Diameter-Limit Cutting and Silviculture in Northeastern Forests: A Primer for Landowners, Practitioners and Policymakers

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/fac_monographs/1113/thumbnail.jp

Alternative Large-Scale Conservation Visions for Northern Maine: Interviews with Decision Leaders in Maine

Based on confidential interviews with 21 decision leaders in Maine, Elizabeth Baldwin, Laura Kenefic, and Will LaPage examine the complexity of the conflicts over alternate visions for large-scale conservation in Maine. Exploring models that may be useful for policymakers grappling with competing values for Maine’s forests, they present four alternatives: national forests, new U.S. forest service models, forest heritage areas, and the British national park model. The authors found that the leaders interviewed agreed about the need for some level of conservation, but did not completely agree on how this might happen and where the decision-making power should lie

MP764: Field Manual for Managing Eastern White Pine Health in New England

This manual provides basic information for identifying and evaluating important health problems of eastern white pine in New England. The health problems include: • White pine weevil • White pine blister rust • Caliciopsis canker • White pine bast scale • White pine needle damage • Red rot or Red-ring rot In addition to providing descriptions of symptoms, signs, and risk factors, recommendations for white pine silviculture are described for managing stands for low densities and crop trees.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_miscpubs/1039/thumbnail.jp

Crop tree growth response and quality after silvicultural rehabilitation of cutover stands

Rehabilitation of cutover stands is often a management objective of landowners who desire improved stand conditions and increased value from future harvest revenues. We evaluated crop tree growth response and quality following precommercial rehabilitation treatments in mixedwood stands degraded through repeated exploitive cutting in Maine, USA. Treatments included control (no rehabilitation), moderate rehabilitation (crop tree release), and intensive rehabilitation (crop tree release plus timber stand improvement). Paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriere) crop tree diameter increments 0 to 9 years posttreatment were greater following rehabilitation than in the control. Diameter increment did not differ between intensities of rehabilitation for any species. For conifers in the lower strata, crop tree height growth and change in crown length were negatively correlated with basal area in larger trees. The occurrence of epicormic branches on paper birches was greater in the rehabilitation treatments than the control. However, most epicormic branches occurred above the height corresponding to the first sawlog. These findings indicate that rehabilitation of mixedwood stands with similar characteristics can result in improved growth of crop trees without jeopardizing the quality of the lower bole in paper birches.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Tree quality and value: results in northern conifer stands after 65 years of silviculture and harvest

Despite the importance of financial outcomes to stand-level forest management decision making, long-term assessments are rare. We compared quality and value of mixed, northern conifer (Picea – Abies – Tsuga) stands in Maine, USA, treated with a range of silvicultural systems and exploitive cuttings for 65 years. Ten replicated treatments – single-tree selection and uniform shelterwood systems, commercial clearcutting, fixed and guiding diameter-limit cutting, and no cutting – were assessed for quality and value of standing and harvested trees. Selection systems resulted in good tree quality and high stand value, particularly when applied on a short cutting cycle, but small harvest volumes were not always commercially operable. Shelterwood system resulted in good tree quality, but changes in species values over time influenced financial outcomes. In contrast, commercial clearcutting and fixed diameter-limit cutting resulted in poor tree quality and low residual stand value after multiple harvests. Guiding diameter-limit cutting resulted in high stand value, and is more appropriately characterized as a silvicultural system than exploitive harvesting when applied with harvest volume limits and seed tree retention. Overall, treatments focused on short-term financial gain led to degraded stand conditions, while those that sought to grow high-quality trees resulted in desirable outcomes over the long-term.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

The Northern White-Cedar Recruitment Bottleneck: Understanding the Effects of Substrate, Competition, and Deer Browsing

Research Highlights: Regenerating northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) is challenging throughout much of its range. This study attempts to relate differences in natural regeneration to stand- and seedbed-level factors. Background and Objectives: Lack of regeneration of northern white-cedar is often attributed to overbrowsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) because white-cedar is a preferred winter browse species. However, there are many other factors that may contribute to regeneration failure for white-cedar including its specific seedbed requirements and competition from other, often faster-growing trees and shrubs. Materials and Methods: We surveyed five mature white-cedar stands in Wisconsin, USA that have had little to no management in the past 50+ years to find stem densities of natural white-cedar regeneration in three height classes. We also collected data at each stand on potential predictor variables including overstory attributes, competitive environment, seedbed, and browsing by deer. We used model selection to create separate models to predict stem density of each white-cedar regeneration height class. Results: None of the measures of deer browsing used in this study were found to be associated with white-cedar regeneration. Soil pH, competition from other seedlings and saplings, and stem density of white-cedar in the overstory were found to be potentially associated with white-cedar regeneration. Conclusions: While browsing by deer is likely a factor affecting white-cedar regeneration in many areas, this study highlights the challenge of quantifying deer browse effects, as well as showing that other factors likely contribute to the difficulty of regenerating white-cedar

Forest structure following tornado damage and salvage logging in northern Maine, USA

Understanding forest structural changes resulting from post-disturbance management practices such as salvage logging is critical for predicting forest recovery and developing appropriate management strategies. In 2013 a tornado and subsequent salvage operations in northern Maine, USA, created three conditions (i.e., treatments) with contrasting forest structure: Blowdown, Blowdown+Salvage, and Control (undisturbed). We sampled forest structure in five stands representing each of these three treatments. Our results document obvious and predictable changes to forest structure caused by the blowdown and salvage operations; however, they also include unexpected findings: downed coarse woody debris volume remained quite high in the salvaged areas, although its vertical distribution was markedly reduced; salvage operations did not reduce fine woody debris volume; and the salvage operation itself reduced the abundance of upturned root masses. Our study contributes to a growing body of literature highlighting the fact that outcomes of salvage operations vary considerably from situation to situation. Nevertheless, they suggest that salvage logging has important implications for residual stand structure and regeneration potential, and these implications should be considered carefully when weighing post-disturbance management options.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author