedlings added after the clearcutting 14 … clearcutting method Removing all the trees over a CONSIDERABLE AREA So what is a CONSIDERABLE AREA ... 15 CONSIDERABLE AREA ... ... the area of a stand - recognizable - large enough to manage - in one unit of space - so treated as an entity ... removing the entire mature community in a single cutting 16 To regenerate a replacement cohort … And stand size depends on: - ownership objectives, needs, and capacities - but at least sufficient space to match the silvical characteristics of the target species - large enough to operate economically And in that space you … … clear fell the ENTIRE tree community … get a new EVEN-AGED stand in return 17 The stand … … the area to regenerate by clearcutting … removing ALL the trees in one operation 18 … allocating TOTAL ecologic space to the new cohort … an abrupt change 19 CLEARCUTTING ... … allocates TOTAL ecologic space to a new age class - suddenly changes the environmental conditions - removes the seed trees - configuration may affect the environment and seed dispersion - begins a new period of long-term development - reduces some disease and insect threats - transforms the stand structure - abruptly alters the visual qualities 20 Increasing degree of overstory removal Some environmental factors environmental Some Full shade Full sunlight After Smith 1986 An example … … western spruce-fir in Utah 21 … treated by the clearcutting reproduction method … but why not a more “natural” shape 22 … interspersion of clearcut stands of Douglas-fir in Oregon … allocating total space to the new age class 23 … ready for site preparation … after burning the slash to reduce obstacles, interference, and fuel loads prior to planting 24 Later … … after planting … with regeneration established Because of the openness and the ease of site preparation ... ... clearcutting works well in systems employing artificial regeneration Because of the openness and the ease of site preparation ... ... clearcutting works well in systems employing artificial regeneration … applied across time and space 25 Now consider an example in northeastern spruce-fir stands … ... with natural regeneration 26 … perhaps scarified to improve seedbeds for natural regeneration … a reproduction method giving rise to a new even-aged cohort 27 … or using chopping to prepare the site … to facilitate container planting to artificially establish the replacement stand 28 Clearcutting with artificial regeneration has advantages in some forest community types ... - avoid delays in restocking - introduce selected sources, genotypes, and species - control arrangement and spacing - achieve uniformity (sometimes desirable) - avoid failures - succeed with any forest community type ... timely ...organized ... controlled 29 … loblolly pine in Alabama … overstory removal (clearcutting) 30 … ready for site preparation … after bedding 31 … three years after planting A.P. Drew … at 20-25 years after the first thinning 32 But replant the stand immediately … … remembering possible problems that come with uniformity (e.g., monotypes and uniform spacing) … choosing carefully the species and the seed source Consider some other examples ... ... with natural regeneration ... western mixed conifers 33 … and notice how the shape draws attention to the clearcut … even though this shape has no ecologic effect, per se 34 … a series of former clearcuts, each regenerated successfully … with seed from adjacent stands, off the slash, or in the litter layer … plus advance regeneration 35 … happy people anticipating the future … note the logging pattern … the yarding corridors 36 … yarded up the corridors using this machine … the yarding cable released out of this end of the boom … “flung” down hill along the yarding corridor 37 … pulled uphill to the landing along a haul road … the aftermath … leaving the advance regeneration in the inter-corridor space 38 … with subsequent addition of trees by post-logging germinants … resulting in a new even-aged stand 39 Now consider some different ways and reasons to reconfigure clearcuts … … note this example in New Hampshire … with a central reserve strip in the riparian management zone 40 E. Swift 2004 … and 30 years later US For. Serv. ... or configured for water yield management 41 ... to trap snow and increase soil moisture storage … and why this shape 42 … perhaps to facilitate the use of this mobile yarder Yarder Tail block moved set up across the back here end of the stand to create this fan- shapd clearcut … done for operational reasons 43 ... or altered for visual qualities ... traditional … with distinct and “sharp” edges, and square corners 44 ... modified … with feathered edges ... using some imagination Also, curved edges of a more natural shape blend better into the landscape and seem less obvious … 45 ... or to make ecologic adjustments J.D. Irving, Ltd. ... traditional J.D. Irving, Ltd. ... or with ecologic and visual qualities modifications 46 J.D Irving Ltd. … perhaps leaving groups of trees around special micro-habitats ... or to address other environmental, ecologic, or operational considerations Marginal sites for clearcutting Graham et al. 1982 ... dealing with the physical environment in western North America 47 ... and the seed source … noting how dispersal diminishes with distance from the upwind edge After Noble and Ronco 1978 48 … now look at progressive strip clearcutting to address ecologic requirements … often with operational advantages as well 49 Progressive strip clearcutting … … set at a width to facilitate seed dispersal and partially shade the regeneration area ... the first entry 50 ... bent to affect visual qualities … a short line of sight … side shading to tempter the environment … adjacent seed source 51 … but still increasing light levels near the ground 52