Trends in Early-Seral Forest at the Stand and Landscape Scales

Paul D. Anderson & Janet Ohmann

PNW Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Corvallis, Oregon

Factors influencing forest composition and structure

Regional scale

Local scale

Landscape and regional pattern

Populationprocesses: biotic, social/economic

Topography,microclimate,

substrate Speciesinteractions

Climate

History

Community composition,

structure

Disturbance (human: forest

management, land use; natural: fire, wind,

insects)

landownership

Factors influencing forest composition and structure

Regional scale

Local scale

Landscape and regional pattern

Populationprocesses: biotic, social/economic

Topography,microclimate,

substrate Speciesinteractio

ns

Climate

History

Community composition, structure

Disturbance (human: forest

management, land use; natural: fire, wind,

insects)

landownership

Outline

• Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practices

– Custodial Management

– Production Forestry

– Ecosystem Management

• Current Emphases in Silviculture Research

– Intensive Forestry

– Alternatives to Clearcutting

– Restoration Management

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

•Custodial Management (Pre-World War II)

– Harvest of old-growth

– Natural regeneration

– Attempts at partial cutting

– Large-scale fire reforestation

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

• Production Forestry: 1940s – Present

– Sustained Yield / Multiple Use

– Artificial regeneration

– Clearcutting and other even-age silvicultural systems

– Intensive management

– Quantitative silviculture

Seed Source?Seed Source?

Seed bed?Seed bed?

AdvancedAdvancedRegeneration?Regeneration?

Stock?Stock?

Planting Sites?Planting Sites?

Labor Force?Labor Force?

Acceptable LevelsAcceptable Levelsof Uncertainty?of Uncertainty?

TimingTimingSpecies CompositionSpecies Composition

DensityDensityGenetic PotentialGenetic Potential

CompetitionCompetition

Production Forestry: Natural Regeneration or Planting?

Photo: Doug Maguire, www.forestryimages.org

Photo: Sam Chan, USFS

Photo: Dan Mikowski, USFS

Photo: Dan Mikowski, USFS

Production Forestry:Site Preparation and Vegetation Control

Photo: James N. Long, Utah State University, www.forestryimages.org

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Doug Maguire, www.forestryimages.org

Production Forestry: Vegetation Control

Adapted from Wagner (2000)

Tree Growth Variableof Concern

Level of VegetationControl

Level ofStand Productivity

Diameter(Biomass)

Height Survival

OvertoppingWoody Cover

< 20 %Cover

Present

MaximumSite Potential

20 – 30% ofSite Potential

ZeroProductivity

All Woody and Herb

Cover Removed

Competing Vegetation

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

• Ecosystem Management: 1980s – Present

– Broadened ecological, social and economic objectives

– Alternatives to clearcutting

– Thinning for structural diversity

– Intensive forestry

– Restoration management

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

• Ecosystem Management: 1980s – Present

– Broadened ecological, social and economic objectives

– Alternatives to clearcutting

– Thinning for structural diversity

– Intensive forestry

– Restoration management

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

• Ecosystem Management: 1980s – Present

– Broadened ecological, social and economic objectives

– Alternatives to clearcutting

– Thinning for structural diversity

– Intensive forestry

– Restoration management

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

• Ecosystem Management: 1980s – Present

– Broadened ecological, social and economic objectives

– Alternatives to clearcutting

– Thinning for structural diversity

– Intensive forestry

– Restoration management

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Historical Trends in Silvicultural Practice

• Ecosystem Management: 1980s – Present

– Broadened ecological, social and economic objectives

– Alternatives to clearcutting

– Thinning for structural diversity

– Intensive forestry

– Restoration management

Photo: Sam Chan, USFS

Photo: Dan Mikowski, USFS

USFS Regional Reforestation Effort

Year

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Acr

es

0

20x103

40x103

60x103

80x103

100x103

120x103

140x103

PlantingReplanting Seeding Reseeding Total

Historical Trend in Regional Silviculture Activity: Reforestation

USFS Regional Timber Stand Improvement Effort

Year

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Acr

es

0

20x103

40x103

60x103

80x103

100x103

120x103

140x103

Release Pre-Comm. Thin Pruning Total TSI

Historical Trend in Regional Silviculture Activity: Timber Stand Improvement

Trends in Forest Harvest: Siuslaw NF

Timber Volume Sold and HarvestedSiuslaw National Forest

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

Mill

ion

Bo

ard

Fe

et

Harvested

Sold

Some Current Issues in Silviculture Research

• Intensive Silviculture

• Alternatives to Clearcutting

• Thinning for Structural Diversity

• Restoration of Disturbed Ecosystems

Intensive Silviculture

e

Whole-plant Transpiration Rate:Family x Spacing

Time of Day

05:00:00 09:00:00 13:00:00 17:00:00 21:00:00

Wh

ole

-pla

nt

Tra

nsp

irat

ion

Rat

e (g

hr-1

)

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Family 5 6x6 Family 5 12x12 Family 4 6x6 Family 4 12x12

Family Variation in Stemwood Production

Family

Fam 1Fam 2

Fam 3Fam 4

Fam 5Fam 6

Fam 7Fam 8 NR

Ste

m V

olu

me

Ind

ex (

m3)

