Managing Woody Materials

Knowledge Exchange Program- ‘Grow Your Knowledge Grow Your Impact’

Woody materials field guide: from science to sustainability

Matthew Pyper1, Tim Vinge2

1 Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta 2 Sustainable Resource Development, Government of Alberta

Jagger

Da’man Oil Inc.

35 years old

Elements of noise - flickr

The process

Talktoscience.wordpress.com

Should we use wood mulch?

• Lacks ability to form microsites


• High levels can be a problem

– Frozen ground persists longer

– Cooler, moister ground

– Delayed seedling emergence

– Reduced seedling health


• In some cases it may be advisable

Why use whole logs?

Why use whole logs?

• Source of mycorrhizae

• Little nutrient benefit in short term

How much should we use?

50 100 150 200 0

Woody Debris Volume (m3/ha)

Harmon et al. (1986)

Ter-Mikaelian et al. (2008)

Lee et al. (1997)

BC Chief Forester

25 m3/ha

100 m3/ha

200 m3/ha

Best Management Practices

Intact is best

Variability in size and length is key

• 60-100m3/ha upland, 30-50m3/ha lowland

• Eliminate piles

• If mulching- 3-4 cm max

Moving Forward

• What to do?

– Keep all woody materials (i.e. stop burning)

– Use mulching only when you have a specific end goal in mind

• What to avoid?

– Piles of wood, heavy mulching, neat and tidy

• What is coming over the horizon?

– Adaptive management- continually improving based on lesson learned

Monitoring and Continual Improvement is key

Next Steps

Matthew Pyper Knowledge Exchange Officer Department of Renewable Resources- University of Alberta Email: [email protected] Phone: 780-492-6001

mailto:[email protected]

Managing Woody Materials

Education

Transcript of Managing Woody Materials