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Silvicultural Techniques to Manipulate Biomass Silvicultural Techniques Silviculture “use of sustainable management practices to establish or guide the development of forest stands in order to fulfill natural resource objectives” Silvicultural Techniques Differ by:
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Silvicultural Techniques Silviculture “use of sustainable management practices to establish or guide the development of forest stands in order to fulfill natural resource objectives”
Silvicultural Techniques • Differ by: • Even aged vs. Uneven aged • Occur at time of establishment as well throughout a stand’s existence
Silvicultural techniques • There is only so much “tree” one can grow on a site • Manage the site to grow the trees that meet landowner objectives
Establishment – Even Aged • Natural regeneration: seeding by existing trees • Artificial regeneration: applying seeds or planting seedlings
Even Aged Natural Regeneration • Seed Tree Method • Harvest a mature stand except for a few, specifically chosen trees, per acre • Over the coming years, seeds from those trees will regenerate the stand • Go back and harvest the seed trees 5-8 years later.
Even Aged Natural Regeneration • Shelterwood Method • Harvest a mature stand leaving a “fair number” of trees per acre • Over the coming years, shade tolerant species will populate the understory • Go back and harvest the shelterwood trees once the shade tolerant species are established
Even Aged Natural Regeneration • Coppice • Some species sprout vigorously from roots (aspens) or stumps (oaks and maples)
Even Aged Natural Regeneration Advantage: low cost Disadvantage: relying on nature for seeds/sprouts might get too many or too few
Even Aged Artificial Regeneration • Planting • Use clearcuts to remove existing stand • Seedlings grown for a couple of years in a nursery before planting (typically in Spring) • Does require some site preparation work before planting a site
Certification and Clearcuts • Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) http://www.aboutsfi.org/
Certification and Clearcuts • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) http://www.fscus.org/
Patch Clearcut • Natural or Artificial Regeneration • Open up small areas in existing stands
Establishment – Even Aged • Planting • Advantages: stand establishment more reliable tends to lead to prompt reforestation Better control of species composition Better control of spacing between trees Use of genetically improved seedlings possible
Establishment – Even Aged • Planting • Disadvantage:
Establishment – Uneven Aged • Generally occurs on its own • Managers should ensure the desired species establish and grow