0.00

0.02

0.04

0.06

0.08

0.10

0.12

0.14

0.16

6x6 Spacing 12x12 Spacing

Photo: David Larson, USFS

Photo: David Larson, USFS

AGENDA 2020:Forest Products Industry -

“Focusing Research, Development & Demonstration”• National Strategy

– Advancing the Forest Biorefinery

– Sustainable Forest Productivity

– Breakthrough Manufacturing Technologies

– Advancing Wood Products Revolution

– Next Generation Fiber Recovery and Utilization

– Positively Impacting the Environment

– Technologically Advanced Workforce

• Western Regional Projects (2002-2007)

– Mechanisms of genetic variation in Douglas-fir productivity

– Discovery of genes controlling adaptive traits in Douglas-fir

– Ecological effects of understory species on the productive potential of young Douglas-fir plantations

– Soil productivity management in the dry forests of the northern Rocky Mountains

– Using biosolids compost and mill residuals for watershed imporvement

– Lidar remote sensing for precision forest management

– Nitrogen efficiency in short rotation hybird poplar plantings

– Tools to predict and manage Armillaria root and butt rot disease

– Influence of stand density on riparian vegetation

– Effects of soil and climatic factors on early growth and long-term productivity of Douglas-fir

– Generalizing the GRINCH/Wood quality relationships in Douglas-fir

Alternatives to Clearcutting &Thinning for Structural Diversity:

Regional Large-Scale Silviculture Research

Photo: USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station

Photo: Doug Maguire, www.forestryimages.org

Photo: Doug Maguire, www.forestryimages.org

Alternatives to Clearcutting &Thinning for Structural Diversity:

Regional Large-Scale Silviculture Research

Poage and Anderson (in press)

1,000 ft

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 9080 100

60

70

80

90

50

100

Treatment-Wide Percent Residual Basal Area (%)

Mat

rix

as

Pe

rcen

t o

f T

ota

l T

reat

men

t A

rea

(%)

CFS (4a)

DEMO (2a)

DEMO (3a)

DEMO (4a)

DEMO (3b)

STUDS (2a)

STUDS (4a)

STUDS (3a)

YSTDS (2a)

YSTDS (2b)

YSTDS (4a)

UAMP (4a)

CFS (2a)

UAMP (2b)

OHDS(3a-d)

LTEP(5a-d)

FES (3a-b)

DMS_RT (3a)

DMS_IT (3b)

DMS_IT (3a)

DMS_IT (2a)

gap (overstory removed)

patch (unthinned)

10 ac

Controls (1a)

CWS (3a)

CWS (4a)

CFS (5a)

DEMO (4b)

CFS (3a)

CFS (3b)

(unthinned)

CWS (4b-c)

LTEP(3a-b)

UAMP (2a)

Poage and Anderson (in press)

Ongoing Large-Scale Silviculture Experiments

of western Oregon and Washington

Regional Large-Scale Silviculture Research: Response Variables

• Vegetation – overstory & midstory 12

• Vegetation – understory 12

• Lichens, mosses and bryophytes 9

• Large mammals 1

• Arboreal mammals 2

• Small mammals 4

• Bats 2

• Birds 6

• Arthropods 4

• Amphibians/Reptiles 6

• Fish 1

• Mollusks 4

• Forest floor 10

• Snags 11

• Down woody material 11

• Fungi 7

• Soils 3

• Climate 2

• Microclimate 6

• Hydrology/geomorph. 2

• Forest Pathology 2

• Social Perceptions 4

• Wood Production 7

• Economics 3

• Operational Factors 4

• Roads 2

Based on Twelve Studies Reviewed; Poage and Anderson (in press)

Restoration of Forest Stands

• Insect and Disease Mitigation

•Riparian Functions and Habitats

• Post-fire Reforestation

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Paul Anderson, USFS

Photo: Dan Mikowski, USFS

Timbered Rock Reforestation Alternatives

Passive Intensive

Treatment

ManagementIntensity

ManagementPriorities

Natural Development

Tree & Shrub Diversity

Tree Diversity & Productivity

Productivity & Diversity

Mixed-ConiferMixed-Conifer435 TPA435 TPA

UnweededUnweeded

Mixed-ConiferMixed-Conifer435 TPA435 TPA

Manual WeedingManual Weeding

UnplantedUnplantedUnweededUnweeded

Mixed-ConiferMixed-Conifer190 TPA190 TPA

UnweededUnweeded

Mixed-ConiferMixed-Conifer190 TPA190 TPA

Manual WeedingManual Weeding

Douglas-firDouglas-fir435 TPA435 TPA

Manual WeedingManual Weeding

Summary: Silvicultural Practices and Early-Seral Forests

• Historical changes in management objectives have been associated with changes in silvicultural knowledge and practice

• Expanded array of silviculture objectives associated with changing priorities for ecological, social and economic outcomes

• On federal lands, harvesting as a whole has decreased substantially - regeneration harvests have declined, and commercial thinning as a proportion of harvest activity has increased

• Silvicultural opportunities to influence early-seral forest condition occur at primarily at two points in stand development

• Quality of early-seral forest produced by various silvicultural alternatives is not generally well-known and is a current research emphasis

(Paul - Stop Talking!)

Thank You