Treesearch

The success of oak seedlings planted under shelterwoods depends on where they are planted, initial seedling size, nursery undercutting treatments, and whether they are top-clipped before planting. These conclusions are based on planting northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and white oak (Q. alba L.) under shelterwoods in Indiana and Missouri. Three years after planting, the shelterwoods were completely removed. Results are based on planted tree growth and survival 5 to 7 years after shelterwood removal. For both species, planted tree survival and the probability of attaining dominance...

In the last 20 years, there has been a revival of interest in the use of uneven-aged forest management techniques in the production of timber and forest amenity values. Uneven-aged management is coming into renewed favor especially among non-industrial private landowners in the northeastern United States. The practice allows periodic timber removals on relatively small tracts and, in addition, has been suggested as an aesthetic alternative to clearcutting.

We studied a privately owned 156,000-acre oak-dominated forest in the Ozark Highlands of southern Missouri. The forest has been managed by the single-tree selection method since 1952. Using 40 years of continuous forest inventory records, we analyzed the stability of the shape of tree diameter distributions at the forest-wide scale. Results show that for trees ≥5-inches dbh, diameter frequency distributions closely conform to the negative exponential function for the three species groups and three stand density classes compared. Values of the slope coefficient for the negative exponential...

We tested the efficacy of even-aged stand tables for predicting diameter growth of trees in uneven-aged oak stands. The study was based on the age- and diameter-structure of the Pioneer Forest, a 156,000-acre, privately owned oak forest in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri. The forest has been managed by single-tree selection since 1954.

A test of group-selection and single-tree selection cutting methods was installed in 80-year-old even-aged oak-hickory stands in the Boston Mountains of northern Arkansas. Twenty-four 11-ac study plots were installed in well stocked stands representing north or east and south or west aspects. Stands between group openings were cut to residual basal areas of 65 and 85 ft² using free thinning or structural control. This paper describes (1) the effect of aspect on preharvest stand structure and species composition, (2) preharvest reproduction composition, and (3) the effect of cutting method...

West Virginia is one of the poorest states in the nation and its rural communities are more hard pressed than their urban counterparts. At the same time, West Virginia is one of the most densely forested states in the USA. The combination of poverty amidst a wealth of forest suggest that economic development based on the forest resource could provide solutions for poor rural communities. However, even though decades of public programs have significantly improved the well-being of West Virginia's citizens, rural counties still tend to have the highest unemployment rates, poverty rates and...

Timber sales conducted on State-owned forests in INdiana from 1982 to 1994 were analyzed to determine changes in costs and prices and the effect of sale conditions on costs and prices. The data set included 445 sales that ranged in size from less than 1 acre to more than 500 acres. Sales were predominantly partial cuts in mature hardwood timber. Marked timber volume was less than 5 Mbf (thousand board feet) per acre for most sales. Some sales included other methods, such as clearcutting or seedtree harvests, on some or all of the sale area. Direct costs for planning and conducting timber...

Forest inventory data shows that biophysical agents and human causes account for annual losses of more than a half-billion ft³ of timber in North Central hardwood forests. This paper reports on an analysis of forest inventory data to determine the extent and distribution of tree mortality in four forest types - Aspen-Birch, Elm-Ash-Cottonwood, Maple-Beech-Birch and Oak-Hickory. Eight states were included - Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas. Plot and tree measurement records were examined to characterize tree mortality; estimate the area affected...

Forests in urban areas are an important component of urban and suburban environments. They provide places for recreation and environmental education, wildlife habitat for species adapted to living near humans, contribute to general human physical and psychological health. Knowing how much and what type of forest exists in urban areas provides critical baseline data for evaluating changes in that resource, and critical data to access factors that influence forest management and health. Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data combined with population estimates constitute two valuable...

A recently completed survey of woodland owners provides insight into the owners of private forest lands in the Central Hardwood Region. There is increasing parcelization of forested lands and an increase in the numbers of nonindustrial private forest-land owners. Over half of the private owners have harvested timber from their holdings at some time in the past, they control three-quarters of the private forest. Owners have a positive attitude toward timber cutting at a time when there is greater demand for products from the forest. Because private forest owners have virtually total...