Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity
The shelterwood system is considered appropriate to regenerate Pinus strobus. However, there is a need to quantify the amount of harvesting damage that can be expected relative to the amount of overstory removed during removal harvests and the amount of regeneration that exists prior to harvest. We...
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| Language: | English |
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Canadian Institute of Forestry
2023-03-01
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| Series: | The Forestry Chronicle |
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| Online Access: | https://pubs.cif-ifc.org/doi/10.5558/tfc2023-011 |
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| author | Nelson Thiffault Michael Hoepting Maryse Marchand Marie Moulin Holly Deighton |
| author_facet | Nelson Thiffault Michael Hoepting Maryse Marchand Marie Moulin Holly Deighton |
| author_sort | Nelson Thiffault |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The shelterwood system is considered appropriate to regenerate Pinus strobus. However, there is a need to quantify the amount of harvesting damage that can be expected relative to the amount of overstory removed during removal harvests and the amount of regeneration that exists prior to harvest. We thus evaluated regeneration response to harvest intensity, as expressed by the percent of basal area harvested. We tested whether regeneration quality and quantity post-harvest increase with decreasing harvest intensity and depend on their pre-harvest abundance. We also posited that soil disturbance increases with harvest intensity. We observed that declines in stocking and density were related to increasing harvest intensity, although most reductions were likely related to skid trails coverage. High pre-harvest densities helped offset some of the losses due to harvesting. A quarter of the regenerating trees alive post-harvest presented some form of damage; the occurrence of damages was not significantly influenced by the percentage of basal area harvested. To ensure regeneration objectives are met, losses during removal harvests should be accounted for; as harvesting intensity increases, losses also increase. Based on these results, minimizing skid trail coverage appears as the most effective way to reduce regeneration losses and damage during shelterwood harvests. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6331b4491cff4569beaa4f0dcb662f9e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0015-7546 1499-9315 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Institute of Forestry |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Forestry Chronicle |
| spelling | doaj-art-6331b4491cff4569beaa4f0dcb662f9e2025-08-20T03:39:00ZengCanadian Institute of ForestryThe Forestry Chronicle0015-75461499-93152023-03-019919210210.5558/tfc2023-011Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensityNelson Thiffault0Michael Hoepting1Maryse Marchand2Marie Moulin3Holly Deighton4Canadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1055 du P.E.P.S., P.O. Box 10380, Sainte-Foy Stn., Québec, QC G1V 4C7, CanadaCanadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1219 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, CanadaLaurentian Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1055 du P.E.P.S., P.O. Box 10380, Sainte-Foy Stn., Québec, QC G1V 4C7, CanadaCanadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1055 du P.E.P.S., P.O. Box 10380, Sainte-Foy Stn., Québec, QC G1V 4C7, CanadaCanadian Wood Fibre Centre, Natural Resources Canada, 1219 Queen St. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2E5, CanadaThe shelterwood system is considered appropriate to regenerate Pinus strobus. However, there is a need to quantify the amount of harvesting damage that can be expected relative to the amount of overstory removed during removal harvests and the amount of regeneration that exists prior to harvest. We thus evaluated regeneration response to harvest intensity, as expressed by the percent of basal area harvested. We tested whether regeneration quality and quantity post-harvest increase with decreasing harvest intensity and depend on their pre-harvest abundance. We also posited that soil disturbance increases with harvest intensity. We observed that declines in stocking and density were related to increasing harvest intensity, although most reductions were likely related to skid trails coverage. High pre-harvest densities helped offset some of the losses due to harvesting. A quarter of the regenerating trees alive post-harvest presented some form of damage; the occurrence of damages was not significantly influenced by the percentage of basal area harvested. To ensure regeneration objectives are met, losses during removal harvests should be accounted for; as harvesting intensity increases, losses also increase. Based on these results, minimizing skid trail coverage appears as the most effective way to reduce regeneration losses and damage during shelterwood harvests.https://pubs.cif-ifc.org/doi/10.5558/tfc2023-011Pinus strobusnatural regenerationshelterwood systemsoil disturbanceharvesting intensitydamage to regeneration |
| spellingShingle | Nelson Thiffault Michael Hoepting Maryse Marchand Marie Moulin Holly Deighton Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity The Forestry Chronicle Pinus strobus natural regeneration shelterwood system soil disturbance harvesting intensity damage to regeneration |
| title | Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity |
| title_full | Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity |
| title_fullStr | Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity |
| title_short | Eastern white pine regeneration abundance, stocking, and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity |
| title_sort | eastern white pine regeneration abundance stocking and damage along a gradient of harvest intensity |
| topic | Pinus strobus natural regeneration shelterwood system soil disturbance harvesting intensity damage to regeneration |
| url | https://pubs.cif-ifc.org/doi/10.5558/tfc2023-011 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nelsonthiffault easternwhitepineregenerationabundancestockinganddamagealongagradientofharvestintensity AT michaelhoepting easternwhitepineregenerationabundancestockinganddamagealongagradientofharvestintensity AT marysemarchand easternwhitepineregenerationabundancestockinganddamagealongagradientofharvestintensity AT mariemoulin easternwhitepineregenerationabundancestockinganddamagealongagradientofharvestintensity AT hollydeighton easternwhitepineregenerationabundancestockinganddamagealongagradientofharvestintensity |